AMHERST — Community conversations designed to acknowledge harm, provide support, and promote wellness in response to multiple events that have occurred in town, including domestic violence and racism and the closing of Hampshire College, start Thursday.
The four-part series, which continues June 11, June 18 and June 25, is hosted by the town’s Health, Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service and Diversity Equity and Inclusion departments. Each runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center.
“When most people think about community resilience, they think about natural disasters; however, disasters may take many different forms,” said DEI Director Pamela Nolan Young, in a statement. “During the last few weeks, the Amherst community has been challenged with disasters of a different sort. Each incident has had an adverse impact on specific individuals and on us collectively as a community. We acknowledge the harm and offer these conversations as one of many paths to wellness and resiliency.”
The first, “Community Wellness and Resiliency: A journey through harm and hurt to repair” is facilitated by community leader Andrea Battle, followed June 11 by “Beyond the Silence: Dialogue on Domestic Violence, Safety and Support” facilitated by Amherst Police Sgt. Janet M. Griffin.
On June 18 will be “Cultural Humility in Community: Responding to Harm, Building Toward Healing, a conversation focused on the impacts of racism in Amherst” facilitated by Dayna Campbell, co-executive director of the Women of Color Health Equity Collective and assistant professor of Public Health at American International College.
Finally, on June 25 will be “Grief and Love are Sisters: Processing the Closure of Hampshire College,” a conversation focused on the community impacts of the college’s closure, facilitated by Pat Romney, higher education consultant and former associate professor of Psychology at Hampshire College.
Register to attend any or all of these sessions at amherstma.gov/CommunityConversations
The town will be providing a light meal and childcare during these events.
