RMJJ Achievements

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January 2020 to June 2020

  • October 29, 2019 – September 10, 2020 – RMJJ is participating in the North Carolina Government Alliance on Race and Equity’s (GARE) monthly learning community for local and regional government using a core group from the Leadership Team.
  • Date  – Public Will and Communication launches revised www.rmjj.org website with a new firm.
  • May 21, 2020 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau and the GARE Core Team presented COVID-19 Racial Equity Rapid Response: Racially Equitable Decision-Making in Times of Crisis” via Zoom webinar.
  • May 4, 2020 – A Catalyzing Change Workgroup was formed to determine next steps/format for the caucus process moving forward.
  • April 22, 2020 – Wave V Analyses of 329 REW participants’ matched pre- and post- REW survey data January 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019 – were presented by the Data Subcommittee to the Leadership Team (LT).
  • April 2020 – present – Catalyzing Change, RMJJ’s monthly caucus designed to provide REW alumni with opportunities to learn, reflect on values, and practice new anti-racism organizing skills, moved to a virtual platform and continues to be facilitated by Derrik Anderson.
  • Launch of new youth initiative – who, what, when, where, why?
  • March 5, 2020 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Implicit Bias II” at the Belmont Center.
  • February 13, 2020 – RMJJ hosted Kuntrell Jackson, author, actor, advocate, activist, and national speaker, at the District Attorney’s Office, local Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and Faith Memorial Baptist Church.
  • February 3-4, 2020 Second trip to the Legacy Museum and the Peace and Justice Memorial in Montgomery, AL with community partners, funders, and guests. 
  • January 30, 2020 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Implicit Bias I” at Reeder Memorial Baptist Church.
  • January 2020 – As part of the NC GARE Cohort, RMJJ created the dynamic Mecklenburg County Racial Inequity and Equity Timeline. (Provide link to website.)

January 2019 - December 2019

  • 2019 – To date, RMJJ has hosted 141 Racial Equity Workshops for 4,461 individuals from our community and beyond. 
  • November 15-16, 2019 – a Youth Racial Equity Workshop was held.
  • November 3-5, 2019 – RMJJ Leadership Retreat with LT members and guests.  Visit to the Legacy Museum and the Peace and Justice Memorial in Montgomery, AL.  RMJJ LT members meet Mr. Kuntrell Jackson.
  • October 18, 2019 – RMJJ’s Third Biennial Conference – “Intentional Impact and Influence for Racial Equity” was held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church featuring feature Deena Hayes-Greene – Racial Equity Institute, Shawna Davie – Governmental Alliance on Race and Equity, and Catherine Lester – Annie E. Casey Foundation with more than 325 in attendance.
  • October 2019 – Juvenile Justice Awareness month – RMJJ and the Council for Children’s Rights co-published five reports: Race Matters for Juvenile Justice, Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice (formerly Disproportionate Minority Contact), Raise the Age, the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and an overview of Juvenile Justice in Mecklenburg County and NC. (Provide link to website.)
  • Summer 2019 – Along with Governor Roy Cooper and Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, RMJJ leaders, Judges Rickye McKoy-Mitchell and Elizabeth Trosch, Assistant District Attorney Heather Taraska, and Chief Court Counselor Russell Price and their partners with the School Pathways Project, supported the launch of a School-Justice Partnership toolkit for North Carolina. (Provide link to website.)
  • Summer 2019 – Speakers Bureau presented “Implicit Bias” during four Mecklenburg County Court Camp sessions (June-July) in an interactive and age-appropriate format for approximately 60 middle- and high-school-aged youth. 
  • July 2019 – The Practice Change Subcommittee led the initiative for all 14 RMJJ Partners to begin working through the Practice Change Guide to 1) Understand racial equity issues and develop a shared language, 2) Identify stakeholders and develop a workforce; 3) Collect, analyze, and share data; 4) Commit to stated outcomes and enact practice and policy change, and 5) Assess, raise awareness, and be accountable. (Provide link to website.)
  • June 26, 2019 – RMJJ’s first official Partner Orientation is held at the Levine Museum of the New South. The orientation included participation in the “Lynching in America” exhibit to connect to the work of RMJJ at both the personal and professional levels.  And FIRST – Family Drug Treatment Court (first of its kind); Leading on Opportunity Council; Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office; and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office join RMJJ.
  • June 14-15, 2019 – a Youth Racial Equity Workshop was held.
  • March 27, 2019 – RMJJ’s ADA Accommodations Policy is adopted by Leadership Team after months of hard work on the part of the Speakers Bureau. (Provide link to website.)
  • February 27, 2019 – RMJJ’s Principles for Anti-Racism Organizing are formally adopted by the Leadership Team. (Provide link to website.)
  • February 2019 – RMJJ’s Practice Change subcommittee has worked to significantly shape practice change in our community, state, and country.  RMJJ defines practice change as: Transforming organizational actions for addressing systemic racism structural inequities in order to achieve equitable outcomes.  And RMJJ suggests that Through personal and professional accountability, we effect change by: Engaging the community in discussions of racial equity, developing workforces, conducting research, and empowering and supporting institutional organizing to transform practice and policy to eliminate racial and ethnic disproportionality and disparities.  After months of research on national best practices, in February 2019, the Practice Change and Data Subcommittees produced: RMJJ’s Guide to Practice Change, Practice Worksheet, and Practice Change Resources.
  • January 11, 2019 – RMJJ Leadership Retreat was held at Goodwill Industries and the Roles and Responsibilities document was formally adopted. (Provide link to website?)

