Cary is already one of the Triangle’s most diverse towns. Why it’s not stopping there.

She’s halfway through her first term on the Cary Town Council, but Ya Liu says she still can’t believe she was elected.

“I’m an immigrant,” said Liu, the first Asian American on the council. “It still strikes me as impossible that I was elected to serve this community — to have the honor to represent this town.

Liu, who is from China and has lived in Cary for about 12 years, said her election reflects the town’s welcoming nature and growing diversity.

Now local leaders hope to build on that with a new Human Relations, Inclusion & Diversity Task Force to better serve all Cary residents.

“I feel like the diversity within the community is what makes Cary a great place to live, work, play, to raise the family,” said Rashonda Harris, the diversity, equity and inclusion manager for Cary. “And we work very hard in Cary to celebrate and leverage that diversity so that Cary can continue to sustain an inclusive and welcoming community for all.”

The task force will offer suggestions to connect underrepresented citizens, visitors and businesses to town services, while improving public engagement.

People of Asian descent make up the largest racial group of color in Cary, accounting for nearly 1 in 4 town residents, according to the 2020 census. Cary’s Asian residents make up just over 11% of North Carolina’s entire Asian population.

Hispanic/Latino and Black individuals each contribute approximately 8% of Cary’s population.

“What makes Cary stand out is that it is one of the most diverse communities in the state with over 175,000 residents,” Harris said. “We have so much representation as it relates to identities and lived experiences and backgrounds within Cary.”

A major goal of the task force will be identifying areas for improvement in Cary, according to Harris.

Liu wants the task force to lead toward more diverse town committees while amplifying the voices of local businesses and communities of color.

“I’m hoping that not only can we bring in the insights from the citizens, but also we know we want more diversity on our advisory boards and want more diversity on our town staff,” Liu said. “This is an opportunity for us to look at exactly what are the missing pieces.”

Council Member Lori Bush, the at-large representative for Cary, also hopes the task force can find ways to reach and encourage more diverse applicants for town boards.

“If you don’t have a diverse group of applicants, it can sometimes be hard to get a diverse group of members,” Bush said. “And I was seeing this across a lot of places. So how can we be more intentional, as well as gather the information so that we could have a diverse group of opinions in decision making processes, which would then lead to better outcomes.”

‘A thing we say in Cary’

Both Harris and Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht called the task force a natural progression of the town’s work.

“This is just an evolution of things we’ve been doing for many, many years. And it’s not surprising,” Weinbrecht said. “We have a thing we say in Cary, that we want to be the community that doesn’t exist. We don’t want to be like somebody else. We want to be something that nobody else has thought of.”

Weinbrecht signed the Obama Foundation’s Reimagining Policing Pledge, which promises to review local law enforcement practices to prevent systemic racism. Efforts like the Building Bridges Program and partnering with Tru Access on Barber Shop Rap Sessions also seek to build closer ties.

And celebrations of religious and cultural holidays like Eid al-Fitr, Diwali and Kwanzaa promote and welcome diverse communities, Bush said.

“I think that those events help to showcase the diversity and give people an opportunity to learn about each other,” Bush said. “And I think this (task force) is just another example of looking for ways for us to do better.

According to Weinbrecht, living in Cary gives him the opportunity to learn about different cultures.

When he told his children he spent months learning a traditional Indian dance for Diwali, they just had to see it for themselves.

“My kids came from out of town to see that. They’re like, ‘Dad, doesn’t dance. What are you talking about? I’m like, ‘no, he’s going to perform.’” Weinbrecht recalled.

“I thought that was so much fun to get to know their culture and the things they value. And so I go to Diwali every year and sit on the front row and watch all the performances.”

Though dancing is somewhat out of character for Weinbrecht, he said his participation allows him to embrace and explore a culture different from his own.

“And that goes across race, gender identity – it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It is all very important. And when you get to know everyone, it makes a beautiful community and that’s very important. I think the entire council feels the way I do.”

Data-driven decisions

Bush proposed the task force in June of 2020 with Liu seconding the request. The council vote was unanimous.

“I wanted to do something that wasn’t to make people feel good, but based on decisions and data, and then to take action on those data driven decisions,” Bush explained. “Similar to why the mayor signed the Obama foundation pledge – because it actually had commitment to action on the back end.”

Cary residents were invited to apply for the task force through Jan. 14, with 47 people applying for seven spots to be appointed by Weinbrecht. Members will serve two years, or until the task force completes a work plan.

“I think there will definitely be great work for this task force,” Harris said. “We know there are so many people out in the community that are very passionate about this work that are change agents, and they’re ready to get involved and help do this work.”

The Human Relations, Inclusion and Diversity Task Force meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in-person or virtually at Town Hall, 316 N. Academy St.

This story was originally published January 15, 2022 at 8:00 AM.