Human Relations Committee

Letter from the Human Relations Committee on the Uvalde School Shooting

The Human Relations Committee express our pain and anguish resulting from the deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

As a local town committee, the Human Relations Committee works to promote human rights, personal dignity and positive relations between all residents and visitors to the town of Maynard. This recent tragedy, therefore, is a matter dear to our hearts and at the forefront of our discussions. As a matter of fact, the importance of ensuring our residents feel safe and heard was a discussion item at our last meeting on May 23rd 2022, after the deadly shooting in Buffalo, New York.

We are acutely aware that we are all collectively part of this nation. When one part of the nation hurts, we too hurt, we feel the desperate sense of loss and we want to do our part in ending school shootings among other evils that affect us.

We, therefore, encourage all residents here to remain calm and hopeful in knowing that our town officials and law enforcement have an emergency plan and procedures in place to keep our children safe. Therefore, we encourage all residents here to join town officials and law enforcement in the formation and updating of policies and procedures to keep our children safe and our citizens heard. In the meantime, let us hold dear to our thoughts and remember the families that have been affected. We should never forget.

Yours in solidarity, the Maynard Human Relations Committee

7-Jun-2022

Wishing all members of the LGBTQ+ community a celebratory, safe and joyful Pride Month!

LGBTQ's fight for civil rights, explained (USA TODAY)

Articles

• Juneteenth and the meaning of Black liberation in Boston (Boston Globe)
• Washington Post Video: The history behind Juneteenth and why it resonates today

General Order Number 3 - Issued by General Gordon Granger "19th of June", 1865 Galveston, TX

"The people are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, become that between employer and hired labor. The freed are advised to remain at their present homes, and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere."

Letter from Maynard Select Board & the Human Relations Committee on Asian Violence

23-July-2021: As many of you know, there has been a recent and dramatic rise in violence and discrimination against Asian and Asian American people in the United States and around the globe. 

Reports of horrific violence aimed Asian people in this nation continue to emerge. These actions are always devastating - to individuals, to families and whole communities, across ethnic and "racial" lines. This is particularly sad and disturbing at a time when we are seeking to emerge from a deadly pandemic that has left so many grieving and debilitated and when we should be coming together for mutual aid and healing. T

he Maynard Human Relations Committee and the Maynard Select Board write to you today to express our deep sadness at this targeted violence and we wish to offer our support and care to the Asian members of our community.

The Human Relations Committee respectfully honors the indigenous peoples of our region, those with us today, and those who have come before us. We hope that the following resources can help us to collectively and individually begin to learn and understand what we need to, in order to come to terms with what it means to be a settler colonial nation - its legacies and impacts, and what we can do to heal and make amends.

• United American Indians of New England - UAINE - November 25, 2021 National Day of Mourning in Plymouth, MA
• MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda
• All My Relations podcast
• Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness

Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15-October 15

Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated throughout the latter half of September and the first half of October, began as a way to promote the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic-Americans - specifically, those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. 

Communities mark the achievements of Hispanic and Latino Americans with festivals and educational activities. Hispanic Heritage Month starts on September 15 to honor the independence anniversary of five Latin American Countries-El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. The independence days of Mexico and Chile fall on September 16th and September 18th, respectively.

Image credit: Carlos Francisco Jackson, Breaking the Fast, 1968, 2012, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Drs. Harriett and Ricardo Romo, 2019.50.2 Breaking the Fast, 1968 | Smithsonian American Art Museum

Getty Images: The Nosotros Collection

Getty Images is proud to present the Nosotros Collection, an initiative that aims to reimagine the visual representation of the Latinx/Hispanic community within the North America media and advertising landscape, using rich, carefully curated still and video content to tell stories in a voice that belongs to the community.

National Hispanic American Heritage Month 2020 (.gov resources)

The Human Relations Committee wishes our Jewish neighbors and friends a Happy New Year!

(Thank you to Kathleen's colleague, Tal SebellShavit, for this helpful, informative write up.)

Tuesday, September 8 is Rosh Hashanah רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה - the Jewish New Year. The word "Rosh" means "head". "Shanah" is year. So it translates to "head [of] the year". In celebration, it is traditional to eat apples and honey to symbolize the fall harvest and a sweet new year. The holiday starts the evening of the 6th and goes through Wednesday evening. Some may only celebrate the first day (Monday night into Tuesday), while others may celebrate both days.

Typical greetings for the holiday are:

• "Shana tova" שנה טובה (happy new year)
• "Le'Shana tova" לְשנה טובה (to a happy new year)
• "Le'Shana tova oo'metuaka" לְשנה טובה וּמְתוּקָה (to a happy and sweet new year)

Thursday, September 16th - Observance of Yom Kippur יוֹם כִּיפּוּר - the day of atonement (and a day of fasting). Folx who observe this holiday often go to services the night before, the day of, and then a break-fast meal in the evening.

Typical greetings for the holiday are:

• "Tzom Kal" צוֹם קַל ( [may you have an] easy fast)
• "Gmar Chatima Tova" גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה (Good final seal. Implied meaning is: May you be sealed for good in the Book of Life)

Monday September 20 - Monday September 27 is Sukkot סוכות‎. It commemorates the 40 years that the Jews spent in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, and celebrates the way in which God protected them under difficult desert conditions. Sukkot is also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths. Traditionally, families build a sukkah, or temporary hut. The roof must be made of something grown in the Earth - In Israel that's often palm leaves. In Massachusetts Maple branches work well. All meals for the week are eaten in the sukkah. Services are usually the first and last night.

• Typical greeting "Chag Sameach" חַג שָׂמֵחַ (Happy Holiday)

One thing to note is that in Jewish observances, holidays typically begin at sundown the night before. We call this "erev ____".

Erev = evening.

Here is a youtube playlist that has lots of pronunciation of holidays and greetings in Hebrew.