New Appointments to Cultural Council and Social Justice Committee

In memos to the Town Council and the Town Clerk dated October 4, 2024, Town Manager Paul Bockelman recommended appointments to the Cultural Council and the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC). These appointments were endorsed unanimously (4-0 with one absent) at the October 10 meeting of the Town Services and Outreach Committee (TSO) and will come before the full Town Council for final approval at their meeting on October 21.

Cultural Council
Nominated for three-year terms (as voting members) expiring June 30, 2027:

Evelin Figueroa, of Fearing Street
William Murray, of North Pleasant Street

The Amherst Cultural Council allocates state Arts Lottery funds, but it is also directed to support and nurture arts activities in the community by seeking private or other public funds and initiatives. 

Community Safety and Social Justice Committee
Nominated for a three-year term expiring June 30, 2027:

Erica Piedade of  Montague Road

Nominated for a one-year term expiring June 30, 2025:

Angelique Ferguson, of  Main Street

When these nominees are sworn in, all vacancies on the CSSJC will be filled. The CSSJC has been short-handed for more than a year and has failed to field a quorum at four of its last five meetings, preventing it from taking official actions.  The failure of the Town Manager to fill these openings has been a source of consternation within the CSSJC. 

Bockelman’s appointment memo noted, “This appointment meets the requirements of the following elements of the committee charge: No fewer than five of the seven voting members shall represent Black, Indigenous, People of Color, or other historically marginalized communities. Appointments shall strive to represent a broad range of the town’s socioeconomic diversity.”

The CSSJC works to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and community safety in Amherst. The committee may provide advice and support to all town government entities including the Town Council, Town Manager, and town committees to fully realize the resolution “Affirming the Town of Amherst’s Commitment to End Structural Racism and Achieve Racial Equity for Black Residents” adopted by the Town Council, December 2020. The Committee works to support all members of the Amherst community to understand and enjoy the benefits of a community that is truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive of all and shall serve as a voice to marginalized and underrepresented residents. The charge of the CSSJC can be found here.

Biographical Profiles
The Town Manager provided the following biographical profiles for the nominees.

Evelin Figueroa is a new resident of Amherst and an avid arts enthusiast. She holds a BFA in Arts Management and has experience in art handling, grant writing and event coordination at art institutions like El Museo Del Barrio in New York city.

William Murray is relatively new to the community, moving here with his family about two years ago. He and his family are arts participants, mostly music. He is a communications consultant to the federal government and is well-versed in research and analysis and is experienced in engaging stakeholders. His interest is to enable others to have voice and to incorporate anti-bias and anti-racist values in the grant award process. Murray also served on the Amherst Regional Middle School Principal Search Committee.

Erica Piedade has worked in the field of public health for over 30 years and has worked at the University level for ten years. She is committed to equity and safety for all residents and those who work, study, or visit Amherst. She has served on – and co-chaired – the Town’s Municipal Affordable Housing Trust and is an active member of the Amherst community. She states that, as a woman of color with a very diverse blended family, she had valued raising her children in Amherst. She would like to seek out ways for Amherst to be a just place to live, work, study, worship, and recreate, and raise a family.

Angelique Ferguson is a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst studying Political Science and Afro-American studies. She would like to collaborate with student organizations to hear their thoughts and opinions to better inform the Committee’s work. Formerly, she worked for Boston City Councilor Enrique Pepen where she was engaged in working with City departments and committees and addressing constituent concerns.