On Tuesday evening during the Select Board meeting, Shahidul Mannan made a statement to the board in which he described being the victim of racial attacks.
“Today I would like to address a grave concern that has recently touched not only myself, but also our respected peer, and our families” he began. “It is imperative that I discuss the sensitive matter of racial attacks within our town.”
Mr. Mannan said that he was recently stopped at an event that he was attending with his family, and was asked by the person “if and why was still living in this town”.
He continued: “These actions have been made all the more poignant by their visibility in the local media, a town newspaper, and solidified or normalized by the silence against such injustices.”
>> VIDEO: Shahidul Mannan on Racial Attacks
The next morning I sent a message to Mr. Mannan seeking clarification.
Good morning. A very thoughtful and eloquent speech during public forum last night. One of the things you said caught my attention.
“These actions have been made all the more poignant by their visibility in the local media, a town newspaper, and solidified or normalized by the silence against such injustices.”
I cannot imagine you are referring to the Independent, so I assume you mean HopNews. I looked through the comments last night to see if I could find anything that struck me as racist and I didn’t see any, but it’s possible that I missed it. Can you tell me what you were referring to? I will correct the record and expunge any hate speech, which is expressly forbidden by our terms of service. I am also posting the video of your speech today.
Mr. Mannan did not reply, but the matter was clarified on Thursday morning, when the Hopkinton Independent published an article on his statement, which included the following from the paper’s editor, Jerry Spar:
[Editor’s note: In a follow-up communication Wednesday, Mannan clarified that he was referring to the website HopNews]
To be clear, HopNews does not promote, nor do we allow any speech on our platform that promotes racism or any form of discrimination. Such behavior undermines the principles of diversity and acceptance we strive for and will not be tolerated. Our position is further codified in Section 8 of our Privacy Policy, which describes how we govern reader comments.
Mr. Mannan’s statement prompted me to examine several month’s worth of articles and the reader comments attached to them. Although this publication is frequently critical of the Select Board, and specifically Mr. Mannan at times, our disagreements are substantive, not personal. I have had several interactions with Mr. Mannan and I have never doubted that his heart is in the right place. He is a faithful public servant – a volunteer – that has worked tirelessly to improve our town. His wife, Nasiba, is equally dedicated, and currently serves on Board of Health. As a family, the Mannan’s have given much to Hopkinton.
Thinking I may have overlooked something, I next collected every reader comment ever submitted to HopNews and ran them through an AI engine that was specifically trained to find words that could be construed as discriminatory or hateful. It found nothing.
I again reached out to Mr. Mannan this afternoon, both by telephone and text, and I received no reply. Candidly, I remain confused by his accusation that HopNews “solidified or normalized…injustices.”
I do not question, nor do I want to take anything away from Mr. Mannan’s experience. Like everyone that attended the Select Board meeting on Tuesday night, I was saddened to hear him describe the painful circumstances he and his family recently endured. It was unacceptable, and it is not the Hopkinton that we all know and love.
As a white male, I recognize that there are inherent limitations in my ability to fully understand systemic racism due to the differences in lived experiences compared to those of brown or black individuals. My racial identity affords me certain privileges that can obscure the true extent and impact of systemic inequalities faced by people of color, even in Hopkinton, which I believe to be incredibly welcoming to all. I acknowledge that my perspective is shaped by a different set of experiences that does not include the everyday realities of racism and discrimination that can profoundly affect the lives of others. Further, I believe it is crucial that we foster empathy and that we actively support efforts to combat racism in every form.
I will continue to reach out to Mr. Mannan and I hope to bring our readers a follow-up. If nothing else, his comments afford all of us an opportunity to come together and learn from each other’s experiences, in pursuit of a more just and equitable world.
Peter Thomas is the publisher and editor-in-chief of HopNews.
