Boulder inclusivity resolution “Whereas, despite our community’s collective efforts to create an inclusive and supportive community, a number of people still do not feel welcome, included, or safe in Boulder; and whereas, some members of our community continue to experience discrimination, harassment, and intimidation based on their cultural, religious or personal beliefs, identities, and practices; and whereas, while a large number of us never personally encounter discrimination or acts of hatred directed towards us, and … whereas recent international incidents of violence and terrorism have triggered a spate of hateful and hurtful rhetoric and actions in America against refugees and people of certain religious faiths and ethnic groups, causing local concerns and triggering a need to explicitly reconfirm our intentions, beliefs and values around inclusivity.” Source: City of Boulder

Editor’s note: This story has been changed to correct the spelling of Nikhil Mankekar’s name.

The Boulder City Council unanimously adopted a resolution late Tuesday night that reaffirmed the city’s commitment to being welcoming to all people, and to work with partners on policies and programs that improve the community’s support for diversity.

The resolution, which was placed on the agenda at the request of Mayor Suzanne Jones, cites the city’s history of addressing discrimination, including the establishment of the Human Relations Commission, the adoption of a Human Rights Ordinance banning discrimination, and a commitment to funding affordable housing, safety-net programs and programs to help students from a range of backgrounds succeed in school.

It also cites a recent survey that found more than half of respondents don’t feel Boulder is supportive of immigrants and the reports of many members of minority groups who similarly say Boulder isn’t welcoming.

The recitations of the resolution refer to both local and national issues.

Jones said the resolution, far from an abstraction, is important to many concrete community goals, such as housing.

Councilman Sam Weaver brought up the case of Tim Fuller, who remains the only Boulder City Council member to be recalled by voters. His offence: In 1974, Fuller was part of a five-member majority that voted in favor of an ordinance barring employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.

(Three of the other council members who supported the ordinance weren’t eligible for recall due to their short tenure on council. The fourth, then-Mayor Penfield Tate — still Boulder’s only black elected official — barely survived a similar recall campaign.)

Weaver said Fuller reminds Boulder of how far it has come and of the work that still needs to be done, though he predicted, correctly, that the vote wouldn’t be divided.

Manuela Sifuentes, executive director of the Latino Task Force of Boulder County, said people who don’t believe the resolution speaks to pressing issues in Boulder haven’t been the target of discrimination or bias. She recalled that Goss-Grove was once the center of a thriving black and Latino community, but those residents were driven out to make room for students.

“Boulder is not known as an economically or socially diverse community and this did not happen by chance,” she said.

Nikhil Mankekar, a member of the city’s Human Relations Commission who said he was speaking on his own behalf, said it’s important for Boulder to defend its values in the face of hateful rhetoric at the national level.

“As a community, we need to step up and establish what values we hold and let fellow citizens know what we stand for,” he said. “When the national news is inflected with so much hate, it has a local effect.”

The Boulder County commissioners are expected to adopt a similar resolution.

Erica Meltzer: 303-473-1355, meltzere@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/meltzere