Newton Upstanders — a group of residents committed to embracing diversity and creating a welcoming culture based on equity, inclusion, and belonging — testified at a special meeting of the Human Rights Commission on June 14 regarding the recent incident at this past year’s Boston Marathon. As reported by Fig City News, the incident involved police action that interfered with two predominantly BIPOC running groups from supporting the runners at the recent Boston Marathon. The actions of the police and other security measures taken for the Boston Marathon — including any updates on incidents, calls to dispatch, and arrests along the marathon route — will be discussed at this week’s Public Safety and Transportation Committee meeting.
In its statement, Newton Upstanders applauds the Newton Public Schools for its work furthering antiracism and inclusion as shown by its Statement of Values and Commitment for Racial Equity and its dedicated Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) staffed with a Director and Assistance Director, a DEI Advisory Committee, and BIPOC Staff Advisory Groups. They point out that the City has “not yet demonstrated this same level of commitment,” as it has not allocated resources to create what neighboring cities and towns have — a dedicated DEI Director or Statement of Values. In its statement, Newton Upstanders says, “We stand in solidarity with the Newton Coalition of Black Residents, the League of Women Voters [see Letter to the Mayor and Council President], Uniting Citizens for Housing Affordability in Newton, Families Organizing for Racial Justice and the Indigenous People’s Day Committee who have long been calling for this commitment from the City.”
Newton’s DEI Initiatives
Currently, the City’s DEI initiatives fall under the Executive Office and under the direction of the City’s Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion, Hattie Kerwin Derrick. According to the Mayor’s FY2024 Executive Department Budget, the position “offers a vantage point and sphere of influence with all city departments.” The Director interfaces internally with City departments and engages with residents, groups, neighborhoods, and elected officials to help Newton become a more “inclusive, welcoming, and equitable community.”
The City reissued a Request for Proposals (RFP) after receiving only two proposals earlier and selected The Racial Equity Group (REG) to be the DEI Consultant to work with the Human Resources staff and the Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion with its efforts on:
- Recruiting, hiring, training, promoting, and retaining a more diverse and inclusive workforce,
- Improving systems, policies, programs, and processes within the City of Newton to address systemic impediments to achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion goals as they relate to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, and geography,
- Ensuring the City of Newton’s compliance with all applicable state and federal laws,
- Appropriate staffing and budget resources used for equity work, and
- Understanding best practices with respect to equity in municipalities like Newton.
Audit Assessments were scheduled to be performed this spring with City employees and the community to create a framework and provide benchmark metrics to enable the City to track progress to “achieve measurable diversity and inclusion goals.”
With regard to procurement, the FY2024 Executive Department Budget also reports that a small working group of City employees, working with the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office and regional Economic Development and Purchasing Officials, has been looking at recommendations to increase participation of, and awards to, underrepresented vendors in the purchasing bids and purchase orders.
The budget also provided an update on the efforts of the Ad Hoc City Seal Working Group working with community members, local Indigenous leaders, and the pastor of the Eliot Church to update the City seal, including issuing a Request for Proposals for a graphic designer.
The FY2024 Executive Department Budget lists the following as ongoing DEI initiatives:
- Use our Interpretation and Translation services — Departments are working on initiatives for vital documents and information for translation.
- Filling open positions on boards and commissions using an equity lens — looking for applicants who are culturally, ethnically, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse.
- Study and transform City policies, processes, practices, and programs for equitable access for all residents.
- Work to improve outcomes with and for our diverse community ̶ residents, businesses, and visitors.
- Counsel all City departments and their respective Boards & Commissions to better address issues of equity, inclusion, and access.
- Participate in training and with colleagues in other agencies on best practices.
- Provide training to City staff and others.
- Work closely with the Human Rights Commission, the Commission on Disability, community groups, parents & guardians, and others to build a welcoming, inclusive community.
Fig City News reached out to the Mayor’s Office for comment. The Mayor was unavailable for comment but will be able to comment in the coming days.