Late Don Quinn Kelley Presented MLK Peacemaker Award
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The late Don Quinn Kelley, historian and documentarian, had long been involved in social justice and community empowerment.
Mayor Richard Alcombright described him as the type of person who was always looking for ways to help people, state Sen. Adam Hinds as someone who exemplified the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "march toward equal justice, the march toward fulfilling our cherished principles and fundamentals for this country."
On Monday, he was honored posthumously with the Peacemaker Award, presented annually by the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee to a group or individual who best exemplifies the mission of King in promoting equality, social justice and community service.
"Today's event was something really close to Don's heart," said his wife, Sandra Burton-Kelley. "He always participated, he really enjoyed working and he was always mindful of people in our community who needed assistance."
Kelley, who died last July at age 70, was the founding co-chair of Lift Ev'ry Voice, a festival celebrating local African-American history, and a trustee of the Samuel Harrison House Museum in Pittsfield. Both the Berkshire Museum and Berkshire Magazine had recognized him for his influence in shaping the community and contributing to its cultural, historic and natural heritage.
While best known locally for his work on Lift Ev'ry Voice, and the county's first Juneteenth celebration a few years back, he held a doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University, professor emeritus at City University of New York and a founding faculty member of Medgar Evers College. He worked on a number of socially relevant documentaries through a media studies program in New York and was involved in human rights and sustainable development projects around the world.
Burton-Kelley said the award was an honor both to his family and the Lift Ev'ry Voice committee. The community had been supportive and loving with its condolences, she said.
"It's helpful to know the way he lived, that people gave respect and will remember the kindness and caring of a fellow citizen," Burton-Kelley said, describing her husband as someone who was always looking for ways make connections to encourage residents to participate in the cultural and economic life of the community.
"Don was a person who needed and who practiced it all his life," she said. "This award is something that will have a place of honor in his home."
Those connections were being played out on Monday as more than 200 volunteers gathered for the 24th annual "Day of Service" held locally to honor the civil rights activist and promote community service, including students from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Williams College.
They made no-sew blankets and scarves, painted walls, winterized homes, swung a hammer for Habitat for Humanity, cleaned and sorted, made valentines and care packages, and assisted the Berkshire Food Project.
Derrob Hagy-Weatherbee, organizing at Goodwill Industries, said he felt it is important to give back, especially on Martin Luther King Day.
"Not everyone volunteers and gives back," he said. "It is important to give back to the community."
At First Congregational Church, about dozen people were helping clean and organize the facility.
"It is an immense having the opportunity to use the MLK day of Service to work together as a community and be able to get things organized," the Rev. Carolyn Peck said. "The timing was great because we are consolidating and to be able to have great volunteers to make it happen is perfect because this would have taken as months."
Volunteer AJ Morrissette said it is important to volunteer so the less fortunate know the community is looking out for them.
"It's good for them to know that you are thinking about them and that you want them to succeed," Morrissette said.
Volunteers at First Baptist Church helped clean up the kitchen.
"Our kitchen and space get used by the public a lot so we have this great crew here helping us out," the Rev. David Anderson said. "We keep busy here with a lot of projects and it always helps to have a crew come in and do something like this."
Athletes from MCLA and Williams helped spruce up the Northern Berkshire Family YMCA and painted the hallway.
"I think that this is kind of part of the educational process," MCLA lacrosse coach Maria Bartini said. "It is important to learn about your place in the community and how can you contribute to it."
Volunteers at Stop & Shop passed out lists to shoppers and asked them to purchase a few items to donate to the Friendship Center and the Louison House.
"We are part of the community and this is one of the most important things," Dave Motta said. "We need to help people and pay it forward and it has to start somewhere ... we don't want to turn our back on anyone."
Back at the MCLA Church Street Center, Donna Motta was leading a few groups making crocheted mats out of plastic bags and Enid Shields was overseeing the no-sew blankets.
"The goal of this is to make mats for people living outdoors because it's horrible to think of people living on the ground, sleeping on the ground," said Motta of the recycled bag mats. "This provides a nice, cushiony, elevated, waterproof surface."
Some people were cutting the bags into strips and tying them together to make long links of "plarn," or plastic yarn, while others used large crochet hooks to create the surprisingly soft mats that Motta said could also be used by hikers and other outdoorsmen.
The project had taken off after being introduced a couple years ago and both the UNO Center and Friendship Pantry will accept bags for recycling. A group at All Saints Episcopal Church, led by Shields, crochets on Thursday from 1 to 2:30 and another on Mondays at UNO.
"It is kind of a time-consuming project," Motta said. "That's why it's such a great community project because you need people to make the 'plarn,' you need people to donate the bags and you need people to get together and make them, too."
The day ended in the after noon with a luncheon, the presentation of the award and comments by several participants, including state Rep. Gailanne Cariddi and former representative Daniel Bosley, who said the community needed "to rise up and we need to speak the truth." Committee member Alex Daugherty played the video of President Obama's first inaugural and the song "Glory" from "Selma."
"As you leave today, let this not be the day that you stop giving back to others," Daugherty said. "Go out there and do some service ... we're moving forward."
Staff Writer Jack Guerino contributed to this report.
Tags: awards, community service, MLK Day, volunteers,
