The City of Fairfax has initiated a process to broaden community conversation around the issues of racial and social equity and why Confederate memorials and images and Confederate-related street and neighborhood names may be symbols of injustice.  At the October 6, 2020 Work Session, the Mayor and City Council approved a broad plan to begin a candid and open community dialogue around these issues.

To provide community feedback and facilitate community voices, City residents are invited to apply for positions in a small group of Stakeholders, who will participate in thought-provoking presentations and conversations that connect current realities with the City’s historical past.  The City desires the Stakeholders Group to be residents, who represent a diversity of backgrounds and opinions,  are committed to civil dialogue, and willing to discuss challenging and racially-charged viewpoints, while remaining respectful of the views of others.

Being a member of the Stakeholders Group will require a time commitment to attend and participate in at least six “Community Learning Sessions” on topics to include:  Fairfax in the Civil War, Confederate Memorials and Monuments, the Laws of Segregation, Racial and Social Equity, and Demographic Changes.  Each session will include a presentation and discussions led and facilitated by professors and students from George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.  Those Sessions, plus some additional meetings with the City’s Core Staff Team for this project along with an introductory session, will be scheduled from December – early spring 2021.  The schedule for the Community Learning Sessions may vary depending upon the availability of the presenters and our Carter School partners.  The Stakeholders Group will be asked to solicit views and discussion points from their communities.  Members will be encouraged to avail themselves of various recorded, printed, and online resources on the discussion topics.

Share your stories and stay up to date as the project progresses through Engage Fairfax.

Due to COVID-19 guidelines, at least the initial Community Learning Sessions will be held virtually. 

The Application Process to be a Member of the Community Stakeholder Group Closed December 7, 2020.