Somerville News, MA
May 2 2008
No more ‘No place for hate’
By Mia Lamar
The city of Somerville suspended its relationship with the
Anti-Defamation League’s `No Place for Hate’ anti-prejudice program
last Thursday, in protest of the ADL’s failure to `unequivocally’
recognize the Armenian genocide, according to a city spokeswoman,
Lesley Delaney Hawkins. Hawkins added that the city specifically chose
to make its announcement on the annual day of remembrance for the
genocide, April 24, a message Hawkins called `significant.’
`We want to send a clear message that bigotry, whether its on a local
level or a genocide level, is not appropriate,’ said Hawkins. She said
Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, a member of the Massachusetts Municipal
Association (MMA) who is also president of the Massachusetts Mayors’
Association, received an `immense’ amount of correspondence from
individuals, of both Armenian and non-Armenian descent, expressing
their concern over the controversial position of the ADL. The
Massachusetts Municipal Association withdrew its co-sponsorship of the
"No Place for Hate" program earlier this month, moving Mayor Curtatone
to follow suit with Somerville.
Hawkins stressed that the city’s decision `was not a question’ of the
overall efforts of the ADL. `We certainly do respect and appreciate
their [anti-] bigotry efforts,’ she said.
According to Hawkins, the city has not received any communication from
the ADL concerning its announcement Thursday, and is currently looking
into whether it must take further steps to formally cease its
relationship with the `No Place for Hate’ program. She also said she
expects the city to pass a resolution in coming weeks to join the
National League of Cities Partnership for Working Towards Inclusive
Communities.
A regional spokeswoman for the ADL, Jennifer Smith, did not return
calls for comment.
Somerville joins a growing list of Massachusetts communities taking a
stance against the ADL and its position towards the Armenian genocide,
including nearby Belmont, Watertown, Lexington and Newton.
erville_news/2008/05/no-more.html