GREENFIELD — Dozens gathered at the Greenfield Public Library on Monday night to watch as Unhoused Community Committee member Larry Thomas was honored with the 2025 Human Rights Award — a level of fanfare and recognition that does not come naturally for him.
Thomas, who also works as an outreach advocate for the Wildflower Alliance, has delivered tents, blankets, water and other essential supplies to those in need. He is known to remove himself from the limelight and spend his days out in the community helping whoever he can in any way that he can.
“This is really big. I am overwhelmed,” Thomas said as he stepped up to receive his award from Mayor Ginny Desorgher and Human Rights Commission Co-Chair Nate Woodard. “The only thing I want to say is that it takes a village to support the folks that we support, so everybody in this room deserves this award.”
Though Thomas did not have much to say about his own achievements, those he knew and worked with, including Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region Coordinator Debra McLoughlin, Greenfield Police Officer Zoe Smith and Opioid Use and Prevention Commission Chair Sarah Ahern spoke to Thomas’ humility and endless willingness to lend a helping hand to those in need.
“When I first started working downtown, my fellow officers and command staff all agreed on one piece of advice, and that was that I had to track down and speak to Larry. … Everyone knows that when it comes to meeting people where they are and doing the actual work of lifting people up, Larry’s the one to talk to,” Smith said of Thomas. “It did, however, take me some time before I was able to meet with him, not because I was trying to avoid him, but because he was never just sitting at his desk. He was always out somewhere in the community actually helping people.”
Smith’s remarks were echoed by almost everyone with whom Thomas has been acquainted, including Ahern, who recalled having met Thomas roughly 10 years ago working at their local peer recovery center, where they both consistently arrived 15 minutes early.
Ahern explained that Thomas’ early bird attitude extended to all aspects of his service and his constant drive to show up and get to work. She added that aside from advocating for policy, Thomas worked with people directly and met them where they were.
“Larry shows up. He shows up before the crisis hits. He shows up when the weather turns. He shows up for his friends, for his peers, and most critically, he shows up for the people in our community who are unsheltered, unhoused and often unseen,” Ahern said. “Often when we talk about human rights, we talk in terms of policy, legislation and funding, and those things are vital, but Larry understands something deeper. He understands that human rights are not theoretical; they are physical. For more than 10 years, Larry has done the work that doesn’t make the headlines. He works in the gap — that difficult space between the system and the street.”
This year’s Human Rights Award ceremony also featured the unveiling of the Human Rights Commission’s new logo, the artist of which, Greenfield Middle School seventh grader Cecily “Nyx” Paterno, created the winning logo in a contest that was open to the whole school district. The logo depicts an LGBTQ flag backdropping four hands of four different skin colors reaching for a heart.
“I would like to ask you to take a minute to think about how complicated a task it is to create an aesthetically pleasing logo that demonstrates the philosophically complex issues involved with human rights,” Human Rights Commission Co-Chair Paul Jablon said, announcing the new logo. “Not a lot of students undertook this challenge. However, one, with the help of Josh Shapiro, their graphic arts middle school teacher, created a logo that excited our commission.”
Cecily, sporting a handcrafted tie made of plastic beads, said the design took roughly two days to complete. They said they enjoy art but do not intend to pursue a career as an artist.
The Human Rights Award was created in 2013 and went on hiatus in 2016. The award was revived in 2023, honoring Gloria Matlock, founder and director of the Twice As Smart children’s choir and coordinator of local racial justice events. Greenfield’s Human Rights Commission solicits nominations from the public before selecting a recipient.
Each year, the award recognizes a Greenfield resident who exemplifies the Human Rights Commission’s core values — promoting a positive sense of community, uniting people based on shared humanity, and advancing human rights through sustained commitment and compassion.
“Treat people like humans. Treat people like you’d want them to treat you. I don’t have a lot to say,” Thomas said when asked how he hopes his receipt of the award might inspire change. “I just try to do what needs to be done.”