Human Rights Commission

  • Melrose Pride 2023! Flyer

Mission

The MHRC’s mission involves work in the areas of housing, employment, education, public accommodation, city services, insurance, banking, credit and health care.

Introduction

The Melrose Human Rights Commission (MHRC) was established in the early 1990s by the Office of the Mayor to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes among Melrose citizens that may involve an element of racial, religious, or ethnic prejudice, and to develop programs for promoting a spirit of diversity and respect for others regardless of their differences. The Commission exists to serve the citizens of Melrose and strongly encourages the participation of the city’s residents in programs supporting the Commission’s basic goals. The MHRC takes a proactive approach towards the support and defense of human rights in the city. Collaborating with various community partners, civic and faith-based organizations, and city agencies, the commission supports such efforts as the annual International Welcome Reception, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and dinner/program, and the Global Education in Melrose (GEM) program at Melrose High School. MHRC meetings are held monthly, with a public forum period during the first 1/2 hour.

Join Us Every Second Wednesday of the Month

Members of the Melrose community are invited to join the Human Rights Commission at its regular meetings on the second Wednesday of the month. Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Cassidy Conference Room, City Hall, 2nd Floor. Please note: the Commission does not hold regular business meetings during the months of July and August.

“Our goal is to create a beloved community, and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
 
The Melrose Human Rights Commission is excited to be bringing back the annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 16, 2023, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic and is currently looking for community organizations to host a location for a service activity during the community-wide day of service.
 
About Martin Luther King’s (MLK) Day of Service
 
In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating MLK Day as a national day of service - a day ON, not a day off. The MLK Day of Service is meant to empower individuals, strengthen communities and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community”. In Dr. King’s Beloved Community, poverty, hunger, and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. 
 
For years, the Melrose Human Rights Commission (HRC) has organized several community service activities that take place throughout the city on MLK Day. On this city-wide MLK Day of Service, hundreds of people from all over Melrose will sign-up for service activities across the city between the hours of 10 a.m. — 12 p.m.
 
Examples of Previous Years’ Activities
  • Shopping for school snacks & food pantry needs
  • Making cards for patients and staff of Melrose-Wakefield Hospital
  • MLK kid-friendly art activity 
  • Melting crayons 
  • Prepping meals for a local food pantry
  • Cleaning the Melrose Public Library
  • Interviewing a Melrose senior citizen
  • Collecting donations for Malden Warming Center, Housing Families, and local food pantries
Share a Service Idea or Host an Event
 
The success of this day of service is contingent upon community organizations helping to brainstorm a service idea and/or hosting the event. 
 
Organizations with a service idea and/or would be interested in hosting volunteers to complete a service activity can fill out this Google Form by or before December 21, 2022.
 
Please be prepared to fill in the idea of service activity, the host location, and how many community volunteers you can feasibly host.
 
Please reach out to the HRC at melrosehrc@cityofmelrose.org if you are needing assistance with finding a space to host and/or a community service idea. We already have some organizations who have an idea but lack a venue and some organizations who have the space to host but are needing a community-service idea. We would love to help pair you up! 

Board Members

NameTitleTerm Expires
Bonnie Clapp

Chair

February 2024

Jennifer Strasburger

Treasurer

February 2024

Doug DiBrielle

Secretary

February 2025

Joseph Phillips

DEI Task Force Liaison

February 2026

Linda Apple

Commissioner

February 2025

Tesfay Aradom

Commissioner

February 2025

Randall Carter

Commissioner

February 2025

Fatma Ulku Duru

Commissioner

February 2026

Kelsey Lima

Commissioner

February 2026

Jake Rogers

Commissioner

February 2026

City Council Liaison

Lizbeth DeSelm

School Committee Liaison

Rev. Dr. Susanne Intriligator

Clergy Liaison