SPEAK THE TRUTH. DO THE WORK.

Establish and provide support for a non-partisan Truth and Reconciliation Standing Committee / Work Group dedicated to addressing issues negatively affecting the Black community historically and today.

Actions

Committee / Work Group

• Ensure that the Committee reflects the diversity of the community, including representatives from all socioeconomic groups, the Descendant community, and participants in the public and private sectors.

• Task the Committee with researching, critically examining, and recommending action steps to continue the work of the initial Truth & Reconciliation Committee. Gather continuous feedback and research about historical and current issues affecting historically marginalized citizens and communities.

• Equip this Committee by strengthening the City’s connections with Colonial Williamsburg and William & Mary and other community organizations to further the vision of One Williamsburg.

Areas of Focus

• Regularly re-evaluate and improve City governance, protocols, processes, practices, publicity, and their impacts to ensure consistency with the goal of racial justice, healing, and reconciliation.

• Partner with community organizations and the African American community to lift up and honor the voices, stories, history, culture, and truths of Black and Brown residents.

• Continuously provide opportunities for residents and visitors to learn about the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow, physical and social displacement, economic inequities, educational disparities, and continuous subtle and overt forms of discrimination, which have benefited the White community at the expense of the Black community.

• Recommend remedies to the harms caused by systemic racism in Williamsburg.

• In cooperation with other local organizations, hold regular events: - to acknowledge truth and lament harms of injustices, - to publicize and emphasize the importance of racial justice and healing, - to continuously gather feedback and information, - to highlight the City’s efforts to effect racial justice, and - to strengthen the community to reflect the vision of One Williamsburg.

Agencies

• City of Williamsburg

• Community Organizations o Local churches o York, James City, Williamsburg

NAACP o Hundley History Committee o The Lemon Project o Descendant community o Greater Williamsburg

Trauma-Informed Community Network o Coming to the Table: Historic Triangle o Williamsburg-James City County Coalition for Community Justice

• Representatives of Colonial Williamsburg and William & Mary

• Community Members

Outcomes

• At least five years of ongoing review, continuous research, and public semi-annual reports that measure trends.

• Increased dedication in the White and Black communities to healing the harms of racial injustice and furthering the work of Truth and Reconciliation.

• Measurable progress toward a community that assures robust living environments, access to resources, and workforce and ecosystem diversity where people of all ages, cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds can live, healthy and fulfilled lives, with opportunities to grow and flourish now and in the future – a community reflective of the One WIlliamsburg vision.