Since CoDE (Coalition on Diversity & Equity) began in 2020, we have grown dramatically. Beginning as a community group working to bring issues related to diversity and equity to the forefront in the town of Hebron, we now serve the five towns of Andover, Columbia, Hebron, Marlborough, and most recently, East Hampton.
CoDE is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan, educational nonprofit organization. Our mission is to build more diverse, equitable and vibrant communities. Under CoDE’s umbrella are the community groups, Small Town Pride CT and East Hampton CT Pride, which support the LGBTQ+ community. We are completely volunteer led. We host workshops, community conversations and multi-cultural celebrations, support the creation of affordable housing, and speak up against injustice.
CoDE is in a critical time in our evolution. Dramatic changes are occurring in the national landscape. Hard-won progress in civil rights, social justice and gender equality is being destroyed. Services are being cut, histories are being eliminated, identities are threatened.
While CoDE is a hyper-local organization focused on the five towns we serve, decisions made at the state and federal level clearly affect the lives and well-being of people in our communities.
We want everyone to know that we understand the assignment. We will not retreat. We firmly believe that all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and to have every opportunity to live, work, play – and be safe – in our communities. This includes people who have been marginalized: persons of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community (and if there’s any doubt, the T stands for transgender people).
If you’d like to join us, email us at code.diversity1@gmail.org.
Together, we are strong.
Together, we will continue to be a positive force for good.
