DEI commission urges community conversation after spike in hate-and-bias reports
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Summary
The DEI Commission described an updated charge and cross-functional 'Concord United' group while urging public conversation after being told recent hate-and-bias reports filed through police and reported to the district attorney's office were disproportionately concentrated in Concord.
The Concord Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission reported a refreshed charge, new cross-functional coordination and a series of community programs as it urged the select board and committees to engage publicly about recent hate-and-bias incidents.
Joe Plumbo, speaking for the DEI Commission, said the commission's charge — updated for the first time since 2021 — clarifies work on antisemitism and broader bias issues and will guide its activities. "We have our charge had been in '21, and so this is the first time it's been updated since '21," Plumbo said. He described 'Concord United,' a cross-functional group that includes the town manager, police chief, select-board chair, school superintendent and school committee members to coordinate responses to troubling community incidents.
Plumbo highlighted programming and outreach planned with town partners: the commission co-sponsored a Facing History event at Concord-Carlisle High School, supported Lunar New Year celebrations, is participating in the Black Heritage Trail advisory project and is organizing a Robin Oaks lecture on LGBTQ+ topics for March 31. The commission also hosts quarterly community 'coffee' conversations and a candidate forum on March 26 to surface issues during election season.
Plumbo relayed a concerning statistic from a recent meeting with the district attorney's office: "Although we have only 1% of the population of the county, in the last 6 months, we were a 100% of the hate and bias reports that came into the DA office," he said, explaining those were reports routed through the police department that merited DA attention. He urged the select board to consider publicly addressing the trend and suggested goal-setting and committee charge updates to improve inclusion and reporting responses.
Next steps: the DEI Commission will continue community programming and work with town leadership on public messaging and possible goal-setting; a candidate forum and community coffee are scheduled in late March.