Neal to headline ‘Building & Sustaining Livable Communities’

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host a lunchtime event, “Building & Sustaining Livable Communities” featuring U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, on Monday, June 16, at 12 p.m., at Wyckoff Country Club, 233 Easthampton Road, Holyoke.

The event will feature speakers Neal, ranking member of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, who will offer a perspective from the federal level; Richard Sullivan, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, who will offer a perspective from the business community; and Elise Rapoza, senior research associate at MassINC Policy Center, who will provide a viewpoint as a public policy expert, presenting her report on “Fostering Mixed-Income Neighborhoods to Close the Economic Divide.”

There is a suggested donation of $50 for the event, which includes lunch. To register, visit OneHolyoke.org/sustaining-communities.

Michael Moriarty, Executive Director of OneHolyoke CDC, will serve as moderator for the event, which aims to begin a conversation around how resources, innovation, advocacy and collaboration all play a role in weathering the current instability of federal cutbacks, the specter of a recession and other related uncertainties affecting gateway cities and other communities large and small.

Comic show to benefit Tides for Reproductive Freedom

EASTHAMPTON — Comic Relief: Solstice Edition, an evening of comedy, community and collective action benefiting Tides for Reproductive Freedom, will take place on Friday, June 20, from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m., at CitySpace, located in Easthampton’s historic Old Town Hall, 43 Main St.

This special solstice gathering brings together local comedians, performers, and activists for a night designed to uplift spirits while advancing reproductive justice. Proceeds from the event will support Tides for Reproductive Freedom, a western Massachusetts nonprofit that provides direct funding and support for abortion access and reproductive care across Massachusetts.

The evening will feature performances by a stellar lineup of comedians, as well as food, drink, a raffle and silent auction, music, a crafting table, and opportunities to connect with local community members. Fortickets, visit https://shorturl.at/NJRIO. Find out more about Tides by visiting: tidesforchange.org.

Father’s Day concert for the children of Gaza

NORTHAMPTON – Demilitarize Western Mass and Jewish Voice for Peace Western Mass will hold a free public Father’s Day concert in Pulaski Park on Saturday, June 14, from 2 to 7 p.m., to raise funds for the Sumud School in north Gaza.

The Sumud School was founded by Enaam Sakallah, an English teacher who was displaced from Gaza City in October of 2023 during the Israel-Hamas war. After more than a year of suffering and struggle and teaching her own and other children in a tent, Sakallah found a damaged building in north Gaza, cleaned it, and moved the school into it. Sumud School (‘sumud’ means steadfastness in Arabic) now has a student body of 350 and 15 teachers.

Demilitarize and JVP are working with Northampton resident Ruth Moushabeck to raise funds for the school. Moushabeck has created Friends of Sumud School and a GoFundMe to aid in the effort. “The school is incredible,” says Moushabeck. “It’s run in a normal way, they do science, they do art. The children attend in shifts, because the space is small. They have exams and standards, in fact, the school was certified by a school inspector with the Palestine Education Authority. What with the struggle for food and water and the frequent bombardment, there’s no normalcy except for this school for the children and their families. The children know that the Father’s Day Concert is being organized on their behalf and they are very excited about it.”

The benefit concert will feature Connecticut River Valley singers, poets, and bands. In the event of rain, the concert will be held indoors in the Great Hall of the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, 220 Main St., just a few steps east of Pulaski Park.

The concert is endorsed by Interlink Publishing, a Northampton company and the only Palestinian-owned publisher in the United States, and First Churches of Northampton.