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DEI commission debates outreach tactics after low turnout at food‑bank community conversation; members split over keeping 'DEI' name
Summary
After a low turnout at a community conversation hosted near a food distribution site, Mountlake Terrace DEI commissioners discussed outreach strategies for immigrant and marginalized groups and debated whether the commission’s name should be changed.
Commissioners on the Mountlake Terrace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Commission used their Jan. 23 meeting to review outreach lessons after a poorly attended community conversation at a food bank and to discuss whether the commission’s name should change amid national controversy over DEI programs.
A commissioner who worked with West African community partners summarized outreach findings from local nonprofit partners: trust and consistent presence are critical; many community members do not use Facebook and rely instead on WhatsApp and community “connectors” for information; several local programs run frequent in‑person services, such as alternating Fridays with legal or health help, and those sites can be better entry points for outreach than a city event. “They said, ‘if we can participate in that every other Friday, they pass out food… while there, they have a barbecue going on where you can sit and meet the people,’” the commissioner reported.
Commissioners discussed practical follow‑ups: coordinate with existing volunteer networks (food bank and school district drives), seek introductions to community connectors who maintain WhatsApp groups, offer to attend established events to build familiarity, and provide printed materials in languages used locally. Staff said they will pursue introductions and make connections between commissioners and community liaisons.
Later in the meeting a commissioner proposed formally considering a name change away from the acronym DEI, arguing the letters have become politically polarized and that a different label (for example, “outreach” or “community engagement”) might reduce resistance. Several commissioners pushed back: they said the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” accurately describe the commission’s work and that the problem is public misunderstanding rather than the words themselves. One commissioner suggested more public education and regular, clear examples of commission work rather than changing the name.
No formal action was taken on renaming. Commissioners asked staff to pursue more targeted outreach, including building relationships at food distribution sites and with faith and cultural organizations, and to plan a future briefing on communication strategies for reaching non‑English language communities.
Why it matters: Commissioners recognized that building trust with immigrant and marginalized groups requires different tactics than broad social‑media pushes and that without trusted intermediaries, city events risk low turnout. The name discussion reflected wider national debates over whether the DEI label aids or hinders civic engagement.
Next steps: Staff will follow up with community connectors, identify opportunities to embed commission outreach in existing services (e.g., volunteer food distributions), and bring communications options back to the commission for review.
