Purpose and Charge
Build relationships among members and leaders of the community (bringing together a diverse group of people--city, business, community members, schools, the faith-based community, cultural, etc.) to support the Bentonville Together initiative.
In 2020, Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman appointed a community task force comprised of members of the City of Bentonville that represented each ward and ex officio City Officials. The task force, along with city staff, and an Advisory Board worked to examine and address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the City of Bentonville with the goal of ensuring the City of Bentonville is welcoming to all and all feel a part of the community.
Through the three-prong LISTEN, LEARN and LEAD approach this group held numerous community and internal listening sessions, established common DEI definitions, collected data with more than 100 action items, established a four-objective DEI roadmap and developed the multicultural festival Bentonville Together: A Celebration of Multicultural Community. The event drew more than 5,000 attendees to take part in food, arts, music, community arts project and T-shirt contest.
The task force and advisory group continue to work on DEI initiatives and will again host the Bentonville Together Multicultural Festival in 2022 in conjunction with Downtown Bentonville Inc. on April 29th at Orchards Park in Bentonville.
The City was awarded the 2022 Trendsetter of the Year in Arkansas from Arkansas Business magazine, for the all-inclusive effort. The award was presented at the 2022 Arkansas Municipal League Conference.
Working together, the City will continue to coordinate, encourage, and implement initiatives and activities to learn, listen, and lead to promote an inclusive community that reflects the rich and diverse experiences and cultures in our city.
