2008-12-04 Human Relations Advisory Committee Minutes

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HUMAN RELATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE T'0 V! C L E R p7 REA 01,'' MINUTES December 4, 2008, 7:30PM at Police Station Community Conference Room Zduq ALIG 24 P P2: 45 resent: Nancy Najmi, Chair, Margaret Soli, Lori Hodin, Monique Gnanaratnam,';C. McDonald, P. Kelley, members. The minutes of the meeting of October 2, were approved. Those who attended the Project Challenge presentation in October were impressed by the program. More than 500 students subsequently signed up to participate. A meeting for a training program was held. They will try to undertake specific programs as part of the Project such as selling bands to raise money for Michael Boyd who has lung cancer. Nancy reported that Bill Endslow of the high school drama department is excited about the proposed Martin Luther King program to show the Norfleet Project video in the auditorium which is scheduled for the day before mid-term exams begin at the high school. She has not yet reached Reverend Tim to work out details of our committee's assistance. Margaret Soli noted that she had met John Russo who asked why she had not accepted his invitation to come on his program. She said she felt she was too old to appear under the bright TV lights. It was noted that John had moved on from criticizing Unitarians to start criticizing Catholics for being too liberal. It was voted for the members to attend the Martin Luther King event and the Norfleet Video project in lieu of the regular January meeting. Lori noted that at a recent Veteran's Day celebration children recited poems which they had composed as part of a competition to write such poems which was an impressive event. She suggests that it would be appropriate in connection with Project Challenge to engage the creativity of the young to create some similar art forms for which some reward or scholarship would be awarded to recognize the student's accomplishment. She would be willing to prepare a draft of a proposal. It was moved and voted that the committee will go forward to prepare such a proposal. Nancy reported that she had written up several announcements for the schools to note Civil Rights week in Massachusetts and Human Rights Day making use of quotations from Rev. King, Gandhi, and UN officials. Charlie commented that the Library staff was an excellent source for obtaining such suitable material. Margaret noted several Human Rights upcoming programs: Lecture by Dr. William F. Schulz sponsored by The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC); a program concerning participation in the slave trade, Traces of the Trade, a film from Sundance, and programs on immigration, such as Las Posadas which is a Latin American celebration which symbolizes the trials which Mary and Joseph endured before finding a place to stay where Jesus could be born. Nancy noted that the METCO Christmas party was coming up which she regularly attends and invited others to do so. At 9:30 the meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted. Paul Kelley, Secretary.