Initiatives
City & Community Initiatives and Programs | |
| Civil Rights Review Board | Created to review and investigate complaints and assertions by City of Beverly residents, home, and business owners who believe their civil and/or human rights have been threatened, infringed upon, or violated. The Review Board seeks to: give residents an opportunity to express concerns and/or perceived violations of their civil and human rights; and provide reasonable and appropriate responses, support, or referrals, including to legal, law enforcement, and community support resources available to resolve the issue. |
| BIPOC Voices | BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Voices is a book discussion group co-created by the Beverly Public Library and the Office of DEI for all ages exploring how to disrupt racial inequalities and racism through open and honest discussions of systemic racism, privilege, and biases. |
| Race Equity Audit | Currently working with HR&A Advisors to conduct an audit of our city governmental system, policies and procedures as well as a look at what’s happening in our community. Audit Mission Statement: The Beverly Racial Equity Audit will assess whether and how institutional racism and unconscious bias influences the policies and practices of the City of Beverly, and then – collaborating with residents and stakeholders inside and outside of City government – develop a framework for racial equity that will guide the City’s policies and practices going forward. Informed by the audit and inspired by the framework for racial equity, departments will develop plans to operationalize the changes necessary to meet the goals of a racially equitable Beverly. There is a Core Equity Team made up of City employees, City leadership and members of the community. The Core Equity Team will assist HR&A in the data collection process and participate in interviews of staff and other stakeholders, as part of the audit process. |
| Race Equity Task Force | The Race Equity Task Force was formed with the objective to review and investigate City and community policies, procedures, and programs, in an effort to discover ways to dismantle racial inequities that may exist. The Task Force is made up of five subcommittees. |
| Beverly Job Fair | In an effort to build more diversity in our city workforce, the Office of DEI and the Beverly School Department are working on a job fair to attract and retain a more diverse workforce here in Beverly. A small working group meets bi-weekly to plan and strategize on targeting a diverse applicant pool and how to attract people of color to want to work in Beverly. The working group has established relationships with various colleges and universities in the state to find ways to leverage student and alumni networks. |
| Massachusetts DEI Coalition | Co-founded this group consisting of DEI professionals from twelve municipalities in the Commonwealth. The group was created to be a resource and support group for those municipalities who have DEI departments or staff dedicated to advancing various DEI initiatives. The group will share best practices, strategies and guidelines to support our collective efforts. The group will also combine our efforts to propose legislation that will benefit all communities of the Commonwealth. |
| Executive Order Declaring Racism a Public Health Issue in the City of Beverly (PDF) | Document signed, August 24, 2020 |
| A Unified Statement Denouncing Hate Symbols in the City of Beverly (PDF) | Document signed, January 29, 2021 |