News  Cultural Proficiency Champions meet for the first time since the pandemic to plan the 7th annual Cultural Appreciation Week, October 24-28

Trial Court employees also attended the meeting via Zoom to kick off planning for the 7th Annual Cultural Appreciation Week scheduled to take place during the week of October 24-28, 2022. 

The meeting was held to also explore the Champions’ role and work being done to expand cultural competence and cultural proficiency throughout the Trial Court. 

Pamerson Ifill, Deputy Commissioner of Pretrial Services, spoke about being one of a few people of color who were newly hired when he started work as a Probation Officer in 1993 and how this has changed over the years.

“That is no longer the norm…We are hiring significantly more diverse staff. When first hiring APO’s, our diversity ratio was 22 percent of people of color. As the result of the work we’ve done in the MPS, in the last group, 61 percent of hires were employees of color,” said Deputy Commissioner Ifill.

First Deputy Commissioner Dianne Fasano welcomed the audience, “Welcome to all of you, current and future Cultural Proficiency Champions. We are back. Back together in person, back together to renew our efforts around growing a positive culture of understanding appreciation and inclusiveness that affirms the value of all of us whether colleagues or those who are served by us.”

She praised Deputy Commissioner Ifill for his role in developing the Cultural Proficiency efforts and introducing Cultural Appreciation Day which was later expanded to Cultural Appreciation Week by former Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey. 

John Laing, Chief Experience and Diversity Officer in the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Experience (ODEIE), addressed the audience and introduced his staff. “We want to create engagements beyond formal trainings that deal with the crux of the real issues that we are dealing with every single day,” said Laing.

Champions also learned about MPS' Seeing RED (Racial and Ethnic Disparities) curriculum which will be launching later this summer, according to Deputy Commissioner Ifill. The Champions were also challenged to come up with a theme for this year’s celebration. The winning court or court office will be spotlighted as a “Signature site” where court officials will visit during the week.