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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 02-12-2008-eOrange County Board of Commissioners and the Orange County Human Relations Commission Joint Work Session .i� :1 February 12, 2008 Dinner:.5:30 PM Meeting: 6:00 PM Link Government Services Center Hillsborough, North Carolina 1) Call to Order — Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Chair Barry Jacobs 2) Introductions — Board of County. Commissioners, Human Relations Commission (HRC), and Staff 3) Presentation by Human Relations Commission Members: Overview of the Social Justice Goal 4) Specific Social Justice Goal Issues /Questions from HRC and BOCC o Clarification of Scope: Should the HRC focus on specific aspects of social justice, or should we continue to do a broad -based analysis? o What further research would the BOCC like from the HRC on this issue? 5) Other Social Justice Goal Topics 6) Next Steps 7) Adj ourn (7:15 PM) TO: Members, ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MOSES CAREY, Chair BARRY JACOBS, Vice -Chair VALERIA FOUSHEE ALICE GORDON MICHAEL NELSON FROM: WILLIAM HENDRICKSON, Chair Orange County human YslBtiong Commimsion DATE: August 30, 2007 RE: ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT The enclosed report responds to a February 2004 directive from the Orange. County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC requested that the Orange County Human Relations Commission (HRC), through the Department of Human Rights and Relations (HR &R), develop a social justice goal for Orange County for consideration by the BOCC. Orange County is one of the most progressive counties in the State of North Carolina. The National Association of Counties was unable to find any county that had adopted a "social justice goal." Consequently, the BOCC's interest in considering a social justice goal for the County explicates the County's progressiveness. Since the term "social justice" was first used in 1840, it has caused great debate amongst and between social scientists, the faith community, politicians, national governments, and basically anyone whose purpose is to define the term. Orange County residents and the HRC also realized the complexity of defining or fashioning what "social justice" is or should look like. To accomplish the BOCC's directive, Professor John Calmore, Reef C. Ivey Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and internationally acknowledged expert in Social Justice Lawyering and Social Justice Practice, was contacted to provide insight and guidance. Professor Calmore stressed the importance of ensuring input is solicited and received from the primary beneficiaries of any social justice goal. In adherence to Professor Calmore's guidance, input was solicited from the residents of Orange County, from the human services departments within Orange County government, and from Orange County citizen advisory boards and/or commissions. The enclosed document was crafted based upon input from Orange County residents, input from Orange County human services departments, and Orange County citizen - advisory boards and/or commissions. No one has provided a simple definition for social justice — its boundaries, scope, and purpose - at least one that most social scientists, politicians, or social justice advocates agree. A major obstacle to developing a precise and universally acceptable definition arises in part to the all- encompassing scope of equal access and equal treatment. From this perspective, social justice could be both a process and a goal. It includes a vision of a society that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe. The aim of social justice is full and equal participation of all groups in a society designed and mutually shaped to meet their needs. The enclosed report proposes to achieve social justice in Orange County, the County shall perform government duties including policy making and budgeting with the express objectives of eliminating oppression and creating equal opportunity; creating a community where individuals may sufficiently provide for their own physical, social, and mental needs and the needs of their dependents; and to provide safety net mechanisms for those, .whom for circumstances beyond their control, find themselves unable to do so; creating a community where no groups are targeted for harassment, intimidation or violence; balancing a healthful environment with a sustainable economy; and encouraging and enabling all residents to participate civically. The proposed recommendations require collaborative efforts at all levels of government, tax dollars, and personal and collective commitment to the ideology of equal access and equal treatment. In reaching consensus to forward the enclosed report to the BOCC, the HRC, as has others who cogitate the issue of social justice, engaged in lively discussion and voiced diverse opinions and perspectives. The HRC was given opportunity to submit comments and/or questions regarding the report to staff. The comments and/or questions submitted and staff's responses are available for review. The government of the United States is a State Party to two international human rights treaties: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) and the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Ratification of the CCPR and CERD means that the government is legally obliged to enforce these treaties by respecting, protecting and fulfiiling.the rights they cover; this includes passing relevant domestic laws and regulations. A key concept in both conventions is the principle of non - discrimination, which means that every person is entitled to the rights covered by the treaties without distinctions of any kind such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. If the BOCC adopts a social justice goal for Orange County, the BOCC's action would be an expression of local -level implementation of the two treaties endorsed by the federal government. How do you want your tax dollars spent to promote so cial justice in Orange County? o 011 fhyY i oq J is D PI i1 M* I n, P • October 2007 �- - 50, 1, er z MEMOOF TRANSMITTAL ........................................................................... ............................... i SOCIALJUSTICE GOAL .............................................................................. ............................... 1 Introduction.................................................................................................. ............................... 1 Background.................................................................................................. ............................... 2 Orange County Department of Human Rights & Relations .................... ............................... 2 TheSocial Justice Goal ....................................:....................................... ............................... 2 Methodology.................................................................................................... ............................... 4 Whatis Social Justice? ..................................................................................... ............................... 6 What do Orange County residents want? ......................................................... ............................... 8 Orange County and Social Justice ................................................................... ............................... 9 SOCIALJUSTICE VISION .................................................................................. ............................... 10 RECOMNIENDATIONS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE ...................................................... ............................... 10 EliminatingOppression ..................................................................... ............................... 11 Discrimination................................................................................ ............................... 11 Education....................................................................................... ............................... 12 EconomicSelf Sufficiency ................................................................ ............................... 13 Incomeand Wealth ..............................................:......................... ............................... 13 Healthcare...................................................................................... ............................... 14 Housing.......................................................................................... ............................... 15 Physically and Mentally Safe Communities ...................................... ............................... 15 EnvironmentalJustice ........................................................................ ............................... 