Lots of companies and municipalities have been hiring diversity, equity and inclusion leaders amid the country's renewed focus on racial justice. But in some municipalities, those tasked with DEI work say they’re coming up against governments unwilling to make actual change. In Worcester, for instance, three diversity officers have left in the last six years, and the city’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee recently voted to suspend its work until city leadership starts showing more eagerness to achieve diversity goals.
In Lowell, Ferdousi Faruque announced this week that she is resigning as the city’s DEI officer, saying she had come up against a series of roadblocks and microaggressions in her few months on the job. She joined GBH’s All Things Considered to speak with host Arun Rath about why she is leaving.
The city did not immediately respond to a request for comment following Faruque’s interview with GBH News on Friday. Some Lowell officials previously told the Lowell Sun they were unaware Faruque had felt left out of the decision-making process and that there was not sufficient communication between her and Lowell’s City Council.
What follows is a lightly edited transcript.
Arun Rath: Ferdousi, thanks for joining us.
Ferdousi Faruque: Thanks for having me, Arun.
Rath: So you came aboard as the DEI officer only late last year. In the short time you've been there, what is it that’s prompted you to to resign?
Faruque: There have been a number of roadblocks that I didn't see myself getting through without direct assistance from the City Manager's office — administration. In addition to that, the onboarding of the new city manager coming in seemed to be stemmed from a lot of nepotism and, frankly, systemic racism that I won't be able to get around. So if I don't have the support from council or the personnel subcommittee, in addition to not having support from some key stakeholders that I would work with, it's really difficult to get the work done.
Rath: You know, I also wanted to say that there were other factors that were mentioned beyond just the hiring process with a city manager. I've seen, in the press, mentions of you dealing with microaggressions and things like that. Can you talk about the other factors that were factors in your resignation?
Faruque: Sure. Two of the key factors in my resignation were the gatekeeping that was going on — I wasn't getting the information I needed, there was a lot of struggle with mindshare or resources being offered or the training I would need to use the accounting software and things in that nature. As well as someone a department head who I would have to work with, really, seeming to intentionally mispronounce my name all of the time. There was a point where I corrected them and they actually called me out for correcting them. It was — so, those are the factors that kind of let me know, they were indicative of: The change that needs to happen, maybe Lowell wasn't ready for it.
Rath: Sounds you're bringing on a new city manager. That process would sound like something that a diversity, equity and inclusion officer would be super involved in, right? That would seem like that would almost be like a first great test of what you could do. So tell us a bit more about about that process. I'm guessing you were not able to be involved in the process the way you were expecting?
Faruque: Yes, your guess is correct. I was not really involved at all. My recommendations were requested at one of our meetings. None of them were considered. And during the onboarding process, I didn't see any of the applicants' resumes, I wasn't involved at all. Actually, one of the council members' cousins is the person that's going to become city manager. So it just kind of reflects the nepotism and incestual environment that the city of Lowell is currently influxed in.
"[There were a few factors that] were indicative of: The change that needs to happen, maybe Lowell wasn't ready for it."
Rath: You weren't even — sorry, to repeat this — but you weren't even seeing the resumes of the people who were being considered?
Faruque: No, I wasn't. I didn't see any of the resumes.
Rath: And what were the kind of recommendations that that that you were making that were not being considered?
Faruque: I recommended doing all full overhaul on the job description. It was very mundane. There was a lot left to be desired in the job description. Actually, they requested that my position have more requirements than the city manager position who I'd be reporting to.
In addition to that, I was hoping to have a thorough process where there would be a nationwide search of people that are qualified to make it much more equitable and accessible to anyone who would want to take on the task of being a city manager.
We only had two weeks where the position was open, and I believe it was only posted on the city website and possibly Indeed. Again, I wasn't involved in any of that, so I didn't really get to put my input — or share my input, rather — with H.R. or the hiring team.
Rath: We've heard about similar problems elsewhere. I mean, what you're describing, I've heard similar descriptions in other places — in private corporations and in public government and in public corporations. Have you heard or are you hearing about situations like your own from your colleagues, DEI counterparts in other communities and organizations?
Faruque: Sure. There's a lot of difficult when you're the only person, and it's kind of the onus is on you to do this work. Getting buy in — or, getting genuine buy in — has been really difficult, and it's a daunting task for DEI practitioners to continue the work without feeling supported or heard.
I have heard of that, and even in my search from transitioning from the financial field into DEI, I had many encounters with interviews where I would go to five rounds of interviews just to withdraw my application after finding that it just didn't seem genuine. It seemed like it was performative and I would be used, kind of, as a token. So I know that a lot of my colleagues are facing the same same difficulties and roadblocks.
Rath: Not to put words in anybody's mouth, but it's sort of the idea, maybe, that you hire a DEI officer and then the job is done, right, so that you don't have to do anything else on top of that?
Faruque: Sometimes it does seem like they're just checking off a box.
Rath: And what's the communication been like with fellow municipal leaders in Lowell since you announced your departure? I mean, was there much of a conversation around your resignation? What have you heard since then?
Faruque: There's been a lot of conversation around my resignation, but the conversation hasn't been with me. The local radio has been pretty cruel, in addition to some of the councilors. So it's been daunting. And I think that this is a similar experience to other people that may choose the same path of going their separate ways.
Rath: When you've communicated with them, like when you submitted your resignation, what was the response?
Faruque: For the folks that had the right intentions in mind — so the people that wanted progress, who wanted meaningful DEI change and equitable opportunities — they were sad to see me leave, but they were not surprised. With the current events that were taking place in Lowell, they understood my stance. They understood why I felt that I would need to leave the position to find more meaningful work.
Rath: And I feel like the answer to this is kind of implied in a lot of what you said, but could you talk about what you think would need to be done to make jobs like yours able to have the impact that they should have? To be able to do your job effectively?
Faruque: I believe what we really need to make impactful change is true buy in. And to accomplish that, we need the key decision makers to understand the importance, to understand the return on investment, to understand why it's important to have representation for the entire community or the demographic that you represent — in way of possibly some training, in way of having open conversations, having some accountability for what business practices have been up until now, where you see the need for DEI, rather than having it be a buzzword and a filler to pacify people that feel that you're not doing what you should be.
Rath: Ferdousi Faruque, it's been really good speaking with you, and we'll like to follow up on what you do next. Thank you so much.
Faruque: Thank you.
Rath: That's Ferdousi Faruque, the outgoing diversity, equity and inclusion officer for the city of Lowell. This is GBH’s All Things Considered.
