By Laura Hayes, Senior Community Reporter
NORTHBOROUGH – Do you have any thoughts about how to celebrate diversity in Northborough? Or do you want to share your experience living in town?
The Northborough Diversity and Inclusion Committee will be hosting a virtual listening session on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
“The committee is interested in having a dialogue with community members about their experiences in the community, and [what their] desires are for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and their work in town,” Assistant Town Administrator Becca Meekins recently told the Community Advocate.
Meekins is one of the committee members. The committee was formed by the Board of Selectmen in Aug. 2020.
One of the committee’s first steps was conducting a survey, which was presented to the selectmen in July.
Meekins said that while the quantitative data is great, the committee wanted to collect qualitative data to support some of the committee’s initial hypotheses developed from the survey results.
Just over 62 percent of survey respondents said they either agreed or strongly agreed that people of all cultures and backgrounds were respected in Northborough.
Additionally, about 77 percent said they felt included and respected in the community. Just over 60 percent felt Northborough could do more to address diversity, equity and inclusion.
“As the committee begins to put together our final recommendations and next steps for the Board of Selectmen, we are seeking some community input to help guide that process,” Meekins said.
The listening session will be hosted on Zoom. Residents and local business owners will have a chance to be brought into the webinar and speak about anything diversity and inclusion related with the committee members.
The link to the Zoom webinar is https://town-northborough-ma-us.zoom.us/j/84805660550. To dial by phone number, use 1-312-626-6799. The webinar ID is 848 0566 0550. The passcode is 311206.
To stay up-to-date about diversity and inclusion work in Northborough, join the committee’s Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/northboroughdei.