January 2018 - December 2018

  • 2018 – To date, RMJJ has hosted 119 Racial Equity Workshops for 3,759 individuals from our community and beyond. 
  • November 15, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “The School-to-Prison Pipeline” at McClintock Middle School.
  • October 2018 – Juvenile Justice Awareness month – RMJJ and the Council for Children’s Rights co-published four reports: Disproportionate Minority Contact, Raise the Age, the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and An Overview of Juvenile Justice in Mecklenburg County and NC. 
  • September 20, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Implicit Bias II” at the Johnson C. Smith University Science Center.
  • September 2018 – March 2020 – RMJJ’s monthly caucus for REW alumni, Catalyzing Change, was facilitated by Derrik Anderson at Hope Haven.
  • Summer 2018 – Catalyzing Change Listening Sessions were held to shape the future of RMJJ’s Catalyzing Change initiative.
  • August 16, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Implicit Bias I” at the Tyvola Senior Johnson Center.
  • August 2018 – Wave IV Analyses of 203 REW participants’ matched pre- and post- REW survey data from January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017 and Wave III Analyses of 98 REW participants’ matched pre- and post- REW survey data from March 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016 – were presented by the Data Subcommittee to the Leadership Team.
  • Fall 2017 – Summer 2018 – With support from the United Way’s Unite Charlotte grant, two UNC Charlotte graduate students, Cawetha Mitchell and Tabatha Maddox, collected and analyzed data for Charlotte’s First Racial Equity Impact Analysis.
  • July 19, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Defining Race and Measuring its Impact” at Christ Episcopal Church.
  • July and August 2018 – Catalyzing Change Listening Sessions were held to determine next steps for Catalyzing Change.
  • June 21, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “What is White” at the Charlotte Police and Fire Training Academy.
  • May 17, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “The School-to-Prison Pipeline” at Hawthorne Academy of Health Sciences.
  • April 30, 2018 – Charlotte’s First Racial Equity Impact Analysis is presented by Derrik Anderson, Elisa Chinn-Gary, and Susan McCarter at Charlotte’s Opportunity Showcase. 
  • April 19, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “The History of Racial Exclusion” at Little Rock AME Zion Church.
  • Spring 2018 – Small-group Leadership Team reflection work was facilitated by Patrice Funderburg and Mike Whitehead to team-build and ground our work moving forward.
  • March 15, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Implicit Bias II” at the Johnson C. Smith University Science Center.
  • February 15, 2018 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Implicit Bias I” at the Tyvola Senior Johnson Center.

