First Wayland SPIRIT Workshop Aims To Tackle 'Issues Facing The Town'

WAYLAND, MA — Wayland will host a workshop this month aiming to unify a town that has been marked by high-profile accusations of racism over the past several years.

The April 28 SPIRIT (Site Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together) workshop will be held at the high school, where, in late 2022, a racial slur was found directed at then-superintendent Omar Easy. Two months later, Easy would be put on leave, leading to a discrimination complaint and now a lawsuit. But those events predated Easy's time as Wayland's first Black superintendent.

The SPIRIT workshop will include members of the town's diversity and inclusion committee, local government leaders and representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice's community relations service.

Here's more from a town news release:

To foster stronger community ties and address community concerns, the Town of Wayland invites everyone who lives, works or worships in Wayland, or is part of the school community, to the SPIRIT of Community Interactive Workshop. The workshop, open to adults and high school
students, will take place at Wayland High School on April 28 from 1 to 7 p.m.
Refreshments and a light dinner will be served.

The SPIRIT of Community workshop will bring together a wide range of community members and
leaders to collectively identify, prioritize and begin to tackle issues facing the Town. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in small group discussions and problem-solving sessions through a brainstorming process where everyone’s voice is heard.

"This first-ever community-building gathering for the town is exciting," says Mary Ann Borkowski, one of the workshop’s organizers. “We hope people in the community will share our enthusiasm for making the town a place where everyone feels they belong and have a voice."

The workshop, sponsored by the Wayland Human Rights, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (HRDEIC) and the Wayland Select Board, will be guided by the Community Relations Service of the U.S. Department of Justice. Drawing from the Community Relations Service’s SPIRIT (Site Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together) model, the workshop will empower participants to address local concerns effectively and collectively.

Feedback from SPIRIT workshop participants in other communities has been overwhelmingly positive, with remarks such as “valuable use of my time,” "great process!" and “wish we had an hour more.”

As Select Board member Anne Brensley notes, "This workshop provides a platform for residents to
contribute their ideas and perspectives toward making Wayland a better place for all. It aims to ensure everyone feels valued and heard, and that should be a primary goal of any community."

Registration for the workshop is required. Organizers encourage community members to register today here and extend the invitation to others. Information about the workshop can be found here. Questions? Contact SPIRITquestions@wayland.ma.us.