June 2025 Racial Justice News
Visit to Ruggles Center, Florence
We have reserved Saturday morning, June 21st, for a special LWV visit to the Ruggles Center in Florence. We will learn about the utopian community, nascent silk industry, and anti-slavery history of Florence, followed by a walking tour for those interested.
David Ruggles (1810-1849) was an active Black abolitionist. He established the country's first Black-owned bookstore in NYC, and was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and a mentor to both Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.
Please contact Martha Hanner to let us know you would like to attend. We need to know that there are sufficient number of attendees to confirm with the Ruggles Center.
Contact Martha Hanner here.
A Short History of Race Amity Day in Amherst
Race Amity Day seeks to raise our consciousness that there is only one race – the human race – and that acting on that truth is the foundation of justice and equity in our society. The late Ray Elliott, formerly the Civil Rights Commissioner in Amherst, the President of the Western Massachusetts Chapter of NAACP, and a recipient of Amherst’s Martin Luther King Citizens Award, founded Citizens for Racial Amity Now in 2013. As an active member of the Baha’i Faith, Ray Elliott had a deep passion for racial justice and equity.