Marblehead task force marks milestone

MARBLEHEAD – The Marblehead Task Force Against Discrimination is asking local churches to join them in observing 20 years of the town’s pro-active response to discrimination on the weekend of July 31.Helaine Hazlett, Task Force co-chair, Joe Whipple and Harvey Michaels, founding Task Force members, thanked the selectmen last week for issuing a proclamation honoring their 20th anniversary and presented the task force’s new logo, designed by Michael Harper, 11 Seaview Ave.In anticipation of the anniversary the Marblehead High Fine Arts Department held a design contest for a new logo for the Task Force and Harper won with an orange and black design incorporating Christian, Jewish and Islamic symbols, a symbol for gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and trans-sexuals and the words “No Place For Hate.”Harper said his design ideas came from working with the original logo and bringing it more in line with today’s meaning of diversity.”We all should be very proud to have young people like him in our community,” Hazlett said.Harvey Michaels spoke of the horrible desecration of Temple Emanu-El and the Jewish Community Center 20 years ago and the march that took place the following week uniting people from every walk of life, planned with help from the Ant-Defamation League.At the time, Michaels was a member of Temple Emanu-El and chairman of the social studies department at Swampscott High.”I was amazed at the size of the (parade) outpouring from Marblehead and other communities nearby ? so many people from different religious, ethnic and educational backgrounds,” he said. “It was like a wave came over me. I will never forget it, it is etched in my mind.”Many events are planned throughout the town, including an interactive performance, “Weaving Our Story of Marblehead,” from 7:30-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1 at the Marblehead Unitarian Universalist Church.Selectmen accepted a print of the design, to be hung in Abbot Hall.