Buncombe County, NA Racial Equity Training Series

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Buncombe County’s Racial Equity Training Series was designed to provide employees with a baseline of understanding on the impact of systemic racism, as well as foster open communication and meaningful engagement between employees on the topics of racism and equity. Made up of four two-hour long modules, the series was researched, created, and facilitated by the MEET (Meaningful Engagement, Equity Together) training team - an interdepartmental team of employees committed to advancing racial equity throughout our organization. Topics covered in the trainings included bias and shared definitions, the history of racism in the United States and government’s role in it, the impact of – and efforts to address – systemic racism in our local community, and how to use an equity lens to begin to improve outcomes. This training series addresses the need for “Equity Learning and Support” that was identified in Buncombe County’s Racial Equity Action Plan. To date, the series has been presented nine times, and over 250 employees have attended one or more sessions.