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 vice-chair Chai Hossaini, Kourou Pich, Fire Chief Chris Bright, Molly McGee, Dr. Lourenco Garcia, and Police Chief David Callahan were in attendance.
The HRC’s Executive Director, Claudia Correa, who is the city’s Chief Officer of Talent and Culture, also was on hand for the meeting.
After starting with the usual Land Acknowledgement (in which the commission acknowledges the Pawtucket Tribe as “the original overseers of this land”), Marra led the group through a brief meditative session to “arrive and settle” in order “to become more present in our body, heart, and mind” prior to getting into the business of the evening.
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.”
The commissioners also recited their newly-created Vision statement which they adopted last month.
“A thriving Revere where all community members live free of racism, poverty, violence, and other systems of oppression, and where everyone has equitable access, opportunities, and resources, as well as a sense of belonging.â€
In the Monthly Acknowledgements item on the agenda, HRC members made note of the ongoing observance of Ramadan (which began in mid-March) and that April includes Autism Awareness Month, Arab-American Heritage Month, Scottish-American Heritage Month, Celebrate Diversity Month, Sexual Violence Awareness Month, Passover, Easter, and Cambodian New Year.
Commissioners Hossaini and Pich briefly provided background information to their fellow members about Ramadan and Cambodian New Year respectively.
Dr. Garcia and Exec. Director Correa spoke about the 21-day Racial Equity Challenge that has been underway in the city since April 3. Marra noted that the HRC web page provides information about the challenge.
The commission then discussed the topic of the HRC’s Group Norms/Shared Agreements for which the commission has held two mini-retreats. Marra presented a slide that showed a tentative list of the norms/shared agreements to be observed by the commissioners themselves:
Atmosphere and Relationships:
— Create a brave and safe space where everyone’s input is welcome and valued;
— Establish a trust to get to know each other in various ways, personally and professionally;
— Respect all perspectives: Listen without judgment even if you disagree and keep an open mind;
— Hold each other accountable with care and compassion: Assume best intentions but recognize impact; and
— Honor one another: Challenge ideas but not the person.
Communication:
— Speak from your own perspective, rather than trying to speak for others: For instance, “I feel in my experience;”
— Ask clarifying questions without fear;
— Seek to understand and move the conversation forward;
— Respect confidentiality: Stories stay in, learning goes out;
— Equity of voice: Monitor your airtime and allow space for all to share; and
— Be prepared to have uncomfortable conversations: Be aware of body language.
Pich, who is the Executive Director for HarborCOV, which works with victims of domestic violence, began the discussion by asking for clarification of the word “safe” in the first norm. “Does this mean physical safety or emotional safety or mental safety?” Pich asked.
Hossaini proposed a sub-bullet to define the term.
“A ‘safe space’ refers to physical, emotional, mental, and environmental,” said Marra.
Hossaini next suggested that the document declare that “hate speech” is not permissible.
“It should be a reminder to ourselves that we should say only things that are appropriate to say in the circumstances,” she said.
“But what is ‘hate speech’?” asked Garcia. “What is the definition? It needs to be defined.”
Correa brought up an additional point.
“How will the commission enforce these norms?” Correa asked. “We need to be intentional about the definition of these terms and we need to be really specific about the definition of ‘hate speech’.”
The upshot of the discussion was that the commission will take up the finalization of the document at a future meeting.
The commission also discussed a road map of its yearly activities, with an emphasis on planning, publicizing, and hosting its calendar of events.
The commissioners’ last agenda item was a discussion of the HRC’s Working Groups, which presently consist of Cultural Events and Celebrations, Education and Outreach, Evaluation, and a Special Task Force for Public Mediations.
Marra said the issues facing the commission are whether to change the names and focus of these working groups and whether they still are relevant to the HRC’s work. With regard to the latter issue, Marra said the Special Task Force for Public Mediations has been dissolved pursuant to a ruling from the City Solicitor.
The commission concluded the meeting by discussing the future direction of its working groups and agreed to continue the discussion at its upcoming meeting on May 4.
