Batavia Residents Launch Community Diversity Nonprofit

BATAVIA, IL — A group of Batavia residents-turned-activists on Thursday announced the official launch of the Community Diversity Initiative (CDI), a new nonprofit group aimed at bolstering diversity, equity and inclusion in the city.

The organization came to be over the summer of 2020 after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In a news release, organizers said CDI sprang forth from a Facebook post written by Kathleen Meeks, who now serves as the CDI leadership council's education committee team leader.

Chris Lowe, the organization’s first-ever president and executive team leader, told Patch he saw Meeks' post at the same time that he was working to provide anti-racism programming at a local bookshop, and the two began chatting.

"We found out we had similar goals and started talking together," Lowe said. "In mid-July, we decided as a group we wanted to take this seriously and start an actual organization."

Lowe and other members of the group began filing paperwork with the state and federal government in August to form a corporation and applied to be made a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

It also launched a website and social media pages and began having diversity and inclusion talks with local leaders in city government and Batavia schools.

Joe Erbentraut, communications manager for CDI, told Patch the group now aims to maintain the dedication to diversity seen during Black Lives Matter rallies and protests that played out throughout the summer.

"It wasn't just responding to it nationally, it was also looking to continue the momentum of the local response we saw," Erbentraut said. "[Our] hope with this group was that it wouldn't just be a thing where our town had one rally or demonstration and nothing else happened."

And indeed, the momentum continues.

The group is in the throes of planning programming for 2021 and beyond, Erbentraut said. Among its plans is the intention to produce anti-racist literature, offer racial equity training and bolster Batavia's Black history.

Lowe, who is interracial, told Patch the movement hits home for him.

"I have an interracial background," Lowe said. "I've always grown up in white suburbs. Dealing with racial issues has been an integral part of my life."

And while 2020 has brought it with many misfortunes, Lowe said he sees a silver lining.

"It's gotten to the point where society seems to be receptive to having an honest conversation about race, finally," He said. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to take advantage of that timing."

His goal now, Lowe said, is to "have a more honest assessment of our shared history both nationally and locally."

The group also aims to offer field trips, educational videos and meetings to teach residents of all backgrounds about the inner workings of local government.

In doing so, Lowe said, the group can "make our community members of all backgrounds and groups understand that they aren't banned from leadership. It's open to them, available to them. People think politics is beyond them."

And in having diversity in leadership, Batavia residents and officials can better understand the systemic and historical oppression that has hindered the ability of some groups to thrive and succeed, he said.

"We hope to open people's eyes to learn more about our history and to be honest about it," he said. "And, to make sure that we make efforts so that people can reach their fullest potential regardless of who they are, how they were born or what their economic status is. We feel like you should be supported and able to reach your fullest potential because that benefits our entire community."

Although many of CDI's plans for the future have not yet been announced, Lowe's ultimate goal is simple: To set an example.

"I think we have the opportunity to be a beacon of hope and a shining example to other suburbs around us," he said. "One of the goals of our organization is that other people will copy us. We want other communities to do exactly what we're doing."

The organization's inaugural leadership council is made up of Chris Lowe, president; Kathleen Meeks, education committee team leader; Robert Buckley, community relations team leader; Marisa Pfautz, member-at-large; Kate Garrett, secretary; and Sarah Ahrens, treasurer.

Lowe, an 18-year resident of Batavia, is a District 101 school board member and former PTO president for Hoover Wood Elementary School.

Erbentraut said the organization intends to announce more details and programmed events in the coming weeks on its website and social media channels.