Around Town

Watertown Group Hosting Workshop for Those Looking to Serve on the Human Rights Commission

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The following announcement was provided by World in Watertown:

The City of Watertown is currently seeking applicants to serve on its newly formed Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Commission will educate the community about human rights, build connections across the City to prevent and address discrimination, and provide support and resources to people who have a human rights complaint. The Human Rights Commission will have nine Commissioners plus liaisons from the Policy Department, the School Department, and the student body. Applications are due on December 8th. Human Rights Commissioners should have experience advocating or working to promote human rights.

Around Town

Unity Award Goes to Group Behind Film Series, New Scholarships Announced

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Watertown Cable AccessThe winners of the 2023 Unity Award, Epiteo Evans and Kara Salvi, who founded Race Reels in Watertown. Most years the annual Unity Award goes to an individual who has made a difference in Watertown, but this year the committee gave it to a group that screens films locally that spark conversations about issues facing the community and the nation. On Jan. 9, the pair behind Race Reels, Epiteo Evans and Kara Salvi, received the Unity Award at special event. The pair was also highlighted in the Unity Breakfast video celebration, which was presented by the World in Watertown.

Around Town

Watertown Unity Breakfast Going Virtual in 2021

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The following information was provided by the Unity Breakfast Planning Committee:

Watertown will celebrate its 21st annual Unity Breakfast on January 18, 2021 – Martin Luther King Day. For the past 20 years, the World in Watertown event has brought together hundreds of people at for a hearty breakfast and program that celebrates and honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his commitment to racial justice. This year, however, the Unity Breakfast will be different – it will be a virtual event presented in partnership with Watertown Cable Access Corp (WCA-TV). It will be streamed at 10:00 am on January 18, 2021 (MLK Day), on the 2021 Unity Breakfast website and the WCA-TV FaceBook page, and simultaneously broadcast by WCA-TV on channels 9 (Comcast) and 3 (RCN). The program will be recorded so that it will also be available for subsequent on-demand viewing.

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Watertown’s Effort to Bring MLK’s Teachings to Schools Honored at Unity Breakfast

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The Watertown High six students who received the Unity Award for their work spreading Kingian Non-violence teachings to WHS. Pictured from left, Fred Laboissiere, Tino Themelis, Eva Henry, Claire abian, Catherine Fabian and Shivani Sharma. The people who brought the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. to the Watertown schools and the community came together, and were honored during the the 20th annual Watertown Unity Breakfast on Monday. The annual celebration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been put on by the World in Watertown for two decades, and at the 2020 breakfast the local efforts to teach the principles of Kingian Non-violence in town were at the forefront. The keynote speaker was one of those who trained Watertown teachers, students and police about applying King’s non-violence teachings today, and the Unity Award went to six students who spread MLK’s teachings to Watertown High School.

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Watertown Will Celebrate 20th Unity Breakfast in Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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The following information was provided by World in Watertown:

Watertown will celebrate its 20th Unity Breakfast to remember Martin Luther King Jr. at 8:30 a.m., Jan. 20 at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave., Watertown. The breakfast has become a Watertown tradition, drawing over 400 guests. This year’s honorary host will be Deanne Galdston, superintendent of the Watertown Public Schools. The keynote speaker is Jonathan Lewis, senior level Kingian Nonviolence trainer, Positive Peace Warrior Network.

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Pair Who Helped Asylum Seekers at Border to Speak in Watertown

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Several Watertown citizen groups announced they will host the event “Stories from the Border: Roots and Realities with Raquel Bauman and Sylvia Cowan.” The group sent out the following information:

Wednesday, November 20 7:00 p.m – 8:30 p.m. First Parish of Watertown 35 Church Street

Raquel Bauman and Sylvia Cowan of First Parish Bedford went to the Border as Spanish-speaking volunteers in a detention center to assist asylum-seekers and to observe events in Mexico and Texas last February.  They will share stories they heard and events they witnessed first-hand there, along with updates and a look at origins of this growing humanitarian crisis on our Mexican Border. Since that time, the situation has continued to escalate into a heartbreaking humanitarian crisis—both on the U.S. border and in neighboring Mexico. Sylvia & Raquel invite you to accompany them vicariously on their journey. Come hear what they learned, aspects of the current realities, and exploration of roots of this crisis.  In the end, we are invited to consider what steps we all might take to live our values of justice for all and helping one another. Sponsored by First Parish of Watertown, Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment, World in Watertown, Watertown Welcomes Immigrants, and Survival Education Fund, Inc.

Around Town

Minister of First Parish Bidding Church, Watertown Farewell

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Mark Harris, minister of the First Parish Church of Watertown, received the 2019 Unity Award. He helped start the event, and will be retiring from the church later this year. After 23 years, the Rev. Mark Harris will leave Watertown’s First Parish Church Unitarian Universalist where he made his mark with his congregation and the wider community. Harris’ time as minister of First Parish Church runs through the end of July, but he gave his last sermon in early June. In September, he and his wife, Andrea Greenwood, will move to Maine.

Around Town

Film and Discussion on Gender Identity to be Hosted by Watertown Group

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The following information was provided by World in Watertown:

On Tuesday, April 30, World in Watertown will present the National Geographic documentary entitled Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric, followed by a panel discussion of issues related to gender identity. The program will be held in the Watertown Savings Bank Room of the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St. It will begin with pizza promptly at 6:00 p.m.

The program is free, and the public is warmly invited to attend. In this widely acclaimed film, “Katie Couric sets out across America to meet with leading scientists, physicians, and experts to answer questions about gender and gender identity. She speaks with everyday people who find their lives and bodies on the front line of a changing world.