Blogs

Looking Back to Move Forward: Reflections from the 2025 GARE Leaders’ Summit

posted 09-25-2025
From September 8–10, over 125 racial equity practitioners in government from across the country gathered ...

The Power of Place: Boulder Local Meeting Recap

posted 06-17-2025
From June 3-5, 2025, GARE co-hosted a Local Meeting with the City of Boulder, our first in-person convening ...

The South Got Something to Say...

posted 06-03-2025
Image: Detail of Duty Done by Omari Booker By Cecilia Olusola Tribble ...

How to Build a Path for People to Follow

posted 01-22-2025
How to Build a Path for People to Follow by Anita Jones-McNair Anita Jones-McNair is the Chief ...

Building Together: Highlights from the 2024 GARE Network Celebration

posted 01-17-2025
To close out an impactful year, GARE hosted the 2024 GARE Network Celebration on December 19. The online ...

GARE’s Vision of Economic Justice: Expanding Opportunity, Improving Mobility, and Strengthening Solidarity

posted 12-12-2024
In the recent election, economic issues were front and center for most voters, including cost of living, ...

Imagining the Not-Yet of Racial Equity Work: The California Innovation Community Cadre

posted 12-11-2024
GARE is dedicated to building a vibrant social impact network by enhancing peer-to-peer connections through ...

“Many Hands Lighten the Load,” Reflections from the 2024 GARE Membership Meeting: Building Power in a Pivotal Moment

posted 12-11-2024
Last month, over 600 racial equity practitioners in government gathered in St. Louis for the 2024 GARE ...

GARE Member Jurisdictions Show How Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Part Two

posted 09-06-2024
In the second installment of our two-part series, we continue to highlight Racial Equity Core Teams as ...

Watch our video recap of Governing for Racial Equity: The GARE Southern Regional Meeting

posted 07-01-2024
In May 2024, dozens of racial equity practitioners working in cities, towns, and states across the southern ...

#SouthStandUp: Racial Equity Practitioners and Partners Gather in Dallas for the GARE Southern Regional Meeting

posted 06-14-2024
From May 14 to 16, 2024, GARE hosted Governing for Racial Justice: The Southern Regional Meeting in Dallas, ...

GARE Member Jurisdictions Show How Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Part One

posted 06-03-2024
The GARE approach is an organizational change model for achieving racial equity change in government. ...

Allow Us to Reintroduce Ourselves Volume 1: Updates on our new program strategy

posted 04-22-2024
Back in October 2022, we gave a sneak preview into our updated programmatic direction. ...

Allow Us to Reintroduce Ourselves Volume 2: Notes on our new look and feel

posted 04-22-2024
GARE adopted a new look and feel to reflect this new chapter of the network’s identity. ...

Meet the New GARE Senior Director!

posted 04-18-2024
Periods of transition present opportunities to engage in self-assessment, forge new pathways forward, ...

GARE Members Come Together to Celebrate Wins of 2023

posted 12-21-2023
In December, GARE network members, staff, and partner organizations gathered online for the 2023 GARE ...

Community, Reflection, and Inspiration at the GARE 2023 Membership Meeting

posted 11-13-2023
Over 600 GARE racial equity practitioners gathered online from November 1-2, 2023, for Governing for ...

Racial Equity Practitioners Gather for GARE’s Inaugural Leadership Summit

posted 10-11-2023
Leading GARE Racial Equity Practitioners Gather in Pine Mountain, Georgia In September 2023, we gathered ...

Building a Bigger We: GARE Leverages Transformative Partnerships to Build Institutional Change at the State Level

posted 08-14-2023
As Mitch Smith recently wrote in the New York Times, “America’s state capitals are as polarized as they ...

Deepening Our Commitment to Racial Equity to Reclaim the Promise of Equal Protection

posted 07-04-2023
A majority on the US Supreme Court unraveled decades of jurisprudence on affirmative action last week ...

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING AN ATTACK ON EQUAL PROTECTION, FURTHER UNDERMINES DEMOCRACY

posted 06-29-2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 29, 2023 Contact: press@spotlightpr.org or jridley@raceforward.org ...

California Racial Equity Practitioners Strengthen Ties at GARE Statewide Convening

posted 06-20-2023
From June 13-15, 2023, in Oakland, CA, GARE hosted Governing for All: The California Statewide ...

