|
Medford diversity panel set to begin
By Jessica Smith Less lip service and real results — that’s what members of a newly appointed city commission pledge to deliver on multicultural affairs in Medford. Although the Multicultural Commission won’t meet until later this month, members are already talking about the role they envision for themselves. "We have a wonderful opportunity here," said Commissioner Andreas Horaites, a Medford educator of Greek descent. "We have an opportunity not to just celebrate diversity but to build bridges cross-culturally." Horaites is one of five volunteers appointed to the commission, which is charged with identifying concerns about issues that affect Medford’s ethnic groups, supporting communication efforts between the multicultural community and city leaders, and providing elected officials opportunities to interact with people from various cultures. "When I heard about this commission, I thought, ‘Right on, it’s about time,’ " said Commissioner Christina Apodaca, who is Hispanic. "We’ll be out in the community finding out about their needs and what they’d like to see happen and taking that back to the city." The commission’s first meeting will be held Aug. 29 at City Hall. Mayor Lindsay Berryman, who sponsored the commission, selected the five representatives after receiving input from an advisory committee. The appointments were made at a July meeting of the Medford City Council. In addition to Horaites and Apodaca, Berryman named pastor David Gomez, social worker Maria Ramos Underwood and attorney Debra Lee to the commission. The council created the commission in April, despite reservations about a mission that some said was unclear. To ensure the commission makes consistent progress toward its goals, the council called for an automatic review in two years. The commission was inspired by comments Berryman said she heard during the city’s visioning project last year. Residents said the city needed to reach out to the growing Hispanic population. Commission members, however, note there are a number of cultures present in the area. It’s important to reach out to all of them to encourage participation in local government, commissioners said. "You want to be able to set the table and have everyone come to it," said Horaites. "We have to do some proactive outreach that makes it more clear to the city’s various (cultural) groups that the table is set for them." Learning about the city’s diversity will be an important part of the process, said Apodaca. As Medford continues to grow more culturally diverse, leaders must understand the groups that make up the community, she said. |
|
Obituaries | Sports
| Business |
Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times |
So Oregon Sites | Outdoor
Journal | Subscribe |
Contact
| Movies |
Advertise
| Real Estate Showcase |
Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up
Call | NIE |
Cyber Chef |
Job Network |
So Oregon
Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q.
| Awards |
