HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (March 4, 2021) – The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber has launched a survey to better understand current sentiments about racial equality from the local military community. The survey is part of a local effort that builds on the Association of Defense Communities and Booz Allen Hamilton’s nationwide initiative, One Military, One Community.

As a community with a large and growing federal presence, it’s important for us to understand local sentiments regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and consider how we might advance our efforts in that regard. In order to gain important information, we are asking groups affiliated with the local military community to take this survey. The deadline has been extended until March 26.

We ask the following audience to take the survey: Military service members (Active duty, Reserves, National Guard), dependents, spouses, domestic partners, veterans, Department of Defense civilians and contractors, NASA civil servants and contractors, as well as FBI and ATF personnel. We are sharing the survey information with the local news media, Team Redstone, The Redstone Rocket, local family readiness groups, military spouse networks, and other professional associations.

The North Alabama region has a long history of partnering with the Federal sector to help address these issues. Dr. Wernher von Braun and other federal government leaders worked with local business community leaders to help facilitate the desegregation of local schools and businesses during the 1960s. These efforts were critical to retain and grow the federal workforce in this region at that time.

“We anticipate many opportunities to grow this sector of our economy in the future, and it is imperative that we continue to address DEI issues to make our regional as attractive as possible to all potential employees and residents,” said Mike Ward, the Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Government & Public Affairs.

About One Military, One Community

One Military, One Community (OMOC) is an initiative by the Association of Defense Communities to advance the national conversation within the greater military community to ensure that every military family arriving at their new duty station will never have to face racism, intolerance, or inequality. The initiative is made possible through the support of Booz Allen Hamilton.