RASE CARTs & Powerbrokers of Rochester

Overview

The Commission on Racial and Structural Equity (RASE) was appointed in August of 2020 by former Mayor Lovely Warren and County Executive Adam Bello. The Commission was charged to review local city and county laws, policies, and ordinances to identify areas of structural inequity and recommend ways to change those laws to achieve fair application for all citizens. In March of 2021, the Commission delivered the 215-recommendation Racial and Structural Equity (RASE) Report to the mayor and county executive spanning the areas of Business Development, Criminal Justice, Education, Healthcare, Housing, Human Services, Job Creation, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Policing. In addition, the Commission called for a successor organization to be named and given the authority to monitor the timeliness of the implementation of the recommendations and establish a manner for reporting back to the community.

In March of 2022, the Urban League of Rochester was selected as the successor organization to the RASE Commission. In order to be inclusive, the Urban League convened a group of over 450 for-profit, non-profit, and community leaders called the Powerbrokers of Rochester to review the recommendations. The Powerbrokers focused on understanding how every person in their respective area of service could lean-in and take a leadership role in actualizing the more than 200 recommendations contained in the report. This group operates as a two-way conduit between community members and elected officials to monitor the implementation of the recommendations and to hold the city and county to account for equitable results.

In December of 2022, some members of the Powerbrokers, along with community residents, organized into Community Advancing Recommendations Teams (CARTs). CARTs are community-led groups operating under the umbrella of the Urban League of Rochester (ULR) to work specifically on implementing the RASE recommendations. CARTs represent the Urban League’s efforts to ensure transparency of the City’s and County’s efforts to implement the recommendations, and inclusivity of diverse voices in the process.

The Urban League believes it will take the entire Monroe County community to bring the recommendations forward and create an equitable Rochester. Through the power of collaboration and partnering directly with community members, we will utilize a collective impact approach to organize and prioritize the recommendations across seven CARTs: Business Development & Job Creation, Criminal Justice & Policing, Education, Healthcare, Housing, Mental Health & Substance Use, and Older Adults.

We believe it will take all of us to advance the recommendations and create a more equitable Rochester. The Urban League believes in the power of collaboration and in partnering directly with our community. Utilizing a collective impact approach, we seek to form working groups across nine sectors: Criminal Justice & Policing, Human/Social Services, Services for Older Adults, Entrepreneurship and Wealth Building, Education, Healthcare, Housing, Job Creation, and Mental Health and Addiction Services. 

Please join us in this effort.

Rase progress

CART Meeting Dates/Times

Business Development & Job Creation - 2nd Wednesdays at 12:00 PM

Criminal Justice & Policing - 3rd Mondays at 4:00 PM

Education - 3rd Tuesdays at 12:00 PM

Healthcare - 2nd Tuesdays at 11:30 AM

Housing - 4th Tuesdays at 4:00 PM

Mental Health & Substance Use - 4th Wednesdays at 1:00 PM

Older Adults - 3rd Wednesdays at 10:00 AM

All CARTs meet virtually on Zoom for one hour, once a month.

Join a RASE CART

CART Facilitators

Listed below are the facilitators for our CARTs (Community Advancing Recommendation Teams):

  • Business Development & Job Creation

  • Criminal Justice & Policing: Mark Funk and Pastor Wanda Wilson

  • Education: Joseph Fargnoli

  • Healthcare: Dr. Thomas Green and Jackie Dozier

  • Housing: Laurie Mahoney

  • Mental Health & Substance Use: Yasmin Mattox

  • Older Adults: Phyllis Jackson

Urban league team

  • Tiffany Owens - Interim President & CEO

  • Dr. Candice Lucas - Senior Vice President, Equity and Advocacy

  • Shannon Regelsberger - Coordinator, Equity and Advocacy

Recommended “Quick Wins”

In 2020, the mayor and the county executive appointed the Commission on Racial and Structural Equity (RASE). The charge of the commission was to review local city and county laws, policies, and ordinances to identify areas of structural inequity and recommend ways to change those laws to achieve fair application for all citizens. In 2023, the Urban League of Rochester was selected to lead the community process and to assist with the implementation of the recommendations. Below is a summary of the priorities from each of the CARTs along with meeting times for community engagement and feedback. All meetings are virtual.

  • Priority Focus:

    • Conduct an internal audit of existing support services to determine shortcomings that are preventing services from reaching eligible businesses (pg. 76 printed//pg. 91 digital).

    • Audit the City and County’s business development services to better coordinate outreach and communication, eliminate duplication and assess the efficiency of current services (pg. 79 printed//pg. 93 digital).

  • Priority Focus:

    • End Pre-Textual Stops (pg. 87 printed//pg. 100 digital).

    • Invest in restorative and diversion programs (pg. 91 printed//pg. 104 digital).

    • Police Hiring and Community Engagement (pg. 217-221 printed//pg. 226-229 digital).

  • Priority Focus:

    • Advocate all county school districts to implement a K-12 multi-racial, anti-racist, and cultural curriculum and require proof of inclusion in teachers’ lesson plans (pg. 113 printed//pg. 126 digital).

    • Implement and incentivize practices and programs that increase the racial/ethnic diversity and cultural competence of employees, vendors, and contractors. (Recruiting and retaining significantly larger numbers of Black and other teachers and administrators-of-color in the Rochester City School District and Monroe County Public Schools) (pg. 58 printed//pg. 73 digital).

    • County wide advocacy to adopt restorative practices and publicly publish with insights discipline and referral data by school (pg. 110 printed//pg. 124 digital).

  • Priority Focus:

    • Establish a standing Health Committee in the Monroe County Legislature and Rochester City Council with a charge that includes eliminating health disparities for Black, Indigenous and People of Color.) (pgs. 121 printed//pgs. 134 digital).

  • Priority Focus:

    • Work to reduce or eliminate exclusionary zoning. (pg. 141 printed//pg. 153 digital).

    • Support the expansion of community-controlled models of homeownership and rental housing. (pg. 142 printed//pg. 154 digital).

  • Priority Focus:

    • Support and invest in livable communities for older adults initiative (pg. 160 printed//pg. 170 digital).

    · Establish a healthcare for Older Adults task force (pg. 5 of Older Adults Subcommittee that starts on pg. 241 printed//pg. 251 digital).

    · Address the long-term condition of elder poverty by joining community efforts to raise wages and address employment discrimination (pg. 8 of Older Adults Subcommittee that starts on pg. 241 printed//pg. 254 digital)

    · Develop a County and City Cultural Competence Plan with Designated Budget Resources (pg. 160 printed//pg. 174 digital)

  • Priority Focus:

    • Develop Community Behavioral Health Advocates (CBHA), a program employing local residents who are trained and certified to assist people with advocacy; offer help to connect with and navigate behavioral health services; identify distressed persons who need services before emergencies occur; and provide lowcomplexity therapeutic interventions, as appropriate. (pg. 188 printed//pg. 196 digital).

    • Develop, maintain, and update regularly a community-wide inventory of mental health and substance treatment resources, with online and tablet-based tools that can be used readily by individuals, families, navigators, and clergy for defining needs and facilitating access to care. (pgs. 190 printed//pgs. 199 digital).

    • Re-examine and modify the interpretation of DHS regulations that affect people with mental health and substance use disorders, including but not limited to attendance and compliance requirements, which otherwise may disqualify them for services (pg. 191 printed//pg. 200 digital).