Sen. Edwards Speaks to Human Rights Commission About Black History Month

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

Chairperson Janine Grillo Marra and fellow commissioners Kourou Pich, vice-chair Chai Hossaini, Rev. Timothy Bogertmen, Fire Chief Chris Bright, Molly McGee, Rachid Moukhabir, Police Chief David Callahan, and Dr. Lourenco Garcia were in attendance.

Marra noted that former member Lynn Alexis had resigned from the commission effective January 31 because she has moved to another state for a new job.

After starting with the usual Land Acknowledgment (in which the commission acknowledges the Pawtucket Tribe as “the original overseers of this land”), Marra then led the group through a brief meditative session to “arrive and settle” prior to getting into the business of the evening. Marra mentioned the recent tragedies of the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California, and the beating death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee.

“May we remember each other’s dignity and worth,” said Marra.

The commissioners then recited the HRC’s Mission Statement:

“The Mission of the Revere Human Rights Commission is to promote human and civil rights and empower all people of Revere by ensuring that everyone, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized, have equitable opportunities, equal access, and are treated with dignity, respect, fairness, and justice.”

Marra introduced the HRC’s new Executive Director, Claudia Correa, who is the city’s newly-appointed Chief Officer of Talent and Culture.

Correa made a presentation to the commission of the progress of the city’s Racial Equity Municipal Action Plan (REMAP)

According to a PowerPoint slide presented by Marra, “REMAP is a national network of governments working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all. The network consists of cities, counties, and regional and state agencies in 36 states across the country.”

Correa said that 20 communities in the state applied to be a part of the REMAP project, but only six were selected, of which Revere is one. Members of the city government are collaborating with external organizations that include the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and the Government Alliance on Race and Equity.

Correa said the city has been working on the plan for the past two years, dating back to when the city was chosen to participate in REMAP. She said that REMAP not only addresses race, but also seeks to adopt policies that include gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability status, income, and age. 

She noted that Revere’s population has increased from 51,755 in 2010 to 62,186 in 2020. The city’s demographics have changed dramatically in those 10 years, with the Hispanic and Latino population growing from 24 percent to 37 percent of the city’s population, while the percentage of the white population has decreased from 62 percent to 45 percent.

Correa said that the city is working to make sure that City Hall and city departments are more welcoming to those of different backgrounds and who speak languages other than English. In addition, a primary goal of REMAP is to increase diversity hiring among the city’s workforce and to improve the culture at all of the city’s departments in recognition of the reality of the city’s increasingly diverse population and workforce.

Correa will be presenting regular updates about the progress of the REMAP project in the months ahead.

The commission members next heard from their guest speaker, State Senator Lydia Edwards, who spoke on the topic of Black History Month, which is in February.

Edwards spoke briefly about her background. Her mother served in the Air Force for 23 years as a non-commissioned officer and she traveled all over the world. She noted that while growing up, she enjoyed living in diverse communities on military bases around the globe, in contrast to the experience of most Americans.

She noted that this area has a past history of slavery, particular in East Boston, where there are many places named for Samuel Maverick, who built the Clipper Ships that facilitated the slave trade.

Edwards also discussed the practice of the federal government’s policy of redlining from the 1940s through the ’70s, whereby mortgages were denied to residents of certain geographical areas based solely on racial discrimination.

“This was institutional racism,” said Edwards and she encouraged the HRC members to determine whether there was redlining in Revere’s past.

The senator discussed her experiences on the campaign trail when she met residents of Charlestown who were, and still are, deeply affected — “generational trauma” — by the school busing of the 1960s that negatively impacted white and black children alike.

“I felt real sadness for a childhood lost,” said Edwards, who noted that children were confronted with the reality of police snipers on the roofs of school buildings because of the potential for violence. “When you meet and talk with people and allow them to be honest about what causes them pain, even if those things are not politically correct, then you can create a place for healing.”

Edwards also discussed the George Floyd incident in 2020. She mentioned that she opposed a protest march in Charlestown at the time, but she instead fostered a series of “peace talk” meetings between the police and residents of the community, especially with young people, that have evolved into discussions on a wide-ranging series of topics.

She gave credit to the residents on all sides of the issues who took part in the meetings. “Healing never stops,” said Edwards.

Edwards also mentioned that she will be appearing on an upcoming Revere YouTube cooking show.

“Even though I can’t cook,” Edwards said with a smile, “I will be preparing my grandmother’s mac-and-cheese recipe. The history of soul food is deep and beautiful. Every culture has its own soul food — it was poor people’s food.”

Members of the commission then offered comments, with Rev. Bogertman suggesting that there is a need for healing concerning the injustices that were committed in the city toward the Cambodian community when they first arrived in Revere as refugees in the 1980s.

Edwards also recognized the lynchings of Italians in Louisiana in the late 19th century and the genocide of the Irish by the English in the mid-19th century, when 50 percent of the Irish population starved to death because the English seized their foodstocks.

“However, we cannot get into a discussion of, ‘Who had it worse?’, but rather, ‘How are we going to make it better?’,” said Edwards. “I am an eternal optimist.”

The HRC’s next meeting is set for March 2.

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