The city-sponsored volunteer group One Westbrook is shaping its agenda to address inequity and social injustice locally and is looking for residents’ help.
One Westbrook plans a community survey and more outreach to determine what issues are most important to residents, according to the school department’s Equity Resource Coordinator Amanda Atkinson-Lewis, who oversees the volunteer group.
The goal is to improve conditions for “marginalized groups,” such as immigrants and the LGBTQ community, and those dealing with poverty, Atkinson-Lewis said.
“We aim to advocate with city and school groups, and eventually the state. We are a collective group that has some power and privilege in some of these positions, so we leverage that to learn and advocate it,” she said.
Police Chief Sean Lally and City Clerk Angela Holmes and representatives from local nonprofit groups, including the Intercultural Community Center, are among the group members.
The group’s focus will be narrowed down once it surveys residents to get a better handle on their needs, Atkinson-Lewis said.
Intercultural Community Center Director Beatrice Mucyo sees One Westbrook as beneficial for connecting different groups with one another, allowing equity work across organizations and roles.
“The work that they do aligns much with what we do. They want to see new Westbrook residents get integrated in the community. They want social and racial justice. For us, it’s less about justice, but along the same thing,” Mucyo said. “We were started by immigrant leaders for the purpose of making sure the New Mainers can be integrated in the community, so I see a lot of aligned goals and collaboration.”
One Westbrook took shape in response to the George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter movement, but its potential reaches beyond that, Atkinson-Lewis said.
Mucyo said she is looking to perhaps work with One Westbrook and the schools on ways to combat technology addiction among youth. By working together, they can reach all types of students and promote one cohesive message.
The ICC took a similar approach to get the immigrant community vaccinated against COVID-19 after the city had noted fewer vaccinations among that demographic, Mucyo said, and believe the multi-group approach will be similarly successful with other issues.
“The city was having a hard time, for instance, with vaccination because of the immigrant population resisting vaccination,” said ICC Youth Program Director Chris Feely. “We worked with the city, partnered with medical providers to come and vaccinate the immigrant community. We had done some outreach. The ICC is immigrant-led and we operate in a church, so those church members are immigrants, too, and they understand if something is there it can be trusted. We were able to vaccinate over 100 people that way.”
Atkinson-Lewis said she is looking for community input and volunteers. To get involved, reach her email at atkinsona@westbrookschools.org.
“Right now we are fighting to get the word out, not many people know us, but we want to really dig in this summer,” she said.
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