City of Tampa - Racial Reconciliation Committee

Overview ¶

It is the City of Tampa's vision to be a diverse and inclusive community where people unite to form a caring, empathetic, sustainable community in which every person is valued, and where our City confronts our history and legacy of racial injustice and inequality.

The City of Tampa City Council recently created the Racial Reconciliation Committee (RRC) to review, study, and make recommendations to the City Council and the City of Tampa with respect to the following five designated areas:

Affordable and accessible housing
Economic development, empowerment, and entrepreneurship including training/apprenticeships, capital access, and municipal contracting
Opportunity for youth
Ignored history and efforts to create a public discussion on the same
Returning citizens and restoration of rights

The City Council is in consensus that this committee shall serve as a catalyst for greater citizen participation in the determination of racial harmony, racial equality and matters of justice and inclusion within the City.

Committee Members ¶

Jeffery Johnson - CDC of Tampa
Malik Moore - On behalf of Florida State Representative Dianne “Ms Dee” Hart, District 63
Daryl Hych - President, The Switzer Hych Group LLC / Chairman, Hillsborough County Black Chamber of Commerce Inc
Connie Burton
Cheryl Rodriguez PhD - USF Professor of Africana Studies and Anthropology
Thomas Scott - Bishop, Pastor of the 34th Street Church of God
Christopher Harris - Pastor, Crossover Church
Jarvis El-Amin - Hillsborough County NAACP's appointee
Kiah Wilson - Urban League of Hillsborough County's appointee
Fred Hearns - Tampa Bay History Center
Clethen Sutton - Pastor, Tampa Bay Coalition of Clergy
Robert Blount - Abe Brown Ministries
Robin Lockett - Florida Rising

Committee Process ¶

The Tampa City Council has partnered with The John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government (FIOG) at the University of South Florida to provide facilitation services to assist the Racial Reconciliation Committee. These services include: instructor-led workshops, technical expertise, deliberate and methodical recordkeeping, and creation of a final report with recommendations.

The USF Florida Institute of Government will utilize a collaborative approach with its partners, Empowered Inclusion and SPC Collaborative Labs. Darrell Butler, President, Empowered Inclusion, shall serve as the Subject Matter Expert Facilitator while SPC Collaborative Labs shall serve as the facilitation process expert for maximum committee participation and a Real-Time Record™.

There will be six (6) Committee Workshops aimed at creating strategies for closing key gaps within the five designated policy areas identified in Section 7 of Resolution 2024-344. These meetings will be held in the evening lasting no more than three hours each, accessible to the public, and recorded through the resources of SPC Collaborative Labs, a Real-Time Record™.

Upon completion of the workshops the USF Team and its partners will develop a thorough report to include all the reports and Real-Time Record™ as well as recommendations for next steps to present to the City Council.

Workshop Sessions ¶

Date	Topics
Tuesday, October 22nd at 6pm ET	Situational Analysis
Tuesday, November 19th at 6pm ET	Affordable Housing and Accessible Housing; Economic Development, Empowerment, and Entrepreneurship
Tuesday, December 10th at 6pm ET	Opportunity for Youth; Ignored History and Efforts to Create a Public Discussion
Tuesday, January 14th at 6pm ET	Returning Citizens and Restoration of Rights
Tuesday, February 18th at 6pm ET	Public Forum Input

Session Locations and Times ¶

These meetings will be held in the evening beginning at 6 PM and lasting no more than three hours each, accessible to the public.

These meetings will be held at The City Center at Hanna Avenue located at 2555 East Hanna Ave.

How to Stay Engaged ¶

Come to a session to listen and observe
Attend the Public Forum Input Workshop on February 18, 2025
Send comments to: [email protected]

For more information, please contact: [email protected]