2005 beyond the talk implementation report

8/2/2019 2005 Beyond the Talk Implementation Report

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Beyond the Talk: Improving Race RelationsFinal Implementation ReportApril 2005JCCIl lz e ll s bu il di ng: : > a b e tt er c ommunit y~",..--~_,.. Clanzenetta "Mickee" BrownJCCI Community PlannerMickee@jccLorgSummaryThe Race Relations ImplementationTask Force began meeting in December 2002 to plan andexecute its strategy to advocate for the recommendations listed in JCCl's study, Beyond theTalk: Improving Race Relations. Since the study's release on September 17, 2002 the studyhas inspired both significant public interest and action (see Recommendations/Outcomes!Comments below). The 32 member task force, chaired by Bruce Barcelo and Brian Davis, met 18times in both general and sub- committees. Task force members have personally contacted(meetings, phone calls, letters, etc.) all of the decision makers listed in the study'srecommendations to promote improved race relations in Jacksonville. These efforts haveresulted in numerous institutional changes and significant media and community attention (seePublic Awareness below), which have helpedmove the recommendations forward.This final implementation report is not an update on the status of race relations in Jacksonville.Instead it is the final JCCI report on the status of the 27 recommendations listed in Beyond theTalk.Although the study's recommendations focused solely on moving beyond "the talk" andadvocating for institutional change, it has inadvertently encouraged more dialogue. The needfor people to talk about individual feelings on race, ethnicity, and prejudice is extremely strong.This was true in both internal committee settings and in dealing with areadecision makers.While Beyond the Talk was important in paving the way for many institutional changes in thecommunity, the task force acknowledges that many of the of the outcomes listed below did notoccur as a direct result of its advocacy efforts or the study itself. The legacy of this study istwofold. It documents the state of race relations in Jacksonville at the beginning of the 21stCentury and gives the community a common language about where we were and where weare going.Public AwarenessBeyond the Talk has garnered notable local press coverage:./ WJXT

Independent Channel 4./ WJCTPBS Channel 7./ WTLVNBC Channel 12./ WJXXABC Channel 30",- WJFR_Radio 88.7

./ WCJTRadio 89.9./ City of Jacksonville'sNeighborhoods Magazine./ Folio Weekly

./ jacksonville Business Journal

./ jacksonville Free Press

./ Financial News and Daily Report./ Mandarin News and st . Johns RiverPilot./ Flavour Magazine (Clearwater, FL)

./ Florida Times-Union ./ Miami Herald

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JCCI staff and task force members presented Beyond the Talk to the following groups:../ Leadership Jacksonville'../ Northwest Area Council of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce../ University of North FloridaThe study and its chairs (Bruce Barcelo and Judge Brian Davis) have also been praised fortheir outstanding work:../ Folio Weekly's 2002 Persons of the Year../ Jacksonville Urban League's 2003Whitney Young AwardRecommendations I Outcomes I CommentsThe section below captures many of the activities that have taken place to improve racerelations and race based disparities since the study's release on September 17, 2002. Alsoincluded are comments from the task force based on their observations and experiences whileadvocating on behalf of the race relations study.Recommendation 1The Mayor of Jacksonville should take ownership of the race relations problem in Jacksonville. TheMayor should galvanize community leadership, including government, business, education, and the faithcommunity, to create a vision for Jacksonville of racial justice and inclusion, in which all residents feelfree to, and actually do, patticipate fully in public life, unimpeded by race-based disparities ordiscrimination.Outcomes./ Former Mayor John Delaney issued a proclamation supporting the Beyond the Talk: Improving

Race Relations study at the Martin Luther King Breakfast on January 20, 2003 effectively takingownership for promoting the importance of improved race relations in Jacksonville../ The City Council also issued a resolution in support of the race relations study at the MLK breakfastin 2003, presented by then Council President Jerry Holland../ Mayor Delaney and the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission sponsored the Mayor's Summit on

Race Relations on April 5, 2003. Over 200.citizens attended the summit and 93 percent of theattendees indicated that they would like to see the City conduct an annual summit to measureprogress and discuss race../ On February 7, 2003 mayoral candidates Keith Myers, Ginger Soud, Mike Weinstein, John Peyton,Steve Irvine, Matt Carlucci, Nat Glover, and Tommy Hazouri participated in a forum sponsored byFresh Ministries, JCCI, NCCJ, and others to discuss the state of race relations in Jacksonville. Allpledged ownership of the issue, if elected../ On November 13, 2003, 250 religious and faith leaders joined Mayor John Peyton at An Evening

with the Mayor: Race, Religion, and Life in Jacksonville to address the topic of racism and how thefaith community can help the Mayor create a city that values diversity. Mayor Peyton acknowledgedthat his leadership is important in improving race relations. He challenged all local citizens to joinhim in making Jacksonville a better city for residents despite racial background../ Mayor Peyton appointed Willie "Pete" Jackson as the Chief Community Officer for the City ofJacksonville. As an integral part of Mayor Peyton's leadership team, he works to ensure the deliveryof city services and is involved in various special projects, including small and disadvantagedbusiness initiatives, Empowerment/Enterprise Zone issues, and faith-based collaborative efforts.

