The Evanston RoundTable is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in everything that we do.

We are committed to building a diverse leadership team, and a staff of editors and reporters who reflect our community; to including voices that have been unheard or marginalized; and to promoting honest – even if uncomfortable – dialogue among ourselves and within the community.

Diversity begins with the community members who volunteer their time to serve on our Board of Directors and our Advisory Committee, and extends to the professional journalists and other contributors to the RoundTable. It is also essential to the stories we tell. Diversity, equity and inclusion are cornerstone values driving our approach to creating content, hiring, audience development, our workplace and business vendors and partners.

Diversity and inclusion also drive our business model, which is to provide access to our news site at no charge so that it is available to all people without regard to their ability to pay. As a non-profit organization, we rely on the financial support of the Evanston community, and its recognition of the critical importance of independent, professional journalism to our civic health. Our vision for the RoundTable’s future is that it grows to become a robust, significant non-profit organization in Evanston – one that can create paid, professional job opportunities for journalists, especially young people from diverse backgrounds just beginning their careers.

Our definition of diversity is broad. It includes race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, social class, faith, age, disabilities and abilities and political viewpoint. It includes marital status, family structure, national origin, immigration status and educational attainment.

Our equity efforts seek to ensure respect, equal access and opportunity for all, using our resources and our platform to elevate the voices of marginalized and under-represented groups.

Our vision of inclusion is to foster an environment in which people of all identities are welcome, valued, and supported. An inclusive organization solicits, listens to, learns from, and acts on the contributions of all its stakeholders.

Diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to the RoundTable’s mission to serve Evanston through non-biased, objective, in-depth journalism, reporting, and news analyses. The key issues we cover include:

  • Early childhood development
  • Public education
  • Employment opportunities
  • Fair and affordable housing
  • Health and mental health care
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Economic development
  • Poverty
  • Immigration
  • Gender identity
  • Building developments and zoning
  • Major crimes and police activities
  • Equity, restorative justice and reparations
  • Fiscal responsibility and accountability of governmental bodies
  • The many things that contribute to the culture and fabric of Evanston.

We also are committed to being a public forum for expression of opinion, so long as that is done with a sense of mutual respect, civility and honesty.

For more information about the Evanston RoundTable’s diversity, equity and inclusion work, visit this page to view the latest developments.