HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-12-13-LHRC-min-copyTown of Lexington Human Rights Committee
Meeting Minutes for Wednesday,Dec 13,2023
Conducted in remotely on Zoom
Call to Order 8:55 am
LHRC MEMBERS PRESENT
Christina Lin,Chair (CL);Stephanie Hsu,Vice-Chair (SH);Lieutenant Colleen Dunbar -Town of
Lexington Police (CD);Larry Freeman -Lexington Public School District (LF)(left at 9:59am);Lois
Bruss (LB);Amber Iqbal (AI)(arrived at 9:06am)
Absent:Stephanie Stonefish Ryan (SSR)
The minutes recorded by Stephanie Hsu,LHRC Vice-Chair
1.Minutes Approval -For our November minutes we will need new members to review the
video or transcript in order for us to have a quorum for approval since several members
are new.Moving forward we will have to share the Clerk's responsibility until one of our
newer members is comfortable taking minutes.
2.Reminder for each of us to submit a short bio sharing who we are,why we are on the
LHRC,how we are involved in the community.This will be on the website so that others
can get to know us.
3.Proposal to hold 2x per month (one 90 min and one 60 min)or have a plan for a
longer 2-2.5 hour meeting once a month.The benefit of 2x/month is we can cancel the
shorter meeting if it isn’t necessary.But currently,we are not able to get through
discussions and issues within the 90 min window.
a.Days/times for second meeting
b.Pros
i.We can cancel the shorter meeting if it isn’t necessary.
ii.It is hard to get everything done in one meeting,and this would allow
us to prioritize the focus for each meeting.
c.Comments -Committee members agreed that two meetings make sense,but we
need to ensure that we keep to the allotted time,so that we don’t end up with two
longer meetings.
d.CL made a motion to add a second monthly meeting for the LHRC to take place on
the 4th Wednesday at 9:00am,ending at 10am.LB second -Passed 6-0-0.
4.Welcome new LHRC members –Welcome Lois Bruss and Stephanie Stonefish Ryan.
SSR isn’t able to be here today.SH &CL will meet with her separately.
a.Introduced our liaisons -Mark Sandeen (SB),Hemali Shaw (CEO),Eileen Jay
(SC),Shaun Grady (CoD)
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5.Pathways to LHRC goals by July 2024 -See attached Goals presentation -our second
meeting in January we will be diving into this.We used to focus on 3 programs –No Hate
November,MLK Day Conversation on Race,Race Amity Day –Two of these programs
have been smaller ones.We will be looking into what programming makes sense for us to
meet our goal.
a.Our multi-year goal is to increase the strength of the community by reducing
divisive rhetoric.Only when we are able to see that we have more in common than
not,are we able to unlock possibilities for a shared future together.How are we
going to achieve this goal?
i.Understanding Hate speech and balancing it with freedom of speech
ii.Building skills for difficult conversations
b.Suggested reading/workshops
i.When Getting Along Is Not Enough –Maureen Walker Ph.D.
ii.Loretta Ross –Calling In
iii.Nonviolent Communication:A Language of Life:Life-Changing Tools
for Healthy Relationships –Marshall Rosenberg
c.CL &SH suggest that we group committee members into groups of 2-3 to discuss
pathway to goals (AI,SH,SSR)(LF,LB,CD)–CL will check in with each group.
This will be to bring forward proposals for how to meet our goals,as well as other
ideas for who we can partner with and who our audience is.Committee supports
this idea.Another suggestion is allowing MS/HS students an opportunity to be a
LHRC member for a day.Could we have a book club to dive deeper into these
subjects.The goal is to have steps in place by June/July,so we can plan accordingly
for the fall.
6.CEL grant.We need someone to take the lead on writing the grant.It’s okay to pull help
from the community.It doesn’t have to be entirely done only by LHRC (2 people -SH &
SSR).SH will look into the feasibility of this either for this cycle or the next one.
7.Connecting with community stakeholders –we would like to start having more
liaison roles in the community and to help build relationships and know where we can
collaborate with others.Liaison responsibility is to check in with their group to see what
they are doing and let them know what we are doing.We are encouraging a “habit”of
coming to us when there are opportunities to work together or when issues arise.You
don’t have to have a natural affinity with these groups,but it is an opportunity for you to
explore and develop a relationship with others.Some of the groups are listed here:ABCL,
CAAL,CALex,IAL,BALex,LICA,SEPAC,LexPride,Housing Partnership,Council on
Aging,Commission on Disability,Collaborative Reform Group.
8.Building Permit Applications process -Who can look at the Planning Board -
Building permit applications?This is based on Abby McCabe’s presentation in November.
The Planning Board is asking the LHRC to review applications from an equity lens.AI and
CL will look into this further.
9.Workgroup updates
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a.MLK Day,January 15 -Community Conversation on Race –We need as many
members as possible available by 9am to assist with the program.
b.MCAS Disparities workgroup –Recent MCAS numbers show a discrepancy in
performance for our Black/African American students.The workgroup will be
focusing on external factors that may be influencing this disparity,while the school
is looking at the internal causes.
c.Resume Racial Disparities Subcommittee meetings -need 1 LHRC member
volunteer –will discuss further at next meeting –email CL interest.
10.Member updates
a.CL -Menorah Lighting –Gathering Thursday,December 14,Emory Park –
celebration for the last day of Hanukkah.Sponsored by Temple Emunah,Temple
Isaiah,and the Chabad Center.LUAA encouraged participation in a conversation
sponsored by the ADL –Shining a Light on Hate
b.SH -Collaborative Reform Group (CRG)are refining our charge and working on
our next conversation.There is a Training Active Bystander workshop in
Mandarin,December 13.There are two upcoming ABCL events –January 4,
unveiling of the newest banners &January 14,MLK Celebration Concert.
c.LF –SC working with consultants about closing academic gaps,particularly
around literacy –final report TBD.
d.CD –Incidents around bias and hate please encourage them to report to LPD.
11.Unexpected Items Not Reasonably Anticipated in Advance
12.Public Comments for Items Not on the Agenda
13.Meeting Adjourned at 10:18 am
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE •LEXINGTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02420