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One Fairfax

One Fairfax is a joint racial and social equity policy of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and School Board. The 2016 One Fairfax Resolution commits the county and schools to intentionally consider equity when making policies or delivering programs and services.

It’s a declaration that all residents deserve an equitable opportunity to succeed — regardless of their race, color, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, income or where they live.

The One Fairfax Policy establishes shared definitions, focus areas, processes and organizational structure to help county and school leaders to look intentionally, comprehensively and systematically at barriers that may be creating gaps in opportunity. The One Fairfax Policy includes a purpose, definitions, areas of focus to promote equity, process and roles.

Read the One Fairfax Policy

Why One Fairfax?

While Fairfax County is a great place to live, learn, work, worship and play, persistent disparities predictable by race, neighborhood of residence and other social categories still exist in outcomes related to employment, housing, health and more. Disparities in outcomes are in part the result of longstanding inequitable policies, systems, and practices created and maintained by government.

One Fairfax recognizes equity is also an economic imperative. Economic research shows that counties with greater social and racial inclusion have: Stronger and longer periods of economic growth; Faster per capita income growth; Increased wages as adults for children who grew up in lower—and higher—income families.

Research institutes PolicyLink and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at the University of Southern California studied the economic impact of inequity in Fairfax County. It found that the county’s gross domestic product would have been $26.2 billion higher in 2012 if its racial gaps in income were closed.

Equitable Growth Profile Summary

Equitable Growth Profile Full Report

One Fairfax Video Playlist

Watch One Fairfax: A Vision for Equity to learn more. The video is available with captioning in the following languages:

One Fairfax Videos

Each year, departments and agencies create equity impact plans to ensure that equity is intentionally considered in decision making.

These plans are helping deconstruct barriers to opportunity and:

Operationalize the county’s expressed commitment to advance racial and social equity through the One Fairfax Policy.
Reflect the county’s deepening capacity to consider equity in planning and decision making within our departments, agencies, and cross-system initiatives.

Equity Impact Plans & Reports

One Fairfax defines equity as:

"The commitment to promote fairness and justice in the formation of public policy that results in all residents – regardless of age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, socio-economic status or neighborhood of residence or other characteristics – having opportunity to fully participate in the region’s economic vitality, contribute to its readiness for the future, and connect to its assets and resources."

This infographic explains how we're applying an equity lens, our focus areas, core approaches and outcomes:

Equity Lens Infographic

One Fairfax is a framework that will be used to consider equity in decision-making and in the development and delivery of future policies, program and services. It will help county and school leaders to look intentionally, comprehensively and systematically at barriers that may be creating gaps in opportunity.

Normalize: Shared analysis/definitions; prioritizing equity.
Organize: Internal infrastructure; partnerships.
Operationalize: Equity tools; data to develop strategies and drive results.

View the Full-Size Framework Graphic

While Fairfax County is a great place to live, work, play and learn, data continues to confirm that racial and social inequities remain, which result in significant disparities in community outcomes.

As the Countywide Strategic Plan is implemented, we will focus on transforming islands of disadvantage – areas where residents face economic, educational, health, housing and other challenges – into communities of opportunity by understanding opportunity and vulnerability, targeting interventions to build opportunity, targeting interventions to connect to opportunity and encouraging the development of an inclusive economy.

Countywide Strategic Plan Website

Community Engagement

The Board of Supervisors convenes groups of stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the drivers and roots of inequity in Fairfax County. Stakeholders represent our residents, staff, and the civic, faith, nonprofit, philanthropic, and business communities while leveraging their insights and experiences to co-create solutions for an equitable future and advance our progress toward equity.

In February 2019, Chairman Sharon Bulova invited a group of stakeholders representing residents, staff, and the civic, faith, nonprofit, philanthropic, and business communities to come together to foster open and honest discussions on issues surrounding race, with the goal of engaging the community to inform the County’s application of the One Fairfax Policy. The Chairman’s Stakeholders Council on Race summarized their insights and steps to address structural racism in their report.

Chairman's Stakeholders Council on Race Report

In September 2020, Chairman Jeff McKay convened the Chairman’s Task Force on Equity and Opportunity to better understand the drivers of inequity in Fairfax County and to develop recommendations for accelerating the county’s progress towards becoming One Fairfax. The insights and recommendations developed by the Task Force were identified as critical to advancing racial and social equity in Fairfax County.

Chairman's Task Force on Equity and Opportunity

The opening statement in each area below was the Task Force’s vision for the related key equity driver.

Fairfax County is a place where all people can attain their highest level of health and wellbeing.