Letter: Grafton needs diversity and inclusion in administration, civic engagement

Grafton RISE, the group that sponsored Town Meeting warrant articles in support of renaming Columbus Day Indigenous People’s Day and celebrating Juneteenth, has approached town officials about increasing diversity and inclusion in committee appointments and hiring.

The Select Board briefly discussed the letter below during a workshop session last week.

Dear Mr. Brassard, and Select Board Members Mr. Carlson, Ms. Roy, Mr. Often, Mr. Mead and Ms. Defazio: 

We are writing to you on behalf of the administrative group of Grafton Racial Inclusion and Social Equity (RISE) and as citizens of Grafton. As community members from all walks of life, we’d like to help the Town give increased attention to diversity and inclusion in Town governance, administration and civic engagement. We’re advocating for consideration of the many aspects of diversity and inclusion that are best served at the Town level (instead of primarily by a community group). We recognize that there are many aspects of Town governance/administration of which we may be unaware and ask for points of clarification related to these issues. 

By inclusion, we mean we expect to see more elected, appointed and volunteer positions filled by persons of color, people of various faith practices, multigenerational representation, Native representation, LGBTQ+ persons, persons from different political points of view representing different neighborhoods and interests, people with disabilities and any other form of inclusion we may not be thinking of here! We also expect to see Town events and services accessed by a wide, diverse range of people as well. Our intent is to partner with you so that we can all demonstrate that Grafton is a community where diversity and inclusion are viewed as core values that support and encourage opportunity and growth. 

Among the questions we raise: What is currently being done to address issues of diversity and inclusion at the Town level? Is there a way to make these efforts more transparent in order to show that these values are important? Are there ways we can work to ensure consistency and proactivity around these issues as they relate to Town matters? Would it make sense to have either a dedicated paid Town position, a standing committee of the Select Board, a Town committee of volunteers, etc. to promote diversity and inclusion in a purposeful, systemic way? 

In other words, which structures or mechanisms (previously existing or not) would make this work more feasible? 

Here are areas of possible work: 

• conducting periodic diversity audits of all persons employed by the Town 
• -recruiting and retaining diverse candidates for all elected offices or any appointed positions 
• conducting surveys and identifying any possible barriers in accessibility to participate in Town elections or in volunteer positions in order to ensure greater participation to every extent possible 
• recruiting a diverse group of volunteers to serve on town committees in volunteer positions -conducting periodic surveys to determine and ensure accessibility for participation in town meetings, elections and business (for example: is there a need to have materials in different languages, size print, to meet at different times, etc.?) 
• Determining professional development needs of Town employees and volunteers in the areas of diversity and inclusion and identifying means to make such professional development happen successfully 
• establish a body or mechanism for citizens to raise concerns related to diversity and inclusion as related to Town employees, events, or other matters 
• actively identify ways in which the Town can promote inclusion in annual events such as the Frosty Stops, raising flags of different constituent groups (LGBTQ Plus for Pride, India for India Day, etc.) and creating new Town Celebrations or events in coordination with the Grafton Recreation Department or other relevant departments to honor holidays such as Juneteenth.

In writing, we want to take care not to propose exact solutions as we feel that proposing transparency in processes as well as a dedication to creative solutions is the most fitting approach. We ask for a purposeful, transparent and committed journey towards promoting inclusive participation in our Town on behalf of Town administration. We believe that the position created and funded by the School Committee to ensure diversity is a great first step and that the Town may be in a place to mirror and build upon this foundation. 

We thank you for your attention on this matter and look forward to your response. We appreciate the work you do for our Town. 

Sincerely, Julie Feeney, Jen Vacca, Rachel Gerstein, Lisa Krissoff Boehm ,Sara Vacca ,Amar Clark ,Marilyn Cusher 

With the additional support of: Jessica Marie Moniz, Liora Bram, Carolyn Tay, Anthony J. Triggs, Brit Minichiello, Lizi Sharrah, Shanita Fernandes, Jessica LaFreniere Belton, Rebecca Wright Wlazlo and Alison Brissette

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