January 2017 - December 2017

  • 2017 – Subcommittee Logic ModelsThe Data Subcommittee spent most of 2017 working with each subcommittee to draft component sheets and logic models for their work. These logic models assist RMJJ in learning the various activities, and desired outputs, outcomes, and impact each is working to achieve.
  • 2017 – To date, RMJJ has hosted 88 Racial Equity Workshops for 2,803 individuals from our community and beyond. 
  • March 10, 2017 – January 11, 2019Roles and Responsibilities: RMJJ Executive Director, Derrik Anderson, Judge Kim Best, Assistant Clerk, Renee Little, CMS Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Chiquitha Lloyd, and Dr. Susan McCarter established a detailed description of the roles and responsibilities of members and partners of RMJJ. The same five individuals then served as the Transition Team and guided the process of establishing an Executive Committee comprised of two co-chairs with staggered terms, two members of the LT, and the Executive Director. These efforts set the stage for RMJJ to identify two partners as emeritus and to onboard 6 new partners during RMJJ’s first official Partner Orientation. 
  • October 30, 2017 – RMJJ’s Second Biennial Conference – “Hidden in Plain Sight: Exposing the Costs of Racism” with a keynote address delivered by domestic violence prevention and re-entry advocate, Ramona Brant, was held at Crowne Plaza Executive Park with more than 350 in attendance.
  • May 17, 2017 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “What is White?” at Temple Beth El.
  • Spring 2017 – Guardian ad Litem, District Administrator, District 26, Dana Frady, Dr. Susan McCarter, October Evans, Allison Canington, and Deena Agamy completed the assessment, RMJJ’s Practice Change Evaluation Report, and shared the findings with the Leadership Team.  
  • March 29, 2017 – In response to national requests for an outline of RMJJ’s Charlotte Model, RMJJ published, “Bringing racial justice to the courtroom and community: Race Matters for Juvenile Justice and the Charlotte Model” by McCarter, S. A., Chinn-Gary, E., Trosch, L. A., Jr., Toure, A., Alsaeedi, A., & Harrington, J., in the Washington and Lee Law Review, 73(2), 641-686. https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/wlulr-online/vol73/iss2/6/ (To date, the article has been downloaded more than 500 times.)
  • February 6, 2017 – RMJJ hires the inaugural Executive Director for the organization. 
  • January 27-28, 2017 – a RESIST Racism Workshop was held.
  • January 25, 2017 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Implicit Bias I” at UNC Charlotte’s Center City Building.
  • January 6-7, 2017 – a RESIST Racism Workshop was held for a group of 30 high school and college students. RESIST Racism is an interactive two-day workshop designed for students to understand their role as future leaders and to explore the myths, the mystery, and the making of race in the United States.

january 2016 - December 2016

  • 2016 – To date, RMJJ has hosted 64 Racial Equity Workshops for 1,976 individuals from our community and beyond. 
  • December 2016 – Wave II Analyses of 38 REW participants’ matched pre- and post- REW survey data from June 11, 2015 – March 3, 2016 and Wave I Analyses of 42 REW participants’ matched pre- and post- REW survey data from February 19, 2015 – June 10, 2015 – – were presented by the Data Subcommittee to the Leadership Team.
  • Summer 2016 – Practice Change Questionnaire – the Practice Change Subcommittee worked with the Data Subcommittee to survey partner agencies regarding the practice change they were implementing as a result of their involvement with RMJJ.  
  • November 16, 2016 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “The History of Racial Exclusion” at Myers Park Baptist Church.
  • September 21, 2016 – RMJJ’s Speakers Bureau presented “Defining Race and Measuring its Impact” at Nation’s Ford Community Church.
  • July 19, 2016 – June 2018 – Catalyzing Change, monthly affinity groups and joint sessions, were facilitated by Nikkeia Lee and Anne VanNewkirk and met at 601 E. 5th Street and Hope Haven.  In 2017, they moved to Trinity Episcopal School.  And in January 2018, Nikkeia and Anne began holding two CC sessions a month – Stage 1 (for newer REW alumni) and Stage 2 (for folks who had been sitting with their growing edge a while and were ready for a deeper dive).

