My View

Tallahassee All Together puts words into action

Mayor Pro Tem 

Dianne Williams-Cox

On Oct. 29, the City of Tallahassee hosted its 13th summit on race relations and its first virtual summit, Tallahassee All Together. 

This year’s event built on the success of previous race relations summits hosted by the City and first coordinated by Sharon Ofuani, who prior to retiring from the City, served as the Director of Equity and Workforce Development.

With full support from my colleagues on the Commission to reprise the summit, I began working hand-in-hand with the City Manager, Deputy City Manager and Chief Diversity Officer earlier this year. By early August, we had begun finalizing the sessions and confirming an exciting lineup of national and local speakers. 

Change occurs by coming together and putting words into action; criticism without a willingness to be part of the solution does not result in progress. Therefore, it was important for us to connect and engage with our community in open, honest and productive discussions about the many facets of race relations. That is exactly what this free event provided.

Our purpose for hosting this summit was to provide a platform and safe environment for those interested in gaining a better understanding of race relations and, most importantly, each other to do just that. No topic was off the table. From nationally renowned writers, trainers and educators to local health advocates and law enforcement professionals, presenters and panelists explored intentional interventions to stem racial inequities, ways to identify our own racist behaviors, the health ramifications of racial disparities and so much more.

Beyond building understanding, we wanted people to acquire actionable steps they can take to further break down racial, cultural, economic and other social barriers. Recommended reading, resource links and hands-on activity ideas were some of the takeaways offered.

Taking it a step farther was the launch of Tallahassee’s 21-Day Race Relations Challenge: Building Bridges to Social Justice. Over the next 21 days, participants are being asked to read, connect, engage, notice, watch, listen and reflect to build new racial equity habits. Participants will remain engaged with one another to stay inspired and accountable. I’m excited to see the prolonged change this can create for our community.

As the second Black female elected to the City Commission in Tallahassee’s history, I am extremely proud of the City’s efforts and to have been part of this summit. Through Tallahassee All Together, people from every walk of life, who are interested in and focused on moving forward, came together, learned together and grew together. I know I walked away with deeper empathy for my fellow man, greater understanding of myself and an even stronger conviction that we can effect meaningful change in our community, if we are willing to move Tallahassee forward together. While we are not perfect, let’s keep perfecting who we are as a community by working together.