I Status: Implemented

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Recommendation 2To build public support for that vision and to hold the community accountable for achieving it, the City ofJacksonville should sponsor an annual weeklong diversity celebration. The celebration should include: convening community-wide accountability sessions, using a race relations report card (see

Recommendation #4) and other data to document the degreeof progress toward resolving race-baseddisparities and discrimination in Jacksonville;

recognizing efforts that address race relations issues and produce outcomes that reduce disparityand discrimination;

including and paying attention to the perspectives of emerging racial and ethnic minority groups; and sponsoring public events designed to celebrate diversity and foster interracial interaction.Outcomes./ In 2003 the World of Nations Celebration sponsored by the City of Jacksonville, which celebratescultural and ethnic diversity through food, crafts and entertainment, was permanently extended to a fourday celebration.CommentsThe Delaney administration offered the World of Nations Celebration as an annual venue for moreextensive community discussion about issues surrounding race and ethnicity in Jacksonville. While thecelebration's hours were extended, it has not evolved beyond a cultural and ethnic fair.

I Status: I Partially Implemented ./

Recommendation 3The Jacksonville Human Rights Commission (JHRC) should take a more active role in monitoring andadvising City. government on its efforts to resolve race-based disparities and discrimination inJacksonville.Outcomes/ In 2002 the Commission created a new strategic plan with one of its goals being to become morevisible in the Jacksonville community .

./ The Commission held public hearings on the City's Women/Minority Business Enterprise Program(Ordinance 2003-629) and made recommendations to the Mayor's Office (See Recommendation 11).

./ The Commission's Study Circles Project also includes an "Action Plans" stage where participants workin multi-racial/ethnic groups on projects to improve race relations in the local community. .

/ JHRC will oversee the impact of the small business program enacted by the City Council in 2004 todetermine its effectiveness (See Recommendation 11).CommentsBy its own admission, the JHRC has been challenged to provide leadership in the areas of monitoringand advising city government. The very nature of the JHRC as a City agency may also limit its ability toobjectively study, critique, and monitor City efforts to resolve racial issues.

I Status: Partially Implemented

Recommendation 4

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Jacksonville Community Council Inc. (JCCI) should convene citizens to create and distribute an annualreport card on race relations in Jacksonville, modeled after its Quality of Life Indicators report. Thereportcard should measure race-based disparities as well as perceptions of racism and discrimination in thecommunity. It should also prioritize the measures based on the need for action to improve race relations.OutcomesJCCI in a partnership with Edward Waters College and Jacksonville University raised $63,500 in cashand in-kind funds to create a data-driven local snapshot of race relations, perceptions of race, andindicators about the progress being made toward eliminating the racial disparities discussed in Beyondthe Talk. This initial report card was funded by the Chamber of Commerce, City of Jacksonville,Community Foundation, CSX, Dalton, duPont Foundation, Ida Mae Stevens Family Foundation, UnitedWay, Wachovia, and the Weaver Family Foundation. The report card is scheduled for community widerelease in May 2005.CommentsThe race relations report progress report has not been released to the public. The citizen ReviewCommittee, chaired by past JCCI Board President Afesa Adams, completed their work late in March.The Executive Committee reviewed the final draft on April 13, 2005 and is sending it to the Board,recommending approval (April 15, 2005). The report card's release event is yet to be determined (Seerecommendation #2). Annual production of the report card is dependent upon continued funding.

I Status: I Partially Implemented ..;'

Recommendation 5The Jacksonville Human Rights Commission (JHRC) and the Jacksonville branch of the NationalConference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) should build on past efforts and increasingly availablecommunity data on local race relations to expand significantly the Study Circles and other communitydialogue programs. Participants in these programs should learn to become agents for institutional aswellas individual change. To accomplish this, JHRCand NCCJshould: increase partnerships with and significantly expand participation from government, business, media,

and religious organizations; train members of these organizations to act as facilitators for interracial dialogue in their

organizations; focus dialogue efforts to foster subsequent development and implementation of action plans that will

improve race relations in Jacksonville; and publicize the outcomes of action~plan implementation efforts.Outcomes./ Mayor John Delaney made the Study Circle Coordinator position permanent (instead of grant-funded) .

./ NCCJ is a member of the Study Circles Steering Committee and its personnel serve as trained groupfacilitators for the process .

./ The Commission's staff is working with the PRISM Project (see Recommendation 26) using the StudyCircles model to engage local media representatives in a dialogue about race in jacksonville.Workshops in 2003 and 2004 included front line reporters and senior management.

