Tackling structural and institutional racism transparently and effectively – including through municipal hiring, decision-making, and funding allocation – is a growing priority for many local governments. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (FRBB), Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) / Race Forward partnered in 2020 to pilot an innovative racial equity training and action planning program in Greater Boston to help municipalities do this work.   

Through investments and policies in affordable housing, economic development, transportation, education, and other areas, municipal governments play an important role in either contributing to or reversing the racial economic inequalities experienced by residents. The Racial Equity Municipality Action Plan (REMAP) process leveraged the power of governmental collective action to achieve a range of tangible improvements in community-level economic outcomes including, but not limited to, implementing policies and practices to reduce the racial wealth divide. Six municipalities were selected through a competitive application process to participate in the initial cohort. Municipalities were evaluated on criteria including a commitment to implementation, ability to measure or quantify improvements, a commitment to regional collaboration, and valuing racial equity. 

Participating municipalities - Bedford, Framingham, Lynn, Natick, Revere and Stoughton - immersed themselves in a year-long peer-to-peer learning/action experience to develop racial equity action plans. These plans consider policy and practice changes that the municipalities will implement. The REMAP teams reported on learnings and progress at the end of the pilot to inform others working to advance racial equity through municipal action.