HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-11-12-LHRC-min.pdf
Town of Lexington Human Rights Committee
Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, November 12, 2025
LHRC MEMBERS PRESENT
Christina Lin, Chair (CL); Stephanie Hsu, Vice-Chair (SH); Judy Zola (JZ); Rachel Levy (RL); Hafsah
Syed (HS)
Liaisons in attendance - Colleen Dunbar, Lexington Police (CD); Dana Bickelman, Director of Human
Services (DB); Juanica Buchanan, Human Services Outreach Coordinator (JB); Andrea So, Lexington
Public Schools, Director of Elementary Curriculum (AS); Eileen Jay, School Committee liaison (EJ);
Sarah Carter, School Committee liaison (SC), Shaun Grady, Liaison to Commission on Disability (SG)
Guest:
The minutes recorded by Christina Lin and Stephanie Hsu
1. Meeting called to order at 8:40am
2. End of year gathering will be determined off line
3. LHRC - Cultural calendar video series
a. Potentially SR/HS would be great for this.
b. Post these videos on our website
c. Keep the videos <1min
d. A focus on how to schedule respectfully around the dates for observances and possibly
including a greeting. Being careful that the information is inclusive of the various ways a
religious/cultural celebration can be observed.
e. A diversity of perspectives for each holiday
4. Discuss Select Board Goals
a. Where does LHRC fit under the SB goal? The committee felt it was under ‘livable
community’ :
i. Work with HPB to support goals around housing access, support services and
protection of vulnerable tenants.
ii. Support goal of true 10% affordable housing goals
iii. Increase a sense of community by considering health, safety, and systemic
barriers in all decisions and planning processes. The committee discussed the
idea of what a ‘sense of community’ meant and decided it was subjective and
difficult to measure (ie - community survey, attendance at events). Rather, a
sense of community might be tangible in terms of meeting resident’s needs.
Along those lines, the committee thought it could support this by raising
awareness and helping the community connect to existing Town resources.
iv. Also, is internal staff sense of community a part of this goal?
1. Follow up with Tangible Development Report
2. What is the temperature in the community? (20/20 vision survey)?
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
5. Discussion on LHRC partnership and engagement with the new equity team: Assistant Director,
Human Resources (internal facing equity officer), Clinical engagement and community equity
officer (external facing equity officer) and Community Engagement coordinator.
a. How can the LHRC welcome the new equity team and support their work?
i. Building personal relationships - not just Chair and Vice Chair
ii. Joint road show - potentially sharing LHRC goals alongside equity team goals
to various committees/organizations
iii. Provide the new equity team with a summary of LHRC work and goals.
b. What's the best way for the LHRC to build and maintain a collaborative partnership
with the new equity team? (ie - LHRC meetings? )
i. Can HRC identify/establish point people to community groups
ii. Perhaps resurrect community roundtable - building connections with
community leader stakeholders (build a roundtable for february /march)
1. Setting boundaries and expectations for community connections. What
the team can offer/not offer. Concerns about the community
approaching the equity team/coordinate/external officer for all events.
2. Questions around how the coordinator role supports community
events? unfinished
c. What are actions/concerns that the LHRC would like to share as considerations to
explore for the new team? The point of this question is for the LHRC to lay out
issues/topics that the committee sees pertinent to raise with the new equity team. The
intent is to share this committee's perspectives and provide a starting point for dialogue
and collaboration. There are no expectations that these suggestions would become
obligatory for staff, especially without consulting them first.
i. Annual report out on DEI goals and metrics - such as efforts to diversify staff
ii. External facing officers might be engaged with how the community is treating
each other. How can we work together to address conflicts in the community.
iii. Work with equity team on process to put in place when there is an incident in
Town (Hate/Bias working group)
iv. Reporting on progress and metrics on equity goals in the Town, similar to
M.Duffield’s report to the SB.
v. Following up with TD’s report and work.
vi. Christina to write up a summary and review and finalize at next meeting
6. Update on Working groups
a. Immigration Working Group - Immigration Rights & Safety Program - PLEASE GET THE
WORD OUT!!!!
b. Community Wellness Collaborative (CWC)
i. Trying to grow the group. Momentum is building
ii. Trying to create a program for neurodiversity and adulting
iii. Paused the programming - developing a survey to the community
7. Unexpected Items Not Reasonably Anticipated in Advance
a. Intercommunity group dialogue training with Essential Partners, $5500
i. SH - motion to commit Lexington to be a part of the Essential Partner training for a
cost under $1,500.00 - Second -RL - Passed 4-0-0
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b. Letter to the Editor in support of education that normalizes natural human gender
expression and orientation
i. The discussion covered a range of thoughts around supporting the LGBTQ+
community. There was also a caution not to demonize those whose opinions and
values might not align with the LHRC, rather to focus on the debated question.
ii. However, as a Town committee, it was decided any potential statement from LHRC
needs to avoid the risk of interfering with the lawsuit against the Town.
c. Indigenous Beadwork (Nov22, community center)
Meeting adjourned, 10:49am
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420