HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-18-LHRC-min.pdf
Town of Lexington Human Rights Committee
Meeting Minutes for Thursday, September 18, 2025
LHRC MEMBERS PRESENT
Christina Lin, Chair (CL); Stephanie Hsu, Vice-Chair (SH); Stephanie Ryan (SR); Judy Zola (JZ); Hafsah
Syed (HS); Mamata Banerjee (MB)
Liaisons in attendance - Colleen Dunbar, Lexington Police (CD); Dana Bickelman, Director of Human
Services (DB); Sarah Carter, School Committee liaison (SC)
The minutes recorded by Christina Lin
1. Meeting called to order at 7:04pm
2. Meeting minutes for
a. May 09, May 14 and September 10, 2025 approved by unanimous vote
b. Minutes for future meetings will be taken by
Oct 8 (CL), Nov 19 (MB), Dec 10 (JZ), Jan 14 (SH)
3. LHRC voted to approve sponsorship of the Dismantling Racism in Our Town
workshops for 2025/26 by unanimous vote.
4. Creating additional LHRC Working Groups
a. Creating the working groups will allow the committee to cover more areas of
interest more efficiently. Four additional working groups were proposed: (1)
Community Conversation/Civil Dialogue (2) Anti-Hate/Anti-Bias (3) Housing (4)
PR - raising awareness about LHRC
There was a discussion about where Free Speech/Hate Speech should reside. The
Chair expressed it was an important issue for the LHRC to be knowledgeable
about and very relevant to the current political climate. However, most committee
members felt it made more sense for this topic to sit under anti-Hate/anti-Bias.
The Chair was concerned it would not be prioritized and it was left to sit under
Anti-Hate/Anti-Bias.
CD offered to put together a presentation to inform committee about hate crimes
and related issues (ie. understanding hate crime vs hate incident, hate speech,
local and state resources). This can help lay foundational understanding while
more concrete plans for the Anti-Hate/Anti-Bias working group get developed.
There was emphasis on creating deliverable resources/workshop/presentation
outcomes to the community and holding the groups accountable with a timeline.
HS emphasized that marketing and communication of the existence of the LHRC
and its programs must be effective in order for any LHRC programming to have
any chance for an impact. She pointed out the Spring Challenging Conversation
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
program as a prime example of where the content was excellent, but only a literal
handful of people showed up.
b. Working Group assignments
i. Civil Dialogue/Community Conversation - SR, HS, JZ
ii. Anti-Hate/Anti-Bias - CL, CD
iii. Housing - JZ, SH. It was also suggested that Penny Tsounis from Youth and
Family Services can be a valuable resource in helping with this working
group.
iv. PR - HS, MB, SR; additionally, it was suggested that the external facing DEI
officer can also help support this work.
v. Existing working group - Immigration Rights - RL
vi. Existing working group - MLK Day Community Conversation on Race
c. The committee discussed how this would work with the new working groups:
i. Working groups would include 1-3 LHRC members (under the quorum) and
community members
ii. Each working group should develop a clear mission, objectives, tangible
deliverables and a timeline
d. Next Steps : Due at the next meeting on October 8 are
i. Working group objectives
ii. Tangible deliverable to the community
iii. Timeline
5. Appointing LHRC members to the Racial Disparities Subcommittee
a. There was a request to see the mission of the subcommittee to understand it’s
objectives and what is meant by racial disparities.
b. Stephanie Hsu and Christina Lin are appointed subcommittee members
c. It was also recommended that the Internal and external DEI officers be added
to this group when they are hired.
6. Member updates/announcements
a. Shana Tova - Rosh Hashana begins sundown on Monday Sept 22 thru Wed.
It is the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the High Holy Days. It
spurred further sharing of other upcoming cultural and religious celebrations.
Upcoming programs/events
Reminder: Board & Committee Bootcamp - RSVP Today
Dear Board and Committee Members, We’re looking forward to hosting you at Lexington’s Board &
Committee Bootcamp! A one-of-a-kind, in-person event designed to strengthen our boards and
committees and connect civic leaders across town.
Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM; Cary Memorial Building
If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, please take a moment today: RSVP LINK
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
Black Patriots of Lexington: Monday, September 22 at 9:30AM
At the Visitor Center
Through a grant with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, come celebrate and learn
about Prince Estabrook, Eli Burdoo, and Pompey Fiske through newly released animated videos
playing at the Lexington Visitors Center! On Monday, September 22 at 9:30 a.m. join Town of
Lexington staff and historian Sean D. Osborne for an unveiling to celebrate the untold stories of
important patriots.
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 PM
Location: Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington
Join the Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL) for an enchanting evening of
tradition and artistry. Come together with family and friends to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival
in our community and share the magic beneath the brightest moon.
The admission is free but registration is required. Please register using the link below:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/mid-autumn-festival–2025
Town is purchasing account to access Raceforward program
https://www.raceforward.org/projects-programs-%26-initiatives/cultural-week-of-action
Activism Conference program:https://www.amnestyusa.org/regional-activism-conference-2025/
Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrations:
Sunday, Oct 12th - Watertown IPD from 12-3pm lots of great events
Monday, Oct 13th Lexington & Winchester IPD programs
In Lexington - education programs at Lexington Depot and plant walk 10-12pm
In Winchester, Plant walk from 10-12pm & programs
Dismantling Racism in Our Town:
New Zoom Session starts October 8, 2025 thru November 19.
Wednesdays 9-11am; Registration is open
Dismantling Racism In Our Town is a seven-week learning journey offered by and for those who
live, work, study and/or worship in Lexington or nearby towns. It is designed to strengthen our
personal and collective awareness of anti-Black racism and its consequences; and to commit
together to undo and repair the legacies of racism and white supremacy in ourselves and our
communities. Please join us!
Learn more and register here for this popular, free learning & action series! Contact us at
LexDismantlingRacism@gmail.com with questions.
Supported by the Lexington Human Rights Committee and the Lexington Lyceum Advocates.
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
Inclusion Workshop October 14th:
This is a workshop to supoort businesses in understanding accommodations and inclusion
practices to support hiring people with disabilities. Program details and flyer are in the works.
Meeting adjourned at 8:24pm
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420