In a show of solidarity, leaders from numerous Oak Park organizations – governmental, nonprofit and business related – gathered at 4 p.m. Monday at Unity Temple to emphasize their shared commitment to inclusivity.
“Our strength lies in our diversity,” Village President Vicki Scaman said in a news release. “We will continue to remain unified in our dedication to our values. It is our collective strength that protects these values and ensures we will always remain a safe community for everyone.”
Oak Park has and will continue to work to be inclusive of all people, according to a village news release. The work can be imperfect, but the community is “unyielding” in its values, officials said.
Leaders from the Village of Oak Park, District 200, District 97, Oak Park Public Library, Park District of Oak Park, Housing Forward, Downtown Oak Park Business District, Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce, Community of Congregations and many more were in attendance.
The gathering comes just after Oak Park officials stated they will not assist in enforcement of federal immigration laws in civil cases. President Donald Trump’s administration has arrested more than 8,000 immigrants since his inauguration, with promises to deport them.
Rev. Emily Gage of Unity Temple kicked off the gathering by emphasizing that this community puts love at the center and celebrates diversity and inclusion. We’re all in this together, she said.
Scaman, surrounded by colleagues, then gave a speech describing Oak Park’s commitment to uphold values related to diversity, equity and inclusion. These values are under attack, she said, as the Trump administration takes power.
Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman and community organization leaders unite to give a statement on strength and diversity at Unity Temple on Monday February 10 2025 | Todd Bannor 
Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman and community leaders receive a standing ovation after giving a statement on strength and diversity at Unity Temple on Monday February 10 2025 | Todd Bannor 
Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman gives a statement on strength and diversity with community leaders at Unity Temple on Monday February 10 2025 | Todd Bannor
Trump issued an executive order Jan. 20 terminating “illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear,” according to NPR.
But Oak Park will stand in “loving solidarity,” Scaman said, with the LGBTQ+ community and the right to love who you love and be who you are. And individuals from all backgrounds deserve to feel respected, to have dignity and to feel as though they belong here, she said.
Scaman said the village will always be a welcoming and safe place for those seeking refuge.
In the spirit of those values, Oak Park took in migrants in the fall of 2023 many of whom spent several months in village-sponsored shelters. By April 2024, the village had come together to house 201 migrants.
Scaman also said education of young people in Oak Park will reflect its progressive values. While differences can sometimes lead to division, she said that in Oak Park, understanding and acceptance are the priority. And science will continue to be “the guiding light of policy making” here, she said.
The village will also continue to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and challenge barriers, Scaman said. DEI is foundational to how Oak Park aspires to live, she said.
Every person must embrace moral clarity to recognize the difference between doing what one is told versus doing what is right, she said.
Oak Park’s leaders will mobilize quickly to protect the community, Scaman said.
REMARKS FROM PRESIDENT SCAMAN
I want to talk a little bit about what makes a community. There are so many things that can bring people together — faith, family, education, work, shared purpose. Sometimes it’s as simple as loving the same sports team or sharing the same hobby. Community is all the little ways we build bridges between each other, forming the vibrant network of relationships that become the fabric of who we are together.
In the case of the community I have been elected to represent, Oak Park, it starts with borders and geography. But shared geography, over time, turns into shared history. And in this community of Oak Park, that shared history, the triumphs and failures, the building and growth, the striving and seeking, is a history – a story – of some very deeply held values.
Today those values are under attack. With great speed and ferocity, our national leaders are making changes that may transform the very nature of our federal government. And many of these changes are directed specifically at the values we hold dear.
We are a community that believes, fundamentally, that every person deserves to be safe, respected, and cared for. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not words we use to fearmonger in our community; they’re foundational to how we aspire to live. We care for and lift up the most vulnerable among us. We respect science and make collective decisions that reflect scientific consensus and progress. We celebrate other cultures and yearn for cultural exchange. We welcome strangers and new arrivals. We recognize the power of education to change lives for the better, and to keep us always mindful of the mistakes of the past.
We are human, and we are often imperfect in our striving to live up to our ideals. But we forge ahead guided by our collective belief that compassion, understanding, and inclusivity are strengths.
If we’re not careful, fear can cause us to close our hearts to each other. History is full of moments where people were ordered to abandon their values, and they obeyed out of fear. As a community, we must have the moral clarity to recognize when we have to choose between doing what we’re told, and doing what’s right.
Obviously this moment is difficult, and I don’t have all the answers. So many of you are uncertain and scared of the changes that are coming. But I, for one, am unwilling to concede these shared values in our community. I don’t know what the coming months and years will bring us, but I do know that we must be unyielding in our commitment to who we are, and what kind of community we want to be.
This means that our historic commitment to fostering racial integration, and to cultivating diversity and equity will continue. It means that we will stand in loving solidarity with our LGBTQ+ siblings, and that the right to love who we love and the right to be who we are will always be defended here. It means we will always be a welcoming village, and that those who seek refuge or opportunity here from afar will always be safe with us. It means that science will continue to be the guiding light of our policymaking. And it means that the education of our young people will always reflect these progressive values, and our continued growth as a community.
Strength lies in our diversity. Through our combined leadership, we are resolved to uphold compassion and embrace inclusivity. We gather together to demonstrate our commitment to leading as one, and we will continue to remain unified in our dedication to our values. It is our collective strength that protects these values and ensures we will always remain a safe community for everyone.