Area briefs: Unitarian Society to celebrate gender identity as civil right; Power-Greene to lead MLK Day lecture; Cahillane elected to leadership post with sheriffs’ association

Ousmane Power-Greene

Ousmane Power-Greene GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

Hampshire County Sheriff Patrick Cahillane.

Hampshire County Sheriff Patrick Cahillane.

Power-Greene to lead MLK Day lecture

Published: 01-15-2025 11:46 AM

Unitarian Society to celebrate gender identity as civil right

NORTHAMPTON — The Unitarian Society of Northampton & Florence at 220 Main St. will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy on Sunday with a service to honor the stories of transgender and nonbinary people in the community.

With hundreds of anti-trans legislation bills across the country, gender identity has become a key civil rights issue and this program will attest to the importance of protecting transgender people.

At Sunday’s worship service at 10 a.m., individuals will share their stories and poems in a service for all ages. At 11:30 a.m., Jozeppi Morelli, from the Family Diversity Projects, will facilitate a panel with people whose stories are shared in the book “Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary Individuals and their Families.” 

Over the next month, a photo exhibit from Authentic Selves will be on display in the Unitarian Society’s Great Hall. The public is welcome to view the exhibit on Sunday mornings between 9:30 and 11:30. Regular worship services are open to all and take place from 10 to 11 a.m. 

The congregation is also hosting a book group to explore the stories and the important themes from Authentic Selves, which is a sweeping compilation of life stories and portraits of trans and nonbinary people, as well as their partners, parents, children, siblings, and chosen family members. 

The book group will meet over four sessions on Jan. 29, Feb. 9, Feb, 25 and March 9, from 6:30-8 p.m. For more information and to join the book group, email dre@uunorthampton.org

Cahillane elected to leadership post with sheriffs’ association 

BOSTON — Hampshire County Sheriff Patrick Cahillane has been elected as associate vice president of the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association (MSA).

Others elected by their fellow sheriffs include Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott as president and Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi as vice president. The president and vice president will both serve a two-year term.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

20 dispensaries statewide found to have products with mold, including in Pioneer Valley
Bomb squad removes grenade found in Northampton attic
500 attend McGovern coffee hour to share outrage with Trump administration and the Democratic Party alike
Restoration in high gear for hard-hit hilltowns
Dealing with ‘sticker shock’: What customers can do as energy bills spike
Ice-covered roads challenge Pioneer Valley residents, town crews

Cahillane, who took office in 2016, said he is excited about the opportunity to serve as associate vice president, which is a one-year term.

The Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association is comprised of the 14 elected county sheriffs serving across the commonwealth. In their official MSA roles, McDermott, Cocchi and Cahillane will work in partnership with the MSA body and its strategic partners to better educate and inform their collective constituency about the important work the sheriffs and their staffs are doing to support those in their care and custody.

NORTHAMPTON – Ousmane Power-Greene, chair of the Northampton Reparations Study Commission, will lead a Martin Luther King Jr. Day lecture on the two century-long history of African Americans’ struggle for reparations on Monday, Jan. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at First Churches in Northampton.

The discussion will take place within the context of the legacy of the fight against enslavement, Jim Crow in the North, and more recent acts of racist violence. After his lecture, Power-Greene will join with panelists to discuss the issues raised in his lecture, and to share their own ideas about how one might most effectively engage in community-driven racial justice work in Northampton given this political moment.

In addition to chairing the Northampton reparations commission, Power-Greene is the E. Franklin Frazier chair of Africana Studies and professor of history at Clark University in Worcester. He’s also an author who has been recognized with various fellowships, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities sponsored scholar-in-residency program at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York.