HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-07-23-FHHR-min.pdf FAIR HOUSING AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMITTEE
MINUTES
7/23/97
Present: Ralph Clifford; Michelle Ekanem, Chair. Beverly Goodridge; Mary Haskell;
Stella Liu; Steve Baran, Fair Housing and Human Relations Director
Absent: Florence Baturin; Sue Cusack; Katherine Davis; Leona Martin; Dan
Fenn, Selectmen Liaison
Review of visit from Fernando Quezada, Business Committee
Ralph Clifford summarized visit of Fernando Quezada, Chairman of the New
Technology Subcommittee of the Selectmen's Business Committee Mr Quezada had
not been aware of racial demographics (Steve Baran has sent him a report on
proportion of African-Americans in Lexington compared to other communities). He was
sensitive to his unusual position as a Mexican-American, a person of color in
Lexington where he was active in town affairs. The conclusion drawn from the
conversation with Mr Quezada was that it behooved the Fair Housing Committee to
advocate for minority inclusion. There was the recognition that town departments (with
( the exception of the Police Department), committees and Town Meeting were not
inclusive. The Fair Housing Committee had a lot of work to do as the conscience of the
Town.
Creating an opportunity for people of color to participate in town governance
Suggestions for implementation included:
Conduct a needs assessment with people of color
Form a coalition to open up the issue and make diversity part of the platform.
Focus on town bodies that are most significant in the conduct of Town governance.
Invite people of color to an initial meeting.
Contact invitees through a telephone tree.
Begin by contacting African-Americans; then contact members of other minority
groups, e.g. Asians, Latinos.
Contact new people of color in town.
Fair Housing and Human Relations Committee Minutes Page 2
7/23/97
Have a party
Stella Liu traced the history of Asian-American participation in town government. It was
agreed that there would be further discussion on implementation at the next meeting.
MCAD and HUD expansion investigation contracts
Michelle Ekanem and Steve Baran discussed FY '98 request for response on MCAD
and HUD expansion investigation contracts that would serve to train people at the local
level to respond to complaints of discrimination. Steve said that he had talked with
Yves-Rose SaintDic of the MCAD and confirmed that the RFP applied only to
municipalities where there were commissions which were part of municipal
departments. It was noted that the Fair Housing Committee was not part of a municipal
department. The Committee agreed to invite Ms. SaintDic to the next meeting.
Racist graffiti
The Fair Housing Committee together with the Coalition for Racial Equality sent a letter
to the Minuteman protesting racial graffiti that had appeared on the walls of a local
school building with wording almost identical to that which appeared on a school
building on the weekend of the celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday