Belmont’s (Shorter) Pride Parade Set For Saturday, June 17

Photo: Pride is coming to Belmont on June 17

The Pride Parade, the highlight of Belmont Pride, will be a tad shorter this edition but for all the best reasons.

Hosted by the Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance; and co-sponsored by Belmont Against Racism and the Human Rights Campaign, Belmont Pride takes place on the Town Green adjacent to 404 Concord Ave., First Church Belmont, on Saturday, June 17 at 12:45 p.m. The parade begins at 1 p.m.

The event begins with opening remarks before the parade. This year we’ve changed the march route to make it shorter, flatter, and more accommodating for everyone. (see map below) 

After the parade, join us to celebrate Fran Yuan at 2:45 PM at Trinktisch (indoors, 2nd level) in Belmont Center on Leonard Street. 

Meet The Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance And Making Belmont More Welcoming At Virtual Community Meeting Thurs. March 9

Photo: Making Belmont more welcoming and inclusive.

Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance and Belmont Against Racism invite the residents of Belmont to a
virtual Community Meeting on Thursday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83423040283?pwd=anAyQm9uQ0RPSFpMb3B5c25KTHBndz09

Here is your chance to share your thoughts about how we can make Belmont a more welcoming and inclusive town.

Meet the Alliance and learn about volunteer opportunities.

RSVP here and via email: belmontlgbtqalliance@gmail.com

Celebrate Ensuring Belmont As A Welcoming Town On Saturday, March 11

Photo: The Beech Street Center will host an informal, non-partisan gathering of community groups

On Saturday, March 11, various groups are coming together for an informal, non-partisan gathering of community groups dedicated to ensuring Belmont is a welcoming town.

Belmont Against Racism (BAR), The Belmont Human Rights Commission, and The Belmont Democratic Town Committee invite the community to celebrate our people, learn more about each other, and help create a more welcoming town. Let us know what you love about Belmont and what you would like to see improved. Meet with others from our community and share ideas with Belmont neighbors in an informal setting.

All are welcome to this free, non-partisan event.

Please RSVP – belmontagainstracism@gmail.com – so we know how much pizza and drinks to get!

We look forward to seeing you at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., on Saturday, March 11, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

MLK Community Breakfast Will Zoom To Belmont On Jan. 17

Photo: Rahsaan Hall is the keynote speaker at the 2022 annual MLK Community Breakfast which will once again be a virtual event

Belmont’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast, historically intended to bring the Belmont and Boston communities together in a program of unity around Dr. King’s legacy, will once again take place via Zoom on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022 at 9 a.m.

This year’s keynote speaker, Rahsaan Hall, director of the Racial Justice Program at American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts, has chosen this year’s theme to be “The Arc and the Pendulum: The Long Journey toward Racial Justice.”

In this role, Rahsaan helps develop the ACLU’s integrated advocacy approach to addressing issues of racial justice. Through legislative advocacy, litigation and community engagement, the program works on issues that impact communities of color and historically disenfranchised communities. Rahsaan also manages the ACLU’s What a Difference a DA makes to educate residents about the power and influence of distract attorneys.

Adam Dash, Belmont’s Select Board chair, looks forward to the annual Belmont MLK event. While he
misses the in-person breakfast where people can mingle and meet, he looks forward to the perspective
each speaker brings to the presently virtual event.

“We can’t talk about race too much” and how the speaker forces local candidates for office to confront issues. Dash recalls how “blown away” he was by the MLK breakfast where former METCO students returned to give their accounts of what a difference the METCO program had made in their lives.

The Belmont Human Rights Commission, in conjunction with Belmont Against Racism and Belmont Media Center, will be the lead sponsor and organizer. The Commission is dedicated to fighting discrimination in all forms; increasing awareness of issues regarding diversity and discrimination in our community; and responding to allegations of discrimination.

Advanced registration can be found at Eventbrite at: https://bit.ly/MLKBelmont2022 For more information about this event, please contact the Commission at belmont.hrc@gmail.com or call 617-993-2795.

Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance Marks 20 years of Activism At June 10 BAR Meeting

Photo: Belmont Pride Parade 2020

On Thursday, June 10 at 7:30 pm, Belmont Against Racism’s monthly meeting will focus on 20 years of Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance activism in Belmont by hosting a panel of speakers that includes Janson Wu, director of LGBTQ+ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD); Grace Stowell, director of The Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY); and Debra Fowler, co-founder and executive director of History UnErased.