./ JHRC Executive Director Charlene Taylor Hill and NCCJ Executive Director Claud Myers presentedboth the Study Circles and Interfaith Dialogue processes to 250 area clergy on November 13, 2003 atAn Evening with the Mayor: Race, Religion, and Life in Jacksonville (See Recommendation 1) as a wayto build relationships across the community in spite of perceived differences.

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/ The Commission co-sponsored Jane Elliott's "Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes" program with WJCT onFebruary 22, 2005 to continue the discussion of diversity as an important community value.CommentsJHRC recognizes that the effort to expand study circles is an ongoing and challenging effort. In 2005the Commission committed to expanding Study Circles from 300 to 400 participants. This is a smallincrease in number when Jacksonville is populated by 609,000 adults over the age of 18.

Recording and publicizing the Action Plans that result from study circles could help to increase thepublic's awareness and participation in Study Circles.I Status: I Partially Implemented I . . r

Recommendation 6TheDuval County Public Schools should focus attention on eliminating racial disparities in educationaloutcomes. This will require strong leadership from both the School Board and the Superintendent.Specifically, the system should expand its efforts to: identify low~penorming schools in which students are succeeding, identify successful policies,

practices, and teaching methods that support the success of these students, and incorporate theminto all schools;

work to improve aillow~achieving schools, regardless of the racial makeup of the student body; ensure that a/l students gain sufficient proficiency in the English language to enter college oremployment; ensure that a/l students aretaught about conflict resolution, cultural diversity, and racial tolerance; issue an annual report card on progress in eliminating racial disparities in educational outcomes,

including measures such as graduation rates, dropout rates, and test scores, and identify andimplement specific strategies to address lack of progress; and

provide learning opportunities outside of the traditional school setting, including evening andweekend classes, for low-penorming students and their parents. Individual schools, with full supportfrom the School Board, should develop partnerships with community organizations and businessesto facilitate these educational opportunities.

OutcomesDuval County Public Schools has numerous policies and procedures in place to eliminate disparities ineducational outcomes for public school students as indicated below.Successful students in low performing schools: A variety of methods are used to identify and work withlow-performing schools and their leaders including monthly meetings, use of research-based bestpractices, and reading coaches for students. However, little effort has been placed on identifying whysome children even at lowest performing schools are still able to succeed.Improve all low-achieving schools: The district is addressing the issue through increased funding forclassroom libraries, before-, during, and after- school programs as well as Saturday school. The districthas also provided funding for standards coaches for all schools to assist in implementing bestpractices. Each school is also required to submit a School Improvement Plan (SIP) on an annual basis.English proficiency: Middle and high school students who struggle with reading and/or English aregiven additional instruction in sixth (Immersion English) and ninth (Intensive English) grades in additionto their regular course work.Conflict resolution, diversity, and tolerance education: Many programs are available addressing conflictresolution, diversity, and tolerance, including: Character Counts, Don't' Laugh at Me, Student Options

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for Success, and Team Discovery. These programs address the district's strategic goal to providesupportive learning environments where students and staff are free to learn and teach. All programs arenot available in all schools.Annual report card: Annually, each school publishes a School Public Accountability Report (SPAR) thatdetails graduation rates, dropout rates, and test scores. The School Improvement Plan (SIP) includesstrategies for improvement.Alternative education for low-performers: Community groups are working with the district to providestudents with classes before and after school as well as on the weekends to improve their academicskills. Groups include Project REACH, Jacksonville Urban Systemic Initiative, and Kessler Mentoring.CommentsThrough two studies completed since Beyond the Talk, JCCI will continue to advocate for many of theideas inherent in this recommendation. JCCI's Town and Gown study asks the school district to focuson improving graduation rates and student readiness for college level work. Eliminating theachievement gap between high performing and low performing students is the Public Education study'sarea of focus. Black public school students in Duval County are affected by these concerns in greaternumbers than white students.

I Status: I Partially Implemented I . . /

Recommendation 7The Duval County Public Schools, through the Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership, shouldexpand and emphasize training that enhances the ability of public school teachers and principals toeducate children from diverse racial backgrounds. This training should include an awareness of culturaldifferences as they impact race relations in the classroom, including: understanding diverse cultural behaViors,' teaching to diverse learning styles; promoting respect for all races and cultures; resolving conflict; and developing ways to manage classroom behavior positively.Outcomes

I Status: Not ImplementedRecommendation 8The City of Jacksonville should establish a fund to match the incentive money to be paid to successfulteachers working in low-performing public schools through the privately-funded program called CreatingOpportunities that Result in Excellence.

Outcomes./ The City of Jacksonville is legally prohibited from implementing this recommendation. The JacksonvilleCity Charter forbids the City to interfere in Duval County School Board operations../ The Duval County School Board instituted a program during 2004-05 offering up to $12,000 to teachersand administrators who successfully improve student outcomes in Jacksonville's low-performingschools. The incentive pay system is part of a larger group of programs designed to aid challengedschools. The programs are funded by the federal government, supplemental instruction money alreadyset aside for low-performing schools, and the school system's operating budget.

