WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee on Monday passed a resolution calling on other town boards and committees to begin living up to the requirements of a resolution passed at the 2020 annual town meeting.

 

By a vote of 4-0, the DIRE Committee requested other committees and town officials, like the interim Town Manager, to report what actions they have taken "to create policies and practices according to a commitment to accessible living," "to actively allow for a town more supportive of a wide array of racial and economic backgrounds," "to heavily consider community input, especially from traditionally marginalized groups," and "to provide equity training for public office holders (or town employees, if applicable)."

 

The DIRE Committee resolution also calls on town boards and officials to file quarterly reports with the committee, as required by the resolution, known as Article 37, that passed overwhelmingly at last summer's annual town meeting.

 

Committee members talked about how DIRE can help support the work of other town panels, especially when more DIRE Committee members are appointed as soon as next week. But Andrew Art, who drafted the resolution passed on Monday night, emphasized that it is the job of those other panels to follow the terms of Article 37.

 

"I'm 100 percent in favor, when we get our full complement of members, of dividing up our own committee members' time to do outreach to other town committees to learn more about what's happening in those committees and also provide a resource if we can be helpful," Art said.

 

"However, when [Article 37] was passed by the town, it was the responsibility of the town and was the responsibility of the boards and the committees to implement. While we can be a resource, we should not expect that it's the job of our committee to do this for other committees."

 

Stephanie Boyd, who serves on the Planning Board and recently stepped down as chair of that body, spoke from the floor of Monday's meeting to encourage the DIRE Committee to be collaborative in its outreach to other bodies.

 

"If you said, 'Here's the resolution we passed. We know you were busy last year with the pandemic, but we'd love to get together and talk at your next meeting or an upcoming meeting to see how we can achieve the intent of the article,' I guarantee all committees want to do the right thing," Boyd said.

 

Boyd also suggested that other boards might have an easier time fitting a formal report into their process -- at least at first -- when the panel files its regular year-end report for the town report.

 

Art responded that the quarterly report requirement is in the article passed without opposition at town meeting, and the time to change the reporting requirement was then.

 

"As for the questions, I think this is going to be a conversation starter, and I think it will prompt some reflection, like [Boyd] on the spot here at this meeting about things that might be related to the goals of Article 37 more indirectly than directly and thoughts on what they want to do going forward," Art said.

 

The resolution was the only item voted on by the DIRE Committee at Monday's meeting, which also provided an opportunity for community members to advise the group on what priorities it should focus on in the year ahead.

 

One topic that emerged during an informal listening session at the conclusion of the meeting echoed concerns raised at a DIRE Committee listening session last week: the panel ought to advocate for the Select Board to appoint new DIRE members who are committed to the principles set forth in the committee's first year.

 

Chair Kerri Nicoll opened Monday's meeting by reading those principles into the record and for the benefit of the attendees of the virtual meeting.

 

Last week, Nicoll and Andrew Art represented the committee in a listening session where several community members expressed their concern about the appointments the Select Board will make as early as its Aug. 30 meeting.

 

"This committee came from a commitment to center not just all voices but those marginalized voices that have not been centered before," Jessica Dils said last Thursday. "Those putting their hat in the ring to serve on DIRE should be vetted for their diversity, equity and inclusion work. I know you all know this. But I'm saying it out loud.

 

"Someone asked me: What do you need to do? What are the qualifications to serve on the DIRE Committee? I pointed to the guiding principles, which is a document people can point to. It shouldn't be guess work. It should be a real commitment."

 

Molly Polk also referred the committee members to the committee's guiding principles.

 

"I was really struck by that language that, 'The emphasis on race is not incidental; it will inform everything we do,' " Polk said. "Candidates should speak directly to their experience working on that goal specifically. That's critical for those participating in the selection process to keep in mind."