Agenda Summary
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In remembrance of Lobga Rangzen and in recognition of Somerville’s Tibetan Community.
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Official Text
WHEREAS: The Somerville City Council recognizes the dignity, humanity, and contributions of members of the Tibetan community who have made Somerville their home and who enrich our city through their culture, traditions, faith, advocacy, friendship, and commitment to community; and
WHEREAS: Lobga Rangzen, born Lobsang Palden in eastern Tibet, dedicated much of his life to the preservation of Tibetan identity and to advocating for the Tibetan people; and
WHEREAS: Lobga Rangzen grew up in a family with a history of resistance to Chinese rule in Tibet, and at the age of 18 fled Tibet with his uncle, eventually making his way through Nepal and India before coming to the United States in 2006, where he received asylum; and
WHEREAS: After leaving the monastic life, Lobga Rangzen devoted himself to activism and community, participating in demonstrations, hunger strikes, advocacy events, and a 13-day walk from New York City to Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS: Lobga Rangzen was remembered by his friends not only for his activism, but also for his warmth, humor, generosity, love of Tibetan dance and music, hiking, storytelling, and his commitment to helping build community among Tibetans living far from their homeland; and
WHEREAS: Lobga Rangzen helped preserve and share Tibetan history, culture, literature, and political thought in New York, including through his involvement with the High Asia Research Center in Queens, and regularly encouraged younger Tibetans and members of his community to remain connected to their culture and to contribute to the future of the Tibetan people; and
WHEREAS: On July 2, 2026, Lobga Rangzen died outside the United Nations headquarters in New York following an act of self-immolation undertaken as a political protest for Tibetan independence and against China’s escalating campaign of cultural erasure in Tibet; a...
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