WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — July Fourth celebrations Tuesday included a reminder that the land the American Revolution freed from Great Britain was first taken from its original inhabitants.
"Williamstown was a part of the original homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community," Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians President Shannon Holsey told a crowd gathered in Williams College's Sawyer Library.
"Today, Williamstown is constituted by Mohican land agreements negotiated in 1758 and in 1763 with our Mohican sachems. At that time, they were facing colonial pressures, which forced signing of treasured places, such as the one here today, as we sought to survive as a tribe."
Holsey was part of the annual reading of founding documents hosted by Williams College.
Since 1987, the college and Williamstown Theatre Festival have partnered to present dramatic readings of documents like the Declaration of Independence and the response of King George III to the Continental Congress.
In 2017, excerpts from Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" were added to the program.
This year, for the first time, organizers invited the Stockbridge-Munsee Community to participate.
For her text, Holsey, who has led the Stockbridge-Munsee since 2015, chose a July 4, 1854, address by John Quinney, himself a leader of the Mohican people.
Like Douglass' antebellum "What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?" address, Quinney's speech offers the perspective of those Americans who were and are able to enjoy the "Blessings of Liberty" referenced in the Preamble to the Constitution, the fourth text read at Tuesday's event.
Actor Kevin O'Rourke read the Declaration and Preamble. TL Thompson read from Douglass' oration.
Holsey capped the event with her thoughts and the words of Sachem Quinney.
"It may seem strange to you ... that I, an Indian, am interested in your Fourth of July celebration," Quinney had a crowd in Reidsville, N.Y., the Capital District. "After all, your people took away the land of my fathers, and the troubles you have caused will continue to hurt my race as long as we live.
"But, lucky for me, I have had a chance to go to school. I have read your histories and your stories of what happened between your people and my people. I learned that you are happy today because you are celebrating the birth of your nation. For me, I am sad, as I remember how many people were weak and let these lands get taken away from them."
Holsey said she hoped that Quinney's words would resonate with a 21st century audience.
"I hope Sachem Quinney's speech will give you pause to think about my tribe, who now live in northern Wisconsin and who once had a presence here in Williamstown," Holsey said. "We are still strong and mighty and fighting for tribe's land and rights.
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Williamstown Fire Committee Talks Station Project Cuts, Truck Replacement
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Prudential Committee on Wednesday signed off on more than $1 million in cost cutting measures for the planned Main Street fire station.
Some of the "value engineering" changes are cosmetic, while at least one pushes off a planned expense into the future.
The committee, which oversees the Fire District, also made plans to hold meetings over the next two Wednesdays to finalize its fiscal year 2025 budget request and other warrant articles for the May 28 annual district meeting. One of those warrant articles could include a request for a new mini rescue truck.
The value engineering changes to the building project originated with the district's Building Committee, which asked the Prudential Committee to review and sign off.
In all, the cuts approved on Wednesday are estimated to trim $1.135 million off the project's price tag.
The biggest ticket items included $250,000 to simplify the exterior masonry, $200,000 to eliminate a side yard shed, $150,000 to switch from a metal roof to asphalt shingles and $75,000 to "white box" certain areas on the second floor of the planned building.
The white boxing means the interior spaces will be built but not finished. So instead of dividing a large space into six bunk rooms and installing two restrooms on the second floor, that space will be left empty and unframed for now.
The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter. click for more
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
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The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
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Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more