GARE Launches New Tools and a Monthly Peer-to-Peer Networking Group Dedicated to Housing and Land Justice

posted 06-02-2023
April marked the 55th anniversary of the last major piece of Civil Rights era legislation, the Fair Housing ...

GARE, PolicyLink, and Communities First Launch the 2023 Transformative Justice Infrastructure Fellowship for Public Sector Leaders

posted 05-01-2023
GARE, PolicyLink , the Communities First Infrastructure Alliance , are excited to announce the 2023 ...

Root Solutions to Public Safety: A Journey to Montgomery, Alabama

posted 04-05-2023
Written by: Alex Frank, GARE’s Director of Root Solutions to Public Safety “History, despite its wrenching ...

Working Together: Advancing Racial Equity Across Government

posted 12-15-2022
On Wednesday, November 17, 2022, GARE, its programmatic partner State of Equity , and the Federal Initiative ...

Our Foundational Work: GARE Staff Welcome New Team Members and Offer a Sneak Peek into Our Network’s Practitioner-led Future

posted 10-27-2022
Our network comes together to listen, learn, apply, and innovate how we advance racial equity through ...

Ripple Effect: Remaking Government into a Force for Racial Justice

posted 06-24-2022
The GARE Network has doubled in size almost every year since its founding, currently we have upwards ...

GARE and Race Forward Decry SCOTUS Overturn of Roe v. Wade

posted 06-24-2022
Decision will adversely affect women of color and members of LGBTQ+ communities. Contact: ...

Esri Launches New Solution to Help Communities Assess Social Equity

posted 01-06-2022
Collaboration with GARE and Five Jurisdictions Produces Mapping Tool for Government In communities ...

California State Government Teams Complete Racial Equity Learning Program

posted 11-17-2021
Written by Lianne Dillon Launched in 2018, the Capitol Collaborative on Race and Equity (CCORE) represents ...

California Cabinet Secretaries Pass Racial Equity Resolution

posted 09-28-2020
California Cabinet Secretaries Pass Racial Equity Resolution Action is the first of its kind by ...

JUSTICE NOW – RACE FORWARD STATEMENT

posted 06-02-2020
Race Forward Statement June 2, 2020 Dear colleagues and comrades: In the days since four Minneapolis ...

Milwaukee County Passes Ordinance on Racial Equity!

posted 05-26-2020
The Milwaukee County government has been committed to understanding the link between race, government ...

The People Behind the Movement: Anne Stuhldreher

posted 04-20-2020
The City of San Francisco is Working Towards the Elimination of Fines and Fees A Conversation with ...

The People Behind the Movement: Toni Newborn

posted 04-07-2020
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

Bringing Equity into the Library: A Conversation with Christy Mulligan, DEI Coordinator for the Hennepin County Library

posted 03-24-2020
Libraries are often considered one of the foremost democratic institutions in America . However, the ...

The People Behind the Movement: Alison Beason

posted 11-14-2019
Spatial Data and Decision-Making with Alison Beason, Senior Policy Analyst for the City of Tacoma ...

The City of Asheville hosts site visit for four equity leaders from four southern jurisdictions!

posted 09-19-2019
In August, the City of Asheville hosted four equity leaders from four southern jurisdictions for the ...

The People Behind the Movement: Kimberlee Archie

posted 09-19-2019
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

Open Data, Water Quality and Equity: A Conversation with Greg Gearhart of the California Water Board

posted 09-19-2019
Although water supply issues have risen to the national stage in recent years with media coverage of ...

City of Asheville earns GIS award for racial equity mapping project!

posted 07-09-2019
The City of Asheville was recently awarded the North Carolina G. Herbert Stout Award for Visionary Use ...

City of Gainesville passes motion for institutionally committing to racial equity

posted 06-25-2019
This City of Gainesville recently passed a motion committing to racial equity which included the following ...

The People Behind the Movement: Chuckwuemeka Manning

posted 06-19-2019

Waco City Council takes aim at racial disparities, gentrification

posted 05-30-2019
The Waco City Council is putting the issue of racial equity on the front burner after holding a four-hour ...

Watch highlights from our 2019 Membership Meeting in Albuquerque, NM!

posted 05-29-2019
Last month, GARE had an amazing gathering and movement building experience in Albuquerque, New Mexico! ...

