Upcoming Events

Our next business meeting is Thursday, May 15 at 6:30pm in the South Hadley Library Trustee's Conference Room. Meetings are hybrid-online; participants may attend in-person at the Library or online via Zoom. In months when we meet, we typically do so on the third Thursday of the month. To obtain a meeting link, join our mailing list, or for other information about SHDTC, please email: southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com. 

First Friday Breakfast and Conversation
Plan to join us at our next First Friday gathering at 8:30am on Friday, May 2 at the Tailgate Picnic Deli (www.tailgatepicnicdeli.com) in the Village Commons, 7 College Street, South Hadley. Conversation is casual, there is no set agenda, just a chance to talk about local, national and international affairs and join in community with others, Democrat or not, South Hadley resident or not. Participants buy their own coffee/pastries or snacks (cash preferred), and all are welcome.

On Saturday, May 3 join with Americans across the country at our local May Day! (National Action) standout. Rain or shine, please carpool if you can.

Democracy in Distress

To continue our resistance to the chaos of the current administration and its attempts to undermine our democracy, we're organizing another non-violent, non-partisan standout. This action is part of a national Day of Action designed to recognize May Day (aka International Workers Day), but also plays on the internationally-recognized radio distress call, "May Day! May Day!" In New England, with its strong sailing tradition, the phrase can often mean that "the ship is going down," and fears about that very thing currently happening to our democracy are not hyperbole. See our latest newsletter for more information, and plan to join us if you can.

SHDTC Updates-Issue 72-May Day! May Day!-042425

One if by land, two if by D.C.

Old North Church Projections
northend.page/old-north-projections

The Old North Church in Boston offered a traditional Lantern Service on April 18, 2025 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the famous signal from the church's steeple on the eve of the American Revolution began. Noted historian and author Heather Cox Richardson was the keynote speaker.

Outside, images projected on the building beneath the steeple cycled through a series of messages in period lettering, such as "One if by land, two if by D.C.," an effort attributed to a group called Silence Dogood. Adopting a pen name used by Benjamin Franklin to write about tyranny, the grassroots group has recently projected messaging on historic buildings as a form of public art to "remind people of Boston's long history of protest and resistance."

No Kings in America

Battle of Lexington, 19 April, 1775
National Army Museum, London

The thirteen American colonies had long resisted British efforts to impose taxes to recoup costs of The French and Indian War (1754-1763), leading to growing unrest. Taxes on printed material proposed under the Stamp Act of 1765 led to the formation of the Sons of Liberty. A new duty on tea and other goods in 1767 and seizure of John Hancock's sloop, the Liberty, increased tensions and led to the Occupation of Boston by British troops in 1768. In 1770, an unruly protest ended with shots fired by soldiers in the Boston Massacre. 

The Tea Act of 1773 was followed by the Boston Tea Party, a legendary planned act of defiance that rallied the other colonies to the cause. In 1774, as more colonists rejected imperial rule and supported the cause of freedom, British monarch King George declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion, closed Boston Harbor, and ordered the patriots be disarmed. 

On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes were sent out to Lexington and Concord to alert rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock of British plans to arrest them and to capture or destroy stockpiled munitions in Concord.

On April 19, 1775, the first shots of the Revolution were fired, on Lexington Green. No one knows who fired first. Some 25,000-70,000 Patriots died during the Revolutionary War, which ended eight years later with the Treaty of Paris, on September 3, 1783.  

On July 4, 1776, America's Declaration of Independence from British rule was signed by 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress. The United States Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, with all 13 states signing on by 1790.

Our nation's founders fought long and hard to rid themselves of King George, "A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people." 

The vision of freedom that grew out of decades of struggle "to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" is enshrined in our Constitution and its Bill of Rights. 

The Patriots Day observance on Monday offers a time to reflect on the enormous debt we have to those who came before us. No Kings events on April 19, and through the weekend in many nearby communities and nationwide, offer each of us an opportunity to stand up again in defense of our constitution and our democracy.   

SHDTC Updates-Issue 71-No Kings in America-041825

Hands Off! 2025 - South Hadley Fights Back

On Saturday, April 5, people gathered in cities and towns across the country for the HandsOff! 2025 national day of action. In South Hadley, town residents and others from nearby communities lined Route 116 north and south of the Town Commons for a morning standout. An enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people expressed deep concern about the wide range of threats posed by the actions of the Trump administration and unelected ally Elon Musk, a sentiment echoed by honking drivers as they passed by. 

While the event had a serious purpose, it was wonderful to gather in community with so many caring fellow citizens. The signs were a wonderful mix of funny, creative, insightful, compelling and in-your-face. One senior held a sign from her walker that said, simply, "NO."

The nearby communities of Granby, Easthampton, Haydenville, Amherst, and Northampton had events planned later in the day, which some participants also hoped to attend.  

Representative Richard Neal (1st District of Massachusetts) visited the South Hadley standout to show solidarity, noting that the proposed GOP tax cut "to wealthy people" is "being used as a disguise to cut Medicaid" as well as "to challenge Medicare, to cut Social Security offices and veterans benefits," which are "are earned benefits."

WWLP-22 News:  

• News Story and Video
• South Hadley Video-Direct Link
  
  

Upcoming Events

Our next business meeting is Thursday, April 10, 2025 in the South Hadley Library Trustee's Conference Room. Meetings are hybrid-online; participants may attend in-person at the Library or online via Zoom. In months when we meet, we typically do so on the third Thursday of the month. To obtain a meeting link, join our mailing list, or for other information about SHDTC, please email: southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com. 

