The Climate of the Community is the Responsibility of the Citizens of the Community
Town of Concord’s Annual Holocaust Remembrance
Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Concord Town House
The Town of Concord’s Annual Holocaust Remembrance, co-sponsored by the
Concord-Carlisle Human Rights Council, will take place on Sunday, April 12, at
7:00 PM at the Concord Town House. The event will also be accessible via a Zoom
Webinar for those not able to attend in person. We are honored to welcome Leora
Tec as this year’s speaker. Tec, the daughter of survivor and Holocaust scholar
Nechama Tec, is the founder of Bridge To Poland, which seeks to educate people
about Jewish history in Poland with an emphasis on how the Jews of Poland are
being remembered by non-Jewish Poles. She is the Special Projects Partner to The
Grodzka Gate–NN Theater Center in Lublin, Poland as well as the creator and
producer of the online video library, The Neshoma Project: Conversations with
Poles Rescuing Jewish Memory. Currently, she is working on a memoir about her
experiences in Poland.
We will be posting the link to the Zoom Webinar here, on our website, shortly.
Leora Tec
This event is free and open to the public.
Minuteman Media will be recording Leora's presentation and we will
have it available for viewing on our website after April 12th.
2026 MLK, Jr. Day of Service
To honor Dr. King's legacy of service to community, the CCHRC sponsored a food drive at Crosby’s Market on Monday, January 19th.
All donations of non-perishable food were donated
to the Open Table food pantry which offers fresh
market groceries and prepared meals at their
main facility in Maynard.
Thank you to everyone who made a donation to help combat food insecurity in Massachusetts.
And thank you to Crosby's Market for always
supporting our community.
Human Rights Tea and Climate For Freedom Award
On November 23rd, the Concord-Carlisle Human Rights Council hosted our annual Human Rights Tea in the Goodwin Forum in the Main Library.
This year we presented the 2025 Climate For Freedom Award
to Second Chance Cars, a Concord based nonprofit that provides affordable used cars to working people in need.
Second Chance Cars works closely with some of the best social
services agencies that select “car-ready” candidates, and partners
with vocational schools that refurbish donated cars professionally and affordably. Vehicles are carefully matched to suit the needs of each vetted applicant, ensuring they have a safe, reliable, and
economical means of transportation.
As everyone enjoyed tea and scones, Dan Holin, the founder of Second Chance Cars, gave an inspiring presentation about the nonprofit and shared stories about how it has helped so many people.
This event was free and open to the public.
The Goodwin Forum CCHRC Co-Chair Court Booth, SCC founder, Dan Holin and CCHRC Co-Chair Rich Yamartino
CCHRC Co-Chair Letter to the Editors of
The Concord Bridge and The Carlisle Mosquito
October 2025
Dear Editor,
In 1978 there was a racially-motivated fight at Concord-Carlisle High School. Feeling unsafe, 36 Black students then withdrew from CCHS. In a community-wide response, a powerful question was posed by Concord resident Dr. Charles Willie: if the town could form a committee to safely fire a cannon on Patriots Day, could it also form one to ensure the safety of students of different races attending school together? This pivotal moment led to the creation of the Concord-Carlisle Human Rights Council (CCHRC).
Today, we face a similar challenge. Recent, serious claims of antisemitism in our schools sadly highlight that some members of our community, particularly our Jewish friends and neighbors, do not always feel safe and welcome. A truly welcoming community must be a safe community, and these most recent charges demand our immediate attention and a collective response. We commend our Select Board for their prompt actions to date, which have given hope and a voice to those who have experienced pain.
The CCHRC was formed precisely to address such moments of hate and harm and to ensure they do not happen in the future. Sadly, we believe that we must again acknowledge conditions that require our commitment and action. We must transform our small groups of concerned citizens into a large chorus, acting together to overcome bias and injustice. We call upon our elected leaders, social justice organizations, faith groups, and all citizens of good will to join in a collective effort to create a truly welcoming and safe community for all. Anti-bias work is everyone’s work. Please watch for upcoming opportunities to contribute.
Court Booth & Rich Yamartino
Co-Chairs, Concord-Carlisle Human Rights Council
Race Amity Day 2025
August 24th at The Robbins House
A celebration of cross-racial friendship, collaboration, and understanding.
This day highlights the importance of recognizing the fundamental oneness of humanity beyond superficial differences, reinforcing genuine connection to
foster unity and a more inclusive community.
Celebrating Concord 250
A beautiful day of unity and action as the Concord-Carlisle Human Rights Council and community partners marched for a welcoming community in the 250th anniversary Patriots Day Parade. The banner and marching team were organized by the Human Rights Council and sponsored by the Concord DEI Commission
Who Are We?
We are an organization of volunteers working together to foster respect, understanding, good will, and conciliation among individuals and groups in the community. It is dedicated to the belief that all people are entitled to dignity and respect.
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