A resolution aimed at condemning all hate speech and use of racist slurs has been introduced by three Newport City Council members.
The resolution, which was added to the upcoming City Council agenda and introduced earlier this week, would also implicit bias training for all employees of the City of Newport and City Council. The resolution has been introduced by Jamie Bova, Angela McCalla, and Susan Taylor.
Updates – Video & Recap: Newport City Council Regular Council Meeting | June 10th
When asked her reasoning for introducing the resolution at this time, Councilor McCalla told What’s Up Newp, “For those of us who have learned the lessons of our history, and for those of us who want to imagine something different- we cannot allow for hate and destruction to have a space to breathe. Supporting this resolution is a great step forward and provides training to our city workers to adjust and ultimately aim to eliminate discriminatory behaviors”.
Newport Mayor and City Council Chair Jamie Bova said of the resolution, “I worked with Councilors McCalla and Taylor to submit this resolution so that we could take a strong and public stance against the hate speech that was used during two Council workshops. That type of language and hate must be publicly rebuked. Additionally, we felt it was a good idea to have City of Newport employees and the Council take implicit bias training because we can always learn more and improve how we act in our roles as public officials”.
The resolution
The resolution will go in front of Newport City Council during their Regular Council Meeting on Wednesday, June 10th at 6:30 pm.