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CommentsThe City of Jacksonville is encouraged to work creatively to seek private funds to reward successfulteachers working inlow-performing public schools.I Status: Not Implemented x

Recommendation 9The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission (JEDC)should strengthen its 'policies that requirebusinesses receiving incentives tomeet targets for racially diverse participation by: adding a penalty clause to ensure that companies comply with racial diversity goals andnondiscriminatory practices orprovide substantive evidence of a good faith effort; and reporting on the progress of participating businesses towards meeting racial diversity goals in their

contracting or employmentOutcomes/ The JEDC does not require contract targets to promote racially diverse hiring practices fororganizations seeking incentive funding. However, the employment record of those organizations isreviewed for the number of EEO claims filed within a five year window. The JEDC also checks to see ifthe organization has minority employment policies in place. However, being absent of such policiesdoes not preclude a company from receiving incentives.CommentsThe JEDC is in transition. Executive Director Kirk Wendland resigned in 2004 and the Mayor isrestructuring the Commission. The opportunity for new leadership and a refined mission can strengthencurrent policies to include diversity as a primary factor in the decision to award incentives.

I Status: Not Implemented x

Recommendation 10The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, in cooperation with major lending institutions,should take the lead to remove obstacles to economic development in minority communities by: identifying the degree to which racial discrimination Is a barrier in lending practices to minority

companies: creating a micro-teen fund to assist new and undercapitalized businesses that do not qualify forconventional financing; and

encouraging practices to improve access to capital for economic development in racial minorityareas.Outcomes/ The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission recommended and the City Council passedOrdinance 2003-423 in April 2003 to establish the Small Business Corridor Loan Program, utilizingfunds placed into the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund (NWJEDF) by the BetterJacksonville Plan. The loan program is designed to attract and retain small businesses within tendesignated commercial corridors. The development of neighborhood-based businesses is viewed as akey component in the revitalization of Northwest Jacksonville. The program's aims are to provide lowinterest loans to existing businesses located in the targeted areas; encourage investment in older andunderutilized buildings within the corridors; provide loans for start-ups by area residents; create newservice and retail businesses to serve targeted neighborhoods; and create access to jobs for arearesidents.

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.;' In 2004 The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce launched its Diversity & Inclusion TaskForce. The group's goal was to broaden the Chamber's ability for outreach and impact in the city'sincreasingly diverse business community with the understanding that diversity is a major economicasset. TWoinitiatives have resulted from the work of the task force.D Increase access to capital and markets for minority entrepreneurs: The Chamber's Alliancefor Small Business has been tapped to coordinate efforts to increase supplier diversity.D Increase the number of women and minorities in corporate management positions:The taskforce will begin by identifying "best practices" to move women and minorities into middle and

upper management and develop programs that increase those numbers.D In April 2005 Glenda Washington was named as the senior director of the Chamber'sEconomic Inclusion department focusing on the items above.CommentsThe JEDC has addressed this recommendation's major objectives and Jacksonville's financialinstitutions are encouraged to follow this example. However, there is still a need to aggressively identifythe barriers that prevent access to capital in all local minority communities.

I Status: Partially Implemented 7

Recommendation 11All public contracting entities, including the City of Jacksonville, Duval County Public Schools, and thepublic authorities, should revise their minority business contracting programs, based on principles offlexibility and fairness, to include: monitoring closely the structure and operation of disadvantaged bustnese participation in contractsto eliminate "pass-through" contracts that do not substantially advance disadvantaged businesses; establishing mentoring programs, independent of procurement programs, between establishedbusinesses and disadvantaged businesses, to enhance the latter's chances ofsuccess; and encouraging the development and expansion of apprenticeship programs that will develop andstrengthen minority businesses.Outcomes./ In 2003 the City determined that race and gender-neutral methods alone are inadequate to eliminatethe effects of past discrimination. As a result Ordinance 2003-629 was passed to replace the expiringEqual Business Opportunity (EBO) program in June 2003. The ordinance revised the EBO andintroduced a new Small Business Enterprise (SBE) program. The ordinance was written to expire inJune 2004.

./ In July 2004 the City Council approved Ordinance 2003-629-E to help small business owners earngovernment contracts. This new race neutral ESO (Equal Business Opportunity) programwill maintainthe current (set-aside) goals for businesses owned by minorities and women for at least four years. Thenew ordinance includes provisions for small businesses to gain access to capital, accountingassistance, and encourages joint ventures between established companies and start-up firms.CommentsOver the next four years city leaders should monitor the affect of the new ordinance on the total numberof minority business owners receiving municipal contracts in Duval County.In the first quarter of 2005 the city spent $72 million on all city contracts. Small and emergingbusinesses, as defined by the new ordinance, earned 16 percent of those contracts. Black ownedbusinesses accounted for 3 percent of that spending.

