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REAL Savannah Taskforce releases final report

SAVANNAH (Oct. 26) – Mayor Van Johnson's Racial Equity and Leadership or REAL Savannah Taskforce has completed its final report and will present it to the Savannah City Council during a workshop on Thursday, Oct. 28. 

"This is our opportunity," Mayor Johnson said. "We know that when we talk about race, emotion, perceptions and bad feelings come, but we're past that. It's an opportunity for us to look at what the data is and then decide as a community what we're going to do about it. We now have the data needed to have courageous conversations to make meaningful changes to benefit all Savannahians."

Former Savannah Mayor Dr. Otis Johnson, REAL Savannah chair, led a group of 45 volunteer members representing the public and private sectors, local communities and stakeholders. In partnership with the Georgia Systemic Change Alliance, Sapelo Foundation and Partnership for Southern Equity, REAL Savannah created "Seeing Savannah through a Racial Equity Lens" to detail its findings. 

"Racial equity and how we approach it will determine the quality of life for many of our citizens in Savannah and Chatham County," Dr. Johnson said. "What we have produced is a document that can lead this community to face...the inequities based on race and class in this community. It is important that the community access this document, read it, analyze it, and get involved in doing what the mayor is committed to doing, and that is to make Savannah the Beloved Community that it can be."

Additional information about the taskforce's work, findings and recommendations is available at savannahga.gov/real.