Speech transcript
[Approximate transcript of opening:] Thank you for that introduction, Anuj. I was just noting with Manisha that it’s funny to be in a room with another Manisha with a last name that starts with B, and very cool as well. Before I begin my prepared remarks – I just wanted to ask how many people have been in this building before tonight?
It’s my first time inside this building, and when I came in with my team today, I was struck with this feeling of how awe-inspiring this architecture is, but also how it’s made to make you feel small. And I think this program is awesome, because I think that power of understanding your rights, and knowing your rights, and how that translates to – this is your institution, this is your law, and you can you can use your resources to support you as a resident in this country – it’s really, really powerful. So, thank you for this having this program; I think it’s incredible, and it’s very very important – I think we all can brush up on understanding what our rights and responsibilities are.
[Prepared remarks:] Thank you for inviting me here today. Congratulations to all the graduates of this program. My name is Manisha Bewtra and I’m a City Councilor-At-Large and Candidate for Mayor in Melrose, a small city at the Oak Grove end of the Orange Line. Tonight, I want us to reflect on history and our surroundings, think about the power of our identities and personal stories, and leave here empowered to take action in our communities – locally and vocally.
This land has a long and complex history, and that complexity continues today.
We are on the tribal land of the Massachusett people, whose history on this land predates European colonization by thousands of years. I have much to learn about the indigenous peoples of this land, both their often hidden histories and also their present day experiences. The complexity — and violence — of this history is often hidden in plain sight, in the ground we walk upon everyday and in the symbols we use, such as in the state flag for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
I wanted to begin my remarks today with this acknowledgment of what came before the history so obviously present around us in the architecture and magnificent presence of this great building. Let’s layer on some more history, shall we?
This building was built in 1894 and this Social Law Library is the oldest law library in the nation. The bronze statue in the Great Hall is of Rufus Choate, an attorney who served in both branches of the state house as a legislator, then as the 10th Massachusetts Attorney General, then as a US Congressman and Senator. He was a member of the Massachusetts constitutional convention in 1853 – no doubt some of his imprint on our state and federal laws lives on today, though I will admit I did not know about him until preparing for this speech. The sculptor of this statue, Daniel Chester French, is the sculptor of the famed Abraham Lincoln statue at the center of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. I’m an art history buff – so I did know about him…
Besides the land we’re on and the building we are in, also on my mind are the time of year and what that signifies. June is the month when we celebrate the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free, a full two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation speech of 1863. June 19 is now celebrated as Juneteenth, an annual celebration of African American history and culture.
June 1 kicked of Pride Month, and Eid, the culmination of Ramadan, begins tomorrow.
Around the city of Boston, you may have seen rainbow flags pop up over the last few days. There’s the annual Pride parade coming up on Saturday. We often talk about Pride as a celebration of love and a celebration of LGBTQIA+ diversity. It is a celebration of love and diversity, absolutely! But it’s important for us to also recognize, again, the history and ongoing present day struggle for love, acceptance, and equal rights under the law that Pride is rooted in.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. On June 28, 1969, New York city police officers raided the then-largest gay bar in the country, known as the Stonewall Inn. This raid sparked riots which are regarded as beginning of the modern day gay rights movement. The first LGBTQIA+ Pride March was a year later, commemorating the events at Stonewall Inn. This year, two transgender women of color who were drag performers in Greenwich Village and key figures in the Stonewall uprising – Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera – will be honored with a monument in New York City.
I began Pride month with a local celebration, where two Melrose residents have started a movement right inside their home. They host fundraiser concerts featuring local artists for various social justice organizations under the name Salon on South. On Saturday night, I spent the evening among friends and neighbors hearing heartwarming and heart-wrenching songs and personal stories about coming out and queer culture. They were raising money for The Trevor Project, a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning young people under age 25. Salon on South’s mission to build community and make change right at home resonates with me deeply.
Today is also the last day of fasting, praying, and acts of charity and giving for Muslims observing Ramadan, and tomorrow is the beginning of Eid. Eid Mubarak for all those in the audience who will be celebrating tomorrow, as well as those who were unable to attend today as they have been observing the holy month. Over the last few years, I’ve learned more about Ramadan through friendships with Muslim friends and by coming together for a community Iftar to break the fast in Melrose – something we have been doing for the past four years. Our Iftar and Pride celebrations in Melrose were started by Melrose residents who got involved in their local government, through our Human Rights Commission. This past year, the same group held a well-attended Diwali celebration – and I got to be the keynote speaker for that. Celebrations are a way to demystify each other’s cultural experiences and identities – and I’m proud that we have made space for them in my city.
I want to challenge each of you to think about your own identity, and what challenges are associated with it, but also, what powers and privileges it comes with. I am an Indian-American woman, who grew up in Iowa. I have never felt poor. My parents are immigrants. I am cisgender and heterosexual, married, and have one child. I am Hindu. Beyond my credentials – each of these identities I carry are laden with meaning, with assumptions others make, and with my own personal history. With the identities I carry sometimes I feel hyper visible and other times invisible. Sometimes that frustrates me – other times I know these realities are my superpowers.
If you’re wondering where to get started after this course, I highly recommend getting involved in your city or town. I have lived in Melrose for six years. I got involved in my local community through my work as a city planner initially, and subsequently, by getting appointed to our Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Commission is a part of our local government – your community may have one, and also has a variety of other boards and commissions to get involved in. You can begin by attending events, making inquiries, and building relationships – before you know it, you’ll be very plugged into your city or town governance, if you’re not already. Serving on the Commission gave me insight into our community and further motivated me to run for office, where I’ve served as a City Councilor since the beginning of last year. And now, I’m running for Mayor. Whatever your goals – they are attainable. Whatever cause you’re interested in advancing – there is a local element where you can make a difference right in your own community.
Here are five things I have learned over the last few years.
- Symbols matter. Whether it’s putting up a rainbow Pride flag or changing the Massachusetts state flag.
- Words are important. Yes, Black Lives Matter. Yes LGBTQIA+ equality and justice are critical. Yes we must combat Islamophobia.
- Reach out. Perhaps you took this course because you’re concerned about ICE raids or gun violence or families being separated at the border or the deluge of hateful rhetoric delivered in 140 characters at 3am. There is always so much news to process with our current events. Each of these incidents affect us deeply, and may affect our friends and acquaintances even more personally. Check on your friends.
- Diversify your circle. If you don’t know people with a certain profile – or at least don’t know them well enough to combat your stereotypes, reservations, or fears, get to know them. Once you get to know people who are different from you, you find out just how much you have in common.
- Take action. Do all of the above. Educate yourself. Vote if you’re able to. Get involved in a political campaign (hint hint!) or local ballot initiative. Speak up. Stand up to bigotry. Spread messages of inclusion and love.
I am so grateful to all of you. If not for the fact that I have a City Council Budget hearing tonight that I need to run to, I would have asked for a few extra minutes to go around the room and do introductions as a group. It’s important we get to know each other, that we start taking action on our to-do list right here! My charge to you, before leaving, is that you please do that. Please get to know each other, talk to new folks, and forge a path to make change as I said at the start – locally and vocally.