Diversity and Inclusion Committee aims to expand equality to all communities

A new committee in Franklin County hopes to provide a voice to those who previously felt they were without one.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which aims to instill equality among all members of the population, began on the heels of the Love Rally in Hampton in early June. The Love Rally featured demonstrations to honor victims of police and racial violence and testimonials of minorities living in the area and their experiences with racism.

Amanda Fender, who organized the Love Rally, said the group was necessary in order to further and sustain efforts of the Love Rally and continue a conversation that the group believes has been severely lacking in the community.

“We knew something more needed to be done because we couldn’t just have the rally and stop there,” she said. “I knew I wanted to do something in addition to the rally and more people offered to help in whatever way.”

Fender added that the Love Rally showed that a group such as the Diversity and Inclusion Committee was an idea that could work in even a small community such as Franklin County, as many shared stories that reflected lesser known issues people face in the area.

“For me, a lot of it was just the stories,” she said. “There were just little things we don’t even think about, from sideways glances to a boyfriend stopping and playing soccer and not telling his significant other, then her thinking he had gotten killed...and stories like that where I wouldn’t think twice if someone didn’t come home.”

Group member Joslyn Stock said the group simply hopes to create a diverse, cohesive community within Hampton and Franklin Coun-ty and ensure that members of all minority groups within the county have a voice that can be heard.

While the committee just began meeting in June, Stock said they’ve already discussed ways in which they can meet the mission of diversity and inclusivity. Those range from encouraging a diverse pool of candidates to apply for city councils and other governing boards to voter education as the November General Election approaches. She said the first major step will be to offer easy access to voter registration and absentee ballot request forms as well as information from the Franklin County Auditor’s Office.

“We want to make sure we reach out to those diverse communities that tend to be underserved and underrepresented,” she said. “One of our steps to make sure people’s voices are heard is to get them voting.”

Stock continued that the group also aims to educate the community at large how to stand up to discrimination and do their part individually to promote an inclusive environment.

“We want to make sure that those within our community who might not want to be part of this committee but would like to work on being inclusive or shut down anything that may be discriminatory to provide them with ways they can do it on a smaller scale,” she said.

Fender said that the group has also made a point to sit in on Hampton City Council meetings and hopes to provide insight and conversation on issues when needed.

The Love Rally and subsequent formation of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee have its roots in the Black Lives Matter movement, but the members want to express that all are welcome in the group.

“We want to make sure we are being inclusive to not just Black people of color, but we want to be inclusive to Lati-nos, we want to make sure we are inclusive to all people of LGBTQ and all people of any group who feels as if they aren’t included,” Fender said.

Within the committee are subcommittees of certain populations, including the LGBTQ community, women, Latinos and people of color.

“We have everybody, their voices, all at the table,” she added.

Lily Velasco said that her involvement with the Latino community has proven to her that this group is a necessity, as many within that community feel a desire to help others, but are often unsure as to how. She said the Diversity and Inclusion Committee can partner up with other groups and organizations to make sure connections are being made to help as many as possible.

“We could help each other in certain areas and in so many ways,” she said.

Fender said that although the group is in its infancy, a direction and vision have been made clear and a plan of action is beginning to take place. She said she’s excited about the potential of the group and invites anyone interested to become involved with the group’s causes.

“We feel good about the fact that we have a group of people that is willing to do the work to make the change and do it locally,” she said. “Wanting to make change throughout the world really starts in our own homes and then it kind of spirals into our communities and can go forward from there.

“I think trying to focus on our own community right now is the direction that we are taking,” she added. “We’re pretty excited about it.”