In the past 20 years, the Alliance has brought educational programs and events to Belmont, giving visibility to the LGBTQ+ community and their concerns. From plays to films to speakers’ panels and a performance by the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, the Alliance has highlighted issues of relevance to the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, celebrated the arts, and held community social events. In 2004, when same-sex couples in Massachusetts won the right to marry, the Alliance held its first Freedom to Marry Ice Cream Social followed by a decade of this celebration. The Alliance holds an Annual Fall Potluck and marches in the Pride Parade in Boston annually. As the Boston Pride Parade was canceled last year, the Alliance held its own Belmont Pride Parade, attended by more than 100 marchers. 

This year the Alliance will hold its 2nd Belmont Pride Parade on Saturday, June 12 at 1 p.m., starting at the Wellington Station Town Green on Concord Avenue. All members of the community are invited to join this festive event.

To join the June 10 event, go to: https://bit.ly/33XSxcb

For more information about any of these events and future Alliance events, go to http://belmontagainstracism.org/ or email belmontagainstracism@gmail.com.

Forum This Thursday To Discuss How Belmont Can Reach Goals Of Equitable, Affordable Housing

Photo: A road towards more equitable housing in Belmont

Belmont Against RacismThe Belmont Housing TrustThe Belmont Media Center, and the Belmont Human Rights Commission are hosting an informational public forum titled “Belmont’s Road to Housing Equity this Thursday, April 29 at 6:55 p.m. via Zoom or live on Belmont Media Center.

It will be an evening to explore historical and present day housing issues an how Belmont can reach its goals of equitable and affordable housing.

Zoom link at https://bit.ly/Belmonthousing

https://www.belmontmedia.org/watch/infotv or Channel 96 (Comcast) or Channel 30 (Verizon)

  • How can Belmont reach its goals of equitable and affordable housing? 
  • What’s the historical background and how does it relate to fair housing law?
  • Who shapes local housing and zoning decisions?
  • What does new zoning legislation mean for Belmont?
  • Where is Belmont today on meeting its housing goals?
  • How does Belmont fit into the wider transportation picture, with its new zoning rules and tools as well as its financial incentives for the Town?

Learn from a panel of experts as we explore these questions. There will be a Q & A opportunity.

  • State Rep. Dave Rogers(24th Middlesex District), 
  • Robert Terrell (Fair Housing, Equity and Inclusion Officer at the Boston Housing Authority and previously Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston); 
  • Katherine Einstein (Assistant Director of Policy at Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research); 
  • Jarred Johnson (Executive Director of TransitMatters); and
  • Judie Feins and Betsy Lipson of the Belmont Housing Trust.
  • Moderated by Rachel Heller (Co-Chair of the Belmont Housing Trust and Chief Executive Director of CHAPA.

Boston Globe’s Renee Graham To Speak Virtual At Belmont’s Annual MLK Breakfast

Photo: Martin Luther King Breakfast

Belmont’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Breakfast will be held virtually on Monday, Jan. 18, at 9 a.m. through the Belmont Media Center.

The featured speaker, Renee Graham, Boston Globe associate editor and Op Ed columnist, will address the question: Rejecting ‘Normal’, Embracing Radical Change: Can we build a democracy that finally lives up to its ideals?

Graham reflects articulately and powerfully in her column on many contemporary issues – from voter suppression, to institutional racism, to LGBTQ issues, to politics, and to other social justice issues.

The event is co-sponsored by the Belmont Human Rights Commission, Belmont Against Racism, and Belmont Media Center.

To register, go to Eventbrite at: bit.ly/Register-2021MLK  For more information, contact Belmont Human Rights Commission or by email to Belmont.hrc@gmail.com or call 617-993-2795.

The event is free of charge but donations to the Belmont METCO Support Fund are greatly appreciated. Contributions may be made by cash or check to Belmont Against Racism, re:METCO Support Fund, PO Box 649, Belmont 02478 or on line at belmontagainstracism.org at the “donate” button.

Letter To The Editor: Hate Towards Police Is Counterproductive To Encouraging Change – BAR

Photo: Belmont Against Racism

Letter to the Editor:

Belmont Against Racism (BAR) condemns the verbal abuse of Belmont Police officers by members of the public as reported in the Belmontian on September 14. http://belmontonian.com/featured/belmont-police-officers-increasingly-targeted-with-verbal-abuse-from-the-public/ As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Hate begets hate, violence begets violence…”

We support the Belmont Police Department and have confidence in the leadership under Chief James MacIsaac, who has embraced the 21st Century Policing Principles and police reforms. The Department’s policies had already aligned with the 8 Can’t Wait https://8cantwait.org/  policies encouraged in the wake of George Floyd’s killing In addition, the BPD has partnered with Communities for Restorative Justice to provide, when parties agree, a restorative justice alternative to court proceedings. We are not Kenosha, or Minneapolis, or Louisville. The BPD has been engaged in conversations with BAR over the past decade and regularly attend the Human Rights Commission meetings. We have all learned from these conversations and have established respect for one another. We appreciate that service that the Department provides for Belmont and are saddened to learn of the negative treatment that the Belmont officers have faced. 

