Brookhaven Social Justice Race and Equity Commission Hosts Citywide “Civic Dinners” For Public Input On Race, Diversity and Equality In The City

Brookhaven, GA, July 26, 2021 – Described as a “citywide night of conversation,” the Brookhaven Social Justice Race and Equity Commission (SJREC) is hosting a series of “civic dinners” at area restaurants Aug. 9 to garner public input on race, diversity and equality in the community.

The dinners are open to the public at no cost, but residents must register to attend at https://inclusivv.co/brookhaven. The dinners will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at five restaurants in the city:

  • Arnette’s Chop Shop, 2700 Apple Valley Rd NE
  • EATItaliano Kitchen, 2480 Briarcliff Rd NE
  • El Potro, 3396 Buford Hwy NE
  • Petite Violette, 2948 Clairmont Rd
  • Villa Christina, 400 Summit Blvd.

“Having completed the first two phases of our initiative to both ground our commission members in the history of race and equity in the United States and Brookhaven, and organize our work, we have now entered the third phase; our summer of engagement to reach out to local residents for input,” said Brookhaven SJREC Chair John Funny. “We hope that many residents of the city will join us for the public civic dinners and give their thoughts and opinions on how our community can become more welcoming and inclusive.”

Participants in the civic dinners will engage conversation around racial equity and will give guests the opportunity to share their stories and learn from others.  The conversations will be guided by a host and consists of the same 3 questions for each group.

Each guest and host will be asked to complete a survey at the end of the event to provide key takeaways and feedback. This information will be used by the 37-member SJREC Commission to help craft recommendations to the Mayor and City Council in the coming months.

“It is our hope that the constructive dialogue from the civic dinners will provide us with a wide range of insight and aspirations to consider when we begin to formulate our recommendations to the city council,” said Funny. 

The SJREC was formed in December 2020 by the Brookhaven City Council to explore various aspects of City government and services through a racial equity lens and provide the Mayor and City Council with recommendations.

The commission, a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-generational body, is divided into four subcommittees:

  • Charter Review, Vision and Mission – Taking a look at the Brookhaven charter, vision and mission to ensure they reflect the city’s commitment to diversity and racial equity.
  • Hiring and Retention – Reviewing the city’s polices on hiring and retention to make sure they align with its diversity and inclusion goals and objectives.
  • Procurement and Contracting – Making sure the city’s purchasing policies are inclusive and equitable.
  • Policing and Continuum of Force – Reviewing the police to insure it is implementing best practices concerning diversity, racial equity and social justice.

The SJREC plans to wrap up its public engagement work in early fall and begin to develop its recommendations to the city council which will be delivered by the end of the year. For more information on the SJREC, please visit: https://www.BrookhavenGA.gov/SJREC.

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