16 CivicParticipation ............................................................................. ............................... 16 Voting............................................................................................ ............................... 16 Other.................................................................................................. ............................... 17 TaxRelief ....................................................................................... ............................... 17 ................... ............................................................. ............................... 17 INA. JAR .............................................................. ............................... 19 .JUSTICE ISSUE EXAMPLES' ............................. ............................... 20 INGS.................................................................. ............................... 21 Attachment IV: iProfessor Calmore's Co, mments ......................................... ............................... 22 Attachment V Events7GroupS' Solicrtations ................................................ ............................... 28 ......... .. .................. .... . Tableof Authorities ....................................................................................... ............................... 53 2004 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ... ............................... 54 2007 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ... ............................... 54 2004 Orange County filuman `[ Oationg Commig3ion (fiii` Q Membership ............................... 55 2007 Orange County Human 1` Oations Commiss8ion (filRQ Membership ............................... 55 -+->-*LETTERHEAD STATIONERY GOES HERE <-<-<- • TO: Members, ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MOSES CAREY, Chair BARRY JACOBS, Vice -Chair VALERIA FOUSHEE ALICE GORDON MICHAEL NELSON FROM: WILLIAM HENDRICKSON, Chair Orange County fiiuman Relations Commission DATE: August 30, 2007 RE: ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT The enclosed report responds to a February 2004 directive from the Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC requested that the Orange County Human Relations Commission (HRC), through the Department of Human Rights and Relations (HR &R), develop a social justice goal for Orange County for consideration by the BOCC. Orange County is one of the most progressive counties in the State of North Carolina. The National Association of Counties was unable to find any county that had adopted a "social justice goal." Consequently, the BOCC's interest in considering a social justice goal for the County explicates the County's progressiveness. Since the term "social justice" was first used in 1840, it has caused great debate amongst and between social scientists, the faith community, politicians, national governments, and basically anyone whose purpose is to define the term. Orange County residents and the HRC also realized the complexity of defining or fashioning what "social justice" is or should look like. To accomplish the BOCC's directive, Professor John Calmore, Reef C. Ivey Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and internationally acknowledged expert in Social Justice Lawyering and Social Justice Practice, was contacted to provide insight and guidance. Professor Cal pore stressed the importance of ensuring input is solicited and received from the primary beneficiaries of any social justice goal. In adherence to Professor Calmore's guidance, input was solicited from the residents of Orange County, from the human services departments within Orange County government, and from Orange County citizen advisory boards and/or commissions. The enclosed document was crafted based upon input from Orange County residents, input from Orange County human services departments, and Orange County citizen - advisory boards and/or commissions. Memo of Transmittal . . __ . I No one has provided a simple definition for social justice — its boundaries, scope, and purpose - at least one that most social scientists, politicians, or social justice advocates agree. A major obstacle to developing a precise and universally acceptable definition arises in part to the all- encompassing scope of equal access and equal treatment. From this perspective, social justice-could be both a process and a goal. It includes a vision of a society that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe. The aim of social justice is full and equal participation of all groups in a society designed and mutually shaped to meet their needs. The enclosed report proposes to achieve social justice in Orange County, the County shall perform government duties including policy making and budgeting with the express objectives of eliminating oppression and creating equal opportunity; creating a community where individuals may sufficiently provide for their own physical, social, and mental needs and the needs of their dependents; and to provide safety net mechanisms for those, whom for circumstances beyond their control, find themselves unable to do so; creating a community where no groups are targeted for harassment, intimidation or violence; balancing a healthful environment with a sustainable economy; and encouraging and enabling all residents to participate civically. The proposed recommendations require collaborative efforts at all levels of government, tax dollars, and personal and collective commitment to the ideology of equal access and equal treatment. In reaching consensus to forward the enclosed report to the BOCC, the HRC, as has others who cogitate the issue of social justice, engaged in lively discussion and voiced diverse opinions and perspectives. The HRC was given opportunity to submit comments and/or questions regarding the report to staff. The comments and/or questions submitted and staff's responses are available for review. The government of the United States is a State Party to two international human rights treaties: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) and the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Ratification of the CCPR and CERD means that the government is legally obliged to enforce these treaties by respecting, protecting and fulfilling the rights they cover; this includes passing relevant domestic laws and regulations. A key concept in both conventions is the principle of non- discrimination, which means that every person is entitled to the rights covered by the treaties without distinctions of any kind such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. If the BOCC adopts a social justice goal for Orange County, the BOCC's action would be an expression of local-level implementation of the two treaties endorsed by the federal government. .. , ii ... Memo of Transmittal. , . • Us I UL-A I I VOAM• ,, INTRODUCTION In the -past decade, "social justice" has become a "buzz- word" for politicians, activists and organizations across the country. During the 2004 presidential election, one of the candidates talked about achieving social justice in his bid for the Vice Presidency. The Green Party has set a ten point social justice agenda and advocacy organizations continue to call for its achievement. However, prior to its adoption by United States politicians, religious organizations and non-governmental organizations across the world have named it as a primary objective. Other national governments of industrialized and developing countries have ministries of social justice (i.e. Australia - and India). Advocacy organizations have developed action agendas that include social government. Now, government in the United States is beginning to pursue it. And while everyone wants "it" few have agreed what '"it" is. As of February 10, 2005 Jackie Byers, Director of Research, for the National Association of Counties (NACO) was unable to find any County that had adopted a "Social Justice Goal." However, she did find information on three (3) counties that had incorporated social justice as a component of another goal or as part of a work plan for the county; Santa Barbara, Marin and Santa Cruz counties. All of these Counties are located in California. Like these counties, Orange County is considered a highly desirable place to live, it has great schools, beautiful parks and open spaces, it has quaint shops and a top notch university, it has a high cost of living in relation to its neighbors, housing prices are high, development is limited and, as time passes, it is ............................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................... ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL JusncE GOAL REPORT ...... .. ... . .. ORANGE Page 1.0 59 becoming less and less diverse with regards to race and income. Unlike those other counties, Orange County will be the first county to set a goal designed to reverse these trends. Orange County Department of Human Rights & Relations The Orange County Commission for Women (CFW) was created in the 1960's. At that time, the CFW had no staff and was completely comprised of volunteers. The Commission operated independently with limited staff until the first part-time staff member was hired. The Human Relations Commission (HRC) came into existence in the early 1990's in response to some troubling incidents of racial hatred in Hillsborough. Finally in 1996, the Department of Human Rights and Relations was created to enforce civil rights laws, conduct community outreach and education and serve as a voice on issues of human rights and relations. The Department is currently home to both the HRC and CFW and five (5) staff members who are responsible for a wide range of duties. The Social Justice Goal During the 2002 County Commissioners' Retreat, the Commissioners mentioned interest in pursuing a social justice goal for the County. The manager's office with the Human Services Management Team (HSMT) began working on a social justice goal for Orange County. HSMT drew together a list of programs and potential needs which could be addressed in a social justice goal. HSMTs recommendations and discussion incorporated the Human Services Reform Task Force Final Report presented to the ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ORANGE COVNTYSOC1AL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT .... ............ .... .... ... ......... ................... . ... . .... ............................. ........... . ........ ............... ........ .. . ... ;,Page . Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in September of 1996. In November of 2003, the human services directors added new items for general discussion to the list: e.g. the housing wage and family-friendly practices in the workplace. Discussion also centered on how to ensure fair and equitable distribution of public resources and services across all population groups. During a BOCC meeting in February of 2004, the Board requested that the Department of Human Rights and Relations through the Human Relations Commission address the issue and make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. Towards that end, the Department of Human Rights and Relations began working with- Professor John Calmore, to lay the foundation upon which a social justice goal could be crafted by providing, information on what social justice is and how it might be implemented by a local government entity. On February 16, 2005 and April 18, 2005, Professor Calmore met with members of the Human Relations Commission and the Board of County Commissioners to provide a foundation for understanding the concept of social justice. Additionally, March 8, 2005, Professor Calmore met with members of the Human Services Management Team to provide a foundation for understanding the meaning of implementing a social justice goal. From September 14, 2005 to June 17, 2006, the HRC attended public events to solicit public input regarding social justice in Orange County and held public listening sessions to ensure that the intended beneficiaries of a social justice goal were also included in its crafting. In addition, county advisory boards and commissions were asked to provide their input. ....................... ew :i�E 'aiWWii .............. I ............................................................................................................................. . ORANGORANGE Page 4 of P., E .. .. .. ­­.1-1.1.111- 11 ­111-11 .. ... . ..... .. . -.11-1111-1-11.1-1111- ..... ......... ... ..... ..... - . . .... The final crafting of the goal incorporated public input, advisory board input and review of related strategic plans and goals relating to other county agencies. One important aspect of any movement for social justice is that the marginalized, disenfranchised and oppressed are included in developing solutions to issues of concern, for this reason the Human Relations Commission (HRC) and the Department of Human Rights and Relations (the Department) deliberately sought input from Orange County residents. The HRC decided to use three methods to solicit input from County residents: 1) Direct solicitation, 2) Public listenings, and 3) Requesting input from other County advisory boards and commissions. The HRC developed an interactive method of soliciting community input directly and named it The '"Pennies in a Jar" Tool (Pennies Tool) [Appendix I]. This Pennies Tool was developed to.solicit input from County residents about how they would spend $13 of their own tax dollars in furtherance of social justice. Social Justice was defined as covering five (5) broad categories plus one '"other" category to include: eliminating oppression, civic participation, economic self-sufficiency, environmental justice and physically and mentally safe communities. (Appendix II). HRC members brainstormed a number of specific issues relating to each category. These issues were representative of the concerns and issues in their own communities. Residents were asked to spend their dollars in the five (5) categories. They were allowed to either use their dollars on the broad category or allocate their dollars to a specific issue within the categories or designate their own category or issue in the "other" jar. HRC members and staff used ... ..................................................................................................................................................... ORANGE ............................................................. SOCL4L J&sncE GOAL REPORT I ........ . ......... ..... ........ Page 4, of 59 the Pennies Tool in eighteen (18) venues in Northern, Central and Southern Orange County. The HRC, with staff, held three (3) public listening sessions - one in the northern, central and southern parts of the County (Appendix III). These sessions were publicized in local papers and on the County website. Only one (1) resident participated in the public listenings. Finally, through staff, the HRC sought input from six (6) advisory boards and commissions. .................... M ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ORANGE COUNTYSOCL4L JUSTICE GOAL REPORT • There is little agreement. Social Justice is difficult to define and each community when looking at the issues and concept of social justice must define social justice for itself and prioritize the issues of social justice accordingly. Based on Professor John Calmore's1 (Appendix IV) research all visions of social justice have four (4) elements in common: a) Social justice involves substantive (actual) not just formal (legal) equality of opportunity b) It seeks to remove underlying causes of oppression (i.e. racism, sexism, homophobia, economic inequity etc.) c) Involves an expansive view of rights and often recognizes rights NOT generally recognized in courts of law or by local government d) Involves witnessing, critique and speaking out as key components. Further, while social justice seeks a more just society generally it is focused specifically on the marginalized, disenfranchised, subordinated, excluded and under- represented. As members of the Orange County focus community wake up, a) What do they see? b) What basic necessities, if any, are absent? c) What frustrates their hope? d) What opportunity- denying circumstances constrain them? 1 Reef C. Ivey Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. Internationally acknowledged expert in Social Justice Lawyering and Social Justice Practice. ..... ...... ...... ... .... ORANGE COUNTYSocM JUSTICE GOAL REPORT Page 6 of 59 e) What, in the name of social justice, can this local governmental body do to provide redress and close inequality gaps? Research into the field of social justice shows that it is not an endeavor most local governments enter into frequently. According to Jackie Byers, Research Director for the National Association of Counties, there are only three (3) local governments in the United States who address the issue of social justice in their work; Marin, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz Counties in California. None of those Counties has established a "Social Justice Goal." Social Justice is an issue that, until recently, has been addressed by nongovernmental grassroots organizations: faith communities, political parties and advocacy organizations. Orange County is one of the first to attempt to achieve social justice at a local government level. The Human Relations Commission has defined social justice in Orange County as a community that actively seeks to eliminate oppression and create equal opportunity; where individuals may sufficiently provide for their physical and mental needs and the needs of their dependents; where individuals live in physically and mentally safe communities; where the environment and economy are sustainable and where all are able to participate civically. .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ORANGORANGE COUNTYSOCL4L JUSTICE GOAL REPORT E .7- -- ... ... ............. ... -- .. . ......... . -- ........ ..... ...... ............. ........ ..... . . . ......... . ... . . ..... .. ............. .. ..... . .......... .................. . - .... ....... Page 7;of 59 Residents that participated in the Pennies Tool, primarily, gave money to broad categories of social justice although a number of residents designated specific issues of concern. Approximately 550 residents spent $7,169.002 on social justice. The categories of social justice are ordered below in descending order of importance based on the amount of money allotted to each category by Orange County residents. 1. ELIMINATION OF OPPRESSION 2. ECONOMIC SELF - SUFFICIENCY 3. PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY SAFE COMMUNITIES 4. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE S. CIVIC PARTICIPATION Elimination of Oppression received 26.2% of the dollars, followed by economic self - sufficiency at 20.4 %, followed by physically and mentally safe communities at 16.9 %. The next two categories differed by only 1/5 of a percentage point at 13.3% and 13.1 %, environmental justice followed by civic participation respectively. Finally, the other category garnered 10.1% of the total tax dollars and included issues such as reproductive justice, animal protection and taking money from the rich to give to the poor among other things. A substantial amount of dollars were allocated to specific 2 550 participants would have spent $7150, however, not all participants chose to spend all of their allotted tax dollars. It is likely that more than 550 residents participated but they did not spend all allocated dollars and were not represented in the final tally of residents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT Page 8 of 59 issues under existing categories such as elimination of gang activity under physically and mentally safe communities but were placed nonetheless in the "Other" category (Tallies of Pennies Activities: Appendix V). Orange County is, without doubt, one of the most progressive Counties in the State of North Carolina and has more social justice programs than most other communities. However, the County and its residents are heavily impacted by state and national policies that have been predominantly regressive and have placed primary responsibility for social justice on local government's doorstep. While the County continues to grow and the demand for services continue to grow, County coffers have not been growing at the same rate. Each year government administrators and elected officials are forced to make difficult decisions regarding funding for programs, all of which are important to the health of our local community. ............................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................... COUATYSOCL4L JUSTICE GOAL REPORT Page 9 Of 59 ......... ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .... . .. . ......... .. . 111-11.1 .... ......... . ....... ..... ... ... ... . ..... .... ... ... ........ .... �-1914* EMPIL-1 0 USIAN IP-) (61Z In working to achieve social justice, Orange County shall perform government duties including policy making and budgeting with the express objectives of; 1. Eliminating oppression and creating equal opportunity; 2. Creating a community where individuals may sufficiently provide for their own physical, social, and mental needs and the needs of their dependents; and to provide safety net mechanisms for those, whom for circumstances beyond their control, find themselves unable to do so; 3. Creating a community where no groups are targeted for harassment, intimidation or violence; 4. Balancing a a healthful environment with a sustainable economy; and 5. Encouraging and enabling all residents to participate civically. Recommendations are grouped by social justice category. They take into account the input of residents gathered by staff and Commission members, as well as, the input of County Department Heads, the Human Services Management Team, a number of County Advisory Boards and Commissions, the Human Relations Commission and Commission for Women. They are structured so that a desired outcome statement is followed by a list of recommendations/strategies to achieve the desired outcome. .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... I ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL JusncE GOAL REPORT Page X 0 of 59 - ........... . . .. ...... . ....... ELITMMNATING OPPRESSION Actively seek and promote equal opportunities in all government/government- sponsored services for historically oppressed groups while working to eliminate discrimination against those groups through policies, regulations, programs and funding. DISCRIMINATION Promote policies, programs and regulations that reduce discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion and disability. • Seek legislative authority to enforce employment discrimination laws in Orange County by drafting legislation and actively seeking a legislative sponsor for a statewide employment discrimination law. ® Expand Orange County's Civil Rights Ordinance to include protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. e Conduct a pay equity study to determine if Orange County provides equal pay for equal work considering education, experience and job responsibility. The study should include determinations of position classifications that have become genderized or racialized and have resulting pay inequities. ® Increase the number of Orange County employees who are able to speak Spanish fluently by reviewing necessary policies that create barriers to hiring fluent Spanish speakers and are bi-cultural. ® Ensure that potential Orange County employees hired for Spanish speaking ability are able to speak Spanish and to speak English adequately. ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL JusncE GOAL REPORT' ........ .... ... . .. - .......... - - ........ ..... ... .... . ..... .... ... .. .. . ... - . .... . ..... . .... .... .... .............. .......... .. .. .... Page X X of 59 EDUCATION Improve access to educational opportunities at pre- institutional, primary, secondary and postsecondary levels, eliminate barriers to equal educational attainment in pre- collegiate educational institutions and promote Orange County's families' ability to provide home environments that will improve a child's educational outcomes. ® Strive to make parenting and child development resources available and accessible to parents, guardians and other persons responsible for caring for children. • Advocate that school systems develop a local public school curriculum that is reflective of the experiences of people of color, women and other underrepresented communities. ® Advocate that school systems educate school family counselors on issues of bullying that include but not limited to cultural and ethnicity issues and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. Advocate that schools systems produce a plan with measurable benchmarks and outcomes aimed at reducing the achievement gap between people of color and Caucasian students. Ensure significant consequences for unmet benchmarks. ® Support legislation that will allow the American born children of immigrant parents in North Carolina to attend North Carolina Universities as in-state residents. ........................................................................................................................................... Pagej _9f �P GOAL REPORT .. .. ........ . .. ... ..... ... ... .. ... ORANGE ..... .... . ....... ..... ECONOMIC SELF SUFFICIENCY Provide the infrastructure, policies, programs and funding necessary for individuals to provide necessities for themselves and their dependents in Orange County including shelter, food, clothing and medical care and preserve the safety net function of County government by aiding those who find themselves without basic sustenance and support in the midst of life circumstances. INCOMEA" WEALTH Improve income security for individuals and families classified as poor and working poor so that individuals and families are able to support themselves and those for whom they are responsible. e Develop a Countywide Economic Responsibility Policy and institute a standing Orange County Economic Justice Action Committee as a mechanism to monitor the County's compliance with the objectives of the Economic Responsibility Policy'. This policy should address, among other things, the allocation of County funding to balance the needs of affordable housing, economic development, county infrastructure and a sustainable environment to improve employment opportunities. • Seek legislative authorization to implement a '"big box" livable wage ordinance requiring businesses occupying a certain square footage to pay a wage that makes it possible for Orange County residents to live and work in the County and to provide health insurance benefits. e Create a countywide job opportunities program for individuals limited by life circumstances, cultivate relationships with employers to offer jobs to individuals in the program. ® Create a temporary employment agency to provide benefits for trainees and new workers while they gain permanent status and benefits. ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... . ............. ORANGE CouNTYSocw JusnrcE GOAL REPORT, ........... I....., ............ .......... ...... .. ......... Page 13„ of 59 e Incorporate as part of Orange County's economic development strategy a plan to attract businesses to Orange County that provide high wages and health insurance. • Contribute a percentage of Orange County employees' respective salaries to the Orange County employees' respective 401K plan. ® Raise Orange County's living wage to a housing wage. HEALTHCARE Improve access to quality health care for uninsured and underinsured Orange County residents and seek to reduce outcomes in health disparities that result from poor treatment. ® Advocate for a statewide HMO to provide medical coverage and services for families who are under-employed and do not receive Medicaid. ® Co-locate personal and dental health services to increase accessibility for populations currently being served. ® . Create and implement economic development policies giving preference to recruiting companies of a certain size who provide health insurance (i.e. companies who employ more than 25 or 50 people). e Advocate for a statewide health plan where smaller businesses can pool their risks and afford to buy group insurance for themselves and their employees. ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL JusncE GOAL REPORT ........... ... . ........ .. ..... ........... .. -- . . .... .... .. .... REPORT .. ......... HOUS,UVG Improve access to home ownership and affordable rental housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents targeting those who make 50% to 80% of area median income, in addition to those who make 50% and below. Implement a policy that requires developers of new housing to set aside a portion of the development for affordable housing units or requires them to make a contribution to the Orange County Housing Trust Fund. Use the funds to create affordable housing targeted at the market of owners who can afford no more than $75,000.00 to $100,000.00. 9 Seek appropriate funding (i.e. CDBG, etc.) to build and develop affordable rental housing owned through the Orange County Housing Trust Fund located near desirable schools, neighborhoods and transportation. • Study the feasibility of redefining for Orange County Government purposes the definition of ""affordable housing" taking into account other cost of living indicators using the Consumer Expenditure Survey. PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY SAFE COADRTNITIES . Provide a community free from physical and mental fear and assault by supporting policies, procedures, regulations, and programs that reduce harassment, intimidation, and violence against any portion of Orange County residents. • Urge state legislators to improve hate crimes laws to increase protection to include unprotected individuals (i.e. women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people). ............................................................................................................................................................................ . ............................................................. ........... ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT Page 15:pf 59 .. .... ............ . ... ..... .. .. .... JUSTICE .. ... ® Work with local not for profits to create a shelter for battered women. Currently Orange County women go to Durham, Chatham or Alamance County to seek transitional housing. 0 Encourage service providers to examine and alter service delivery venues and methods to reflect different cultural contexts that are increasingly present in the county. • Support efforts of the community in addressing child abuse prevention, bullying prevention, and gang activity. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE Promote land use planning, economic development, and environmental protection while responsibly providing for resident needs for shelter, employment, and public transportation. e Continue supporting the Environmental Responsibility Goal that the Board of County Commissioners adopted in December of 2005 to the extent that it does not sacrifice the goal of economic self-sufficiency for Orange County residents. CIVIC PARTICWATION Ensure that Orange County residents are able to engage government through voting and volunteering by identifying disparities in participation and barriers to participation and seeking to eliminate the barriers and reduce disparities. VOTING Maintain Orange County's voting system and maintain a paper trail of any electronic votes. Support same day voter registration. ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ORANGE CouN"SocuL JusncE GOAL REPORT ........... ...... . ... .. .......... ...... ........ ..... ... ....... .. JUSTICE . . . . ........ . ...... --'- ... .. .......... . ..... .. ......... ...... . .......... ..... . .... .... . . ...... .... .. : ...... .... OTHER Assess Orange County policies and practices that can impact the ability of persons to afford to live and work in Orange County TAX RELIEF Diversify revenues for Orange County Government by recruiting businesses to Orange County and providing appropriate infrastructure for their existence thereby reducing the need to continue raising property taxes and increasing funding for services vital to county residents. TRANSPORTATION Strengthen and expand public transportation from northern to southern Orange County adequate to meet the needs of individuals without private transportation to seek gainful employment and, otherwise, live independently. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT Pa a l7 0 _......... . .f59 .. ...:.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT:. Page 18 of 59 .......... .......... ....._........... ... .. "HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR TAX DOLLARS SPENT TO PROMOTE SOCIAL JUSTICE IN ORANGE COUNTY ?" When asked, "What is social justice ? ", one response is: "SOCIAL JUSTICE is the ideology that all human beings should have the right and opportunity to benefit equally/ from the resources afforded them by society and the environment." 1. You have 13 tag dollars ($13). 2. You review the attached list. 3. From the examples under each category, you can either: a) choose specific issues and specify an amount of your $13 to be spent on those specified issues OR b) you can just choose an overall category and specify an amount of your $13 to be spent on that specific category. EXAMPLES BELOW: A. TO SPECIFY A SPECIFIC ISSUE IN A CATEGORY, DRAW A LINE OPPOSITE THE SPECIFIC ISSUE AND SPECIFY THE AMOUNT YOU WISH TO SPEND ✓ fair and equitable representation of all residents ✓ equal access to the voting process ✓ create a process that allows residents to petition and/or vote to have their property included/excluded as part of a city or town You've designated $4 of your $13 to be ------- ® $4 spent on the issue "equal access to the voting process" B. TO SPECIFY SUPPORT OF THE OVERALL CATEGORY, DRAW A LINE OPPOSITE THE CATEGORY AND SPECIFY THE AMOUNT YOU WISH TO SPEND ✓ fair and equitable representation of all residents ✓ equal access to the voting process ✓ create a process that allows residents to petition and/or vote to have their property included/excluded as part of a city or town $6 You've designated $6 of your $13 to be spent on the category "CIVIC PARTICIPATION' 4. If there is an issue not included on the attached list, please feel free to write that issue and the amount of tax dollars to be spent to support that issue on the back of the attached sheet. 5. 77WW k y&W I You have completed the interactive game! QUESTIONS: Ask the HRC Member who gave you this document DR contact the Department of Human Rights & Relations @ 960 -3875. ...................... ......... .... ...... .... ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT Page 19 Of 59 ELI MI '�'1 ®i� ®F OPPRESSION ✓ wage faimess /equality (regardless of gender, race, ✓ eliminate gang activity ✓ free, 24 -hour public transportation physical disability, religion, sexual orientation, ✓ promote drug/rehabilitation programs ✓ affordable housing nationality, etc.) ✓ include /increase violence prevention programs in ✓ comprehensive job training ✓ eliminate physical barriers to public buildings to the curriculum at school ✓ eliminate barriers to adoption due to sexual increase access by physically challenged residents ✓ create safe havens (shelters) for individuals in orientation of potential parents ✓ ensure equal access to education, healthcare, abusive (sexual/physical) relationships ✓ marriage equality for all employment opportunities, contracting (regardless ✓ wage equality /fairness ✓ eliminate profiling on the basis of age, ethnicity, of gender, race, physical disability, religion, sexual ✓ government economic safe net race orientation, nationality, religion, etc.) ✓ countywide internship /apprenticeship programs ✓ condemn any laws /policies that promote ✓ condemn any laws /policies that infringe and/or discriminatory practices lessen residents' civil rights/liberties fair and equitable representation of all residents equal access to the voting process create a process that allows residents to petition and/or vote to have their property included/excluded as part of a city or town promote the use of organic and local agriculture promote building practices that limit negative impact on natural resources, are energy efficient and balance needs of people with protecting the environment preserve & conserve open space /park space ✓ maintain paper trail of votes cast ✓ time and place for residents, particularly communities of color, disabled, lower income, etc., to discuss concerns with elected officials ✓ promote recycling programs ✓ promote solid waste and toxic waste manage- ment programs ✓ promote air and water quality programs ✓ place new development in targeted areas ✓ protect wildlife reserves $IC_. Llf W E T L'_ S E ,NCOMMUNITIES • community police /neighborhood watch programs ✓ eliminate gang activity • strengthen and enforce hate crime laws ✓ promote drug/rehabilitation programs • eliminate the practice of locating potentially ✓ include /increase violence prevention programs in harmful industries, landfills, etc. in or in close the curriculum at school proximity to minority communities ✓ create safe havens (shelters) for individuals in • strengthen minimal housing standards like requiring abusive (sexual/physical) relationships indoor plumbing and air conditioning ✓ wage equality /fairness EC ®I+11®14�IC SIB Il�PICIEIoIC� ✓ equal access to education, healthcare, employment ✓ comprehensive job training opportunities, (regardless of gender, race, physical ✓ free public transportation disability, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, ✓ childcare, healthcare, and utility subsidies religion, etc.) ✓ ensure adequate wages to afford shelter, food, ✓ provide affordable healthcare and preventative healthcare healthcare programs ✓ affordable housing ✓ laws protecting immigrant residents from labor ✓ wage equality /fairness exploitation ✓ government economic safe net ...... .......................................... ............................... .... ..... ...... ORANGE COUNTPSocm JusncE GOAL REPORT Page 20 of 59 �o 0 0 N O E U ai U O W O U N U N bA .b it ai bA A N n U O O w O 0 � U .� .N ..o b � o�n 0 cn U N � O .b U cb O I "C n cc1 � � U Ga N u 0 U �i O W U 0 W H H as O o 0 O N U N 7., H O W F 1 r;b ;a Qi �s , .rAA x r I- F W H H a W U W o O V N 1 10 t JOHN O. CALMORE; Reef C. Ivey II Research Professor; UNC School of Law In the fall of 2003, the local Durham newspaper reported that Democratic Party presidential candidates John Edwards and Howard Dean each promised that if elected he would hold a summit on social justice within 90 days of taking office. Holly Ramer, "Edwards, Dean Vow Focus on Social Justice," The Herald Sun, Oct. 20, 2003, at C9. They said they would invite groups for a summit on how grassroots organizing can play an expanded role in solving society's problems. According to Edwards, "We have to make real, bold, dramatic moves that we can really achieve." Social justice is usually directed by NGOs, from Oxfam America to the Green Party, from academic• and training institutions to local grassroots groups. It is not an explicit goal of local governments. Orange County is thus poised to make the real, bold, dramatic, and achievable moves mentioned by Edwards. Of course, here is the challenge and the opportunity. Is it within the capacity and heart of the Board to advance a social justice agenda in terms of real, bold, dramatic, and, most importantly, achievable goals? If the Board shies away from this format, will it underachieve, perhaps doing no more than paying lip service to social justice? Few local governments take this on because it is very hard to do. Against this backdrop, I have been asked to address three questions: (1) what is social justice in a legal, social, and historic framework; (2) how is social justice manifested; and (3) how could it be manifested? As questions 2 and 3, respectively, suggest, I am exploring both a program/policy of social justice as well as the aspirations of social justice. I. What is Social Justice? Judith Shklar has suggested that only by understanding the face of injustice can one understand justice. A social justice goal cannot be developed at the home office and then imposed top -down on the people. We should keep this in mind as we proceed. Because there are many views of social justice, it is important for the Board to define it for itself; to tailor the concept in a way that fits with its character and mission. See hn : / /en.wikipedia.org4iki/Social justice ( Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). According to Wikipedia, "Social justice ... is a concept largely based on various social contract theories. Most variations on the concept hold that as governments are instituted among populations for the benefit of members of those populations, those governments which fail to see to the welfare of their citizens are failing to uphold their part in the social contract and are, therefore, unjust. The concept usually includes, but is not limited to, upholding human rights; many variants also contain some statements concerning more equitable distributions of wealth and resources" (I would add power). The concept of a social contract presents a good framework for striking a bargain with the community. Additionally, "'Social Justice' is a primarily Leftist and Liberal concept." Id. ......... ......... ......... ....... ... ....... .. ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL'JUSTICE,GOAL REPORT;.. Page 22 of 59 Those concerned with social justice may believe that: Historical inequities insofar as they affect injustices should be corrected until the actual inequities no longer exist. The redistribution of wealth, power and status for the individual, community and societal good. It is government's (or those who hold significant power) responsibility to ensure a basic quality of life for all its citizens. Id. While it is beyond my scope here to address the critique of social justice, the Board should become aware of such criticism, the most prominent stemming from Friedrich Hayek. See Michael Novak, "Defining Social Justice," First Things (Dec. 2000); http:// www. firsfthings. com/ ftissues /ft0012 /opinion/noVak.hemi. This also discusses the historical evolution of the concept (term). The Social Justice Training Institute defines social justice as both a process and a goal: "The goal of social justice education is full and equal participation of groups in society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. Social justice includes a vision of society that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure." http: / /www.siti.or&. It is important to recognize, as here, that the vision of social justice be developed synergistically as both a process and goal. Goals are not self - regulating or self-implementing; attention to process is important to address legitimacy and to measure efficiencies and effectiveness. While social justice seeks a more just society in general, it focuses most directly on a constituency of those who are marginalized, subordinated, excluded, and underrepresented. We must ask: "What is the injustice they experience? What is the justice they seek ?" Without asking these questions, it will be hard to respond to their legitimate expectations. According to Indigenous Australia, "Social justice means being entitled to the same rights and services as all other citizens." Ask yourself,. perhaps from a privileged position, what is social justice? Indigenous Australia answers: "Social justice is what faces you in the morning. It is awakening in a house with adequate water supply, cooking facilities and sanitation. It is the ability to nourish your children and send them to school where their education not only equips them for employment but also reinforces their knowledge and understanding of their cultural inheritance. It is the prospect of genuine employment and good health: a life of choices and opportunity, free from discrimination." Mick Dodson, Annual Report of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, 1993. http: / /www. dreamtime .net.au/indigenous /social.cfin. As members of the Orange County community wake up, what do they see? What basic necessities, if any, are absent? What frustrates their hope? What opportunity - denying circumstances constrain them? What, in the name of social justice, can this local governmental body do to provide redress and close inequality gaps? I recently