This morning The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law’s Divided Community Project (DCP) released a dispute systems design-centered guide for communities advancing racial equity initiatives. Titled “Planning Initiatives for Working Together To Advance Racial Equity”, the guide was developed in partnership with OSU’s Mershon Center for International Security Studies, and with input from those who have worked and are working on truth and reconciliation-style commissions, domestic and international mediators and peacemakers, deliberative democracy practitioners, and advocacy and community leaders.

DCP hopes to continue to learn from prior and emerging initiatives focused on transformation and racial healing, both in the United States and internationally in the months ahead, and anticipates developing a second edition of the guide in late 2021. If you have a suggestion or comment, DCP welcomes your input at https://go.osu.edu/dcptrc.

Here is an excerpt from the new guidance:

A confluence of events, including a pandemic, protests, and business and school closings disrupted our country in 2020 and, despite deep political differences, there is broadened support for structural changes to advance racial equity. This may be an ideal time for Americans to pursue this goal at the local, state, and national levels. A multi-pronged, sequenced approach has a mutually reinforcing effect. Whether it is called a truth commission or something else – that process facilitates the collaborative problem-solving over a period of years to achieve the equitable society that will afford each person the opportunity to thrive.
There is no single blueprint for the kind of transformative process that seeks to provide equity and “raises all boats.” Planners will tailor the process to the context and their goals. This site is designed to share resources for leaders and planners dealing with the inevitable challenges that arise in an initiative to advance racial equity.

The complete guide is available at https://go.osu.edu/dcptrc. Licensed with a creative commons license, the report may be shared, reproduced, or modified with credit to the original authors.