By Celeste Katz Marston — Celeste@theconcordbridge.org
The Select Board has approved the raising of the Juneteenth flag in Monument Square this month, but it’s taking more time to make a decision on a Pride flag.
For the first time, Concord will be formally observing Pride Month with a townwide series of events capped by a rally, a march, and other observances on June 22.
But the board told the co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission Monday night that Concord Pride organizers may have jumped the gun by also advertising a flag raising before getting the official green light.
The Select Board quickly approved the raising of the flag of Juneteenth, a holiday which has been federally recognized since 2021. Observed on June 19, it commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
“I don’t have an issue with the Juneteenth flag. We have a precedent. It’s a federal holiday,” said Select Board Chair Mary Hartman. “I do have an issue with the Concord Pride flag. [It’s] a cause that I believe in, but I do have an issue with ‘What’s the use of our flagpole?’ [It’s] not a bulletin board.”
But DEI Co-Chair Joe Palumbo said the flag is simply a show of support for Concordians who identify with the LGBTQIA community.
Drawing distinctions
Select Board member Cameron McKennitt also sounded a note of caution about whether raising the rainbow flag could open Concord up to “a much broader range of people making requests and [the] precedent around that.”
Palumbo noted the wide array of events across town, from houses of worship to national parkland and told the board it would be “unpleasant and embarrassing for us if you were the one institution that chose not to support what’s going on.”
He also said the town already has policies to insulate it from arguments that anyone’s entitled to fly any banner from the town flagpole at any time.
Both McKennitt and Select Board member Terri Ackerman were quick to differentiate between support for Pride and the LGBT community in general and a verdict on the flag raising specifically.
“I’m just thinking there could be 50 groups out there that want to have flags, [and] where are we going to draw the line?” Ackerman asked.
Select Board Clerk Mark Howell said he saw this “as an opportunity to support and really raise up a particular segment of our population,” and member Wendy Rovelli weighed in as well: “I do think this is precedent-setting — but maybe that’s okay, and if we need to review this policy and revise it, we should do that.”
Ultimately, Hartman, Ackerman, and McKennitt voted to table the question, pending more research, until the board’s next meeting.
The board also supported a proclamation — minus the flag-raising reference — that recognizes Concord’s first Pride festival as a celebration “with joy and excitement and the intention of lifting up the LGBTQIA community.”
Ballot shrinks again
Also Monday night, the Select Board voted to remove a series of non-binding advisory questions about Town Meeting that were to have appeared on a June 25 special election ballot.
The vote came after Howell said “the elections division of the Secretary of State’s department has determined that these types of advisory questions are only available to be placed on a ballot by the Select Board when it is a regular town election, not a special town election.”
The purpose of the June 25 special election is for voters to consider a permanent means-tested senior property tax exemption.
The board previously voted to add, and then to delete, a non-binding preference question on naming the new middle school for equal rights advocate Ellen Garrison.
The voter registration deadline for the special election is Friday, June 14. To register online, visit www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/.
