Batavia Community Diversity Initiative
BUILDING A BETTER BATAVIA
Our Unlikely Beginnings…
In June 2020, the Batavia Community Diversity Initiative was born, and it all played out on a virtual meeting.
We came together as Batavians -- a group of moms, educators, advocates and cat dads, most of whom were strangers prior to meeting in the comments section of a post in a community Facebook group -- who were horrified by the death of yet another Black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police. We wanted to do something about it. So it made sense to start with the city we call home.
Just a few days prior to our first meeting, Batavia residents turned out in the hundreds for a #BlackLivesMatter peace rally outside the Peg Bond Center in the heart of our beautiful city’s downtown area. That rally, courageously co-organized by a pair of young activists, felt like a turning point for our west suburban city of 26,000.
We didn’t want the momentum for justice in this historic moment of 2020 to begin and end there, so we immediately got to work talking about how we could make Batavia a city where everyone feels like they belong.
Our Vision…
…is to create a sense of belonging for all members of our community through our commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. We understand that by centering the needs and uplifting the voices of the most vulnerable, we all become more free of oppressive systems and ways of thinking. We envision a Batavia that is welcoming and affirming to all - a city that embraces our diverse ways of being and serves the needs of all its citizens, so that all who live here can thrive, grow and prosper.
Our Mission…
…is to cultivate and strengthen Batavia’s commitment to diversity, equity and belonging. We want to be able to serve Batavia residents and those with ties to Batavia and share programs with neighboring towns as appropriate. We want to be an umbrella organization for different kinds of education, civic engagement, community building and community service. We want to grow into an organization that other cities can replicate and create a network of similar organizations. We want to be able to grow leaders that will build upon what we have created to make the world a better place.