Community Request for Equity & Inclusion
DEFINE
In early 2020, with less than a year on the job, the City Manager requested permission from the City Commission to establish an Equity and Inclusion Department as part of an effort to be intentional regarding social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. As part of City Manager Craig Owen’s community meetings and listening tours with citizens and collaborating agencies, he heard loudly how equity and inclusion are important values in the Lawrence community. Throughout this process, the Lawrence community was instrumental to the City’s leadership team in defining the equity needs and helping in the development of job a description to meet such needs.
DESIGN
During the City Commission Meeting on March 3, 2020, after hearing overwhelming support from diverse community members, the City Commission voted unanimously to authorize City Manager Craig Owens to begin designing a job description and recruiting for a senior level manager to serve as the City’s Director of Equity and Inclusion. Just weeks later, Lawrence was impacted, along with the rest of the world, by the Covid-19 pandemic. This caused a slight delay in the hiring and onboarding of the first Director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Lawrence.
Just over two months after the unanimous vote to hire the City’s first Director of Equity and inclusion, the world erupted with civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year old Black male in Minneapolis, Minnesota by local police officer Derek Chauvin, a 44-year old white male. This tragedy and public display of systemic racism further concreted the importance for government to be intentional in addressing racial equity in policies, budget, and service delivery.
DELIVER
On the 12th of October, City Manager Craig Owens announced that Dr. Farris Muhammad would be the first Director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Lawrence. Dr. Muhammad was selected after a nationwide search from a field of over 120 applicants. During the process, the City utilized several interview panels of community members and staff to provide input. Panelists included local leaders working in diversity, equity, and inclusion, representatives of organizations that serve marginalized populations, advocacy groups, city staff, and other community institutions and organizations.
