West Cook News

The Oak Park Public Library with the controversial consulting firm RGW continues its search for its new executive director.

Applicants have been shortlisted for a structured interview developed by RGW. 

"At its June 21 regular meeting, the Board of Library Trustees President Matt Fruth led discussion and collected trustee feedback on suggested interview questions and a ranking rubric developed by RGW Consulting to be used during virtual interviews with three final candidates," the Oak Park Public Library announced.

The final three candidates are Joslyn Bowling Dixon (Newark Public Library director), Shaunta McGee (program director at CEDA) and Jan Figa (Barry University director of library services).

Reesheda Graham Washington operates RGW Consulting, which specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training. The firm held a series of dialogues regarding DEI with Glen Ellyn officials in January 2021; RGW issued a report criticizing the village for having too many “white males” in leadership positions. The firm said that representation in the village is “homogenous, monolithic and patriarchal” thus excluding people of other backgrounds. RGW also suggested that Glen Ellyn “establish a community relations commission to deal with DEI issues going forward.” RGW disclosed that the program in Glen Ellyn cost $15,000 for 25 hours of discussion and six YouTube videos, according to Dupage Policy Journal. 

West Cook News obtained a police report through a Freedom of Information Act request that detailed an alleged hate crime at Live Café in Oak Park in January. Cafe owner Reesheda Graham-Washington alleged that someone wrote a racial slur, taped it to a rock, and threw it through her café window. Police investigated for six months and found no leads. Police said that the incident caused about $200 worth of damage. Cameras inside the café were not on during the incident, and there were no witnesses to the event. Following the incident, Graham held a candlelight vigil and created a GoFundMe page called “Help Live Cafe's Anti-Racist Mission in Oak Park.” She raised $27,325 from the page. The cafe sells $22 shirts that say, “I live for coffee, books, social justice and humanism.” Graham is also a principal of RWG consulting, a firm that partners with local governments to provide white employees “training” on their “implicit” racism. 

According to its website, RGW is a consulting firm “skilled at guiding individuals and groups on an inquisition of curiosity and wonder about their goals and passions” with a particular emphasis on decolonization and the “deconstruction of systems that marginalize historically underserved and/or underrepresented people groups.” RGW says it provides DEI training for organizations as well as consulting services that apply its DEI knowledge in the areas of “education, library science, marketing, UXD, aesthetics/design/space-making, entrepreneurship, community development and engagement and executive leadership.” RGW’s clients include Duke University, Dominican University and the Downers Grove Public Library. 

Lori Pulliam is the library’s interim executive director.