‘Inclusion and Diversity’ Committee Established
On November 18, 2016, the Governor and Governor-elect of the State of Vermont, together with a number of Vermont education and business leaders, released a Joint Statement reaffirming their longstanding and unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusiveness.
Last night, the New Castle Town Board expressed their support for the Vermont Joint Statement and reaffirmed its own commitment to those principles expressed. The New Castle Town Board issued the following statement: We, as a Town Board, condemn any acts of unlawful discrimination, violence, and intimidation that target differences in national origin, race, gender, sex, religion, disability, or political viewpoint across our nation.
Such acts run counter to the rights and freedoms upon which our country was founded and to the core values of the Town of New Castle. New Castle is committed to fostering welcoming communities and an equitable, diverse, and inclusive society.
As well, last night, the Town of New Castle established the “Inclusion and Diversity Committee.” The resolution creating the committee set forth that the Town seeks to celebrate diversity and the value of a diverse community through meaningful visible strategies rooted in education, understanding and respect. the Town finds that there is a need in the Town of New Castle for the organization of an Inclusion and Diversity Committee to highlight the beauty and benefits of appreciating different backgrounds, interests and sexual orientations.
The Committee will work to effectively create community awareness about differences in others as related to race, religion, cultural differences, sexual preferences and gender identity. The Committee will work to develop and implement programs designed to create a spirit of diversity and inclusion of all that live and work in the Town of New Castle as part of “one” unified community. The Committee will work to promote the diversity goals of the Town–to understand and respond to the needs of an increasingly diverse community–and encourage respect and tolerance for those individual differences that enrich our community.
New Castle Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein stated “After the election, so many in our community are looking for ways to promote inclusion & tolerance. One such initiative was already in the works. After the Orlando shooting earlier this year, I suggested forming a Community Inclusion & Diversity Committee. Now was the perfect time to press ahead with this initiative, and last night we did just that. I look forward to working with this committee to support diversity, equity & inclusiveness.”
