The Town Council will hold a public hearing on July 12, 2021 regarding the Ordinance Committee's recommendation to establish a new standing committee to be named the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.  If approved by the Town Council, this new standing committee would replace the ad hoc Civil Rights Committee approved by the council in July of 2020 [Article].  The ad hoc committee was charged with: Assessing immediate actions and advising the Town Council on issues of racism and inequality in Cape Elizabeth; and Drafting a standing committee charge.

On April 12, 2021 the Co-Chairs of the ad hoc committee, Melanie Thomas and Keyla Alston-Griffin, provided the Town Council with a draft charge for a proposed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion standing committee.  The  charge of the standing committee would be to serve as a bridge between the Town and the community in order to celebrate and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.  The duties of the committee would be: 

• Advise and recommend to the Town Council policies and practices to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Including, but not limited to, the review of policies and practices of town departments to promote anti-racism, equity, and inclusion.
• Educate the community by developing programs, events, and initiatives to promote diversity, inclusion awareness, and anti-racism, and provide ongoing guidance on approaches for training town officials and employees in order to eliminate explicit and implicit bias.
• Elevate community awareness and engagement by creating tools such as surveys in order to better understand community view and concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and campaigns that promote Cape Elizabeth as a town that is a welcoming and respectful place to live, work, and visit.

Engagement and educational opportunities for the community could include a "21 Day Antiracism Challenge," a Sister City Partnership, and Community Conversations.

The new standing committee would be comprised of seven members, serving three-year terms.