Time's editor reflects on diversity and the culture of belonging on the Cape and Islands

Last winter, during a meeting of the Cape Cod Times Diversity Council, the discussion turned to affordable housing and who is most represented by local planning and zoning board decisions.

It is not unusual for members of neighborhood groups that oppose a development to attend board meetings, which are generally held on weekday evenings, to register their disapproval. With every new meeting, a new wave of group members shows up.

A Times diversity council member said she is one of a handful of people who regularly attend meetings at which housing is discussed to persuade board members to make affordable housing a priority. There are no waves of supporters to help carry the load.  

“I’m exhausted!” she said.

Those who most need affordable housing, she said, are often working more than one job or work nights and are unable to attend the meetings.

As a news organization, we regularly report on proposed developments in detail — their size, how many units will be affordable, the environmental impacts and the response from those who are against the proposal and those who favor it. We often don’t write about those whose voices are not being heard and why.

Worker shortage:Lack of worker housing increasingly puts squeeze on Cape Cod businesses

We are all part of Cape Cod's story

When we cover town meeting and override questions, we focus our attention on the tax increase homeowners will pay if the measure passes. We fall short when we don't look into the effect on renters or people on fixed incomes. We haven't looked into why some people are underrepresented at these meetings. 

Every person who lives and/or works in the region is part of the Cape and Islands’ story. It’s a human story that stretches back more than 10,000 years. And it’s a story the Times aspires to tell in all its diversity, whether it be from a class, racial, generational, gender or sexual orientation perspective — all of which enrich our reporting with layers of context and complexity.

Housing shortage:More rentals will be available in Mashpee Commons' 382-unit housing project

To achieve this, the Times is committed to building a diversified staff, infusing our reporting with diversified sources and covering communities we have often ignored in the past.

Annual newsroom diversity census

The Cape Cod Times, along with the more than 200 Gannett newspapers across the country, this week released its third annual snapshot of how the demographics of its journalists compare to the demographics of the communities we serve .

The Times has made progress toward this goal since the first Gannett-wide staff census in 2020 despite labor and housing shortages that have made hiring difficult. Our newsroom staff is 66.7% white (compared to 96% in 2020), 9.5% Black (0 in 2020), 4.8% Native American (0 in 2020) and 19% Asian (4% in 2020). There are also members of the LGBTQ community on our staff. 

More:Gannett newsrooms making steady progress in overall diversity

This information, a snapshot as of July 1, 2022, includes the gender and racial makeup of our news workforce and our coverage area, as well as for managers within our newsroom.

In Hyannis, where the Times is headquartered, the population is 87.2% white, 2.5% Black, .04 Native American and 1.3% Asian.

Diverse staff, sources allow us to capture nuances, foster understanding

The combination of a more diverse staff and sources reporters seek out when reporting led to greater understanding and nuances of our communities.

When Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, a member of a western Native American tribe, deemed “squaw” a racial slur and ordered it removed from the names of federal lands, members of the Cape and Islands Wampanoag nation took exception.

Camille Madison, of the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project in Mashpee and a member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag, said in Wôpanâak squaw “refers to the female character of a woman and it's used to create words that mean woman, or little girl, or good girl.”

Slur or positive description?:Cape Cod's Squaw Island prompts debate over cultural reclamation, interpretation of words

Some Wampanoag, an eastern woodlands tribe, think Haaland, in labeling “squaw” a racial slur, is erasing the culture of the Algonquin tribes of which the Wampanoag is a member. The story conveyed what is often true, no community is a monolith.

The Times also reported on the disagreement within tribal nations over sports logos and mascots that have Native American themes. Some tribes are working with schools and sports entities to design logos that respect Native American culture. Other tribal members, still see mascots and logos as disrespectful and harmful to their communities. 

Not a monolith:Are Native American-themed school mascots harmful? Local Natives, schools, experts disagree

Last spring, we covered the story about a disparity in school discipline after two Sandwich High School students, one Black, the other white, got into a fight. Texts between the two students revealed that the white student was bullying the Black student, often using racial slurs.

The Black student faced a criminal charge and initially was not allowed to return to school, while the white student, who was eventually charged in connection with the fight, was allowed to return to school.

Our reporting led to the revelations that other Sandwich students of color were the targets of racial slurs and racial bullying, which school officials were accused of ignoring.

After our stories were published, the Black student was allowed to return to school. Sandwich officials are working on policies to prevent racial and other types of bullying.

A sense of belonging 

You may have noticed our news and feature stories about diverse members of our community including business owners, community leaders, student-athletes, artists, educators and public officials.

Reporter Rachael Devaney, who covers family and culture for the Times, says that people of color can often feel like they are "the other" rather than "a part" of the community fabric when their stories remain untold. Stories about diverse communities — achievements, struggles, civic engagement and business activity — create that feeling of belonging and, hopefully, foster understanding among all Cape Codders.

Equal justice?:Assault charges end in diversion program for Sandwich student Ras Russell

It is in this way that a diverse and inclusive workforce helps us better connect and serve you, our readers and our community partners. 

The discussion last winter during the Times Diversity Advisory Council led to a story about the accessibility of town board meetings and town meeting for people working more than one job or busy taking care of children or an elder relative and how that excludes their voices when boards make decisions.

At least one public official contacted the reporter after the story was published to say she wants to figure out a way to schedule public meetings so they are more inclusive. You can be sure the Times will continue to follow this issue.

Contact Cape Cod Times Executive Editor Anne Brennan at abrennan@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AnneBrennanCCT 

Cape Cod Times Diversity Census

The American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau asks two separate questions, one about Hispanic origin and one about race, allowing individuals to self-select from multiple options. However, to compare with internal Gannett employee information that asks individuals to mark only one option, we used the following categories: Hispanic or Latino (for ACS, regardless of any other race selected), White (not Hispanic or Latino), Black or African American (not Hispanic or Latino), Asian (not Hispanic or Latino), American Indian or Alaska Native (not Hispanic or Latino), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (not Hispanic or Latino), or two or more races (not Hispanic or Latino). All information on racial identity is provided voluntarily by employees. Gannett also allows an individual to not disclose their race or ethnicity.