The formation of a new racial equity advocacy coalition was announced at a presentation to the Nantucket Select Board on Wednesday, July 15, 2020. The mission statement is: to create a sustainable movement to demand and support community action in order to break down systems of structural racism on Nantucket, so the systems of power become truly representative of all members of the community.
NEA is a grassroots coalition whose members have been meeting regularly since March 2020. They had been developing a plan to begin a series of self-implemented interviews and focus groups to assess the racial climate on Nantucket and to begin the work of advocating for change. The elevated level of national and international attention to the deaths of black people at the hands of police, the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and systemic racism have served to accelerate the coalition’s time line for action. In order to respond to this moment in history, they recognized the need to bring professionals to Nantucket to help them plan and execute this work.
Plan of Action:
1) A community survey to build a better understanding of the lived experience of
Nantucketers around the issues of racism and inequity and to identify specific topics for
deeper engagement and conversation
2) To plan and execute focus groups and community conversations on the topics identified
in the survey
3) To provide a summary of this work that will determine the next steps that NEA and the
community can take to achieve our stated mission.
In addition, NEA, both as a group and as individuals, look forward to engaging with the Nantucket community to build the movement toward equity inclusion and to ensure that this effort itself is truly inclusive. We commit to listen; to support the work of others; and to provide opportunities for learning and dialog that we expect will be both challenging and productive. NEA hopes to work collaboratively with the Select Board and Town Administration as they fulfill their pledge to work toward systemic change.
NEA leadership can be reached by email at nantucketequityadvocates@gmail.com.
A designated fund at the Community Foundation for Nantucket has been established so that NEA can accept donations.