GREENFIELD — Where can you see Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, Chief Probation Officer Marcus Cameron and Greenfield Savings Bank President Peter Albero bust a move to African music?
At the Franklin County Justice Center during the Trial Court’s Cultural Appreciation Week, that’s where.
The 10th annual statewide celebration featured free events, including music, dance, art displays, food tastings, panel discussions and naturalization ceremonies. The Franklin County rendition featured a diverse assortment of speakers in the third-floor jury pool room and a hallway’s worth of informational tables set up by community service groups, such as Mass Fair Housing, Community Legal Aid, The United Arc and the Salasin Project.
“Ten years is a remarkable milestone. It represents a decade of coming together, sharing our experiences, recognizing our differences and celebrating the things that unite us,” Clerk of Courts Benjamin Simanski said. “And I believe there is something especially meaningful about celebrating culture here in Franklin County. Our county has a character all its own. We are shaped by our small towns, our farms and fields, our mills and rivers, and our tradition of neighbors helping neighbors.
“We understand the value of hard work, the importance of showing up for one another and the strength that comes from being connected to the place we call home,” he added.
Simanski mentioned that his Polish-born great-grandfather was naturalized as an American citizen by the clerk of courts in 1929 and his great-grandmother followed the same path years later.
“When I think about that, I cannot help but imagine them standing in this courthouse, carrying the hopes, uncertainties and dreams of a new American life,” he said. “Their story reminds me that a courthouse is more than a building. It is a place where people’s lives change, where new chapters begin and where the promise of belonging can become real. That is what connects our county’s culture to the work we do here every day.”
Before closing remarks by Register of Probate John Merrigan, attendees were entertained by the African drum music of Tony Vacca, Massamba Diop and Abdou Sarr. The audience quickly became enthralled and the musicians persuaded some people to join them at the front of the room to dance.
Heidi Brieger, chief justice of the Trial Court, then told the dozens of attendees that she spoke for the system’s 94 courthouses when she thanked them for hosting such a joyful event.
“I am bringing you gratitude for having brought us together and for having nourished for 10 years the Trial Court’s celebration of Cultural Appreciation Week,” she said. “It’s relatively easy to come up with a good idea — they come around all the time. It is really hard to nourish and keep a good idea alive and growing for a decade since 2016. That takes more than just a fanciful plan.”
The program started at 10 a.m. at the flagpoles outside the building with the singing of the national anthem by Springfield resident Michelle Brooks-Thompson, a Grammy-nominated recording artist and finalist of NBC’s “The Voice.” Brooks-Thompson received a Greenfield Police escort and attendees held miniature versions of various nations’ flags.
Inside, state Probation Commissioner Pamerson Ifill held the flag of his native Barbados as he spoke of how Cultural Appreciation Week first began to take shape with a 2015 conversation about addressing racial inequity in the criminal justice world and how court systems should better reflect the communities they serve.
He stressed that it is important for people to encounter others who look like them and speak their language when they enter a courthouse.
“And it goes beyond humility and empathy,” he said. “More often than not, we’re really good at telling people that we are empathetic. But empathy is not something you tell people. Empathy is through your actions.”
Ifill said this is a scary time for immigrants and minorities in the United States. He recounted how Thanksgiving used to be an enormous gathering with family members from across the country just 10 to 15 years ago. That number of relatives at the November get-together, he said, has been halved, due in large part to concerns about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns. He also mentioned that he and his wife, who hails from Thailand, brought their passports with them when they took their daughter to Washington D.C. over the summer.
Carmen Gomez, deputy commissioner for pretrial services for the Massachusetts Probation Service, spoke about being born and raised in Puerto Rico to multicultural parents and moving to the mainland for schooling. She lauded Cultural Appreciation Week, saying it would have been unthinkable when she started working in the Trial Court 30 years ago.
“It’s really good to see that we’ve made a lot of progress,” she said.
Gomez said it is critical for courthouses to be safe places for people from various walks of life.
Orice Jenkins, executive director of the Música Franklin after-school program, showed a video of his students singing songs before Albero, of Greenfield Savings Bank, addressed the jam-packed jury pool room.
“Today is about recognizing the diversity that makes Franklin County unique. While Franklin County is known for its beautiful rolling hills and its quality of life, what truly defines us is our people,” he said. “We live in a community that celebrates the past, cares deeply about the present and is optimistic about the future.”
He said Greenfield Savings Bank prides itself on being a good corporate citizen that builds relationships and reinvests in the community.
“We believe that when the community thrives, we thrive, too,” Albero said. “That understanding has never been more important than it is today. Today, people are easily marginalized because they think, dress or speak differently. Intercultural understanding and respect are necessary ingredients for us to live together peacefully.”
