HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-01-14-LHRC-min.pdf
Town of Lexington Human Rights Committee
Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, January 14, 2026
LHRC MEMBERS PRESENT
Christina Lin, Chair (CL); Rachel Levy (RL); Judy Zola (JZ); Hafsah Syed (HS)
Liaisons in attendance - Dana Bickelman, Director of Human Services (DB); Juanica Buchanan, Human
Services Outreach Coordinator (JB); Andrea So, Lexington Public Schools, Director of Elementary
Curriculum (AS); Sarah Carter, School Committee liaison (SC),
The minutes recorded by Christina Lin
1. Welcome/Call to order –
2. Minutes Approval
3. Community Conversation on Race planning
a. The group were excited about plans for the community conversation and the activator fair.
b. Including a youth component to enable parents of young children to attend was discussed.
Several members expressed interest in exploring the logistics needed to make this happen,
either for the upcoming program or for the following year. The main goal was to create
opportunities to broaden the profile of participants to this event to widen the perspectives
that may help shape the conversation.
4. Parent Academy request for sponsorship:
a. LPS School Health Advisory Council's (SHAC) and the LHS PTO are partnering towards
the Annual Parent & Caregiver Academy on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at the Lexington
Community Center. This is a free event designed to educate and empower parents and
caregivers to manage the changing demands of parenting in today’s world.
b. An attendee wanted to point out that non-binary gender identities have always existed
and this identity is not limited to students, but across all ages.
c. The committee unanimously approved the 2026 program.
5. Planning board development applications -
a. Two projects were reviewed - 475 Bedford Street and 114 Wood St projects. Both projects
include 15% affordable units and increase the diversity of housing stock in Lexington
where the town is still largely made up of single homes. The committee were appreciative
of the larger percentage of affordable units.
b. Committee members voted to support approval by Planning Board of the projects based on
their projected contribution to increasing housing in a time where the state is experiencing
a housing shortage crisis and also creating more middle-income affordable homes which
are greatly lacking in Lexington.
6. Vote on letter of support for the LHS and MS Social studies department at LPS to be accepted in
their application to Brandeis University Presidents Initiative on Antisemitism. Committee
members supported LPS taking a more proactive stance on building a stronger knowledge base
for combating antisemitism in the schools. One member noted that no K-5 educators and only
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
one middle school educator (1 at Diamond, 0 at Clarke) was in the application pool and hoped
that lessons and insights learned would be shared among all staff/educators if the LPS social
studies cohort are accepted into the program. The group also hoped that the community would
also have the opportunity to learn, especially as antisemitism is on the rise not just in schools,
but in the broader community. Members vote unanimously to support the letter of
recommendation. The Chair will send this update to the application office at Brandeis.
7. Discussion on recent national incidents with immigration enforcement. In the wake of Renee
Good’s murder by a federal immigration agent in MN, the Chair questioned the role of the LHRC
in supporting the community in a time of fear and grief. There was not sufficient time left to
discuss this question, but the group was interested in following up in a future meeting.
8. 10:30am - meeting adjourned
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE • LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420