To be clear, BAR strongly condemns police brutality as we have witnessed in the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others, and we believe officers who commit murder should be swiftly brought to justice. We believe Black lives matter. We support police reform and are hopeful that the Massachusetts legislature will soon send the police reform bill to the governor to be signed.  

But wanting reform is never equal to hating an individual or assuming they oppose reforms. There is no reason for hateful treatment of any individual and this behavior is counterproductive to encouraging change. Hate speech will do nothing to encourage institutional change in housing, health, education, and the environment. Hate speech will not encourage any redirection of investments into alternative community resources, or further the cause of any demands for police reform. 

There should be no place for racism in Belmont and there should be no place for hate either. We urge respectful treatment of police officers in our community as we work together to make Belmont a welcoming community for all. 

Kathryn Bonfiglio

President and the Board of Belmont Against Racism

Letter To The Editor: Belmont Against Racism Asks ‘Why And How We Can Accept This?’

Photo: A vigil at First Church Belmont

To the editor:

The Board of Belmont Against Racism is saddened, anguished and, yes, angry at the taking of Black lives in our country by law enforcement officers over these past several weeks, culminating in the death of George Floyd. The COVID-19 pandemic will be overcome by our scientists, medical leaders and public officials. We ask why this same focus and determination has not and still will not be applied to eradicating racial hatreds, injustice and violence. 

Belmont Against Racism was begun 28 years ago as a sad, anguished and angry response to the police brutality directed at Rodney King on another spring day in Los Angeles. And many of us in 1992 recalled too well the events of the 1960s and the Kerner Commission report which declared that “our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.” So very little has changed and so it is time that we ask each other and our civic and community leaders why and how we can accept this and call ourselves a civil society whose laws and structures protect everyone, not just those whose skin tone happens to be white.

Stephen Carter, a Yale Law Professor and former clerk of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, stated in an interview on NPR this week that this hatred, injustice and violence will continue until our country can forsake our belief in the inherent superiority of white people and inherent inferiority of black people. We believe he is right. In “These Truths,” her history of the country, Jill Lepore observes the many ways we have failed to ever really be faithful to the words from the Declaration of Independence in each generation as nativism, nationalism and white supremacy have too often contradicted the aspirations that neither the founders nor we have ever lived up to. She quotes Abraham Lincoln, who said in 1862, “We must disenthrall ourselves and, and then we shall save the country.” More than 150 years later, it seems we have barely begun to do this.

Some will be tempted to focus on the protests, riots and burning. While we too regret that so many small businesses and communities are ravaged as well by the rages that are swirling, this is not the core problem now, nor was it in 1992, nor in the 1960s. It is too easy to let our sympathy and support for those who are the rage’s victims become “the story” and not the underlying cause of racism. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar makes this point in his op-ed piece in today’s Los Angeles Times. He quotes Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem:” 

What happens to a dream deferred?

…Maybe it sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

We are fortunate in Belmont to have leadership in our Town’s Police Department who have embraced The 21st Century Policing Principles and are demonstrating their commitment to anti-racist policing in our town.  Some in BAR can recall times and incidents when such principles were not adhered to as well. But, we have made progress in our community. Belmont is not Minneapolis, LA, St. Louis or any of the larger cities where police violence against blacks are too common and until the age of the smartphone often unseen, unless you happened to be the black victims. 

But, if we can make progress in our small town, we must retain some hope that it can be done elsewhere. However, focusing just on law enforcement is also a mistake. We who are white must continue the work to become disenthralled. It is done in small and large ways. We must pick ourselves up from these ashes and recommit to creating a country that someday will see beyond the color of our skins.

Michael Collins

BAR Board Member

Virtual Candlelight Vigil On Thursday, June 4 In Response To George Floyd’s Death

Photo: The poster of Thursday’s remote vigil

In response to the murder of George Floyd and the resulting nationwide unrest, Belmont Against Racism, the Belmont Religious Council, and the Belmont Human Rights Commission are sponsoring a virtual candlelight vigil on Thursday, June 4 at 7 p.m. to be aired on Belmont Media.

Members of the clergy, Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac, State Rep. Dave Rogers, State Sen. Will Brownsberger and others will be giving short words of comfort/comments which will be followed by asking listeners to light a candle or flashlight on their front porches.