Thanks to The Bridge for “Use it or lose it” (November 1 edition). As a professor who has published four books in cultural studies, I was particularly concerned to learn that only $5,000 of the $75,000 apportioned to DEI initiatives has been allocated.
When there is so great a need to work toward equity, how can this be? According to the article, the town manager reports the town “has had a hard time getting going with consultants.”
In my experience it is not difficult to dream up ways to spend money, particularly when that money is a gift. To be clear, I am hard-pressed to understand the difficulty in light of Concord’s yearlong discussion over whether to rename a school in honor of a 19th-century champion of civil rights who was one of its own residents. Given the questions about DEI that arose during this discussion, might the town not find “consultants” among them?
Here are two ways the money might be spent:
- Create an endowment that would help fund students in need. Once it generates sufficient interest, the fund could offer scholarships to several students each year. A group of educators drawn from Concord and nearby townships more sophisticated and self-aware with respect to inclusion could help disburse the funds. They would function as “consultants” who would likely take on this work for free.
- Offer the sum to the most hard-pressed of Concord’s historic sites: The Robbins House. At present, it is staffed mostly by dedicated volunteers. If Concord is serious about its history, it should work harder to represent a broader range of residents past and present.
With its tall trees and winding lanes and lovely buildings, Concord is a beautiful town. It would be lovelier still if it could be a more responsive and humane one.
Anne Goldman
Nashoba Road