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Under previous contract provisions, 8.2 million in contracts was set-aside for minorities and women.Women owned businesses claimed 37 percent and Black businesses earned 35 percent of thosefunds.1 Status: 1 Partially Implemented -./

Recommendation 12The Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA) should locate Public Housing and other types of affordablehousing in non~minority areas in numbers of units beyond those required by the Justice Departmentconsent decree.Outcomes-./ In 2004, 2,274 families were living in JHA Public Housing. Units are located countywide, includingBaldwin and Jacksonville Beach. As of 2003, in alignment with the Justice Department's consentdecree, the JHA has established 184 (of the 225 mandated) new rental units of public housing innon-minority neighborhoods. The average monthly rent paidwas $141.-./ In 2004, 6,661 families used Section 8 vouchers to secure affordable housing throughout DuvalCounty. The average rent paidwas $143.50.-./ The JHA. has also purchased Gregory West and Riviera Apartments on Jacksonville'spredominantly white Westside as affordable housing properties serving approximately 300 families.

1 Status: I. Implemented -././

Recommendation 13..The Jacksonville Human Rights Commission (JHRC) should continue to strengthen relationships with itspartners. such as the Jacksonville office of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development andJacksonville Legal Aid. Inc., in their efforts to provide fair housing enforcement.

Outcomes-./ The JHRC is working with the Center for Community Initiatives at the University of North Florida tocomplete an Analysis of the Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. The report will be released inMay 2005.-./ The Commission's staff works with local advocacy groups such as the Jacksonville Area Legal Aidand the Jacksonville Urban League in educational outreach and enforcement activities related tohousing.-./ The Human Rights Commission also conducts workshops with realty agencies to ensure they havean understanding of the federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1989 and Chapter 408 of theJacksonville Municipal Code, which prohibit discrimination in housing.

1 Status: 1 . Implemented ./-./

Recommendation 14The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) should aggressively partner with the JacksonvilleHousing Partnership and the Jacksonville Urban League to ensure that al/ Jacksonville residents havethe widest range of possible housing choices available to them by: tracking and reporting home sales by race and location to determine if prospective buyers are beingsteered to certain neighborhoods based on their race;

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encouraging increased communication among real estate agents to ensure that race is not a factor inwhich homes are shown to particular clients; and working with neighborhood associations and CPACs to reduce prejudice and fear of housingintegration.Outcomes./ Both the Urban League and the Housing Partnership offer training workshops that specificallyaddress the barriers to home ownership in minority communities. The Urban League offers creditand budget counseling along with a homebuyer education program. The Housing Partnership offers

similar programming along with down payment assistance and on-site financing../ On July 15, 2004 the NEFAR, the Jacksonville Partnership, the Florida Times Union, and othergroups partjcipated in the First Annual Home Buyers Expo offering potential homebuyers a "one-stop-shop" to learn about the home buying process through a series of interactive seminars andone-on-one conversations with real estate professionals../ NEFAR offers both its new and experienced realtors training on Fair Housing Practices and FairHousing Laws. The policy of the organization is to avoid steering potential home buyers toparticular neighborhoods based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or country ofnational origin. Realtors are asked to communicate this policy to all potential buyers and sellers../ NEFAR is involved in the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice along with theJacksonville Human Rights Commission and other partners (see Recommendation 13).CommentsIt is not clear why the three agencies mentioned in the recommendation are not working more closelybecause they are working toward the same goals. The task force encourages cross membershipamong these agencies as a way to create possible collaborations.

I Status: Partially Implemented

Recommendation 15The Duval County Health Department should work with area health-care associations and institutions toensure that they educate their members on current racial disparities in health-care outcomes andtreatment and to train medical professionals in best practices to improve health-care delivery for allpeople.Outcomes./ On April 21, 2004 Dr. Jeff Goldhagen (Duval County Health Department) and Dr. Rogers Cain(Northeast Florida Medical Society) met with leaders from Shands Jacksonville (CEO Jim Burkhart;VP Community Affairs, Elizabeth Means; and Chief of Staff, Dr. David Vukich), Wolfson'sChildren's Hospital (Chief of Staff, Dr. Michael Haight), St. Vincent's Hospital (Chief of Staff, Dr.Dennis McDonagh and Community Relations Director, Mary Alice Phelan), Baptist Medical Center(Chief of Staff, Dr. Keith Stein), Specialty Hospital Jacksonville (Chief of Staff, Dr. WendellWilliams), and Duval County Medical Society, (Director, Dr. Phil Gilbert). The purpose of themeeting was to discuss steps that health care associations and institutions can take to addresshealth care disparities and the role of health care professionals in improving minority patientoutcomes.


