HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-03-05 Human Relations Advisory Committee MinutesRE EII/tu
HUMAN RELATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE V MINUTES RADi1 ~3 tit ~S.
March 5, 2009, 7:30PM at Police Station Upstairs Conference Room
Present: Nancy Najmi, Chair, Margaret Soli, Lori Hodin, Monique Gnanaratnam, ~~IA&Z er, y j
McDonald, Randall Jones, P. Kelley, members; Also present; Rev Kyung Lyul Yu, Pastor, Korean Church
of the Nazarene, Sammy Kwon, and Chris Chong.
Rev. Yu reported that he had lived in town for 6 years and is pastor of the church of the Nazarene
on Main Street and has been a member of the clergy Association. His people have had a hard time
adjusting. One young man in the eighth grade at the time claimed that the Reading people were racist. He
would not listen to Rev. Yu, ignored his advice in dealing with the situation and eventually dropped out of
high school without graduating. He has a first grade child who came home from school (Barrows) and
said she wished she had blond hair. She said her classmates formed a club and required that one have
blond hair to be a member. Because of this her teacher died her hair black. These are his concerns.
Committee members sympathized and expressed hope that the schools are dealing with such
problems. The library has attempted to reach out by supplying books for minority groups and on cultural
issues. Paul remarked that Birch Meadow School had just completed an International dinner at which
representative of the various nationalities which made up the school population made some of their
national foods available and also exhibited art, dance, dress and cultural information about their
nationalities. (He had mistakenly thought this was the school Rev Yu's daughter attended. However,
perhaps a similar even could be developed at her school.)
Chris Chong stated that he had lived in U.S. for 20years and recently had lived in Andover. He
was surprised and pleased to learn that there was such a committee as this at which such issues could be
aired. Sammy Kwon said he had come to this country at age 17 in 1971, had live in many different states
and attended a number of schools. At one time he was the only Asian in his high school. He lived in
Lexington for 10 years and now lives in Reading. He respects this country. He had been very sick at one
time and this country saved his life by the medical care provided him. He loves this country.
The committee members were grateful that these gentlemen had come and expressed the hope
that they and their country people would feel free to come to the committee on any further issues on
which the committee might be able to be of assistance. Following the discussion they left the meeting.
The balance of the meeting was taken up with the discussion of preparations for the play, The
Laramie Project. Nancy noted that the drama club had met and urged that people come to the play to
support them. Rev. Tim Kutzmark of the Unitarian-Universalist Church will hold a unity prayer service
prior to the play at 6:45 on the evening that the Westboro Baptist Church is coming to picket and the
clergy as a group are planning that evening to attend as a group in the front row.
Chief Cormier explained details about the preparations, where the space for the pickets would be
and additional space for any counter demonstrators. Counter demonstrators are the great unknown and we
must be prepared for that possibility. Lori had earlier attended a fundraiser where all were impressed with
the Chief's preparation.
Nancy said that a community follow up event is being planned sponsored by many interested
groups such as PFLAQ the GSA to encourage participation by these groups, teachers, clergy, students and
parents to have a community forum and discussion on issues raised by the play and events around it. She
also plans with the committee's approval to have our next meeting consist first of an open meeting at
which interested persons may have a preliminary discussion of the issues. The members agreed that this
was a good idea.
Finally the minutes of the meeting of February 5, 2009 were accepted and the Committee
adjourned at 9:00 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul Kelley, Secretary