BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Brown County’s Racial Equity Committee came together for the first time Monday night. The committee is made up of board supervisors and community members. The overall goal is coming together to address racial equity in Northeast Wisconsin.
While Brown County’s Racial Equity committee meeting started as a chance for people to meet, members of the committee tells FOX 11 it is just the beginning. Of what they hope will bring change and equity to Brown County.
“The county board of supervisors, as a full body that’s not something we tried to get our hands around so it was time we engaged in a meaningful way with stakeholders,” said Amanda Chu, Brown County Board Supervisor and committee member.
During February’s county board meeting where the racial equity committee was approved, the resolution also states that racism is a public health crisis in society.
“We’ve seen what’s happened in Kenosha, all across the Midwest, Minneapolis. I feel we need to be honest and own responsibility to see the change and act on it,” said committee member Pooja Bambha-Arora.
Bamba-Arora believes the committee has a lot to get started with.
“First I would like to look at the policies see what’s in place, go back into the history, and also look at what other counties are doing.”
And members want this committee to be more than just people having discussions.
FOX 11 asked Chu, what kind of power the committee has to make change?
“I think that’s interesting because that came up, like what are you going to do is there going to be a fee for being racist or um and that’s not the intention at all. It’s really to sit down and see at that policy level what can we do. Maybe it’s data tracking and it sounds basic and slow but it’s important in understanding the whole spectrum.”
Members also say they hope to learn from other counties across the state what has and has not worked for committees similar to the racial equity committee.
The committee will be meeting again May 24th at the Brown County Library.
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