MLK Jr.’s ‘Beloved Community’ celebrated at GCC
Published: 01-20-2025 2:43 PM |
GREENFIELD — People were encouraged to band together and weave a tapestry of local resilience, as they work toward a stronger community during Greenfield Community College’s 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
That work began early Monday, when scores of Franklin County residents dug themselves out of Sunday night’s snowstorm to attend the celebration, which was headlined with a keynote speech from Calvin Hill, vice chancellor for inclusive excellence and belonging at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The event also featured several workshops, including Senegalese dancing, a story hour on King’s legacy, an art workshop and a panel featuring community leaders focused on creating a nurturing community in the region.
In Hill’s speech, he highlighted the juxtaposition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day falling on the same day as President Donald Trump’s inauguration and then called upon those in attendance to bring to life King’s vision of the “Beloved Community,” using King’s famous quote, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools,” as the backdrop of his remarks.
“We are, in essence, called upon to celebrate the two individuals. Two individuals, who through their speeches, their lives and their actions could not be more different than night and day,” he said. “I believe that it is now time that we finally embrace the legacy that was left to us by Dr. Martin Luther King … The beloved community, as Dr. King saw, was a place where people are treated with respect, care, equality and is a space where all have a sense of belonging.”
With the incoming presidential administration planning on mass deportations, threatening health care and creating “legislation to ban diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in our schools,” Hill said it is up to the community to push back on the fears of a changing society and to make the community a “home,” where folks are loved, validated and supported.
“On Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we must continue to do what is right. Let us stand up against hatred, bigotry, intolerance and racism and finally make the dream of our community a reality,” Hill said, then referencing King’s famous quote about history’s record of the “appalling silence of the good people.” “Today, let’s not be silent, rather let us use our agency to build and stand in the light of hope and love.”
Hill’s keynote address was followed by performances from the Greenfield Community College Community Choir and students from Twice as Smart. GCC President Michelle Schutt also took the day as an opportunity to welcome and introduce the school’s new Vice President of Institutional Mission, Culture and Climate Angela Campbell, who joined the college in November.
Prior to Hill’s speech, the workshop “Creating and Nurturing a Caring Community in Franklin County” also touched on those themes of building resilience and mutual aid, with its panel led by Stone Soup Cafe Executive Director and Chef Kirsten Levitt, Franklin Regional Council of Governments Youth Engagement Coordinator Naomi Bledsoe, Resilient Greenfield member Bram Moreinis and Greenfield High School junior Nate Woodard, who is the vice chair of the city’s Human Rights Commission.
Article continues after...
Yesterday's Most Read Articles






Discussion centered around how communities can rally around themselves by starting with volunteering at a place like Stone Soup Cafe, which then builds relationships that can be followed up on in a different venue. Once those relationships are built, the next steps to develop a mutual aid system, without the help of government or an organization, comes naturally.
But, Levitt said, those foundations are not easy to put together, as it takes a great amount of effort for some folks to step outside of your comfort zone and volunteer somewhere, especially because each person has a different way of doing things and has different motivations for taking on the work.
“Collaboration is not easy. It takes a lot of trust for people to work together,” Levitt said. “When the crisis comes, we need each other … How we do that is by building those other networks.”
The work also begins with the children in a community. Woodard, who is a junior at Greenfield High School and helped co-found the school’s first Youth of Color group, shared some of the work he and his peers are doing in the school system, including active bystander training with the eighth grade. All of that work, he added, leads to a community that welcomes everyone.
“It’s important to me as a student, that every student has their voice heard … as a community, we all know it starts with youth,” Woodard said. “Our work in our community is so important. Use your voice … that’s how we make a safe and healthy community.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.