The Cape Elizabeth Town Council voted unanimously this week to appoint a Civil Rights Committee to help eliminate municipal policies that may contribute to systemic racism and inequality.

The seven-member committee will be assisted by a non-voting councilor and two students representing Cape Elizabeth high school and middle school, said Town Manager Matt Sturgis.

The committee will be expected to draft basic written goals by the end of this year and recommend council action steps by December 2021. The charge at the outset is to promote greater equity and inclusion throughout town government, departments and services.

South Portland and Portland have formed similar committees in response to recent Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of Black people by police in other states.

Protesters lie in the street in front of the police station in Cape Elizabeth during a recent protest against racism. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer