Fairfax County Task Force on Racial Equity
The Fairfax County Task Force on Racial Equity is a policy initiative created by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman Jeffrey McKay (D) to study how economic, health, and policing issues could be associated with racial equity issues. 1 The task force was created in response to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020. 2
Contents
In February 2021, the task force produced a report with policy recommendations for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors based on the idea that social, economic, health, and policing issues should be addressed by prioritizing the needs of ethnic minorities. 3
Background
In June 2020, controversy arose in Fairfax County, Virginia after police body camera footage was released showing a local man being tased during a stop with a police officer while walking away. The event was associated with common criticisms of policing after the death of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. 2
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted an initiative titled “One Fairfax” to change county policing and vowed to make policy decisions under an “equity lens.” A statement from the Board included a statement of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and an announcement that under the One Fairfax Initiative, a task force on racial equity would be created. 2
Task Force on Racial Equity Report
In February 2021, the Fairfax County Task Force on Racial Equity presented its findings and recommendations to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. The report produced by the task force states that it would address issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, an ongoing “economic crisis,” alleged systemic racism in policing, and socioeconomic disparities across races and income levels. It also claimed to have identified solutions in alignment with the One Fairfax racial and social equity initiative. 3
The report included purported community feedback and claimed that community members expressed desires for creating diversity standards for teachers; creating diversity standards regarding school board membership and across county leadership positions; redistributing school funding in favor of underperforming schools; changing how “academic success” is measured, including the use of test scores; and pledging to “eliminate health disparities.” 3
Education
Regarding Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the report proposed a diversity hiring initiative that would result in the staffing of FCPS reflecting the demographics of its students. Additionally, it recommended that FCPS adopt programs that provide assistance to ethnic minority students in college and career planning, and it recommended that the “advanced academic programming” adopt diversity initiatives to increase the amount of Black and Hispanic students enrolled in the programs. 3
Policing
Regarding Fairfax County Police, the report stated that residents of Fairfax County are “entitled to expect” law enforcement to perform in their roles as defined by input from the residents. It also declared that the police department should implement “implicit bias and cultural competency training that all persons are treated equally and that racial, cultural or other profiling does not occur.” It also concluded that the police department disproportionately discriminated against ethnic minorities, which it argued was consistent with the argument that policing was invented to perpetuate white supremacy. 3
Social Programs
The Fairfax County Task Force on Racial Equity report advocated redistributionist social programs to achieve equity initiatives. It recommended the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors “aggressively pursue strategies to increase the amount of affordable housing and address the affordability of housing for low-income residents.” It argued for lobbying the Virginia General Assembly to pass a Medicaid waiver that would fund socialized housing and other welfare programs under the concept that housing and social factors affect health. 3
The report argued that there are “racial and ethnic disparities” in “academic enrichment programming,” “student and family engagement and connectedness to school,” and “early childhood experiences and learning opportunities.” It identified this as a key factor for lower academic performance and socioeconomic disparities amongst races which is allegedly a result of a limited supply of such programs, resulting in “Black, Hispanic, and low-income families being unable to afford care or opting for lower quality care.” As a result, the organization recommended that Fairfax County subsidize early childhood programs for all children under age five through both public and private programs. 3
People
Jeffrey McKay, a Democrat, has served as the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 2019 and authorized the formation of the Fairfax County Task Force on Racial Equity. He served as chief of staff of Supervisor Dana Kauffman (D) from 1995 until 2007 when he was elected Franconia District Supervisor. He also serves on the DMVMoves Task Force, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Inova Health Systems Board, and on the board of directors for the Virginia Association of Counties. 4