Tompkins County to Host Government Alliance on Race and Equity Meeting

Published on July 02, 2025

From October 20 through 22, 2025, racial equity practitioners from across Upstate New York are invited to gather at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center for the Government Alliance on Race and Equity Local Meeting, an intimate, community-rooted convening aimed at deepening racial equity in government through courageous conversation, cross-sector collaboration, and transformational practice.

The Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a national network housed within Race Forward, partners with jurisdictions to make racial equity real in government. Tompkins County applied and was selected to be the site of a GARE meeting, where racial equity practitioners, new and experienced, can make cross-network connections, learn together, and share insights, strategies, and best practices related to advancing racial equity in government. So much more than a conference, this event stands ready to bring together residents and staff across departments, neighborhoods, and lived experiences to ask hard questions, build new systems, and honor the voices of those long unheard.

The theme ‘From Protest to Policy: People’s Power, Voice, and Vision’ reflects the lived experience of this moment, the evolution from public outcry to institutional accountability. It captures what it means to not just imagine a better future, but to build it, together. This meeting is not about theory, it’s about people. It's about what happens when government partners with community, when local culture meets national movement, and when everyday systems are transformed so that every family, every worker, and every neighborhood can thrive – no matter their race, class, or zip code.

This gathering is made possible by an extraordinary network of local partners Tompkins County is collaborating with: the City of Ithaca, Visit Ithaca, the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, Tompkins County Workforce Development, the Community Justice Center, Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Leaders Transforming Conflict, the Tompkins County Office of Human Rights, Tompkins County Veterans Services, and Southside Community Center – each one playing a role in building an event that centers truth, justice, and collective power.

Tickets for the GARE Local Meeting are $200, with an optional $100 add-on for the ‘Governing for Racial Equity’ virtual training on October 8th. Only 50 training spots are available. Interested participants are invited to register now to be part of a movement that’s turning vision into reality, one policy and one partnership at a time. The full agenda is available on the registration page.

During a recent site visit, GARE staff shared: “We are very impressed by the community presence and support for our local meeting. This is unlike any other place we have been.”

Charlene Holmes, Tompkins County’s Chief Equity and Diversity Officer, sees this moment as a turning point. “We’re not here to perform equity. We’re here to operationalize it. Tompkins County’s Institutionalizing Equity Report and Strategic Plan give us the roadmap, but it’s our people, our community, and our commitment that bring it to life. This gathering is a celebration of that work.”