Perspectives in Equity in Hiring Practices Pt. 1: Daniel Garcia, Senior Equity and Inclusion Policy Advisor, Multnomah County

posted 05-07-2019
What are the obstacles to addressing workforce inequities through hiring? In this interview, we speak ...

The People Behind the Movement: Mary Scott

posted 05-06-2019
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

Raising the Equity Bar for Minneapolis Neighborhoods

posted 03-12-2019
David Rubedor, Director, Neighborhood and Community Relations Department, City of Minneapolis Over ...

Just Say No to Siloes: How the “One Fairfax” Plan Facilitates Inter-Agency Collaboration

posted 03-11-2019
Institutional Analysis Fairfax County, VA departmental leaders took a giant step towards addressing ...

People Behind the Movement: Anh Thang Dao-Shah

posted 03-11-2019
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

The People Behind the Movement: Manisha Paudel

posted 02-12-2019
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

Creating and Sustaining a Racial Equity Core Team: Members Discuss Challenges, Successes and Key Insights

posted 02-11-2019
Race Forward recently launched the Racial Equity Core Team guide , which provides jurisdictions and ...

Seattle Office of City Auditor Pursues Racial Equity in its Audits through the use of its Race and Social Justice Toolkit.

posted 01-29-2019
By: Virginia Garcia, Assistant City Auditor Seattle Office of City Auditor The Seattle Office ...

Washtenaw County Launches its One Community Initiative to Advance Racial Equity in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, Michigan!

posted 12-17-2018
Washtenaw County is one of the wealthiest counties in Michigan, with high incomes and high rankings as ...

Saint Paul, MN, City Libraries and Mayor Melvin Carter Propose Eliminating Late Fines!

posted 11-20-2018
Saint Paul Public Library (SPPL) staff members have been concerned about inequities related to overdue ...

Washtenaw County Unanimously Passes Equity Policy

posted 10-25-2018
Washtenaw County, Michigan has some issues familiar to many GARE communities. We are fairly wealthy, ...

The People Behind the Movement: Janine Anzalota

posted 10-25-2018
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

The Office of Equity and Human Rights: Building a City That Works for All Portlanders

posted 10-25-2018
The City of Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights presented a report to City Council on the first ...

A financial justice victory that is spreading: San Francisco’s elimination of high pain/low gain criminal justice fees

posted 10-24-2018
By Anne Stuhldreher Thirty-three year old Jessica Salazar was making good progress. After she got ...

The People Behind The Movement: Katie Balderas

posted 09-05-2018
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

Watch Chief Equity Officer for Fairfax County, Virginia, Karla Bruce, and GARE Co-Director, Julie Nelson’s presentation: The Role of Government in Advancing Racial Equity

posted 07-10-2018
The Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) was pleased to be a part of the Washington Regional ...

The People Behind the Movement: Analilia Garcia

posted 07-09-2018
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

The People Behind the Movement: Michelle Melendez

posted 06-19-2018
Michelle Melendez is the Director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Albuquerque, NM, a Racial Equity ...

The Power of Partnership – Local Government Combines with Immigrant Advocacy Groups to Provide a National Model on Immigration Policy

posted 06-14-2018
After months of community organizing and advocacy, King County, Washington Council adopted a new Immigration ...

The People Behind the Movement: Jennifer Swift

posted 05-15-2018
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

The People Behind the Movement: Zoe Polk

posted 05-01-2018
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners ...

Sixty-six Member Jurisdictions from across the country gather for GARE’s 2018 Annual Membership Meeting

posted 04-19-2018
More than 300 people attended the Government Alliance on Racial Equity National Membership Meeting from ...

Seattle: A Fair Chance Housing Ordinance Centering Racial Equity

posted 04-17-2018
By: Erika Pablo, Civil Rights Strategic Advisor, City of Seattle After a decade-long effort, Seattle ...

The People Behind the Movement: Tracy Patterson

posted 04-17-2018
Q: Let’s start by talking about your current role with the Port of Seattle. I am the Manager of Talent ...

GARE gathers leaders from across Wisconsin for Advancing Racial Equity: The Role of Government in Appleton, Wisconsin

posted 04-03-2018
On March 7, GARE sponsored “Advancing Racial Equity: The Role of Government” in Appleton, Wisconsin. ...

The People Behind the Movement: Jessica Kingston

posted 04-03-2018
Q: Let’s start by talking about your current position. Can you describe your current role? I am ...