Update Friday, April 19: Although Mr. Mannan has yet to respond, reader “Brittany” may have shed light on this matter in her comment below. She pointed to a potentially offensive comment made by a Facebook user (on Facebook, not HopNews) in connection to one of our stories that was critical of Mr. Mannan. Unlike HopNews.com, where comments are moderated and governed by our terms of service, Facebook comments are automatically posted.
Further research into the Facebook user reveals that they are very likely not from Hopkinton, and may in fact not be a real person at all. They have no obvious Hopkinton connections and appear to live in Western Europe, with 71 “Followers” and a private Friends list.
Foreign state bots on social media platforms like Facebook utilize sophisticated methods to exacerbate social tensions. They scan and analyze posts to identify divisive issues, particularly those related to politics, race, or religion. By generating and promoting inflammatory content, these bots amplify these issues, creating echo chambers and exploiting social media algorithms to increase content visibility. This strategy involves building fake networks to simulate grassroots support, intensifying the perceived division.
From a moderation perspective, keeping offensive speech off Facebook poses challenges due to the evolving nature of language, cultural contexts, and individual perceptions of what constitutes offensiveness. But in truth, it is the sheer volume of content generated daily makes manual monitoring unfeasible for a small team like ours.
That said, we have removed the offensive comment from Facebook and banned this “user” from our Facebook page. We hope our readers (and Mr. Mannan) can appreciate the limitations and challenges faced in our efforts to balance freedom of expression with the need to maintain a respectful and safe online environment.
Racial Profiling is usually used as a term describing police actions against individuals of a certain race. I would ask Select Board member Mannan to please be more specific in these incident(s) of racial profiling that he and his family have experienced. He did explain that he was approached by an individual and asked why he was still living in Hopkinton. I wouldn’t suggest that in it self would qualify, as we don’t know that the suspect made that statement solely based upon race. Great men and woman come in all shapes, sizes and color and that’s what makes our country so great. It bothers me when someone of color has a negative experience in society, as we all do at one time or another, but bases that solely on the color of their skin.
As a Trump supporter my family and I have experienced several acts that were extremely disheartening and in some cases very bothersome. Those individuals committed these acts solely based upon their judgments of me and my politics. I’ve never suggested my skin color or religious beliefs ever had anything to do with it.
I understand your comment but on Facebook there have been some recent comments (not directed at Mr. Mannan) related to the new school policy around Sikh religious artifacts that resemble weapons. Someone specifically asked Indian women to speak up (when 98% percent of women from India are not Sikh) and one person said “well that might be ok in your country.” In that context, and also with what Brittany shared below, I can see how comments may not seem to be troubling to some but are reflective of a greater issue at hand.
I do believe your heart is in the right place here and commend the efforts you’ve put into this. I would caution you not to center yourself in the story and to let Mr. Mannan decide when he wants to talk about this.
I’m not sure AI is the solution to this as it has its own biases. I think most human minds can understand how remarks such as this one, a top comment on a recent HopNews Facebook post about the Select Board, can be received as racial attacks. This comment has only likes and hearts and no pushback from anyone, including the HopNews.com social media team. I do hope we can all see how much power such hateful words have even if they do not contain any keywords a robot would be searching for. It’s a good lesson for us all.
“…Those two men, Board members Shahidul Mannan and Irfan Nasrullah, are from cultures where women are treated like third class citizens and are basically chattel, they would give the same treatment to Margaret Mead, Camille Paglia or Maya Angelou if they were talking to them. Just because these “Men” can write code and buy a million dollar house in Hopkinton doesn’t mean they have evolved. The old expression regarding New Englanders, “A New Englander may leave New England, but New England will NEVER leave them” can apply to these two, just change the location of their origins….”
I did not see this comment – which is interesting because I read almost everything posted by online by HopNews and the Independent and I usually look at the comments section. Did this comment stay up for a long time?
To suggest these two SB members are “not evolved” is completely inappropriate and they both have the right to be offended.
Marisa, the comment was up for two weeks on a 4/4/24 post.
