The city of Durango is planning to announce a new marketing campaign in hopes of inspiring residents and tourists to embrace diversity and promote civility.
It’s called the Civility First Durango Pledge, an idea born in the city’s Community Relations Commission. Civility First is a pledge program created to encourage businesses and people “to model civil behavior and tone, and to promote respect for diversity among residents and visitors who live, work, shop and play in our city,” according to promotional materials.
There’s no fee to take the pledge, no authority given to those who sign it and no legal responsibility in making it; it’s more of a gesture of good faith, said Claire Attkisson, a member of the Community Relations Commission. It’s a public awareness campaign designed to encourage civility in a time of increasing political divide, Attkisson said.
Any business that signs the Civility First pledge is agreeing to:
Treat all who interact with the business equally, fairly and with respect.Proudly display the Civility First Durango window decal/logo in the storefront or another highly visible location.Share information about the tenets of the Civility First Durango Pledge program with employees and volunteers.Anyone who makes the pledge will also gain access to additional resources and educational opportunities, including means of participating in the Durango Diversity Dialog, an annual event co-sponsored by the Community Relations Commission, Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the Durango Pride Festival, said Suzanne Sitter, city staff liaison to the Community Relations Commission.
If anyone files a complaint with the Community Relations Commission about uncivil practices at a business that has made the Civility First pledge, that business may be asked to participate in an informal review of the complaint with the Community Relations Commission.
Nancy Stoffer, a member of the Community Relations Commission and coordinator of diversity programming at Fort Lewis College, said she hopes the Civility First Pledge campaign encourages people to think about what civility means to them.
“How do we maintain civility within our community and with people outside of our community as well?” Stoffer said.
City Council established the five-member Community Relations Commission in 2012 to, in part, promote “social harmony among all visitors and residents within the city of Durango,” according to an ordinance founding the committee.
The city plans to launch its Civility First campaign May 13 with a banner across Main Avenue announcing the pledge and a display at the Durango Welcome Center. Anyone interested in participating in or volunteering for the launch event, which may include canvasing businesses to encourage pledges, can email suzanne.sitter@durangogov.org.
bhauff@durangoherald.com
