Diversity Assessment: Andover Needs Diverse Workforce, Trainings

ANDOVER, MA — Andover should hire a more diverse workforce and conduct diversity, equity and inclusion trainings, consultants hired by the town wrote in a diversity assessment published Friday.

The assessment, based on an online survey and 23 focus groups over the last six months, was conducted by Visions, Inc., a non-profit training and consulting organization that specializes in diversity and inclusion.

The process was launched by the town in June 2020 in response to both nationwide and local Black Lives Matter protests and reckoning with racism.

Over 1,300 people responded to the online survey. Twenty-three 50-minute focus groups were held.

The vast majority of survey respondents agreed that "racism is a concern in Andover" and most residents said they "regularly interact with people from other cultural backgrounds in Andover" and they "encourage people in Andover to share their unique cultural perspectives and experiences.

Black and Hispanic residents raised particular concern about certain town departments. The majority of Black residents and nearly half of Hispanic or Latino residents said they are not comfortable interacting with town police. Sizable minorities were also uncomfortable with town management and the schools.

Around half of Black and Latino or Hispanic residents also said they cannot raise issues about unfair treatment without fear of consequences.

Based on the focus groups, Visions, Inc. wrote that the town's key challenges include "lack of diversity in many places" including town and school leadership and employees, low level of trust in the town's response to challenges and the town's low level of racial diversity compared to neighboring communities.

Recommendations included hiring a more diverse workforce, conducting diversity trainings for town employees and leadership and providing institutional support to the recently-formed Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The full assessment is available here and responses to the open-ended survey questions can be found here.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.