April 19, 2022 By Laurie Asmus
Hingham Unity Council (HUC) has an exciting lineup of upcoming events for spring and early summer. As always, all are invited to participate.
Virtual Candidates Forum on Equity
On Thursday, April 28, ahead of the town election on May 14, HUC and the Hingham Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) will co-host an evening of Q&A with town government candidates, focusing on issues of equity. All candidates in the contested races have been invited to participate: School Committee, Board of Assessors, Board of Health, and Sewer Commission.
“We’re excited to give people the opportunity to meet our candidates ‘face-to-face’ and hear their perspectives on these important issues before heading to the polls,” said HUC Board member Andrew Turner. “Our votes shape the future of our town, so it’s important to ask tough, if not uncomfortable, questions to know where candidates stand. With a competitive School Committee race this year, we are pleased to partner with SEPAC for this forum as our goals regarding equity for all students are aligned.”
Members from the community are encouraged to submit questions for the candidates in advance by email to info@hinghamunity.org by Friday, April 22. The event will stream on HUC’s Facebook page and website (details below).
Community Read & Virtual Discussion of Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
On Thursday, May 12, the HUC Community Read and Discussion will focus on New York Times bestseller and National Book Award winner Interior Chinatown, an exploration of the Asian American experience, assimilation, how pop culture portrays race, and the roles we are often forced to play in an original and witty police procedural screenplay-turned-novel format.
“I’ve never read anything like it. As a lighter read, it opens deep discussions,” said Laurie Asmus, HUC volunteer and Community Read and Discussion Series Co-chair. “Its clichés and stereotypes, clever wordplay and in-jokes about the Chinese American experience are at times both funny and cringeworthy, and, for me, highlight the societal tropes that often keep people from recognizing others as individuals.”
Occurring every two to three months, the goal of the HUC Community Read and Discussion Series is to encourage discovery and exploration of stories from a mix of literary genres, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry with a goal of fostering a more inclusive community.
#WeAreHingham: A Community Conversation (Live In-Person!)
#WeAreHingham is a community-based visual project created by local resident, photographer, and HUC volunteer Brooke Bartletta, to showcase the diverse portraits and personalities of community members. The project stems from the conviction that everyone deserves to be seen, supported and celebrated. However, Brooke’s vision has always been not only to display these thought-provoking photographs, but to have a related conversation regarding community.
On Sunday, May 22 at 2pm, HUC invites all who live, work, study or worship in Hingham to come together in person under the Jane Cheever Carr Amphitheater at the South Shore Conservatory. Small, moderated groups will engage in open dialogue about their individual and collective experiences of our town, sharing thoughts on topics such as why they chose to live here and their aspirations for this community. Special guest Liora Norwich, Executive Director of the Network for Social Justice, is planning and facilitating this event with an HUC team.
“I am very grateful and excited that the Hingham Unity Council is taking this opportunity to use #WeAreHingham as a catalyst for bringing community members together,” said Bartletta. “Getting people to meet face to face and have a dialogue about community and all its nuances was the goal behind the project. I think the time is right for people to see, hear and celebrate each other and it will be a great day!”
Pending town permitting, light bites from Hingham’s own Clandestine Kitchen and beer from Scituate’s Untold Brewing will be available for purchase following the formal discussion. These businesses are donating 25% of the net proceeds of their food and beverage sales.
For more information on the #WeAreHingham visual project and how you can still participate by having your portrait included, please visit www.wearehingham.com.
Juneteenth Celebration (Live In-Person!)
On Saturday, June 18th the HUC will once again sponsor a celebration of this holiday at the Hingham Bathing Beach. There will be food, music and fun for all ages. More details to come but be sure to save the date!
To register for these events and learn more, please visit the links below:
Candidates Forum on Equity (Virtual Event)
Thursday, April 28 from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. via Facebook Livestream at https://www.facebook.com/hinghamunitycouncil and on the HUC website.
No registration required.
Community Read & Virtual Discussion of Interior Chinatown (Virtual Event)
Thursday, May 12 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. on Zoom
Register for Zoom link at https://hinghamunity.org/event/interior-chinatown/
#WeAreHingham: A Community Conversation (In-Person Event)
Sunday, May 22 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at South Shore Conservatory, Jane Cheever Carr Amphitheater, 1 Conservatory Drive in Hingham.
Please register to reserve your space at https://hinghamunity.org/event/we-are-hingham/
For more information about these and other upcoming events and initiatives, join the Hingham Unity Council’s email list at www.hinghamunity.org and follow www.facebook.com/hinghamunitycouncil. Formed by members of the Hingham community in the fall of 2019, Hingham Unity Council is part of the South Shore Unity Council, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All are welcome and encouraged to participate.