Racial Equity Commission

About the Racial Equity Commission 

Created in Sept. 2020, the Racial Equity Commission consists of five residents and three ex-officios nominated by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. 

This commission is tasked with reviewing City policies and procedures to ensure racial equity is a core element of government, along with making recommendations to officials on ways to promote racial justice and equity in Jackson. 


Creating Spaces for Equity; Community Outreach Forum

The Racial Equity Commission is pleased to present our video and images from our October 2023 outreach event. We were honored to have Dr. Felicita Arzu-Carmichael of Oakland University as she presented to us ‘A Conversation about Equity and Inclusion as Coalitional Work’.

The Racial Equity Commission has been intentional since it’s beginning to do the work of policy edits, of which we were created, while at the same time recognizing the need to educate our community on our work, our purpose, your part in it and the how. Please review below this informative and engaging conversation to further our intended purpose as a Racal Equity Commission and our desired partnership with you as we look to “Racially Revolutionize Jackson."

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Vision Statement

A vibrant city free of structural racism, actively engaged in eliminating racial prejudice and repairing the harm caused by racial inequities to achieve equity for Jackson’s historically marginalized, disenfranchised and oppressed citizens of color in personal, social, educational, economic, systemic and structural arenas.

Mission Statement 

To transform city policies, practices, and processes and to awaken, educate, train, and activate ALL to invest in interrupting and reversing racism, the impacts of racism, and racial prejudice wherever encountered.

Motto

To Racially Revolutionize Jackson.

Recommended Resources

This section is dedicated to the many resources that members of the Racial Equity Commission have read, watched, explored, trust, and now recommend to you. This list is not exhaustive, and we will periodically add to it as we discover more recommended sources.  The resource list is available on this page in a PDF document.

Racial Equity Commission Land and Labor Acknowledgement

Land and labor acknowledgment are small gestures that, when coupled with authentic relationships and informed action, can be meaningful steps toward understanding and community.   This City of Jackson, Michigan resides on the occupied, unceded, seized territory of the Potawatomi and Peoria People.

We recognize, honor and encourage those gathered here to consider their responsibilities to the people and land, both here and elsewhere, and to stand in solidarity with Native, Indigenous, and First Nations People, their sovereignty, their cultural heritage, and their lives. We honor the survival, the adaptations, the forced assimilation, the resilience and creativity of Native peoples—past, present, and future.

We also pause to recognize and acknowledge the labor upon which our country, state, and institutions are built.

We acknowledge that our country was built on the labor of enslaved people who were kidnapped and brought to the U.S. from the African continent and recognize the continued contribution of their survivors. We acknowledge all immigrant labor, including voluntary, involuntary, trafficked, forced, and undocumented peoples who contributed to the building of the country and continue to serve within our labor force. 

We are indebted to their labor and their sacrifice, we must acknowledge and critically interrogate the histories, the tremors of violence throughout the generations and the resulting impact that can still be felt and witnessed today.

Meetings 

The Racial Equity Commission meets the first Tuesday of every month at 4:00 p.m., unless otherwise decided. Meetings are held in the 10th Floor Conference Room of Jackson City Hall, 161 W. Michigan Ave. Jackson, MI 49201.  The following is a list of 2023 meeting dates: 

  • Dec. 5

The latest meeting information is posted on the City Meeting and Event Calendar. Future meeting agendas will be posted in the Agenda and Minutes Center. 

Serve on the Racial Equity Commission 

An application to serve on the Racial Equity Commission is available through the City website.