January 2015 - December 2015

  • 2015 – To date, RMJJ has hosted 49 Racial Equity Workshops for 1,423 individuals from our community and beyond. 
  • October 23, 2015 – RMJJ’s First Biennial Conference – The Science of Fairness:  Exploring Implicit Bias, was held at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church with over 400 in attendance.

January 2014 - December 2014

  • 2014 – To date, RMJJ has hosted 36 Racial Equity Workshops for 1,001 individuals from our community and beyond. 
  • July 31, 2014 – June 21, 2016 – Monthly caucus for RMJJ REW alumni, Catalyzing Change, facilitated by C. Renee Little and Jason Williams met monthly at the Children and Family Services Center and Hope Haven in order to deepen their analysis and grow in this work.
  • April 22, 2014 – RMJJ joined the Superintendent of Schools for, Every Child, Every Day, For a Better Tomorrow,” a first-of-its-kind presentation covering national and local data on school-based offenses, consequences, and programs. (Provide link to website.)
  • 2014 – Mecklenburg County Office of the Clerk of Superior Court joined RMJJ.

January 2013 - December 2013

  • 2013 – To date, RMJJ has hosted 27 Racial Equity Workshops for 664 individuals from our community and beyond. 

  • May 29, 2013 – RMJJ presented “Research, Evaluation, and Data-Based Decision- Making” to chiefs of local police departments, sheriffs, judges, the Superintendent of Schools, the Director of Social Services, the Chief Court Counselor, the Director of GAL, county officials, and other community leaders.

  • July 18, 2013 – June 30, 2014 – Catalyzing Change was launched on July 18, 2013. Racial Equity Workshop (Dismantling Racism) alumni were invited to meet once a month in affinity groups at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center or joint sessions at the Palmer Building facilitated by Willie Ratchford and Dianne English.  Both the People of Color and White Affinity Groups created purpose statements.  (Provide link to website.)

January 2012 - December 2012

  • 2012 – To date, RMJJ has hosted 10 Racial Equity Workshops for 309 individuals from our community and beyond. 

  • 2012 – The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office joined RMJJ.

  • January 30, 2012 – Members of RMJJ’s Leadership Team traveled to Greensboro, NC to participate in the Racial Equity Institute’s 2-day Racial Equity Workshop (Dismantling Racism).

January 2011 - December 2011

  • January 28, 2011 – Inaugural Race Matters for Juvenile Justice Symposium. RMJJ and our community partners hosted a ground-breaking symposium that examined disproportionality and disparities in the child welfare and juvenile justice system for over 300 judges and elected officials, court administrators, attorneys, child welfare experts, social workers, law enforcement officers, juvenile court counselors, child advocates, faith-based leaders, small business owners, and non-profit representatives.


    2011 – The Council for Children’s Rights joined RMJJ.

January 2010 - December 2010

  • 2010 RMJJ Partners included: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; Department of Public Safety-Division of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice; Judicial District 26 Guardian ad Litem Program; Juvenile Court Judges, 26 Judicial District; Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services; The University of North Carolina Charlotte; and the Trial Court Administrator’s Office.


    January 2010 – Race Matters for Juvenile Justice is formed.

    The mission of Race Matters for Juvenile Justice is to build a collaboration of community stakeholders who will bring their constituencies to the table and partner in the Court’s effort to reduce disproportionality and disparities.  Our vision is a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community where the composition and outcomes of juvenile courts cannot be predicted by race or ethnicity.