HUC News & Updates
Please join our mailing list to be notified of upcoming events and initiatives.
Juneteenth Student Art Contest – Call for Student Submissions
As part of the celebration of Juneteenth in Hingham this year, the Hingham Unity Council is inviting all students who live and/or attend school on the South Shore to participate in a competition by submitting a work of visual or performance art, an essay or other written work. Students in grades K- 12 are invited to submit an essay, poem, a piece of visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture - any medium of expression is welcome!), a video or original song or other performance to the Juneteenth committee.
Hingham 2024 Town Elections Candidate Statements
One of the goals of the Hingham Unity Council is to create a more inclusive and welcoming community. Can you please tell voters how you will use your public position to make Hingham more welcoming for all of its citizens? Read the answers from this year's candidates!
Letter from HUC Board to Rep. Meschino and Senator O’Connor
Below is a letter sent by the HUC Board to State Representative Meschino and Senator O'Connor advocating for the passage of two proposed pieces of legislation related to our Arab community members as well as a bill to protect First Amendment Rights by combating "doxing." We encourage other community members who support these bills to reach out too.
Summer Internship Opportunity 2024
The Hingham Unity Council is currently seeking a college or graduate level intern for the summer of 2024. This is an excellent opportunity for an individual seeking to gain more experience in data collection and modeling.
Community Wrapped 2023
Saturday, December 16, 2023 Thanks to all who joined us and Derby Street Shoppes for this fun holiday fundraiser!
Downtown Hingham Menorah Lighting
December 7, 2023 Thanks to all who joined us and our partner organizations: the Hingham Community Center, Hingham Human Rights Commission, Congregation Sha'aray Shalom, and the Hingham Downtown Association.
Statement regarding Islamophobia and the Shooting of 3 students in Vermont
The HUC stands in solidarity against Islamophobia. While the investigation is still unfolding, it is unacceptable that students were targeted on their way to dinner while speaking Arabic and wearing a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh (scarf). We’d like to remind our community of the importance of standing against Islamophobia. Our Palestinian, Arab, and South Asian community members and students have been feeling a heightened sense of fear due to multiple assaults, murders, and verbal threats toward people going about their daily lives or exercising their constitutional rights around the nation. Once more: as a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-faith community, we reject all forms of hate. We all belong here.
Statement Regarding Threat Made Against Congregation Sha’aray Shalom
The Hingham Unity Council stands in solidarity against antisemitism. We were horrified to learn about the threat toward the Congregation Sha’aray Shalom, and we know this only increases fear and trauma for many of our community members. It is vitally important that our community continue to remain ever-vigilant in resisting antisemitism. With the threat today, we urge our entire community to reflect on and live out our shared values. We again reiterate the call for our community: As a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-faith community, we reject all forms of hate. We all belong here.
Statement regarding Israel and Gaza
The Hingham Unity Council acknowledges the enormous grief that is being felt throughout our community in the wake of shocking and horrifying violence and terror in Israel and Gaza. We unequivocally condemn the recent attacks on innocent lives by Hamas. We grieve these losses as our own. As individuals, we believe our most powerful tool at this time is to recognize and honor our shared humanity. We continue to pledge to use our collective voice to call attention to and support all those facing humanitarian crises.
HUC Joins other SSUC Members in Letter Regarding Museum Beach Incident
Dear Residents and Leaders of Boston’s South Shore Communities: We are writing today regarding an incident that occurred in one of our member communities, Scituate, relating to the Scituate Public Schools Director of Diversity, Education and Inclusion, Mr. jamele adams. A makeshift tombstone with Mr. adam’s misspelled name and “in loving memory” on it was photographed at Museum Beach. The Scituate Public Schools and Select Board have already made a statement, as has Scituate Together for Representation, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE). We want to collectively echo their strong condemnations of this unacceptable and vile act and express our support and solidarity for Mr. adams and the work he is doing in the Scituate community, as well as for all those who may feel threatened or unsafe as a result of this incident. We affirm our respect, compassion, and acceptance for all people as we continue to celebrate diversity of backgrounds and identities. Together, we will continue to pursue our commitment to ensuring our communities are places where everyone feels safe and welcome. The South Shore Unity Council is made up of various civic and municipal-level organizations that are deeply dedicated to the principle that every single person deserves to [Read More ->]
Town Meeting Issues 2023
There’s a lot of information out there coming from a lot of directions and it’s quite a bit to process! These issues are important for our community, however, so the Hingham Unity Council board has discussed the items on this years’ Town Meeting warrant that intersect with our mission and values – to foster a more diverse and inclusive community – and how they affect our Town. We wanted to share our thoughts with you. The SparkNotes version: We are voting Yes on Article 6- The Override We are voting Yes on Article 25 – Single Use Water Bottles We are voting Yes on the Alternate Motion to Article 29 – Accessory Dwelling Units. This motion will be brought by Planning Board Chair Judy Sneath on the floor of Town Meeting. Article 6: The Override This was a tough conversation for us and required some thought and work, because we acknowledge an inherent conflict between raising taxes and supporting a more diverse and inclusive Hingham: a more expensive Hingham is not accessible to all. However, we trust our elected and appointed officials, and the override has the full support of our Select Board and our Advisory Committee, who volunteer hours of their time in tireless service to our Town and [Read More ->]
Affirming our Support of LGBQTQ+ and Transgender Rights
We wish to affirm our respect, compassion, and acceptance for all people as we continue to celebrate diversity of backgrounds and identities. We maintain our commitment to making sure our local community is a place where everyone feels safe and welcome, including all of our children, no matter how they identify.