Making a Statement: Takoma Park, MD, is Making DecisionsThrough a Racial Equity Lens

posted 02-20-2018
In January 2016, the Takoma Park, MD, City Council began its annual retreat much like it had traditionally ...

Cities Across the Country are Applying a Racial Equity Lens to Their Parks!

posted 02-13-2018
Originally published by NRPA, in partnership with GARE on February 6, 2018, Department, by Alec Weis, ...

Moving from Rhetoric to Results: Minneapolis Creates Division of Race and Equity

posted 01-23-2018
By Elizabeth Glidden, Former Ward 8 City Council Member for the City of Minneapolis. Elizabeth Glidden ...

The People Behind the Movement: Nancy Locke

posted 01-23-2018
Q: Let’s start with your current position. Can you describe your role? I am the Director of Purchasing ...

The People Behind the Movement: Michael Davis

posted 01-09-2018
Q: Let’s start by talking about your current role with the city of Seattle. I am the director of Environmental ...

Multnomah County, OR, Creates a Workforce Equity Resolution that Centers Employee Experiences

posted 12-11-2017
At a September 14th Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners meeting, powerful public testimony ...

The People Behind the Movement: Ben Duncan

posted 11-08-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the past year, we interviewed ...

The People Behind the Movement: Desiree Williams-Rajee

posted 10-18-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? Over the past several months, ...

Advancing and Promoting Racial Equity on the rise in the Midwest!

posted 10-18-2017
The 3 rd floor of Madison Public Library was filled with over 100 local government and non-profit organization ...

Libraries Take Action to Advance Racial Equity (Part 3 of 3)

posted 10-11-2017
Madison, Wisconsin ABOUT THIS SERIES: The GARE Libraries Interest works to develop the capacity of ...

GARE Webinar Recap – Results for Racial Equity

posted 10-11-2017
Overview: On September 13 th , The Government Alliance on Race and Equity announced a new tool, ...

Libraries Take Action to Advance Racial Equity (Part 1 of 3)

posted 10-11-2017
ABOUT THIS SERIES: The GARE Libraries Interest works to develop the capacity of libraries to make racial ...

Libraries Take Action to Advance Racial Equity (Part 2 of 3)

posted 10-11-2017
Saint Paul, Minnesota ABOUT THIS SERIES: The GARE Libraries Interest works to develop the capacity ...

The People Behind the Movement: Nefertiri Sickout

posted 10-03-2017
Nefertiri Sickout currently serves as Deputy to the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the City ...

Results for Racial Equity Tool Release

posted 09-13-2017
The Government Alliance on Race and Equity announces a new tool, Racial Equity: Getting to Results, ...

The People Behind the Movement: Mayor Greg Fischer

posted 09-08-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the pastfew months, ...

The City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is Getting real about structural racism and community engagement

posted 09-08-2017
Mayor Rosalynn Bliss has been intentional about addressing structural and systemic racism in the City ...

Accelerating Racial Equity in Cities: Emerging Insights

posted 09-08-2017
By Nora Liu, Racial Equity Here Project Manager, Government Alliance on Race and Equity Originally ...

The People Behind the Movement: Paul Schnell

posted 09-08-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the past few months, ...

Increasing accountability to the greater Portland community in Metro’s racial equity work.

posted 09-08-2017
Metro is the regional government for the greater Portland, Oregon region. This region is nationally recognized ...

Ontario launches anti-racism strategic plan

posted 09-08-2017
With 14 million people, Ontario is rich in diversity, innovation and opportunity. It is estimated that ...

Washtenaw County Public Health Department Works to Break the School-to-Prison Pipeline

posted 09-08-2017
By Stephen Wade, MUP, Health Equity Policy Analyst, Washtenaw County Public Health July 2017 Washtenaw ...

Learn How Bloomington is Advancing Racial Equity

posted 09-08-2017
Bloomington participated in the 2016 Minnesota Advancing Racial Equity cohort, and has assembled another ...

The City of New Orleans, Louisiana, Launches a Citywide, Data Driven Racial Equity Initiative

posted 08-25-2017
EquityNewOrleans is a citywide initiative of the Office of Mayor Mitch Landrieu funded by the W.K. Kellogg ...

The City of Austin’s Community-Driven Approach to Advancing Racial Equity

posted 08-25-2017
The City of Austin is a member of the Racial Equity Here cohort, a national movement of government leaders ...

