Rochester Reporter

Irondequoit Town issued the following announcement on Dec 17.

IRONDEQUOIT COMMISSION ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY (ICARE) ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF RESIDENTS TO SERVE AS MEMBERS

The Co-Chairs of the Irondequoit Commission Advancing Racial Equity (ICARE) today announced the selection of 12 residents who will serve as voting members of the newly formed initiative. In total, 53 residents applied to serve on ICARE. The following residents have been selected by the Co-Chairs after a thorough interview process:

• Andrea Luke
• Joy M. Claboine
• Annalisa Rogers
• Lisa R. Wall
• Chris Cardon
• Mitchel Adams
• Diane DeRuyter
• Paul R. Stack, Jr.
• Evelyn Holmes
• Richard Clark Eckert
• Jae Min Yandow
• Tracey Williams

The commission will also seek to have student representation from Irondequoit’s three school systems.

“Racial equity has been at the forefront of the public discussion throughout this year, and I’m proud that the Town of Irondequoit is intentionally walking the walk with the creation of ICARE,” said ICARE Co-Chair and Councilwoman Patrina Freeman. “So many energetic and qualified people applied to be a part of this work, and it was difficult to narrow the field from over 50 applicants to the 12 individuals selected as advisory board members. I’m excited to be walking this path with our commission members, and I’m excited for our work to begin in earnest.”

“As we’ve begun the work of creating ICARE and selecting its membership, I’ve been amazed at both the number and the quality of the applications we have received,” said Irondequoit Supervisor Dave Seeley. “This experience has truly demonstrated the character of our community, and I look forward to working with both the ICARE appointed members as well as its Work Group members to create a more welcoming and inclusive town.”

ICARE was created in October by a proclamation adopted by the Town Board to serve as an advisory body and help foster an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the community and in Town government. As charged by the Board, a majority of the commission’s voting membership will be persons of color.

“It was a humbling and gratifying experience to meet with and speak to each of the individuals who applied to be part of ICARE. It was clear that they are all committed to making our town an even greater place to live,” said ICARE Co-Chair Margaret Burns. “I personally look forward to learning more from this group of committed citizens as ICARE begins the work of addressing racial equity in the Town of Irondequoit.”

ICARE Co-Chair Leslie Harvey added: “We’ve got an amazing community, and seeing people of all ages, races, ethnicities and backgrounds coming forward to help improve their community was really moving. I’m confident this group of commission members will be able to guide ICARE’s work in a meaningful direction.”

To learn more, please visit the ICARE page of our website.

Original source can be found here.