Philomath inclusivity committee approves AAPI social post edits and shifts focus to on-the-ground outreach

At its April 20, 2026 meeting, the City of Philomath Inclusivity Committee approved edits to a social media post to accompany the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month proclamation and reviewed a guidance template meant to help volunteers prepare posts consistently.

The committee agreed that social content should avoid imagery that relies on stereotypes. One member said, "All of the free stock images I could find were kind of stereotypes about Pacific Islanders," and others echoed the concern with brief, direct remarks such as "No hula dancers" and "No pineapples" to discourage clichéd visuals. The committee approved integrating agreed edits; staff will post the final content on the City of Philomath Facebook page once council action (if any) and timing are confirmed.

Members also reviewed the internal social media template intended to make drafting posts easier for volunteers and discussed adding sample text examples to the template to reduce uncertainty for first-time authors.

On calendars and outreach, committee members recommended moving beyond proclamations and social posts toward more action-based community engagement. Ideas discussed included staffing a farmers market booth to solicit feedback, hosting a "What's Up Philomath" newcomer meet-and-greet (targeting residents who moved to town in the last two years), low-lift events like popsicle meetups for new residents, and a pop-up splash pad designed to be accessible and inclusive. Staff volunteered to contact market organizers and offered to help with graphic assets and logistics.

The committee assigned tasks and next steps: Beth (committee member) will draft a Juneteenth social post for review at the next meeting; Megan will draft a National Disability Independence Day post; staff will follow up with the city attorney about potential changes to the inclusivity proclamation and will support social-post graphics as needed. The committee also discussed collecting feedback at events through short surveys and offering non-digital comment options to ensure accessibility.

The committee wrapped up with a recap of assigned tasks and scheduled its next meeting for May 26.