co- authored a law book of cases and materials on social justice. See Martha R. Mahoney, John O. Calmore, and Stephanie M. Wildman, Social Justice: Professionals, Communities and Law 49 -51 (2003). After an extensive literature review, we concluded that there is no single vision of social justice among the theorists who use this term. Some use the phrase social justice interchangeably with justice. Some use the concept as a counterpoint to injustice, to convey idealistic humanitarian goals. Some view social justice as requiring a higher moral ground than self - interest. In Europe, for instance, many nations attempt to harmonize economic efficiency and social justice. Others use the term to describe particular aspects of freedom, such as freedom of speech or freedom from arbitrary searches, seizures, and detention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. ORANGE COUNTYSOCAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT Page.g3 Of R In virtually all formulations, social justice is often understood to capture something other than justice in general or claims about basic rights. Usually, social justice invokes substantive rather than formal equality. Some theorists define social justice as involving "the goals of equality of access, opportunity, and outcome." The focus on outcome distinguishes it from "equality of opportunity" or "equality under law," normative goals that may frustrate substantive equality. It is common to adopt an approach that "presupposes a conception of social justice that provides a standard for assessing the distributive aspects of the basic structure of society." Marcia Bok, Civil Rights and the Social Programs of the 1960s: The Social Justice Functions of Social Policy 15 (1992). Thus, most social justice research deals with issues of allocation. Social justice issues, however, often extend beyond issues of economic or distributive justice and embrace as well issues of human dignity and solidarity. According to David Smith, the term social justice may be "simultaneously distributional and relational." Here, perhaps, this latter sense is where a local government can make a difference. As Smith elaborates: The term social justice is taken to embrace both fairness and equity in the distribution of a wide range of attributes, which need not be confined to material things. Although the primary focus is on attributes which have an immediate bearing on people's well -being or the quality of their lives, our conception of social justice goes beyond patterns of distribution, general and spatial, to incorporate attributes to how these came about. While fairness is sometimes applied to procedures and justice to outcomes, we are concerned with both. Preference for the term social justice rather than justice in general is explained not by preoccupation with the distribution of attributes which might be labeled as social, but by concern with something which happens socially, among people in a society. -David Smith, Geography and Social Justice 26 (1994). The moral philosopher his Marion Young also extends social justice beyond issues of distribution. For her, "social justice means the elimination of institutionalized domination and oppression." Justice and the Politics of Difference 15-16 (1990). Traditional theories of justice tend to restrict the meaning of social justice to "the morally proper distribution of benefits and burdens among society's members." As Smith and Young admonish, the Board must recognize that distributive issues are crucial to a satisfactory conception of justice, but it would be a significant mistake to reduce social justice to distributional inequity. Following the lead of Young, then, as a governmental entity, the Board's goal of social justice should focus as well, if not primarily, on the social structure and institutional contexts that often help determine distributive relationships, patterns, and outcomes. Intervene there. H. What is the place of rights within a social justice vision? The social justice tie to rights dates back to the nation's Declaration of Independence in 1776. The nation voiced the now familiar vision of democracy in which "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' are inalienable rights, "consent of the governed" legitimates the power of government, and all citizens are "created equal." Today, across the land, the achievement of these ideals remains relevant to social justice advocacy. As Thurgood Marshall pointed out on the occasion of the bicentennial of the Constitution, the negotiation of these ideals have involved a constant struggle, noting that the government devised in Philadelphia "was defective from the start, requiring several amendments, a civil war, and momentous social transformation to attain the system of constitutional government, and its respect for individual freedoms and human . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . ORANGE Cou TYSOcmL JusrtcE GOAL REPORT Page 2j of 59., rights, that we hold fundamental today." "Reflections on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution," 101 Harvard L. Rev. 1, 1 -2 (1987). Social movements driven by a quest for effective rights built social justice lawyering organizations that really took off in the 1960s. As they evolved, they changed the way that lawyers practiced and thought. As Oliver Houck observes, the lawyers had clients and the clients were injured, but also [there] was a larger sense of justice that is as difficult to define precisely as it would be to deny. Most importantly, they did not simply seek compensation for their clients; increasingly they sought to change the law." Thus, the phrase "law reform" described the efforts of such lawyers as those involved in the three large movements in poverty, civil liberties, and civil rights practice. Yet, because rights are indeterminate, legal advocacy has continually reshaped the conception of rights to be more effective in advancing social justice. Beyond legal rules, social justice claims have viewed rights as expressions about how people should be treated —as norms and values rather than fiats. According to Martha Minow, under this conception: "Rights" can give rise to "rights consciousness" so that individuals and groups may imagine and act in light of rights that have not been formally recognized or enforced. Rights, in this sense, are neither limited to nor co- extensive with precisely those rules formally announced and enforced by public authorities. Instead, rights represent articulations— public or private, formal or informal—of claims that people use to persuade others (and themselves) about how they should be treated and about what they should be granted.... [1] include within the ambit of rights discourse all efforts to claim new rights, to resist and alter official state action that fails to acknowledge such rights, and to construct communities apart from the state to nurture new conceptions of rights. Rights here encompass even those claims that lose, or have lost in the past, if they continue to represent claims that muster people's hopes and articulate, their continuing efforts to persuade. Consciousness, or cognizance, of rights, then, is not simply awareness of those rights that have been granted in the past, but whispered or unheard have become claims, and claims that once were unsuccessful, have persuaded others and transformed social life. The connections between past and future claims of rights are voiced through interpretations of inherited understandings of rights. Interpretation engages lawyers and nonlawyers in composing new meanings inside and outside of legal institutions. Charges against new rights express opposition to this interpretive process. "Interpreting Rights: An Essay for Robert Cover," 96 Yale L. J. 1860 (1987). Under this conception of social justice rights /claims, which is consistent with international human rights assertion, rights potentially enhance our collective consciousness, change our cultural and institutional habits, mobilize people beyond the courtroom, organize political groups at the grassroots, force those in power to account for their actions. Rights join with culture, power, conscience, and human dignity as expressions of social justice. Herein lies the transformative potential of rights claims. 