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Recommendation 16Communities in Charge Jacksonville, a community coalition organized to generate solutions to theproblem of the medically uninsured, should continue its leadership role in convening public and privatehealth institutions to ensure adequate medical care for all and to decrease the disproportionate racial gapin medical coverage.-Note: Communities In Charge is a multi-phase initiative of The Robed Wood Johnson Foundation.Jecksonvllle's Communities in Charge Program is JaxCare.Outcomes.j' On April 24, 2003 the Jacksonville City Council approved spending to supplement a two-year pilotto provide health insurance to 1,500 uninsured Jacksonville residents. The pilot is targeted towardJacksonville's working poor-residents who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enoughto pay for health insurance. Coverage involves no premiums, small co-payments, and provisionsforhospitalization, office visits and generic drugs. JaxCare views the problem of the medicallyuninsured as a community issue affecting all citizens without regard to race. More whites inJacksonville are without health insurance, but non-whites are disproportionately affected.CommentsThe City Council has delayed additional funding ($1.6 Million) because JaxCare has not been able toenroll 1,500 people in the pilot program, even though there are approximately 100,000 uninsuredpeople in Jacksonville. As of March 2005 approximately 200 peoplewere enrolled in the program.JaxCare's has beenworking with a marketing agency since 2004 to publicize this employer-basedhealth insurance program.If 1,500 people are not enrolled in the pilot phase by December 2006 JaxCare will not be able toevaluate the success of the program, which determines whether additional funding will be forthcoming.The task force recommends that the business community support JaxCare's efforts by agreeing toenroll low-income employees in this pilot program.

I Status: I Implemented

Recommendation 17The Florida Medical, Pharmaceutical and Dental Association, Northeast Florida Medical Society, DuvalCounty Medical SOCiety,Duval County Health Department, United Way of Northeast Florida, and AmericanCancer Society should work together and with area health-care institutions to offer an annual healthsummit to provide comprehensive health screenings and education targeted to the black community.Outcomes.j' Public and private health providers, including st. Vincent's and the Duval County HealthDepartment, conducted health fairs at two sites on March 11, 2003 targeted toward the uninsuredon Jacksonville's Northside and Westside..j' On September 27, 2003 the Black Expo '03 included a full service health fair (health screenings,education, and resource information) with participation and/or sponsorship from the following: TheDuval County Health Department, American Lung Association, GlaxoSmitthKline, CommunityAsthma Partnership, and others. Attendancewas estimated at 30,000../ On July 12, 2003 the Women of Color Cultural Foundation Inc. held its Fourth Annual HealthSymposium For People of All Nations. Several groups identified within the recommendation, theAmerican Cancer Society, the Duval County Health Department, and the UnitedWay of NortheastFlorida, co-sponsored this event. The daylong affair provided health education and referrals onasthma, cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, end-of-life care, glaucoma, hypertension, STDs, stress,

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HIV/AIDS and more. The United Way funded the component of the health symposium having to dowith the disparity of health services for seniors and people of color. The fifth annual symposium washeld on July 31, 2004 providing both general and age specific health care information andscreenings. Sponsors included Northeast Florida Medical Society, Duval County HealthDepartment, UnitedWay of Northeast Florida, and the American Cancer SocietyCommentsThe list above does not cover all of the community health events that have taken place over the lastthree years. Many churches, fraternities, sororities, and an array civic organizations have hostedsimilarevents. All stakeholders listed in this recommendation should participate fully in community basedhealth awareness events.


Recommendation 18The Jacksonville Sheriff's OfficeJ State Attorney's Office, Clerk of the Courts, and Public Defender's Officeshould continue actively to recruit black, Hispanic, ASian, and Native American employees to deploy acriminal-justice workforce that reflects the diversity of the community. Creative efforts should be used toidentify and attract these recruits. Each organization should report annually its progress towardachieving racial diversity.Outcomes./' On September 18, 2002 The Jacksonville Bar Association, The D.W. Perkins Bar Association andThe Christian Legal Society jointly sponsored a seminar entitled Working Together: Race RelationsWithin Our Legal Community. This is the first time in their histories that these three legal entitieshave joined forces. The seminar focused on minority participation, recruitment, retention, andobstacles impeding progress toward greater diversity in local law firms. Task Force chair, JudgeBrian Davis served as a seminar panelist../' The Sheriff, State Attorney, and Public Defender are committed to actively recruiting Black,Hispanic, Asian, and Native American employees aswell as providing the data measuring this goal

to the public../' The Chief Judge has also agreed to continue actively recruiting Black, Hispanic, Asian and NativeAmerican employees within his jurisdiction to reflect the diversity of the community. Datameasuringthis goal will also be available to the public../' JCCI has already requested and received data from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office and the Stateof Florida Fourth Judicial Circuit to be included in the 2005 race relations report card.CommentsTask force members did not contact the Clerk of the County Court.

I Status: I Partially Implemented .(Recommendation 19The Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit should require that: all adult and juvenile diversion programs in the criminal or juvenile justice systems track and report

participation and outcomes by race; and the Clerk of the Court track disposition of all cases by race.Outcomes

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../ The Chief Judge, while confessing a lack of authority regarding the State Attorney and Clerk of theCourt relative to the specific recommendation, agreed to encourage both to cooperate in achievingthe recommendation's goals .

