Equity Tour to host listening session in Brunswick

Lauren McDonald, The Brunswick News, Ga.
·2 min read

Jan. 31—The Partnership for Southern Equity will bring its Equity Tour to Brunswick this week for a listening session open to all residents.

The Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that promotes racial equity by advancing policies and institutional actions in metro Atlanta and throughout the South.

The PSE Equity Tour event will be a collaboration with local partners to address critical issues within the Black community in Glynn County.

The listening session will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Conference Center at College of Coastal Georgia.

"Community Listening Sessions are nothing new to PSE," according to the nonprofit. "They are a critical tool for strategizing and acting on issues of concern to the stakeholders we serve. With the philosophy that the people who are closest to the problem are also closest to the solution, Listening Sessions provide an opportunity for the community to make its voice heard — raising awareness about important issues and developing support for talking action."

The session will provide an opportunity to continue the work of local groups like the Community First Planning Commission, a network of local pastors and stakeholders within Glynn County.

The PSE listening session is intended to bring attention to needs in the community and ways to partner with the nonprofit to address concerns.

Representatives from federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency, will also participate in the discussion.

The Equity Tour's schedule also includes stops in Albany and Savannah.

"The PSE Equity Tour is an extension of the work implemented by the Georgia Systemic Change Alliance," according to a press release. "The alliance was created in the summer of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that deepened existing racial, social and environmental disparities."

Information gathered during the listening session will be used to create recommendations that will be drafted and sent back to community leaders.

The event is free, and registration can be completed online at https://4agc.com/commerce_pages/c439a19d-966b-4065-871e-9161c20096e2.