Black History Is American History
Hello Patriots,
We want to call out the immense growth and attention on our social media. We've had a 90% increase in Views and Engagement, with tens of thousands of views and 103 new followers in just a week. Whatever magical algorithmic event occured, we won't complain. Thank you for all of the encouraging comments and shares, and even to our trolls for helping our content reach more folks! We'll see you in the streets!
Be on the lookout for more opportunities to build peaceful, consistent resistance in Westfield, Hampden County, and Western Massachusetts. Let us know if you want to collaborate, want more information as a local business owner or resident, or have ways we've missed! ( [email protected])
February is Black History Month, and we're using this time to uncover stories from Westfield's past that connect to the fight today.
Power concedes nothing without a demand.
Think You SEE I.C.E. in your area? CALL: 617-370-5023
Wesfield had slaves. The 1754 census recorded 15 enslaved men and 4 enslaved women in Westfield. That didn't include children. Westfield accounted for nearly half of all enslaved people in what is now Hampden County.
Westfield's enslaved people defended democracy through nonviolent action.
Learn more about Westfield's history in this academic article from Westfield State University: Slavery in Westfield: The Documentary Record, 1713-1790
In 1781, a 59-year-old man named Tony sued his owner, Ezra Clapp, for "unlawful imprisonment" after Clapp tried to re-enslave him. Tony won. This happened just one month after the more famous "Mum Bett" (Elizabeth Freeman) case.
These early freedom fighters understood something we're learning again today: you can't negotiate with those who believe they have the right to own you. You have to take them to court. You have to organize. You have to resist.
The 1780 Massachusetts Constitution stated that "all men are born free and equal"—but slaveholders didn't voluntarily give up their power. It took courageous individuals like Tony filing lawsuits and demanding their rights.
Events:
Local Bystander Trainings
Springfield Bystander Training
Join PVP, PVWC, ACLU MA and LUCE to learn what to do if you ever witness federal law enforcement activity as a bystander.
Thursday February 12 from 6-7:30pm in Springfield
Registration Required, Training Location will be sent to registrants
https://airtable.com/appprIRxRIatKFllm/shr5tORGIMPBUsVsw
Holyoke Bystander Training
By LUCE, Neighbor 2 Neighbor, and Pioneer Valley Workers Center
Thursday, February 26 from 5-7pm in Holyoke
Location will be shared with those who register.
https://airtable.com/appprIRxRIatKFllm/shrinLnDNAIuLIzAl\
Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at 8:00 PM EST
Are you a local business owner? Do you work in a local business?
https://actionnetwork.org/events/4th-amendment-workplace-train-the-trainer-national
A Fourth Amendment Workplace is a business that proactively trains staff to uphold employees' constitutional rights against unreasonable government search and seizures, especially regarding immigration enforcement, by requiring federal agents to have proper judicial warrants for non-public areas and protecting all workers. These workplaces use legally vetted protocols to identify invalid warrants (like administrative notices), secure private spaces (like break rooms, restrooms), and train employees to calmly assert their rights, creating a safer environment and preventing overreach.
We have a constitution that guarantees democracy, equality, and the rule of law. But those guarantees mean nothing if we don't enforce them. If we don't show up. If we don't resist.
Tony didn't wait for freedom to be handed to him. Elizabeth Freeman didn't either. They demanded it.
This and every Tuesday at 3:30 PM in Park Square, we continue that tradition. We stand for democracy, against authoritarianism, in the same town where people once stood for their own freedom against those who claimed to own them.
The fight for freedom never ends. It just changes form.
See you Tuesday.
Together, we choose democracy.
No Kings Westfield