Philadelphia Finalizes Racial Equity Action Plan to Drive Equity Efforts

posted 07-21-2017
The City of Philadelphia is a member of the Racial Equity Here cohort, a national movement of government ...

The People Behind the Movement: Mayor Rosalynn Bliss

posted 05-08-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the past few months, ...

Highlights from our 4th Racial Equity Here Cohort meeting in Austin Texas!

posted 04-19-2017
CSI’s core program, Government Alliance on Race and Equity, is partnering with Living Cities on ...

The People Behind the Movement: Vina Kay

posted 04-18-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? Over the past several months, ...

How King County Built a Strategic Plan for Equity and Social Justice

posted 04-06-2017
Operationalizing and prioritizing equity – including an explicit focus on racial equity and social justice ...

The City of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, Developes a 5 Step Community Engagement Planning Guide!

posted 03-28-2017
The City of Brooklyn Park is committed to working toward equitable outcomes by effectively engaging our ...

The People Behind the Movement: Kevin Frazell

posted 03-22-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the past few months, ...

Recap: Actions Local Jurisdictions Can Take to Protect Immigrants and Refugees

posted 03-22-2017
The recent series of executive orders that target immigrants and refugees threaten the safety and well-being ...

Building a Welcoming City in Spite of Unwelcoming Executive Orders on Immigration

posted 03-21-2017
On January 25, 2017, just hours after President Donald Trump issued his first executive orders that would ...

Senior Policy Analyst for the City of Tacoma, Office of Equity and Human Rights, Manisha Paudel asks, "Is it okay to not know?"

posted 03-01-2017
A recent event to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr started with the U.S. national anthem, ...

The People Behind the Movement: Diana Falchuk

posted 03-01-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the past few months, ...

Artists as Change Agents in City of Minneapolis Government

posted 02-21-2017
Artists are playing a critical role in shaping how the City of Minneapolis approaches its work advancing ...

Richmond, California, Removes Barriers to Housing for People With Past Criminal Convicitons

posted 02-21-2017
GARE jurisdiction, Richmond , CA — part of the Northern California Cohort— continues their work to advance ...

The People Behind the Movement: Joy Marsh Stephens

posted 02-09-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the past few months, ...

The People Behind the Movement: Jane Eastwood

posted 02-02-2017
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the past few months, ...

City of Seattle – Turning Commitment into Action

posted 01-09-2017
Turning Commitment into Action (TCA) is a free racial equity learning cohort designed to give organizations ...

[Sharing our Field of Practice] Boston Kicks-Off Racial Equity Initiative

posted 01-03-2017
Mayor Walsh and Pam Eddinger of Bunker Hill Community College listen to feedback from residents. Cover ...

City of Portland Launches Racial Equity Toolkit

posted 12-06-2016
In late September, 2016, the City of Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights (OEHR) launched its ...

The People Behind the Movement: Elizabeth Tolzmann

posted 12-06-2016
Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity within government? Over the past few months, ...

Iowa City Releases its Annual Racial Equity Report

posted 11-28-2016
owa City’s Racial Equity Report provides data on the racial demographics of youth and adult interactions ...

Arts Are a Strategy to Build Racial Equity

posted 11-28-2016
Presented by Randy Engstrom , director Seattle Office of Arts & Culture at NY Community Trust, November ...

Talk and Q&A with Rinku Sen!

posted 10-17-2016
cover image by: PopTech from Camden, Maine and Brooklyn, NY, USA As a part of the 2016 California ...

How Seattle is Bringing Equity into the Environmental Movement

posted 10-06-2016
To promote racial equity through municipal government, those most deeply affected by inequalities – often ...

Launching a Racial Equity Initiative: An interview with former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels

posted 08-09-2016
Political leadership is a key factor in the success of launching and institutionalizing a racial equity ...

Achieving Equity with Results-Based Accountability Webinar

posted 07-09-2016
If you missed our recent webinar, “Achieving Equity with Results-Based Accountability,” you’re in luck! ...

Criminal Justice and Equity

posted 04-23-2016
Across the United States, at each and every stage of the criminal justice system people of color fare ...

Apology Offered for Destruction of Historic African American Neighborhood

posted 08-11-2015
Article by Jane Eastwood On July 17, Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman joined members of the African ...