Thank you for your reply, and for pointing us to that Facebook post. To your point, the scope of our research did not include articles and comments made in places other than HopNews as we do not attempt to moderate platforms other than our own. As you no doubt have seen already, we have updated this article and removed the comment from Facebook.
Brittany, thank you for highlighting this comment. As someone who follows HopNews daily, I hadn’t noticed it myself. The comment certainly crossed a line and was inappropriate. However, it’s crucial to recognize the gravity of Mr. Mannan’s accusation of racism against HopNews. Such a claim carries significant implications for the publication’s reputation and audience. Therefore, it’s reasonable for HopNews to seek evidence, clarification, and support for such serious allegations.
Well said Ashley. Though the author of the comment/post may be held to account, to characterize Hopnews as racist is wholly unfair and unwarranted. The only thing worse than racism is to claim racism where it doesn’t exist.
There is no place for racism in our town. Absolutely correct. Yet it is here. I’ve heard it in the schools and from grown adults. I’ve lived in town 29 years and love this community. However I don’t believe there is a town in America that doesn’t face racism. Our town is no different. We need to be better. To correct our children when they make racial comments. We need to teach them at home.
Beth, I’ve live here all my life. I’d like for you to substantiate your statement with facts. I have seen several statements in different online posts talking about racial attacks on individuals from Hopkinton. I’ve peeled back the layers and found that 100 percent were outright lies. Most of the people reporting racial incidents were from the west coast and had never even stepped foot in Hopkinton. I haven’t looked recently, but none of the online posts that I have seen in the past could ever be substantiated. Collect your facts before you make your statements. Information people gather from the dripping grapevine is usually not very accurate. As with Monica Cannon Grant, who held Hopkinton hostage over the tragic death of Mikayla Miller. As we all know now, Mikayla committed suicide, but Monica Cannon Grant and Mikayla’s mom started a GoFundMe to further investigate her death because they believed she was lynched. That was proven wrong and the GoFundMe proceeds have been cashed out.
Remember this incident (by a business owner in town) from August 2020?
https://hopkintonindependent.com/motorcyclist-disrupts-india-celebration-at-town-common/
Just because you aren’t experiencing racism or seeing it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Please don’t turn off Fox News…they’re the only honest domain left in the sphere of journalism.
Evan: as I understand it, Rich grew up without a father. His dad, a war hero was killed in Vietnam when Rich was just a baby. As a result Rich grew up with an undivided love and pride for the country that his dad gave his life for. The rumors, mostly misinformation circulating through town that day, were the that the flag of India was going to be posted on the Common flying above the American Flag. When Rich was informed that the celebration was in no way going to disrespect the American Flag, Rich apologized for his actions. This incident is a bit different. Rich gets a pass on this all day long. Next time you see Rich working (American Climbers), you should thank him for his family’s sacrifice to our country.
Poor excuse for even poorer behavior. Careful now….your white privilege is showing. I’d personally like to thank people for STOPPING the cycle of racist behavior…..and I’m someone from an entire family of those who serve/served – who are/were appalled by those actions (and attitudes today that are alive and well in Hopkinton) and knew that is not what they fought and served for.
Unknown: He was trying to defend the flag of the United States. His actions were not based on race. His actions were based upon his belief that the flag was going to be disrespected. Nothing more, nothing less.
Nope. He saw a people of color together on the common raising the Flag of India and it pissed him off. He drove around the common on his motorcycle, revving his engine attempting to disrupt a ceremony in honor of India Day. He admits it here himself https://www.hcam.tv/news/rich-yurewicz-apologizes-his-actions
He admits he saw the flag of another country and wrongfully assumed they were disrespecting the American Flag. HIS OWN WORDS.
Here is the definition of racism: prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.
So what would you call what RY did?
Hopkinton has come a long way, but there is still work to do. Racism exits and it exits here in town. Why is that such a hard pill for you?