They came together to strengthen their resolve, to hear words that heal, not hurt, and to share in the joy of knowing “yes we can.” On February 22, a hearty group braved cold winds at Munro Preserve, a Mattapoisett Land Trust property located on Water Street, to take in the MLT’s latest story-walk installation on the life of Langston Hughes.
Afterward, the group assembled at the Mattapoisett Museum on Church Street to hear remarks centered around Black History Month and the relevance of celebrating Black History Month.
Speakers were introduced by longtime MLT member and education director Ellen Flynn. Flynn also shared a poem she has written to commemorate the occasion and to honor Frederick Douglas, who famously said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
For Frederick Douglas by Ellen Flynn:
Can we speak of a world of tears,
or do we just drink down brown beers?
Can we see spirits drifting through rainfall?
Can we sail against the wind,
to capture heartache and sin?
We skip through racially divided culture,
to watch and record years of torture.
Where are the leaders marching through the rain of tears?
When will they bring us answers to our fears?
We can only show our children her story,
and walk them through history.
TTAR member and director of business partners John Santos said it was important for the three represented organizations to come together in a common purpose, and Mike Huguenin, president of the MLT, said that in these times of stress and confusion getting out into nature was critically necessary. Thus with a smile he suggested, “Take a hike! You’ll feel better.”
This is the third year the MLT has partnered with the TTAR to present story walks that give children and their families an opportunity to get outside together in a meaningful way.
Dr. Moise St. Louis, assistant dean and director of the Frederick Douglass Unity House at UMass Dartmouth, spoke to the current social and political themes facing society today. “Such times require reflection.” St. Louis said that staying silent allowed space for destruction to move in and that people, all people but especially those facing struggles, needed to speak up, “…failing one will cause all to fail.”
St. Louis stated there is a cost to being silent with far reaching implications for future generations and that the spaces created by silence must be closed.
St. Louis quoted from President Obama’s famous Chicago acceptance speech, saying, “…people will try to shut us down…we need to be firm in our conviction…we are dependent on one another…” and of a future that embraces equity and inclusion – “Yes We Can.”
By Marilou Newell