REPORT ON DEC. 1 SPRINGFIELD, MASS. Rosa Parks Day event
REPORT ON DEC. 1 SPRINGFIELD, MASS. Rosa Parks Day event
Teach-In Honors Local Civil Rights Leaders
By L. Denis
In the city described by civil rights leaders in the 1960s as "the Selma of the North," the mayor and city council of Springfield, Mass. issued two separate proclamations honoring Rosa Parks. These tributes and other were read during a teach-in at Springfield Technical Community College, located in the heart of the city's African American community.
The overflow crowd of students, faculty and community members listened as aides representing State Senator Michael Buoniconti, Congressman Richard Neal and U.S. Senator John Kerry read similar tributes to Rosa Parks. Commissioner Cynthia Tucker of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination also spoke at the two-hour event.
Professor Nicholas Camerota, co-chair of The Rosa Parks Day Organizing Committee, read a solidarity message signed by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark which urged the audience to join the struggle against poverty, racism, and war. The STCC philosophy professor's own denunciation of the war drew an euthsiastic response. Camerota also acknowledged the efforts of Springfield Democratic City Committee chairman E. Henry Twiggs, who was unable to attend, saying "without E. Henry this program would not have been possible."
The teach-in featured presentations by prominent Springfield African Americans active in the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, among them State Representative Benjamin Swan, Chair of the Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus, and Mrs. Ruth B. Loving, who was part of a delegation which welcomed Mrs. Parks to Springfield on November 12, 1956.
The voices of a new generation of African American activists were also heard as STCC student Andrea Walker, who organized a protest against police brutality last year, pointedly told attendees to "get on the bus" for future anti-war and anti-racism protests. (Springfield has been well represented at national anti-war marches in New York and Washington, D.C.)
Solobia Hutchins of Arise for Social Justice, a poor peoples rights group, noted December 1 was World AIDS Day, and called attention to the devastating impact of HIV-AIDS on the people of color in the US and throughout the world.
The teach-in ended on an emotional note as those assembled joined hands to sing "We Shall Overcome," the anthem of the Civil Rights struggle.
Following the teach-in, which featured film clips from documentaries and performances by The Freedom Choir, a reception was held honoring senior Civil Rights activists, including the leadership of the NAACP and the Urban League. The event received wide coverage by area media.
Over 150 informational leaflets concerning the Sommerville 5 were picked up by audience members. Catherine Donaghy and other WMass IAC/Troops Out Now supporters were on hand to provide logistical support. Donaghy called the firsthand testimony by Civil Rights workers "highly informative, inspiring, and deeply moving," and noted the desire of community members to make the December 1 Rosa Parks Commemoration an annual event.
Professor Camerota and others on campus will be meeting with community leaders and college administrators to discuss this and related matters, including teach-ins devoted to Haiti and Puerto Rico. Camerota said more progressive programs are being planned both on and off campus and a renewed spirit of activism is beginning to emerge "as people draw strength from a heroic past and sense greater possibilities in the present for coordinated action."
Students and community members filled up several contact sheets for the newly formed Western Mass. Mobilization Against Poverty, Racism and War [for more information, email wmassmobe@hotmail.com].
Last month, Western Mass. IAC donated $400 to send a representative of Arise to the National Conference to Reclaim Our Cities in Detroit. Both organizations hope to co-sponsor a series of community-based educational programs during 2006.
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EXCERPTS FROM "PVTA honors civil rights icon" in the Friday, December 2 Springfield Republican
At Springfield Technical Community College, nearly 300 gathered to honor the day - Dec. 1, 1955 - that changed the face of the civil rights movement. The two-hour event featured words from local activists who worked with Parks, film showing the horrors of discrimination and songs from the Freedom Choir... Parks died on Oct. 25 at the age of 92. Whatever else she accomplished in her life, nothing compared to the courage she displayed in the Deep South of overt racism and frequent lynchings on that December day...
At STCC, students, faculty, staff and the public turned out to honor the woman described by those who knew her as humble, kind and strong of spirit. "She had a soft voice, and bright eyes that looked straight at you," recalled Ruth B. Loving, who greeted Parks on her visit here in 1956, a year after her arrest on the 'Cleveland Avenue' bus in Montgomery. Loving said Parks was invited to meet with the local NAACP chapter, whose members wanted to take part in the growing movement. The visit, she said, was magical. "We had to see her. We had to listen to her. We were there by the hundreds," said Loving, who is 91.
State Rep. Benjamin Swan, D-Springfield, also worked with Parks in the 1960s, and met her many times over the years. Yesterday, he said the soft-spoken woman continues to inspire Americans. "She was a noble lady, a gracious and humble person," said Swan. "I think she touched a lot of people, as you can see by the gathering here." Loving, Swan and others spoke of the need to continue working towards Civil Rights, especially now, when budget cuts and political policies are eroding away at anti-poverty and other programs.
"Things changed dramatically with Rose Parks," said Cynthia A. Tucker, commissioner for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. "But unfortunately, things are changing now in the other direction. All of us took pause when she passed to see what we missed."