Making sure under-represented voices are heard

The Record is seeking applicants from diverse groups for a Community Editorial Board

The death of George Floyd, and the outpouring of community response to the Black man’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, has made it clear more needs to be done to combat anti-Black racism.

Floyd’s death and the rallies that have followed, including one in Kitchener, galvanized support for Black Lives Matter and calls to end systemic racism. Our newspaper also needs to examine how the Black community has been covered and look at whose voices and faces are represented on our pages.

We know some people and groups are under-represented in our community and have unequal access to forums to give them a voice. The Record is committed to addressing stories that involve injustice, racism and bigotry, and is creating a new Community Editorial Board to help guide us on these issues. We believe in helping people share their voices, opinions and experiences.

We also recognize the Indigenous community in Waterloo Region is not adequately reflected in our pages, a situation we want to rectify.

Many other groups experience injustice and it is our goal to reflect their voices as well.

We are inviting applications from people from under-represented communities in Waterloo Region. Community Editorial Board members will advise and provide insight to the newsroom and our readers on issues of race, sensitivity and diversity.

I am calling for applicants to send an email expressing interest in joining the board. Please send the application to newsroom@therecord.com with “CEB application” as the subject line. Include a short statement of up to 200 words explaining who you are and why you are interested in the position, and please send it no later than 12 p.m. (noon), Friday, June 26.

Each board term will be for a period of one year. The board will have eight to 12 members and the expectation is members will meet with newsroom staff quarterly to discuss our print and online coverage, raise issues and direct our attention to emerging trends or patterns that need coverage.

Board members will be invited to publish op-ed columns up to 750 words long in print and online.

Each board member will be paired with a member of the newsroom staff who will be available to help navigate the media landscape.

Hearing from representatives of the Black, Indigenous and other marginalized communities is important and we will take measures to ensure those voices are published and shared broadly.