2021 New Castle CRE Transition

Press release from Town of New Castle:

June 25, 2021

Dear New Castle,

"We write this letter, our last, with bittersweet pride as we announce officially that with the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year, so concludes the tenure of the New Castle Council on Race & Equity (CRE). We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support, your allyship, and your most sincere and genuine belief in the work we do. The road has not been easy -- this work never is. We have struggled and we have fought. Our ideas were not always warmly received and our efforts were at times not appreciated, other times obstructed.

But we have also received love. Unabiding, unconditional love. From all of you. From our neighbors -- black, brown, white, BIPOC and allies of all identities. From our local community groups and committees, from our library, from our local businesses, from our Superintendent of schools. We have received acceptance, and above all, our voice has received a resounding welcome.

Thank you.

Officially established in 2020 under the auspices of former New Castle Supervisor Ivy Pool, the CRE and its 115 council members have spent the last year not only navigating a global pandemic, but also a race crisis in the country and in our own community. While our founding mandate was only to serve for a 3 month term, the CRE's volunteers resolved to stay on to support the community during this most difficult time and to fill a vacuum in BIPOC support. This past year, we have not only directly provided help, support, guidance, and resources to our BIPOC neighbors and allies, but we have forged meaningful partnerships with organizations all throughout our community and beyond. We have provided a blueprint for the Town of New Castle to move forward with the CRE's vision for achieving true equity in this town for us, our children, and all future generations to come. And beyond that, we have set the standard for how BIPOC community members, their allies, and friends can be - and should be - not only included, but protected, celebrated, and centered. For this we thank Ivy Pool for her unrelenting support of the work, and our neighbors all across New Castle for embracing and amplifying our voice. For believing our voices mattered, that our lives mattered.

The CRE as you all know it today will transition to an official town Committee, with new chairs, new leaders, and new members. We leave it to the incoming Town Board to staff and steward this new committee in line with their vision for moving this work forward. Until then, and always, we remain a resource, a helping hand, an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on, and a safe space to seek guidance, help, and knowledge. We remain your neighbors, we remain your friends, and we remain advocates and champions of this work. We are humbled to have been entrusted to lead this council, and we are humbled by all that it has achieved. And we are grateful to live in a Town that has made space for us.

For those of you who remain interested in the continuing work of the CRE we encourage you to reach out to Acting Supervisor Jeremy Saland. Volunteers who have signed up in the last several weeks to join projects - we appreciate you and have listed you in the volunteer roster for the new committee. We also celebrate the many CRE members who have stepped up to take positions in community leadership where they will be able to continue the CRE's work in building safe spaces for BIPOC and allies. The CRE will continue to have a presence at the Farmer's Market to welcome new families, provide resources, and to be a safe meeting space and community building hub for BIPOC and allies in New Castle.

It has been an immense privilege to be here, to lead this council, and to have been entrusted with the stewardship of Ivy's vision, and the CRE's mandate. We look forward to watching New Castle flourish and to stand alongside our neighbors as we move forward. Thank you."

Sincerely,

Nichelle Maynard-Elliott

Zabeen Mirza

Co-Chairpersons

New Castle Council on Race & Equity (CRE)2020-2021

Additional Info...

This press release was produced by the Town of New Castle. The views expressed are the author's own.