Human Rights Commission Holds November Monthly Meeting

The Revere Human Rights Commission (HRC) held its regular monthly meeting last Thursday (November 4) in the City Council Chambers.

HRC chairperson Janine Grillo Marra and fellow commissioners Lynn Alexis, Rev. Timothy Bogertman, Fire Chief Chris Bright, Police Chief David Callahan, Chai Hossani, Rachid Moukhabir, Kourou Pich, and Kathi Anne Reinstein were in attendance for the meeting.

The commission heard presentations from two members of the Revere community.

Kathleen Heiser told the committee of a project, Planting Seeds for Reconciliation, that she is undertaking, Heiser, the current President of the Beachmont Improvement Committee and a former first-grade teacher in the Revere schools who has lived in Revere for 26 years, said the twin purposes of her project are to seek storyboards from all members of the community that can be placed in the schools and in other locations in the city and to make the schools more-welcoming to incoming students, particularly those who are recent immigrants.

“I felt compelled to do this because I felt as though I had to do something concrete,” said Heiser. “The  project will reach out to thousands of people.  There is a story to be had from everybody because everybody is an immigrant. 

“Some of the old-time second or third generation residents may have forgotten how hard it was for their families when they first arrived here,” Heiser continued. “I would like the older generations to share their stories with the new ones. The older generations are not as sympathetic as they could be because they’ve forgotten. I want a storyboard in which residents tell where they came from and why they left that can be displayed in the lobbies of the schools for such occasions as parent-teacher nights.”

Heiser also explained that she is seeking to “make the lobbies in the schools more friendly to new students and parents, with comfortable chairs and tables with translations that will provide a virtual tour of their new school. Ideally, there could be QR codes for their language. If we want to be inclusive, we have to make them feel welcome enough that they will join committees in our schools and community.”

The members of the commission were effusive in their support of the project.

“I’m encouraged by your vision,” said Alexis, who pledged her support for the project.

“I want your support and I want you to encourage people to make their storyboards,” said Heiser.

Rev. Bogertman added, “This is a great idea to move forward with,” and suggested that Heiser incorporate her project into religious organizations throughout the city.

“You are just a gem,” said Reinstein. “I think the world of you. You are incredibly selfless and we are fortunate that you ended up here in Revere with us. Perhaps you can work with the city to reach out to the community, including the Senior Center.”

“We’re honored to hear all of your great ideas,” added Pich.

“This is great timing,” said Bright. “We really need something like this in the city, the storyboards of our older citizens and the new immigrants.”

Moukhabir, who described how he first came to know Heiser when she helped him to organize the first Moroccan Festival, added, “This is a very wonderful project. Anything we can do to support you, let us know. Maybe there can be a big map in City Hall with each person putting a pin where they’re from to make everyone feel welcome.”

“I would propose that students of that school explain their experience in their own language,” said Hossani.

“This sounds like a great idea,” said Callahan. “This would be very good for the community. We’re very diverse here. We can share with each other and learn. “We can put storyboards in the police lobby,” Callahan continued. “We have a lot of people who come in and out. Everybody from the city comes to the police station for something.”

“I’m thrilled with your responses to me and looking forward to working very hard,” Heiser concluded at the end of the discussion. “I feel passionate about it.”

The commissioners next heard from Reuben Kantor, the chairperson of the city’s Reprincincting Committee.

“This process was begun in April and we’re in the homestretch,” said Kantor, who presented the committee with the map of the new boundaries of the city’s wards and precincts that his committee filed at City Hall that day. “The biggest shift is in Ward 2. All wards must be within the five percent of the average population of all the others. Ward 2 had to shrink and Ward 6 had to grow. 

“The City Council will take it up Monday to start the process,” Kantor continued. “We had 150 people participate in the process with their comments. We think the ward demographics are in line with the changes in our city’s population over the past decade.

“We also worked hard to create ‘natural’ boundaries in terms of major roadways separating wards, rather than splitting-up neighborhoods, as happens under the present configuration,” Kanot added.

The committee members thanked Kantor for all of his and his committee’s hard work.

Prior to the presentations, Reinstein informed her fellow commissioners that she would be stepping down as the chairperson of the Cultural Holidays and Celebrations Subcommittee because of her work commitments. Grillo informed the commission that Hossani, the current vice-chair of the subcommittee, has accepted the chairmanship.

The next meeting of the committee is set for this Thursday, December 2.