In early spring this year, the City of Newton released an online Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) survey for residents and employees to complete. Open for community input until May 31, the survey included questions about various experiences regarding race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, disabilities, etc., and it was a result of an increase of awareness and interest in promoting DEI within Newton through policy and specialist positions.
Newton’s Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion, Hattie Kerwin Derrick, said that the survey is the marking point for a program of DEI initiatives that the City of Newton has been developing since 2021.
“Before we started, things have been happening, but there’s never been anything formal,” she said. “It’s part of the process … It’s been probably a year-and-a-half long process. So this was one step along our journey.”
This audit seeks to consider DEI within new policies like educational workshops for City staff and providing interpreters to people whose first language is not English. Following the death of George Floyd in 2020, various cities throughout Massachusetts began to hire DEI officers with the intent of creating systemic change and cultivating equity. As experts have noted, these positions largely lacked support. As such, the struggle to implement new policies and make significant change was a common theme among these DEI roles. Recognizing these issues, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said that she aims to prioritize DEI in the coming years to ensure that all Newton residents, employees, and all who use services within Newton feel supported and represented.
“I want to increase the diversity of our workforce and boards and commissions and help the City deliver services in an equitable, caring, fair and inclusive manner,” Mayor Fuller said in her weekly newsletter on August 27, 2021. “I want to build support for diversity, equity, and inclusion…