First Friday Breakfast and Conversation
Plan to join us at our next First Friday gatherings at 8:30am on Friday, April 4 and May 2, 2025 at the Tailgate Picnic Deli (www.tailgatepicnicdeli.com) in the Village Commons, 7 College Street, South Hadley. Conversation is casual, there is no set agenda, just a chance to talk about local, national and international affairs and join in community with others, Democrat or not, South Hadley resident or not. Participants buy their own coffee/snacks (cash preferred), and all are welcome.

On Saturday, April 5 join with Americans across the country at our local HandsOff! standout mobilization. Rain or shine, please carpool.

Make Some Noise! | Be Part of the 3.5%

In our latest SHDTC Updates newsletters authors Jim Bosman and Susan Newton write about the idea of doing something. That concept was ably demonstrated by Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey as he took to the Senate floor at 7pm on Monday to critique the actions of the Trump administration and didn't stop talking for 25 hours and 5 minutes. Near the end of a marathon speech that broke a record set by segregationist Strom Thurmond, Booker spoke movingly of Civil Rights leader John Lewis, whose advice to "do something" helped set his own career path and sparked the idea for his speech.

• SHDTC Updates-Issue 69-Make Some Noise
  
• SHDTC Updates-Issue 70-Hands Off 2025!
  
• NPR, April 2, 2025: Sen. Cory Booker on his marathon, 25-hour speech on the Senate Floor
  

Local Elections, Candidate Information

Annual Town and Fire/Water District Elections
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 | Polls open 7am to 8pm
South Hadley High School, 153 Newton Street

• 2025 Annual Town Election
  Election and voting information:
  www.southhadley.org/elections
  Town Election Sample Ballots:
  www.southhadley.org/1088/Sample-Ballots
• 2025 Fire/Water Districts 1 and 2 Elections
  Election and voting information:
  District 1: https://www.shdistrict1.org
  District 2: https://www.shdistrict2.org

Know Your Town* Candidates' Night
Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 6:30pm
South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal Street

• View a recording of Candidates Night:
  https://vimeo.com/1067356250
• Election info and candidate statements:
  www.knowyourtown.org/election-info/meet-the-candidates

*KYT is a local, nonpartisan organization that works to inform residents about local affairs.

Upcoming Events

Business Meetings
Upcoming meetings are at 6:30pm on Thursday, March 20 and Thursday, April 10, 2025 in the South Hadley Library Trustee's Conference Room. Our meetings are hybrid-online; participants may attend in-person at the Library or online via Zoom. In months when we meet, we typically do so on the third Thursday of the month. To obtain a meeting link, join our mailing list, or for other information about SHDTC, please email: southhadleydemocrats@gmail.com. 

First Friday Breakfast and Conversation
Plan to join us at a First Friday gathering! Upcoming get-togethers will be at 8:30am on Fridays, April 4, May 2, June 6, August 1, September 5, October 3, November 7, and December 5, 2025 at the Tailgate Picnic Deli (www.tailgatepicnicdeli.com) in the Village Commons, 7 College Street, South Hadley. Conversation is casual, there is no set agenda, just a chance to talk about local, national and international affairs and join in community with others, Democrat or not, South Hadley resident or not. Participants buy their own coffee/snacks (cash preferred), and all are welcome. 

SHDTC Caucus to Elect 2025 State Convention Delegates
Saturday, March 29, 2025; sign-in opens at 12pm
South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal Street
Democrats in South Hadley will convene in-person on Saturday, March 29, 2025 to elect 10 delegates and 4 alternates to represent our town at the 2025 Democratic State Convention. The caucus will take place in the Community Room of the South Hadley Public Library. Caucus sign-in opens at 12:00pm and the caucus will start at 12:30pm. 

Registered and pre-registered Democrats in South Hadley who are 16 years old by March 29, 2025 may vote and be elected as delegates or alternates during the caucus. Qualified Democrats who are unable to attend the caucus in person may apply in advance to be nominated for delegate and alternate slots in the event three are not enough nominations among those present in person. 

2025 Democratic State Convention
Saturday, September 13, 2025 in Springfield, MA
The state convention will be held in-person on Saturday, September 13, 2025 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. This year, delegates will gather to decide our party platform. Convention and delegate information is available at: massdems.org/massdems-convention.

Sixty Years Ago Today: "Bloody Sunday" in Selma

“When You Pray, Move Your Feet.” Charles White(?), photographer, Selma, Alabama, March 7, 1965. Photo courtesy of Representative John Lewis. John Lewis (on right in trench coat) and Hosea Williams (on the left) lead marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

 

On Sunday March 7, 1965, about six hundred people began a fifty-four mile march for African American voting rights from Selma, Alabama to the state capitol in Montgomery. After crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in plain sight of photographers and journalists, state and local police attacked the marchers with billy clubs, whips, and tear gas.

• Library of Congress: Today in History-March 7*
• Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American, March 7
• National Museum of African History & Culture: On This Day*
• Equal Justice Initiative-A History of Racial Injustice: March 7
  

*In these times of disappearing information and important content being wiped from government websites, finding resources like the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Museums still (so far) providing information about our history is a rare bit of good news. Let's hope these resources will still be there next year.