./ The State Attorney agreed to track and report participation and outcomes by race of all adult andjuvenile diversion programs in the adult criminal and juvenile justice systems. The Clerk of the Courtstill needs to be contacted regarding this recommendation .

./ JCCI has already requested and received data from the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office and the DuvalCounty Clerk of the County Court to be included in the 2005 race relations progress report.CommentsConsultation with the Clerk of the Court and the Sheriff resulted in a better understanding of the varioussystems involved in tracking defendant information. The computer tracking system utilized by the Clerkdoes not lend itself to tracking by the demographic characteristics of the defendant. On the other hand,the tracking system used by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has a robust capacity for demographicreporting.

I Status: I Partially Implemented ./"Recommendation 20The City of Jacksonville should annually evaluate its departments and divisions on theiraccomplishments in setting and meeting diversity goals.Outcomes../ The Equal Opportunity/Equal Access (EO/EA) Office presented the City's. EO/EA Plan to theJacksonville Human Rights Commission on June 10, 2003 (2002-2003 Annual Evaluation) toensure that the departments and divisions are representative of the community at large .../ According to the 2000 census minorities make up 36. percent of the population in Duval County,however the City's full-time workforce as of 2002-2003 does not reflect population parity at all levelsof employment. Minorities are underrepresented at the executive and professional levels, while

being overrepresented at the clerical and service levels ../" The demography of the city's full-time workforce as of the 2004 has changed very little incomparison to 2003. Minorities are underrepresented at the executive and professional levels, whilebeing overrepresented at the clerical and service levels.

I Status: I Partially Implemented ./"

Recommendation 21The Mayor of Jacksonville should investigate the need for an Asian American Advisory Board, modeledafter the existing Hispanic American Advisory Board, to advise the administration on concerns andissues of interest to members of theAsian community.Outcomes../ On June 27, 2003 Mayor John Delaney created The Mayor's Asian Advisory Board (MAAAB) byExecutive Order 2003-7. The purpose of the board is to promote city services among the growingAsian community and advise the Mayor and his staff on specific needs within the Asian community.Attorney Thuy-Anh Nguyen is the Board's first Chair. MAAAB has been meeting monthly since June2003.

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Recommendation 22TheSupervisor of Elections should create an independent, non-partisan, community-based commissionto: establish guidelines for and monitor adherence to fair campaign practices, especially as they relate torace; and educate voters about the qualifications of and policies supported by all candidates for public officesin jacksonville.OutcomesOn his first day in office, Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland confirmed that he is committed toimplementing this recommendation. He has asked Bruce Barcelo to assist him in drafting appropriatelanguage for the charge of the committee/commission and a meeting has been scheduled for his firstfull week in office.CommentsTask force members contacted Supervisor of Elections John Stafford in writing regarding thisrecommendation in April 2003. However, no follow-up activities took place in part because Stafford wasnot available due to illness during his tenure. After Stafford resigned in October 2004, task forcemembers received support for this recommendation from both Supervisor of Elections candidates(Warren Jones and Jerry Holland).

I Status: I Not Implemented xRecommendation 23United Way of Northeast Florida should convene the leadership (political, religious, education, andbusiness) of all racial groups in Jacksonville to mobilize the community to address self-destructivebehaviors that contribute to poverty and resulting racial disparities, particularly within racial minorities,such as teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, and dropping out of school. Jacksonville's blackleadership in particular should take a more active and public role in addressing these issues.Outcomes./' Task Force members Brian Davis (Co-Chair) and Bryant Rollins are working with the AfricanAmerican, non-profit, executive directors who receive United Way Funding to collaborate on waysto convene local African American leaders to address destructive behaviors within the blackcommunity that require a intra-community approach for resolution. This group, with Connie Hodgesand Pete Jackson, has agreed to meet regularly to facilitate a community wide leadership forumwith the Race Relations Report and its recommendations as a starting line for action. No date hasbeen set../ The Jacksonville Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) held an Urban Education Summit on October 30, 2004 to improve negative educational

outcomes among Jacksonville's Black youth.CommentsThe task force struggled with this recommendation for its somewhat patronizing tone and parochialpoint of view. However, task force members did agree that an agenda-setting summit created by andfor the black community to address black community issues is overdue in Jacksonville.

