Human Relations Committee Hopes to Make a Statement with Diversity Statement

It’s more than just a token gesture, a way for Red Bank to announce – to those who weren’t aware – that hip city is also progressive city. The way David Pascale tells it, it’s a way to set the tone. And he hopes it’s one that other municipalities throughout Monmouth County will follow.

At its monthly meeting Wednesday night, the borough’s Human Relations Committee, which is chaired by Pascale, discussed developing a diversity statement to present for approval to Red Bank’s council. Think of it as a mission statement, one that details, expressly, that Red Bank is accepting of all people.

“The idea behind it is that Red Bank needs to set an example for inclusivity in Monmouth County,” he said. “This includes people in all walks of life. It’s something I thought we should do; the town should have a diversity statement.”

Pascale said the move was precipitated by recent revelations of high rates of suicide among gay teenagers, including Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide in September after his roommate secretly recorded his sexual encounter with another man.

The Human Relations Committee hasn’t been alone in its efforts to generate awareness and promote diversity. The borough council passed resolutions both urging Gov. Chris Christie to sign anti-bullying legislation into law and later praising him when he did just after the New Year.

But, Pascale said it’s not just about one group of people.

“It’s not just gay teens that struggle,” he said. “This is for people who feel like they are different. There are people who feel left out, those who don’t fit the broadest definitions.”

Councilwoman Kathleen Horgan, the committee’s liaison, is welcoming of a diversity statement. Red Bank, she said, as a urban center surrounded by communities in northern Monmouth County that are distinctively not, has an obligation to its diverse population.

The diversity statement will be prepared and then given to the council, likely in March Pascale said.

In other news, the committee welcomed new member Adam Porter. Porter, who moved to Red Bank from Bridgewater in July, came to his first meeting with plenty of new ideas, including organizing an event or festival to bring all of the borough’s residents together in celebration.

Porter also talked about developing an action plan, something, though still undefined, that could both help the borough’s residents as well as promote the committee’s positive community-based efforts.

His ideas were well received by the group, including Horgan.

“That’s why it’s always good to have new blood,” she said. “New members bring new ideas.”