What started as a classroom debate in 2015 turned into an incredible journey for actual change:
After Our Debate
We reached out to the Amherst Human Rights Commission to present our case, and after a great deal of preparation we were able to present to the commission on November 21st at the Jones Library. During and after our presentation we drew some attention from local and regional news stations, which you can check out below:
Recent Updates:
May 19, 2016 WE DID IT! The Student Advocates For Change, who had spent the last seven months working in school, after school, and on the weekends, can finally celebrate that they have changed the celebration of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day in the town of Amherst! This has been an absolutely incredible journey and the students won over the hearts and minds of the Amherst community, making Amherst the first town in Massachusetts to pass a resolution changing the Columbus Day holiday. You can read about our success in these numerous news reports: |
April 14, 2016
We are one step closer! At the end of our meeting with the Amherst Regional school committee, the members decided to hold a vote where they unanimously chose to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day on the regional calendar! This serves as a momentous achievement for our group in our efforts to change the holiday at the town-level, with many members of the community rallying around our cause. Now we hope to continue our work to obtain the vote to change the holiday for the town at the May 18 Town Meeting. |
April 10, 2016
After an extremely successful fundraising campaign, we have now been asked to present our information in three new locations in the next few days! Our first meeting, April 11 from 7-7:45pm will be to the town select board, to advise them of our mission and our warrant article. Our other two meetings will take place the following day, April 12, where we will be presenting the details of our warrant article to the School Committee from 6-7pm, and to the League of Women Voters from 8-8:30pm. We are extremely excited to continue to spread our message and gain support, as our article will be presented in just one month on May 18! |
|
|
March 15, 2016
Now that the Student Advocates For Change have made themselves an official school group, they are now working on a fundraising effort to support their cause! We have connected with Hillside Pizza of Hadley, MA to sell both pizzas and cookies to you! Once our fundraiser has ended, we will benefit from a portion of the proceeds, which will pay for our fliers and transportation! When you order with us throughout the remainder of March, you will be able to pick-up your food on April 4th, but hurry, because we are only fundraising until the beginning of April! You can learn more about the program by watching Hillside Pizza's video on fundraising. |
March 14, 2016
Upon hearing the news of our work in Amherst, Masslive actually sent a local reporter to our school to interview the students on how they plan on changing the celebration of Columbus Day! You can watch a video clip of one of our students speaking on behalf of the team, and you can also check out the article below, which mentions the upcoming town meeting in May where we will present our warrant article! |
|
March 2, 2016
Now that the students have presented their work to a multitude of audiences, we have taken some time to formalize a warrant article that will be presented at a town meeting this May! We have been thankful enough to be aided by the wonderful advice and guidance of our community in writing the warrant article, and we are now confident that it is ready to pass in a town vote. You can read more about these plans in a recent article from MassLive. We will continue with our process of gaining public support, as we now set up shop at the farmer's market in town, and are in the process of planning a local television promo!
More to come soon! |
February 12, 2016
I am pleased to announce that the Student Advocates for Change gave yet another wonderfully orchestrated presentation on why the people of Amherst should change the holiday of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day! In the face of computer presentation difficulties, the students continued the speaking components of their presentation without any hesitation. I also am thrilled to speak on behalf of State Representative Ellen Story, who could not believe the work that had been done by this group of extremely dedicated students. She completely agreed with the goals of the students, and viewed them as quite attainable in the town of Amherst, and potentially in the State further down the line. We now have news coverage of this incredible opportunity from the Hampshire Gazette: |
February 5, 2016
We are now moving with some serious momentum towards our goal! Our students spoke in a meeting with the Human Rights Commission on Tuesday, January 19, and have received the unanimous support and advocacy from the commission! This is a huge step moving forward, as the HRC will support us in upcoming town meetings and events. This Friday, February 12, we will be hosting a school-wide presentation of our work, and we will be once again visited by our supporting Amherst Human Rights Commission, State Representative Ellen Story, and Amherst Media! We look forward to using this moment to catapult our work forward, with the creation and introduction of a town warrant in the process of being finalized. |
January 4, 2016
As we continue to build momentum, we have been asked to visit once again with the Amherst Human Rights Commission on Tuesday, January 19, from 5-7 pm to further the discussion on why we believe in changing the celebration of Columbus Day! We look forward to this opportunity to answer more specific questions that the Commission has in regards to our research and goals, as well as discuss the next steps in changing a holiday within our town. In addition, we have now secured a February 8th date to present our findings and our mission with the entire Amherst Regional Middle School! During this 30 minute assembly we will discuss the work that we have done, as well as our efforts moving forward. |
Our New Student Group:
These students have been extremely inspired by the positive responses and support from our community, and are expanding their horizons. In addition to the work being done to change Columbus Day, the students want to create a legacy that allows for education to pave the way for future progress. It is my pleasure to announce that the students have now created their own official school group; the Student Advocates For Change! They have recently created their own website, and you can check it out here: |