Connecting Fairfax City For All Stakeholder Group Members Announced

Press release from the City of Fairfax:

01/13/2021 1:43 PM

On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, the Fairfax City Council approved the appointment of members of the Connecting Fairfax City for All stakeholder group. This group will participate in community listening and learning sessions, facilitate communication with their communities, make recommendations on action items, and identify areas for further discussion.

Connecting Fairfax City for All is a city-wide initiative to broaden community conversation around the issues of racial and social equity. The initiative will explore how Confederate memorials and images and Confederate-related street and neighborhood names may be perceived as symbols of injustice.

“While there is much to be affirmed and uplifted when reflecting on our own local history, there is much that requires honest reflection and painful acknowledgement,” said City of Fairfax Mayor David Meyer. “To engage in this collective assessment will be challenging and will require open minds and open hearts. However, I do believe this process offers the opportunity for substantive reconciliation as we move forward together as a community in the coming decades,” he added.

This stakeholder group will begin its work this month with an introductory meeting to get to know each other, discuss ground rules and a charter, and identify next steps in their work.

Eighty-seven residents applied to serve on the Connecting Fairfax City for All stakeholder group. Sixty-three applicants participated in one of eight small group sessions held by the stakeholder selection committee. The committee met following those sessions and prepared its recommendation for city council’s consideration.

The stakeholder group meets the following requirements established by the committee:

• Representation from at least one person from each voting precinct in the city
• Balance in voices that are for, neutral, and against removing Confederate memorials
• Balance in representation across gender and age where possible
• Representation of racial and ethnic groups that reflect the city’s diversity

The Stakeholder Group:

Precinct 1: Kevin Kruczek

Precinct 2: Gabrielle Ravanera and Jay Lamb

Precinct 3: Patrick Murray, Minoo Kim, and Marbea Tammaro

Precinct 4: Grace Francis, Cantrell Dumas, and Mark Light

Precinct 5: Sara Pease and Erica Larkin

Precinct 6: Emilio Alonso

Non-Resident (Business Community Representative): Mike Thorton

Members of Special Groups: Vicki Wood, Mount Calvary Baptist Church; Matt West, Historic Fairfax City, Inc.; Susan Olenchuk, Mosby Woods Community Association; and Grace Gillespie, Neighbors for Change.

Community Listening and Learning Sessions

The first two community listening and learning sessions have been scheduled. (Until further notice, all events and discussions will be held virtually.)

• Kim Holien, a retired military historian for the Dept of the Army, will present “Fairfax Court House, Crossroads of Conflict” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 28. This program will set the historical context for later sessions. There will be a Q and A session at the end.
• Dr. Karen Cox, a Professor of History at University of North Carolina, will present “The Lost Cause and Confederate Monuments and Memory” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 11. This presentation will be followed by a facilitated discussion.

Additional listening and learning sessions will be arranged and announced.

Connecting Fairfax City for All was approved by the mayor and city council in October 2020. Please visit Engage Fairfax for additional information on this initiative. Residents, business owners, and visitors are encourage to share comments and personal stories and to read what others have contributed.

Media Contact: Matthew Kaiser, communications and marketing director. 703-273-6381.

This press release was produced by the City of Fairfax. The views expressed here are the author’s own.