HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-05-13-LHRC-min.pdf
Town of Lexington Human Rights Committee
Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, May 13, 2026
LHRC MEMBERS PRESENT
Christina Lin, Chair (CL); Stephanie Hsu, Vice-Chair (SH); Rachel Levy (RL); Judy Zola (JZ); Hafsah Syed
(HS)
Liaisons in attendance - Mark Sandeen, Select Board (MS); Dana Bickelman, Director of Human Services
(DB); Juanica Buchanan, Clinical Engagement and Community Equity Officer (JB); Andrea So, Lexington
Public Schools, Director of Elementary Curriculum (AS); Eileen Jay, School Committee liaison (EJ); Shaun
Grady, Liaison to Commission on Disability (SG)
The minutes written by Christina Lin
Action steps for next meeting
● CL - send off Immigration working group presentation to Select Board
● HS: Share the one-page operating framework/guideline for working groups with Christina and
Stephanie for review, and if agreed, share with the full committee.
● RL/SH: Recirculate the event planning checklist/discussion guide to the committee for use as a
uniform template for all events.
● RL - Immigration Working Group: Share their working group documentation/model with the
committee as an example for other working groups.
● ALL Committee Members:
○ Between now and June, think about/propose what the civil discourse working group could
look like and bring ideas to the next meeting.
○ Notify Chair of any dates to avoid for next year's meeting calendar. See next year’s
calendar here.
○ Develop working group proposals, evaluating what's achievable for next year.
○ Contribute ideas for civil discourse public service messages/norms for potential monthly
distribution.
○ Help get the word out about upcoming Human Services mental health month programs
(nutrition, eating disorders in different cultures).
● Discovery Day -(JZ, SH, RL,HS.): Prepare for and staff the HRC table at Discovery Day, including
gathering and distributing relevant materials/swag/red cards
Minutes
1. Meeting called to order at 9:06am hybrid (Community Center, Rm 242 & zoom)
2. Updates from Working Groups
a. Housing Working Group - MS provided an update on local housing efforts, including a
proposal from the Housing Partnership Board to increase Lexington’s affordable housing
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stock to a true 10%, which would require nearly doubling the current number of affordable
units. The Select Board asked the group to collaborate with the Planning Board, Lexhab, and
the Affordable Housing Trust on zoning changes and related housing initiatives. Discussion
also highlighted the limited availability of affordable homeownership opportunities and
Lexington’s recent designation as a Housing Choice community, making the town eligible for
additional state funding opportunities.
The committee also discussed the appropriate role of the LHRC in housing matters alongside
existing town housing groups. Suggested roles included evaluating whether housing
initiatives promote equitable outcomes, addressing housing-related complaints submitted to
the LHRC, and sharing resources on tenant and homeowner rights.
b. Immigration Working Group - This working group has met its main objectives and will
continue supporting local partnerships and red card distribution while temporarily pausing
before reassessing in a few months. The presentation to LHRC on April 08, 2026 will be sent to
the Select Board within the week.
c. MLK Jr. Day Planning - no new updates
d. Anti-Hate / Anti-Bias Working Group – The committee discussed the May 11, 2026
program featuring District Attorney Marian Ryan on hate crimes versus hate incidents, which
also served as the public launch of the working group. Members considered the event successful,
with roughly 40 attendees and strong community engagement. Discussion highlighted concerns
about how hate and bias incidents—particularly in schools—are reported and addressed, with
many participants expressing uncertainty about whether reporting leads to meaningful
outcomes. Members emphasized the importance of accountability and modeling appropriate
responses among both youth and adults. To understand the school districts efforts in educating
students about hate, AS shared an update on the Learning for Justice curriculum, which focuses
on diversity, action, justice, and identity, and supports educators in proactively teaching
justice-centered practices. The group’s next step is to recruit additional community members.
e. Community dialogue/civil discourse. -Members agreed that Community Conversations
may be better incorporated as an approach used across other working groups, rather than
existing as a standalone working group. However, several members and liaisons expressed
interest in the civil discourse component, particularly in light of the increasing prevalence of
aggressive and harmful online communication. Discussion centered on whether a dedicated
working group should be created to provide guidance and promote standards for respectful civil
discourse within the community. It was also noted that some of this work might also fall under
anti-hate/anti-bias. Some suggested that the LHRC could play an important role in offering
guidance and serving as a model for constructive dialogue. The committee will continue exploring
potential initiatives related to this topic and has decided to place the concept on hold until clearer
objectives and more concrete goals are established; especially in light of the fact that members
are already plugged into existing working groups with ongoing initiatives.
3. LHRC Goal Setting - continuation of discussion from April 08, 2026
a. HS presented slides (LHRC goal setting May 2026 PDF) outlining potential next steps for the
LHRC, with further discussion planned for June. Committee members emphasized the
importance of creating clearer expectations and accountability structures for working group
members while avoiding unnecessary burdens on volunteers. Three recommendations were
discussed: developing a one-page operating framework for each working group outlining goals,
meetings, and representation; establishing clearer expectations for member participation and
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accountability; and creating coordinated timelines for deliverables to support more focused and
effective work. Members also noted that not all working groups may require the same structure,
as different topics and goals may call for different approaches. For example, the
Anti-Hate/Anti-Bias Working Group may benefit from broader and more diverse participation,
while other groups may function more effectively with smaller, highly active teams.
b. Additional information from a member survey of LHRC self-assessment and effectiveness of
meetings was shared (LHRC_member survey for 2025_26 PDF). The survey showed that
members felt meetings could improve with more structure and clarity in the purpose of
discussion topics. This feedback is consistent to “limited time” being a unanimous issue for all
members’ ability to participate at various times. There was also a suggestion to include liaisons
from the Commission on Disability, Community Wellness Collaborative, and Council on Aging to
deepen understanding of the issues in the community. And a suggestion to include work that
LHRC members did in partnership with other committees in the summary of accomplishments
by the LHRC.
c. Members shared the working groups that they were interested in working on:
1. Housing - JZ, CL
2. Anti-Hate/Anti-Bias - RL, SH, HS
3. Community conversation/Civil Dialogue - MB
4. Immigration - RL, CL
The committee discussed streamlining their working groups and debated whether to maintain a civil
discourse working group. After discussing the scope and feasibility of addressing civil discourse, the
group agreed to focus on three established working groups: anti-hate and bias, housing, and
immigration (in addition to MLK Day), while postponing decisions about civil discourse until June.
The committee also discussed attendance expectations, with members committing to attend at least
75% of meetings.
4. Committee and Liaison Updates
a. DB shared that interviews for a Transportation Manager will take place soon.
b. LPS Bathroom discussion - the district is scheduling opportunities to listen and explain the
bathroom design for the new high school.
5. Meeting adjourned at 11:06am
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