Marcia Johnson had the pleasure of speaking with Hattie Kerwin Derrick, Director of Community Engagement & Inclusion for the City of Newton.  Hattie is relatively new in her position, however, her life, work and Newton community experience as a member of the Human Rights Commission positioned her well to take on important issues that the murder of George Floyd and pandemic brought into the public’s consciousness. We hope that you will find this conversation interesting, engaging, and thought provoking.  We talked about the following:

• Her role as Director of Community Engagement & Inclusion
• How racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd impacted her and how it influenced her decision to accept this position.
• A brief update on  police reform in the City of Newton regarding DEI
• Information on the Request for Proposal (RFP) for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant.
• Diversity, Education & Inclusion education & training for city employees, boards & commissions, and city council.
• Her role in assisting the city and community members, who often feel our world to be very  divided and uncivil, bridge groups together and bring about civil discourse.
• How her role differs from that of Linda Plazonja, Resident Assistance Officer.

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