By Journal Staff
The Revere Human Rights Commission (HRC) held its regular monthly meeting last Thursday, November 6, in the City Council Chambers. On hand for the session were Chair Chaimaa (Shay) Hossaini, Albert Tecci, Sheila Johnson, Kourou Pich, Police Chief Maria LaVita, Fire Chief James Cullen, Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Inclusion and Chair of the Equity Advisory Board of the Revere Public Schools Dr. Lourenco Garcia, and and Steve Morabito, the HRC’s Executive Director who is the city’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
The session began with the members in unison reciting 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.”
Hossaini then presented the usual Land Acknowledgement, in which the Pawtucket tribe was recognized as the original holder of the land.
The HRC members then discussed the statement they are developing about “recent events regarding ICE.” Hossaini mentioned the new ICE policy that went into effect in early October that is targeting children even younger than 14 years of age. The HRC’s statement is “strictly informational on neutral ground to present resources for members of our community, “ said Hossaini.
Morabito said he will present the statement to the City Solicitor for a legal review prior to its publication as an official city policy.
The next item on the agenda was captioned “solidarity with the people of Sudan,” referencing the ongoing civil war in Sudan that has resulted in horrific massacres of civilians, resulting in famine and one of the largest displacements (an estimated 12 million people) of a civilian population in history.
Hossaini called for a moment of silence to reflect on the situation in Sudan, as well as for other populations (such as the Ukrainians) who are suffering because of war.
Hossaini next told the commissioners that the HRC has submitted a grant application to the local Cultural Council (which operates under the auspices of the Mass. Cultural Council) to facilitate a “community tour” with six circle groups (one for each ward of the city) to understand the needs of each of the city’s neighborhoods.
“I think this is great,” said Garcia. “Listening-and-learning tours are important and we can learn tons of things by giving people an opportunity to express what they are experiencing on a daily basis.”
“We have to take into consideration that each ward has its own unique needs and listen to the residents of those communities,” said Morabito. “How do we target the residents of each community and how do we come up with issues that are relevant to them because each ward is completely different?”
The final item on the agenda was a discussion of the HRC’s desire to have Revere High students become involved with the HRC. Tecci said he had met with members of the Revere Welcoming Committee, a student-run group that provides assistance to new students to help them navigate the Revere school system. Tecci said that the students were enthusiastic about partnering with the HRC.