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For this recommendation members of the study committee and the task force formed a subcommitteetogo beyond advocacy and engage in implementation activities as explained in the outcome sectionabove.I Status: Partially Implemented

Recommendation 24The Jacksonville branch of the National Conference for Community & Justice (NCCJ) should create aCenter for Conflict Resolution where potentially divisive issues can be mediated and constructivesolutions found before crises erupt. The City of Jacksonville should grant funds to the center, seekingfinancial partnerships with law enforcement and educational organizations.Outcomes./ NCCJ is a member of the Character Education Task Force responsible for creating charactereducation curricula for students in grades 7-12 in Duval County's public schools. Through this taskforce, NCCJ worked to ensure that race relations and multicultural understanding, respect, andinclusion were incorporated in course offerings ../ In July 2003 the City Council approved $137,000 (Ordinance 2003-0622) toward start-up costs for

the Multicultural Institute of Jacksonville. The institute provides education and training to changeindividual attitudes and assist people in their awareness of diversity issues, particularly in theworkplace. Mountaintop Ventures, a human resources consulting and training firm specializing inchange management, conflict resolution, diversity training, and improving workplace relationships isdeveloping the institute. NCCJ has played an ongoing collaborative role in creating the vision for theInstitute and is committed to developing program components to support its conflict resolutionefforts.I Status: I Implemented ../../

Recommendation 25TheJacksonville branch of the National Conference for Community & Justice (NCCJ), with the support ofthe Interfaith Council and other religious organizations, should implement a program that developspartnerships. between faith congregations of differing racial composition for dialogue, worship, socialactivities, and economic development activities.Outcomes./ Human Rights Commission Executive Director, Charlene Taylor Hill and NCCJ Executive DirectorClaud Myers are members of the Interfaith Coalition Steering Committee established by the Mayor'sChief Community Officer, Pete Jackson. The Steering Committee was a driving force in producing

An Evening with the Mayor: Race, Religion, and Life in Jacksonville (see Recommendation 1)./ NCCJ sponsored a Citizen's Forum for Racial & Cultural Harmony (CFRACH) on February 21, 2003to discuss race based social and economic inequalities via interactive group sessions, paneldiscussions, and open dialogue ../ NCCJ is engaged in ongoing efforts to conduct diversity workshops and consult with faith groupswho wish to participate in interfaith dialogues. To this end, NCCJ will also continue collaboratingwith the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, CFRACH and the Mayor's Faith Based Coalition.

I Sta,tus: I Implemented

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Recommendation 26The Florida Times-Union. with other print and broadcast media. should support community efforts toeliminate racial discrimination and disparities by: ensuring racially diverse viewpoints on their editorial boards; recognizing racial disparities in Jacksonville and enhancing community awareness of the issues in itsreporting; and reporting and giving positive editorial recognition to efforts that successfully address NortheastFlorida's racial disparities and race relations.OutcomesThree successful media workshops have been held since 2003:../ On March 7, 2003 The Florida Times-Union, WJCT, and the Jacksonville Human RightsCommission sponsored a Media Orientation workshop attended by 25 representatives from print,broadcast, and the electronic media. This workshop was the collaborative result of a Media ActionTeam formed by Study Circles participants. Another Media Orientation Workshop (now called thePRSM Project) was held on October 7, 2003 at the Times-Union. The last workshop was held onJanuary 9, 2004 and included executive level participants and "rank and file" journalists .../ On July 31, 2003 WJCT (Channel 7) broadcast a 90 minute public forum Race Relations: The Costof Inequality to examine the findings disclosed in the Beyond the Talk.


Recommendation 27The Jacksonville branch of the National Conference for Community & Justice (NCCJ) should convene abroad-based coalition that should create a "Declaration of Principles" regarding race relations andadvocate for its formal adoption by as many public and private organizations as possible.OutcomesNCCJ Executive Director Claud Myers has committed to working with community volunteers to developa set of principles after JCCI's advocacy efforts have ended and the final implementation report hasbeen reviewed completed.CommentsJacksonvillehas had a number of sporadic efforts to develop comprehensive principles which (whenapplied) are intended to ease the conflicts that exist due to race. Most notably, in the 1990's, theJacksonville Reconciliation Committee created the Jacksonville Covenant. Using that Covenant, JCCl'sRace Relations study, and the feedback within the final implementation report of the study - NCCJ hasagreed to form a diverse coalition to examine and improve upon past efforts to develop a "Declarationof Principles" as listed in the recommendation.


Recommendations to the JCCI Board of DirectorsThe Race Relations Implementation Task Force recommends that the committee's advocacyefforts end after two years of diligent effort. Of the 27 recommendations 22 have been eitherfully or partially implemented and five have not yet been implemented. Improving race relationsis an ongoing effort that does not end with the completion of this report. The work mustcontinue and the Jacksonville community and its leaders must be held accountable and

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supported for their efforts to address racial disparities and discrimination wherever it exists inJacksonville.Therefore, the task force is pleased that Jeel is releasing its Race Relations Progress Reportin 2005. Such a report card will provide the community with data-based Indicators that give thecommunity a baseline for change. We offer back to Jeel and the community at large Beyondthe Talk: Improving Race Relations as a definitive step in creating a community in which "allresidents feel free to, and actually do, participate fully in public life, unimpeded by race-baseddisparities or discrimination."

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2005 beyond the talk implementation report

Documents