Beverly HRC Feb 6 meeting notes 2.15.20 (1)Beverly Human Rights Committee
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, February 6, 2020
8amto9.30am
Beverly City Hall, 3 d Floor Conference Room B
1. Committee appointments
• Leah happy to stay on as Chair so long as members agree. Members can discuss
before /during next meeting and decide when we have a quorum.
• One position remains open. ACTION: Leah will email Mayor Cahill to inquire about
status.
• Can Councilor Rand be our HRC liaison on the City Council? Her pivotal role in
establishing the Committee and her ongoing support make her a great choice for the
HRC's first liaison.
• ACTION: Contact Paul Guanci to discuss and formally request.
2. Combatting anti - Semitism
• Anti - Semitic acts are on the rise in the US; this affects all age groups, including children
and elders. There have been local incidents
• We discussed whether to re -issue the letter of 2 years ago (Mayor, Chief, and HRC) with
updates
• We like the idea of a formal statement or affirmation to stand up against anti - Semitism
that others can use /build upon.
• We agree that this needs to be coupled with some kind of educational activity, and that
not everyone is aware of the nuances of ant - Semitism that cut across the political
spectrum, and ways, for example, in which it intersects with racism.
• Temple B'Nai Abraham will conduct an internal community reading and discussion of
Deborah Lipstadt's book Anti - Semitism: Here and Now Many community leaders may
have received the book.
• The Committee agreed to hold an additional broader community reading in the spring. It
doesn't have to be only for faith groups, and we can provide recommended excerpts,
translation, and brainstorm other ways for the activity to be accessible to all members of
the community.
• ACTION /IDEA: Alison and Leah suggest holding off on the letter /statement until AFTER
the community reading so that the sentiments in the statement can be community -
sourced.
• ACTION /IDEA: Sal suggests that reaching out by video would is an effective way to reach
more community members.
3. Black History Month
• Please share events
• "On Sat. February 29 the Cape Ann Museum will host a free panel discussion and
workshop: The Promises and Limits of the New Republic: A Closer Look at African
Americans on Cape Ann featuring scholars Joanne Pope Melish, Kabria Baumgartner and
Lise Breen, and moderated by Bethany Jay. Free PDPs are available through Essex
Heritage for teachers who attend the entire event from 1:00- 4:00 PM and create an
activity plan based on the workshop"
• " Voices Against Injustice sponsors an audio tour that you can download (for free) on
your smartphone. Download the UniGuide mobile app and select "Salem's Black
Heritage" to visit 24 stops around town associated with Salem's black history. This tour
covers historical figures and events from the role ofTituba in the Salem Witch Trials to
the success of contemporary author Stephen Hemingway."
• Author Karin McLarin at SSU on Thursday, February 20, 2020 7:30pm — 9:OOpm.
"McLarin is the author of the critically - acclaimed novels "Taming It Down" (1999),
"Meeting of the Waters" (2001), and "Jump at the Sun" (2006) and of the memoir
"Divorce Dog: Motherhood, Men, & Midlife." McLarin is also co- author of the memoir
"Growing Up V with Ilyasah Shabazz. Her most recent book is "Womanish: A Grown
Black Woman Speaks on Life and Love." McLarin's nonfiction writing has appeared in
The New York Times, the New England Review, the Sewanee Review, Glamour, The
Washington Post and other publications. She is a former staff writer for The New York
Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Greensboro News & Record, and The Associated
Press. Currently, she writes a monthly column for thelily.com
4. Salem Film Fest co- sponsorship
• The HRC agrees that it will be exciting to co- sponsor this event. Each year there are at
least a few films that sync with our mission. We look forward to this year's line up and
understand our role will include local promotion and attendance at the Beverly
screenings.
S. Indigenous People's Day Discussion
• "While Christopher Columbus's voyages opened up economic and political opportunities
for European powers, the colonization of the New World led to the exploitation of its
indigenous peoples, often violently and eventually with disastrous results for many
cultures. Columbus's participation in such brutality eventually led to his arrest and
caused him to lose favor with the Spanish monarchy. Columbus Day is a national holiday
in the United States, but due to inhumane actions taken by the European powers who
came in waves to the Americas, several states have replaced the holiday with Indigenous
People's Day to honor the original inhabitants of these lands" National Geographic,
2020.
• ACTION /IDEA:
• Explore how we can ask to support Statehouse Bill support
• Reach out to Danvers to learn from their process
• Meet to discuss possibilities for local action!
• Can we host in summer a community event to spotlight the request? Beverly Middle
School Student project may be able to help us with this.
6. Feb 18th City Council Meeting participation (7 pm — 5 mins)
• Announce community reading
• Review previous year's events
• Upcoming activities and calendar
• Census 2020 (difference from local census and also mention job availability)
7. Opportunities to share Make Beverly Count (Census 2020)
8. Beverly's Italian Heritage
• Promoting cultural heritage of Beverly -- -this topic arose organically and some ideas
floated among the group.
• Nancy Coffey, Fred Hammond as local historians
• Talk to Paul Guanci about helping to co -host a retrospective engaging Italian Americans
• Revisit this as a working group
9. City Plan (opportunity to connect for one more review ?)
• ACTION: Leah to talk to Denise DeChamp
• Is there an opportunity for the HRC to do one more read through from a human rights
perspective?
10. Next meeting time /location?
• March 5, 2020 7 -8.30 pm
• LOCATION TBD
UPCOMING DATES
• Thursday, March 5 evening (location ?): HRC Monthly Meeting (Women's History Month)
• March 20 -29 Salem Film Fest
• Thursday, April 2 at 8 am meeting at Hannah Elementary School: HRC Monthly Meeting
with Autism Awareness Month Speaker/ Afternoon flag raising ?
• April —Earth Day Celebrations –meet with Clean Energy Commission to discussion
possible role?
• Thursday, May 7 at 10 am Council on Aging Beverly: HRC Monthly Meeting (Elder
Awareness Month)
• Thursday, June 4 afternoon @ City Hall: Pride Flag Raising, Celebration and Awareness
• Safe Communities Act /Family and Worker Mobility Act (March 5 ?)