Selectmen Make First North Andover Equity Commission Appointments

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — The North Andover Board of Selectmen approved the first appointments to the new Commission on Inclusion, Equity and Diversity, Monday.

The Board confirmed:

• Bria Gadsden, one of the three co-founders of the new group Merrimack Valley Black and Brown Voices
• David VanArsdale, vice chair of the Council on Aging

Town Manager Melissa Murphy-Rodrigues said that the town has put out calls for applications and reached out to every group that will have a representative on the Commission, which include town and school departments, local clergy, a minority business owner and multiple residents.

The Board of Selectmen voted to create the new commission in June, in response to national and local Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Murphy-Rodrigues also noted that she is looking to start a "North Andover conversation series" in the meantime and has begun contacting potential moderators.

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