Medford Expanding Diversity Efforts Amid NAACP Concerns

MEDFORD, MA — The city of Medford is expanding its diversity efforts, including emphasizing education around diverse faiths and cultures and hosting its first Pride Festival and a multicultural event later this year.

That's according to Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, who responded to the Mystic Valley Branch of the NAACP's concerns over tolerance toward the local Jewish community this week.

In a letter to Lungo-Koehn and the city council, Zane Crute, president of the Mystic Valley Branch, cited two incidents of concern to his organization – a controversial image displayed during Medford's Holiday Extravaganza and what he felt was a non-inclusive prayer during the inauguration ceremony in January.

Lungo-Koehn apologized for the image, which was of a candelabra instead of a menorah and contained captions associated with Messianic Judaism. The movement is considered part of Evangelical Christianity and diverges greatly with Judaism in many of its core beliefs, including worshiping Jesus Christ, City Councilor Kit Collins said in December.

Crute's letter acknowledged the apology, which he called a "good start."

"However, what this incident brings to light is that there needs to be more education and
communication by Medford’s leadership and staff so that incidents like this never happen again, he continued. "At a fundamental level, this means including Jewish residents or leaders in the planning of public events instead of making assumptions or speaking for them."

Crute went on to say that the inauguration ceremony, which featured Pastor Zenzo Matoga of the Impact Church of Medford, "would have been better and more inclusive if it was more universal across all faiths, without reference to the Christian belief in Jesus."

On Wednesday, Lungo-Koehn outlined the steps Medford is already taking to be more diverse and inclusive.

"As you noted, an apology is a good first step, but it does not solve the root of the problem," she wrote. "That's why my staff and I have already begun attending cultural awareness training sessions with Wayside Youth & Family Support Network and are currently planning more trainings with District Attorney Ryan’s Office of Racial Justice Initiatives."

The city is seeking people with diverse backgrounds to join its planning committees and help create inclusive and representative events, including the Pride Festival in June and another event later this year, Lungo-Koehn said.

She invited members of the Mystic Valley NAACP to serve on these committees and work with the city on future events, meetings and trainings.

"Restoring trust and building meaningful partnerships with the community takes significant time and requires a willingness to learn from mistakes," Lungo-Koehn wrote. "I can assure you and your leadership team that we are doing everything possible to ensure that something like this never happens again."