From left are HCA Executive Director Pam Hallett; and human-rights commissioners Christine Carney, Mel Goldsipe, Nick Minton and Naomi Greenfield. The Housing Corporation of Arlington (HCA) has presented its Deacon Frank Mandosa Community Service Award to the Arlington Human Rights Commission for its successful collaboration with residents to draft and pass the Trust Act Resolution (Article 59) at Town Meeting.
The act, essentially making Arlington a “Sanctuary Town,” reassures all Arlingtonians that their police force, first responders, educators and other town personnel protect and serve everyone in Arlington by declining to engage in nonmandatory immigration enforcement, which erodes community trust and wastes town money on federal deportation activities.
The presentation occurred at the HCA’s annual meeting on Sept. 14.
At every HCA annual meeting, the Deacon Frank Mandosa Community Service Award is presented to a person or organization whose contributions to the community exemplifies the qualities that made Deacon Frank such a special person. Recipients of the award possess an unwavering commitment to helping the poor, an enthusiasm and drive to go above and beyond what was expected, and an ability to unite others in the community.
The town Human Rights Commission was founded in 1993 to advance issues related to the fair and equal treatment of individuals, and to create a mechanism for addressing complaints arising out of these issues.
Its mission is to work individually and collaboratively with other groups in the community to celebrate the town’s ever-changing tapestry, to emphasize through educational outreach the danger of intolerance at every level and to advance issues related to the fair and equal treatment of individuals.
The commission has a long, rich history of working to support diversity in Arlington, some examples of this work are:
— After the widespread distribution of hate literature, it organized a vigil outside Town Hall, which was attended by hundreds;
— Sponsoring the first Community Read, now an annual event to address diversity issues, with Henry Louis Gates’ memoir [ITAL] Colored People;
— Working with Ottoson School staff and parents to create the Building Respect Task Force in response to bullying and prejudice; and
— Initiating Arlington for All project (#Arl4All), bringing together relevant town organizations, nonprofit groups, schools, faith communities and individuals to celebrate diversity in a wide-ranging series of events and projects.
The work of the commission runs far beyond this brief sampling and we look forward to seeing what AHRC’s future holds for Arlingtonians.
Housing Corporation of Arlington promotes social and economic diversity in Arlington by providing and advocating for affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families and individuals. HCA’s directors, committee members, volunteers and small professional staff work closely with Arlington residents, congregations, businesses, tenants and housing professionals in an effort to keep Arlington diverse and stable. HCA was established in 1986 and is a 501(c)3 corporation.
This news announcement was published Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017.
