Groups hit the road with message

By Natasha Clark

Reminder Assistant Editor

SPRINGFIELD "Poverty is taking away my students' opportunity for better means," said Sue Edwards, a Springfield teacher and member of the Pioneer Valley Project, an organization whose goal is to relieve conditions of poverty, racism, discrimination, dependency and under-employment in the southern Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. "These are the kinds of services my students and their families need."

On May 21, hundreds of citizens throughout New England gathered in the Parish of the Transfiguration in Manchester, New Hampshire in protest of potential cuts made in President George W. Bush's budget. More than a dozen organizations came together to participate in the New England Joint Action (NEJA) Regional Assembly. With a turnout of nearly 800 participants, Edwards was just one of many voices asking the New England Congressional Delegation and the region's Governors to take action against cutting affordable housing and adult education programs.

Reminder Publications traveled to New Hampshire, splitting the travel time with the Anti-Displacement Project (ADP) and Pioneer Valley Project (PVP).

Early Saturday morning, citizens boarded a yellow school bus at Springmeadow Apartments en route to Greenfield Gardens in Greenfield, MA to meet up with a fleet of other buses from Westfield, Holyoke, Northampton, Amherst and Greenfield, before heading to their destination.

ADP is a "multi-issue membership-based community organization that organizes and empowers low-income families in western Massachusetts in order to build political and economic power, promote cooperative economic development, achieve resident control of affordable housing, and to create lasting social and economic change," according to their mission statement.

ADP Director Caroline Murray told Reminder Publications that the organization has helped transform 1,450 units of slum housing to tenant owned permanently affordable co-ops.

Murray said tenant buyouts is important, that they allow affordable housing and money to be reinvested into the property and community something that she thinks does not happen with out-of-town landlords.

She added that while the Bush Administration is proposing these spending cuts, they're also proposing a round of tax cuts, that total more than $100 billion, to benefit corporations and the wealthy.

"They're [also] proposing to cut adult basic education classes," said Murray, adding that classes like English As A Second Language are in danger of being dropped.

On the bus, a woman acted as a translator. Whenever there was an announcement, she stood and translated the message in Spanish. Later, when the bus arrived at the Parish, there were many translators throughout the sanctuary. They stood along the aisles speaking into devices not unlike hands-free cellular phone devices, translating into various languages the speeches of the speakers that stood at the podium. Audience members who needed translation sat with hearing devices tuned into either translator depending on the language they spoke.

And Murray said earlier on the bus that the groups are enlisting the help of government.

Murray said the group is calling on Republican and Democratic senators for help.

The ADP said they have organized over 20 community meetings throughout the region in the past six months and, during that time, 4,000 postcards were signed, collected and delivered to both Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg in an effort to win their support.

Upon arrival, there were hundreds of other citizens, many who said they immigrated from another country, demanding legislative support, and the rows and rows of pews were almost filled to capacity with people seated by organization. There were so many people in fact, that translators stood in the aisles, and guests, including this writer, used the wide window sills as seats.

"We're seeking justice and a higher education for all people," Anne, a Fall River resident, told the audience.

Jack Livaramento of UIA, one of the 12 organizations present, spoke on education and mentioned that "25,000 adults are on a waiting list in Massachusetts for adult education."

"Residents are experts of the needs in their neighborhood," said Yolanda Nogue, an ADP leader and Holyoke resident. "These people need to understand people will be displaced [without Section 8 housing assistance funding], and I will be one of them along with my neighbors."

Roger Lowd, a representative for Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, said that Kerry supported the organizations, noting that "New Hampshire has been a friend of John Kerry."

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch was also in support of keeping affordable housing and adult education programs.

"I will never support any efforts to take away the American dream from anybody," Lynch said.

By the culmination of the meeting, organizations agreed that this would not be the end of their efforts. Though four senators agreed to host meetings to continue talks on the potential cuts, Lynch said they're going to have to work on having more senators commit to face-to-face meetings.

PVP participants split into two Peter Pan buses to head back home to Springfield when the assembly was over.

A few minutes after departure, the group began to discuss the event.

Most said they thought it was successful. They spoke about following up with politicians making sure, as Edwards voiced at the gathering, that they not only "talk the talk, but walk the walk."

One member suggested they follow up with the senators who said they support their views, and see who officially votes for what in the fall.

Fred Rose, of the PVP, told Reminder Publications that organizations who were present at the event helped to bring people together.

"Springfield is a segregated place. These different groups crossed those lines. It's powerful to have people from different walks of life," said Rose.

John Wilson, Pastor of Mt. Calvary Church in Springfield's North End, said these budget cuts primarily affect minorities.

After the riders of the bus selected The Fighting Temptations as the movie of choice, Wilson settled in the rear of the bus to discuss the event with Reminder Publications.

"I was really shocked at the number of people [that turned out]. That place was packed," he shared.

"I think a lot of programs [to be cut] impact people in the North End of Springfield. It impacts people of color," Wilson said. "[These programs] help to get them started, not stay on permanently."

Wilson said that he understands that many churches are "conservative in theology," and therefore opt not to discuss issues like education and affordable housing with their members or those in the community.

"We have a responsibility to take care of the whole person and all forces of evil that destroy people," he explained.