Overview: San Bernardino County has retained the firm of Equity & Results to support their efforts in advancing racial equity and liberation. The San Bernardino County Equity Element Group is tasked with identifying racial disparities among residents, recommending campaigns and programs, and highlighting initiatives already underway. The group is led by Theodore B. Miller, Esq., and will eventually grow to include representatives from other county communities. Miller has over 20 years of experience and has worked on large-scale partnerships to transform dilapidated neighborhoods.
Ellen Perrault
Despite the pushback and recision of many DEI efforts across the country, San Bernardino County (SBC) working in partnership with the San Bernardino County Equity Element Group (SBC Equity Element Group), has retained the firm of Equity & Results, a multiracial learning group expert in supporting organizations in advancing racial equity and liberation through institutional change. A co-principal and co-founder, Theodore B. Miller, Esq., leads the engagement.
“The SBC Equity Element Group is tasked with determining where there may be racial disparities among our residents in San Bernardino County, recommending campaigns and programs to address those issues, and identifying initiatives that are already underway within county government or in the community that can be highlighted and supported,” said San Bernardino County Assistant Executive Officer Diana Alexander in a press statement.
On Tuesday, June 23, 2020, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution declaring Racism A Public Health Crisis. It tasked the county with forming an equity group to represent the 11th element of the Countywide Vision.
Discussions that led to the declaration and equity group were inspired by the national conversation taking place in the wake of the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by police in in Minneapolis, MN.
The SBC Equity Element Group is comprised of Black community members who can review the other 10 elements of the Countywide Vision through an equity lens. Eventually, the group will grow to include representatives from other county communities and include an equity focus for all people.
Miller brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in tackling equity issues within the Black community. With more than 20 years of experience, he has dedicated himself to developing community and neighborhood solutions for some of the world’s most challenging problems.
An expert facilitator and educator on racial inequity and social change for Equity & Results, Miller has taught in university, criminal justice, corporate, and community environments worldwide.
Previously, Miller was recently a senior advisor to three consecutive mayors in San Francisco and the director of HOPE SF, the nation’s first large-scale partnership to transform dilapidated and segregated public housing neighborhoods into vibrant, racially equitable, mixed-income communities without mass displacement of residents.
Many long-standing underserved families, especially African Americans and Pacific Islanders, have found new ladders of opportunity thanks to Miller’s efforts. This has come through significant investments in mixed-income housing, fostering community leadership and resident voice networks, and enhancing education, health, and employment services.
A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, Miller was inspired in college by the youth residents of New Haven, Connecticut, where he worked as a community organizer and mental health counselor.
For more information on San Bernardino County’s Equity Element Group, email Info@SBCEEG.org.