111. How is social justice manifested? How could it be manifested? These questions, in turn, must be addressed in the context of a local government's capacities and overall functions and objectives. Where does social justice fit within the institutional behavior of county commissioners who are accountable to principles of right action and serving the people of the county in concrete ways? ...... ......... ......... ......... .. .... ORANGE CDUNTYSOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT, _ ... , , Page 25 of" . _ .,.... As such, it is important to recognize the view of many who see the local government's ability to control its community character as the fundamental responsibility of self - government. As Gerald Frug points out, for these people, "local self - governance means the ability of citizens to create for themselves the kind of city [or county] they want to live in." As we think of Orange County, social justice should be part of that determination of community character. It must transcend local boundaries that mark the county's cities and act in a way that advances an inclusive regional notion of the public interest. What, then, is the county's vision of social justice and how can that vision translate into polices and programs that are within the power of local government to realize? This is the orienting question for discussion. In response to an email request from Milan Pham, Jacqueline Byers, Director of Research, National Association of Counties, indicated that no counties have explicitly adopted a social justice goal (although as indicated infra Santa Cruz County in California appears to have various programs). Byers referred Phain to three counties in California that have focused on advancing social justice— Marin, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz Counties. Because these entities are local governments they are probably the best comparison sites to assess current manifestations of social justice. See, respectively, htW:// www .globalstewards.org/marin.htm ( Marin County's focus is primarily on environmental and social justice resources that are apparently coordinated by the county); htt2:// www. cooiyofsb .org /cao/hrc /workplan.asl2 (discussing aspects of the Santa Barbara Human Relations Commission Strategic Plan for 2002 - 2003); and ho:// www. freedom2lsantacruz .net/A21SC /justice.html (discussing the Santa Cruz initiatives). Santa Cruz is the most instructive case, because it appears to be a leader in social justice goal oriented activity. It claims, "Santa Cruz County has more programs concerned with Social Justice than many other areas in the US." As a local government, the county observes, "Social justice, including environmental justice, are necessary components of any plan for a healthy, sustainable future. Historically, low - income communities and communities of color suffer disproportionately. Recent coalition building strategies and campaigns are beginning to make a dent is this problem." Its primary focus is on developing a sustainable community and provides 12 principles of agreement. I refer you to them to reiterate that a social justice agenda must entail both a goal and process. See the Santa Cruz web site above. Beyond local governments, a more ambitious social justice vision and program is illustrated by the Green Party platform of social justice and livable communities. See hMI/ cagreens .orgiplatform/socjus.htm. It addresses 25 topics, including the social safety net that is the initial focus of the County Commissioners. I think this is an excellent start at addressing what social justice goals could be. The challenge is to step back from the macro to the micro perspective that is more within the capacity of local government. Still, as aspirations go, the Green Party goals are instructive. IV. Conclusion In closing, let me offer a humble opinion. I have been engaged in social justice work for the last 35 years, as a legal services lawyer in Roxbury and Watts, as a program officer within the rights and social justice program of the Ford Foundation, as social justice professor and scholar, as a board member of the New World Foundation and Oxfam America. I believe that at the end of the day, the ultimate goal of social justice is to engender hope — "audacious hope" as Barak Obama phrased it. Three years ago, at a celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday, Cornea West came to Chapel Hill and spoke of how King was able to stay the course, maintain his high aspirations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... ............................................................................ . . . . . . . . . . ................................................. ORANGE COUNTYSOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL REPORT Page 26 of 59 Given the difficulty of what King was doing, West said King was not consistently an optimist how could he be? Instead, however, King was characterized as always a "prisoner of hope." No matter the predicament or the prospects, he was hopeful. He could no more escape hope that he could escape the Birmingham jail where he penned his famous letter. In his 1963 speech in Washington, one of his classic lines referred to "hewing a stone of hope from a mountain of despair." In Marion Wright Edelman's book, The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours, she quotes President Havel of Czechoslovakia who, while literally imprisoned, described ever - present hope in these terms, terms I relate to the hope of those who seek to advance a social justice agenda: Either we have hope within us or we don't: it is a dimension of the soul.... Hope in this deep and powerful sense is ... an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed ... It is also this hope, above all, which gives us the strength to live and continually to try things, even in conditions that seem as hopeless as ours do here and now. I do not mean to suggest that the Board of Commissioners should engage in quixotic endeavor or join Sisyphus in his rock pushing. But King personified this hope —a practical hope that must be . kept alive, must inspire us to do more than we are, and to never, never give up. A social justice goal must say and do as much. February 16, 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ORANGE COUNTYS'OCIAL JUSTICE:GOAL REPORT Page 27 of 59. .......... to '3U t4-, O N M N 00 O d 00 to 110 M M -t M -� .- N M d- V) O r, O 00 N d 00 M O O N O O N In O O O O N O O N O O N O O N O O N O 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 O 0 O 0 O 0 O 0�\10 N O 0 0 0 p d� N tri N t`� oo a; oo N N N N N N 0 O 0 N -+ �t N 00 N O .-+ •- N �j O d" .- O> O\ dt �o O 00 N C'4 C14 N to N N .-o O `-' N N O N N h N O O O O Q O 0 N c c� rL P. 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U +1 Cc 4-4 N O M — y>' b ^d Qf U U V sg 4Z w cr co ° coi v a z O ppp��; 04-4 N N Cd s on �ra, —C,3 -� °� M O N O Q W O 0.0 �A G1 A U N O O T > i H' cd O U Gq o o rr1: cn o o to �•C/3 ° O EE a� o * .0 U � cn O o bn °o. to O Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal Can be found on the internet at: hltp://www.co.orange.nc.us/ercd/ERCDpressrelease.asp Investing in Innovation Orange County Economic Development Commission Five — Year Strategic Plan: 2005-2010 Can be found on the internet at: hM2://www.co.orange.nc.us/ Once at this website, click on: 1. Departments & Services; 2. Economic Development Commission; 3. Strategic Plan; 4. Strategic Plan Orange County Health Department Strategic Plan 2006-2011 Can be found on the internet at: httl?://www.co.orange.nc.us/health/Strategic%20PIan%2O2OO6-201 I.pdf Orange County State of the County Health Report 2005 Can be found on the internet at: h:Ltp://www.co.orange.nc.us/health/OCHCBooklet2OO6.pd Orange County Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness Can be found on the internet at: bM?://townhall.townofchqpelhill.6rg/homelessness/X-IAD/� Orange County Master Aging Plan. 2007-2011 Update This document is pending posting on the website. ............................................................ .......................................................................................................................................... I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ORANGE COUNTYSOCL4L JusTwE GOAL REPORT _ Page S3 of 59 2004 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BROWN, MARGARET MOSES ,.. JR. ALICE M. GORDON • 2007 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MOSES CAREYr JR.., Chair BARRY •. WLERIA FoUSHEE ALICE M. GORDON MICHAEL NELSON ........ ......... ......................... ......... ....... ... .. .... ...... ,. ... ORANGE COUNTPSOCIAL JUSTTCE GOAL REPORT:, _... Page 54 of 59 EMILY ADAMS STEVEN CLEMENS SABRINA COVINGTON-FARRAR JOSEPHINE HARRIS PHYLLIS HORTON BEVERLY PAYNE BETTS ADELAIDE SPITZBERGEN ii Un 9% CUTLER ANDREWS BRYANT COLSON ARTIE FRANKLIN RANDEE HAVEN-O'DONNELL CAROLYNIKENBERRY DAMON SEILS 2005 H RC Staff: JAMES SPIVEY, Civil Rights Specialist MILAN PRAM, Director BARBARAR*CHAPMAN TERESA DERRICK YVES GNAMIEN WILLIAM HENDRICKSON JOE NANNEY MELVIN SMITH 2067HRCStaff: JAMES SPIVEY, Civil Rights Specialist PAMELA REYNOLDS, Intake Specialist SHOSHANNAH SMITH, Director ................................................................................................................................................. . ...................................................................................................... ORANGE CovNTYSocm JUSTICE GOAL REPORT .. . ... ....... w - S H 42 JUSTICE GOAL REPORT _. .._. HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELATIONS JUSTICE GOAL REPORT