Partnership for Southern Equity presents internal equity study; recommends equity officer, improved communications and immigrant/refugee supports

Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) presented the final report of a three-year internal equity study to the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners at the Committee of the Whole meeting on March 18, outlining six principal recommendations for county operations and next steps for implementation.

The consultants said their work — begun in April 2022 after the countypassed a 2020 resolution declaring racism a public-health crisis — combined about 20to 30 key stakeholder interviews, five multi-hour racial equity feedback sessions, an employee survey that received roughly 300 responses, and a four-county comparative analysis. PSErecommended an internal-to-external two-phase approach: strengthen internal systems and then gather community input to shape countywide resource allocation.

The reportlisted six primary recommendations: 1) conduct an internal communications audit and establish departmental equity liaisons; 2) adopt a policy-evaluation framework that applies an equity lens; 3) set countywide expectations and accountability for employee training and…