Town of Carrboro staff attended the first session of a racial equity training held by The North Carolina Government Alliance on Race and Equity, or GARE, in October. The assembly, held in Charlotte, was the first GARE convening held in the south.

Carrboro Board of Aldermen member Bethany Chaney says she believes this training can improve the quality and scope of communication the town has with its citizens.

“I think it’s so important for us to recognize how our habits in communication and in engagement can lead to outcomes that aren’t necessarily the best for everybody equally across town,” says Chaney.

The first GARE session focused on the role of government in relation to racial equity and analyzing policies and practices from a racial equity perspective.

Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle supports the town’s involvement in the assembly wholeheartedly.

“It’s a great program that our staff is taking part in,” she says. “It aligns perfectly with the goals of our board to kind of work towards racial equity.”

While board members have taken racial equity training courses in the past, this is the first time Carrboro’s town staff has attended such training. Lavelle believes having employees receive such training helps them understand the rationale behind decisions made by elected officials.

“The elected officials are the ones who are out there hearing from the community, making these decisions from behind a desk on Tuesday nights,” says Lavelle. “The folks who actually have to put those policies and ideas into action are 150-plus employees that work for the town.”

This past session is the first of ten Carrboro town staff will attend. The board approved the town’s involvement with GARE in 2018.

Photo via Town of Carrboro.

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