OUR 2024 INITIATIVES
Black History Month Programming
In Partnership with the Westfield Memorial Library
‘HATE HAS NO HOME HERE’ LAWN SIGNS
UNITY, NOT DIVISION…
We are fundraising to further our mission of racial justice through education, advocacy, and activism. Join us in making a stand as a community and blanketing our neighborhoods with these powerful signs.
We are pleased to be able to offer these “Hate Has No Home Here” Lawn Signs to the public for a donation of $20, with the option of donating a sign to someone who cannot afford one for an additional $10. We will deliver the signs to your home in Westfield, contact-free.
If you are outside of Westfield you will be able to pick up your sign contact-free.
Community Discussions
Accountability and Action Against Hate
Incidents and experiences of hate have dominated the national and local news conversations without much discussion on community response. The objectives of this community discussion with our local leaders are to speak to the issues of hate that Westfield has experienced and to discuss community accountability as well actions we can take to ensure that hate has no home in Westfield. It is our belief that a straightforward discussion that goes beyond awareness and asks – What is our responsibility as a community? And what can we do? – will strengthen our community and will foster greater inclusivity in our town.
‘SAY THEIR NAMES’ INITIATIVE
“…WE WILL NOT ‘UNSEE’”
We, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Westfield, are outraged at the loss of George Floyd’s life in Minneapolis and condemn the action and inaction of the police who were a part of it. We are similarly outraged at the death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and the actions of the posse/lynch-mob that resulted in his death. Through the medium of the smartphone we are all witnesses to what actually occurred – we have all seen these killings and we will not “un-see” them.
To be direct, we encourage all members of our community – white, Black, brown, Asian, Latino – to remember what they have seen in these videos, recognize that it is racism, and demand justice for the victims. We encourage you to become actively involved in dismantling systemic racism and to SAY THEIR NAMES: George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, as well as Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, and too many more.
We encourage everyone to visit our monument on the South Avenue Circle on their own time and at a social distance to reflect and pay tribute to the people we have lost through race-based violence.
DIALOGUES CIRCLES ON RACE
Learn about the Dialogue Circles on Race from community members who have participated.
Presented by Anti-Racism Committee of Summit Interfaith Council
“The recent spotlight on the deaths of Black men and women at the hands of police has awakened more (White) Americans to the reality of structural racism and its various forms of oppression. As a result, many White – and some Black – community members have expressed a strong desire to engage in honest, difficult conversations about race and injustice. Dialogue Circles on Race presents one such opportunity.” - Anti-Racism Community Collaborative
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WALKING TOUR
Learn more about the walking tour.
Discover a part of Westfield’s history…
This is a walking tour that highlights some of the places of historical significance to African Americans in the town of Westfield upon its 300-year anniversary in 2020. The first 11 sites are in downtown Westfield and therefore walkable, the last three sites (12, 13, and 14), however, would be best reached by car.
The walking tour is available as a booklet (see the pdf here) and on the location-driven interactive history map website The Clio. You can follow the tour by downloading the free app, (search for “The Clio” in your app store), and then searching for African American History in Westfield Walking Tour, or by accessing the tour on the Clio website here.
SCHOLARSHIPS
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” - Dr. King
Each year we award merit-based scholarships to African American students in the Westfield School District pursuing higher education. Want to know more?