Commission highlights youth-focused events and interfaith roundtable; plans MLK Day participation

Commissioners heard a proposal for a pilot series of community engagement events aimed at centering Black and BIPOC youth voices and building partnerships with local organizations.

Commissioner Felicia Lundquist outlined a sample project that would bring together the commission, the Center for Racial Justice and Youth Engagement Research (CRJ) at UMass, Northampton High School and Smith Vocational High School. The program would include media workshops, panel discussions, interactive activities and small-group sessions; Felicia recommended a two-hour hybrid format so participants could join in person or online.

Marsha Morris and other commissioners emphasized the importance of school testimony and convening local education leaders. Commissioners noted the Northampton Vocational superintendent is expected to testify at the February meeting on school preparedness and achievement gaps, and said that testimony should help the commission design youth-centered programming.

Staff and commissioners reported progress organizing an interfaith roundtable that already includes Unitarians, Saint John’s, College Church and other congregations; the group plans a multi-part education series and will have a presence at Martin Luther King Day events on Jan. 20, where the roundtable will host a table and provide information about ongoing work.

Commissioners agreed staff would circulate flyers and outreach materials and that they would recruit commissioners to staff the MLK Day table. The commission also discussed using archival records from the Forbes Library to support educational content and genealogy work to identify historical harms and contexts for reparative recommendations.

Next steps include continued coordination with school partners, finalizing the event timeline and circulating a written strategic plan for commissioner review.

The commission adjourned after recording votes in favor of ending the meeting.