Share Your Story!

On Monday, May 2nd, the Sudbury Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission (SDEIC) opened the Sudbury Lived Experiences Project (SLEP) survey to collect anonymous stories to document identity-based experiences, including racism and prejudice in Sudbury. “By understanding the experiences of individuals that live, work, learn and travel through Sudbury, we can raise community awareness and collaborate with local advocacy groups and our Select Board to affect change,” said SDEIC Member Janine Taylor.

The SDEIC was created with a one-year term in May 2021 with fourteen (14) members selected from a pool of resident-applicants and additional nonvoting advisors from the Sudbury Police Department, Sudbury Public Schools, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Select Board, and Sudbury Clergy Association. The SSB provided the SDEIC with the following mission:

…to support diversity, achieve equity, and foster inclusion for every member of this community, respecting all aspects of identities. The Commission shall also critically consider intersections among these groups to facilitate learning, understanding, and unity… The Commission shall make recommendations on a quarterly (minimum) basis to the Sudbury Select Board on policies and programs to identify and eliminate conscious or unconscious biases and prejudices, to reject discrimination, and to measure, promote, and increase diversity, equity, and inclusion of Sudbury’s historically disenfranchised populations.

The SSB also identified several goals to support this mission. “The goals set by the Select Board are incredibly ambitious,” said SDEIC Member Katina Fontes, “We quickly realized that a year was not enough time to accomplish even a portion of what we were charged to do.” In January, the SSB extended the term of the current commission by six months, during which the group will discuss the future of the SDEIC and revise the mission and goals. “It will also give us time to collect and analyze the Sudbury Lived Experiences Project data,” added Fontes.

The SLEP is funded by a $5000 grant from the Sudbury Foundation and was designed in consultation with Dr. Nichole Argo, who organized a similar project in Needham in 2020. The survey begins by asking respondents to tell their stories. It then asks questions about the experience, what type of change they would like to see in Sudbury, and basic demographic information. People can share stories about themselves or on someone’s behalf.

Data from the project will be used to draft a report for the SSB. Aggregate data and anonymized individual stories will also be shared on the SLEP website and used for future projects and collaborations. “We can do a lot with these stories, beyond just producing reports, such as community discussions, art, and theatre projects,” noted Dr. Argo. “The important thing is to validate those who’ve been harmed, correct the systems allowing the harm, and create a culture of hope, resilience, and belonging.” The SDEIC has also contacted DEI groups and boards in other towns to explore partnership opportunities.

The survey is open until June 30, 2022. Additional information about the SDEIC and the SLEP is available at www.sudburylivedexperiences.org.