Wayland HRDEI Committee approves minutes, sets fall date for Multicultural Festival

WAYLAND — October 15, 2024 — Wayland's HRDEI Committee heard a student's cultural blindness project and reset its festival calendar. High School senior Emma Gargano, working toward her Girl Scout Gold Award, told the committee that more than half of the 54 respondents to her Multicultural Festival survey reported experiencing cultural blindness, which she said leaves moments people "really remember" and that "have an impact on their life." Chair Karen Blumenfeld led a 9-0 vote approving the September minutes. Members agreed to move the next Multicultural Festival to fall in partnership with Arts Wayland's Chris Reynolds, despite concerns about summer prep time. Blumenfeld also reported that Police Chief Ed Berman and town employee John Bumby each landed $5,000 Sudbury Foundation grants — Berman's to bring Communities for Restorative Justice in for officer training — after HRDEI publicized the opportunity. The equity-assessment survey stood at 335 responses against a 1,000-response goal.