An update to the village of Oak Park’s nearly 50-year-old diversity statement will have to wait, much to the disappointment of several residents and village trustees.
The statement was first drafted in 1973 and amended in 2017, but some in the village are seeking changes to further the statement to cover equity and inclusion for all Oak Park residents.
The current diversity statement is five paragraphs long and notes Oak Park is a “dynamic community that encourages the contributions of all citizens, regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital and/or familial status, mental and/or physical impairment and/or disability, military status, economic class, political affiliation, immigration status or any of the other distinguishing characteristics that all too often divide people in society.”
The village’s community relations commission, a nine-member body established to ensure all Oak Park residents get equal service and treatment, has been working on an updated statement but it has yet to be approved.
Traditionally, the village board votes to reaffirm the statement after each election, however, some new trustees have said the statement may be outdated. During the newly elected board’s first meeting on May 6, the reaffirmation of the statement was approved, but by a 5-2 vote.
One of those no votes, Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla, called on the board to approve an updated diversity statement crafted by the community relations commission, however, some board members argued the public had not been given time to provide input.
The commission then held a special meeting May 15, which officials said was attended by more than two dozen people, to gather feedback on the diversity statement. A further-updated diversity statement was then crafted and was included as part of the village board’s May 20 agenda.
Several residents and commission members in attendance urged the village board to finally approve the commission’s version of the statement.
“We share a hope and expectation that an equity statement not just be a statement, but the way we live our lives in the community,” resident Linda Francis said.
Some board members, however, made minor changes to the updated diversity statement, and both statements were up for discussion May 20. Walker-Peddakotla was in favor of the version submitted by the commission and criticized the changes made by the board, calling it nitpicking.
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“This is a giant mess,” Walker-Peddakotla told her colleagues. “It’s really clear you’re not listening to what the community wants. To say racial equity is an opinion, here’s the thing, it’s science. Your opinion doesn’t matter. The fact of the matter is there are systems of oppression in our village and if you’re not aware of them, you are not impacted by them. This is absolutely infuriating.”
Among the changes between the revision and the proposed “alternate” version include removal of the phrase “we work to break down systems of oppression” and removal of the phrase “to seek shelter [and] refuge.”
Trustee Deno Andrews defended the board’s alterations and said the commission version was at times difficult to understand. He said his constituents wanted a statement with clearer language.
“It’s very common for commissions to present [items] to us that we edit, modify and do a lot of things to,” Andrews said. “I think it’s important that if the village is going to put a statement out, which is a vision statement for our village, that everybody from our village should be able to understand what it means.”
Some on the village board expressed concern that the updated statements were not publicly posted in a timely manner and didn’t give enough time for even more feedback.
Ultimately, the village board voted 7-0 to table the discussion on the diversity statement, with Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb pledging to hold as many meetings as necessary to get it right.
“In my view, the purpose of such a statement is really for us, who live in this community, to embrace one another,” Abu-Taleb said. “We all run for this office because we love Oak Park. We love the people who live in Oak Park. At the end of the day, we’re trying to do what’s best for the community. Even if it takes us another week or two weeks or three weeks to do it, we all want to feel good about the statement. Having the conversation continue in the community is not harmful, it’s helpful in my view.”