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By JOHN PARADIS

On May 9, I will hold a white rose at noon at the intersection of King and Main streets in Northampton.

How did it happen that diversity, equity and inclusion became a mark of being anti-American and a reason to withhold funding from business and educational institutions? I thought that these three values were the bedrock of what makes America great. We have always been proud of the Statue of Liberty with its inscription “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” All the major religions support the concept of welcoming the stranger.

The millions of people who participated in protests across the nation on April 5 showed that “We the People” have a powerful voice as we exercised our First Amendment right to peacefully assemble and petition the government. I encourage all of us to continue this in an ongoing basis. One next step will be to join the Hands Off Social Security Rally this Thursday, April 10 at noon. If you work nearby, come on your lunch break. Address is 1550 Main Street, Springfield. The mobilize link is below. This issue impacts or will impact all of us.

Congratulations to all those recognized by the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Your readers and viewers (of photography) know how good you are. Very nice to see it recognized by others.

By JOHN SAVESON

“Federal education policy should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” Those are the opening words in the Education Chapter of Project 2025. I just discovered this quote when learning of Trump’s threat on closing the U.S. Department of Education (“Trump will order a plan to shut down the U.S. Education Department,” Gazette, March 21).

In 1995, I co-chaired Envision Central Square, a two-year urban design effort to revitalize Massachusetts Avenue from Cambridge City Hall to MIT. At the time, I led the Central Square Neighborhood Coalition; my co-chair, architect George Metzger, headed the Business Association. Together, we hosted around 50 meetings on everything from sidewalks and bike paths to storefronts, street life, and pedestrian flow.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — The Florence Community Band has put on many concerts in its nearly quarter-century of existence, but the longtime group of volunteer musicians is about to embark on a first as it prepares for this spring’s annual concert.

I was baffled and confused by the March 14 article about the Hatfield Housing Board and the criticisms launched against Chris Smith of Prospect Street in Hatfield [”Hatfield Housing Authority board presses for removal of ‘toxic’ member”].

The Northampton city dispatchers deserve recognition for their professionalism, skill, knowledge, expertise and patience in handling emergency calls. They are to be commended for their work. Great job!

Most Americans, including many Republicans, do not support the onslaught of executive orders that President Donald Trump has enacted since returning to the Oval Office. Many are appalled by the indiscriminate, chaotic, and precipitous firing of tens of thousands of federal workers, many of them veterans.

I have real concerns about Northampton moving forward with Picture Main Street. As currently configured, it is strange, bloated, disruptive and fails to address any real safety issues.

I am Jewish and feel dismayed to read that some Jewish parents see antisemitism in Hannah Moushabeck’s sweet children’s book, “Homeland, My Father Dreams of Palestine.”

I’m responding to Claudia Lefko’s March 13 column on the gloriously rich topic of placemaking [“Placemaking or unmaking place?”]. I applaud her appeal to imagine what Northampton will look like and contest her dour vision of the future.

By JOHN BIDWELL

Eight years after the end of our Peace Corps service, my wife Kris Holloway and I returned to Mali, West Africa. While there, we reunited with Madou Mariko, who trained with me to repair wells.

I read the Gazette’s coverage of the rally at Rep. Jim McGovern’s office demanding that he speak up for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine [“A call for peace talks,” Feb. 25]. In addition to the immeasurable suffering of the Ukrainian people, the specter of nuclear war keeps growing as the U.S. pours arms, money, and sanctions into escalating the war. Consider the situation in reverse: Suppose China or Russia formed an alliance with Mexico or Canada, then built up their military forces and gave them advanced weaponry. Would the U.S. have named that as a hostile threat and invaded? Of course it would have.

The most valuable commodity these days isn’t gold, diamonds, or crypto — it’s attention. In our fractured information environment, power and influence are gained by the people who know how to get it. That’s why I’m calling on U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren to go where they’ll get attention — red districts.

As a woman who attended high school and college before the enactment of Title IX, I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see the many photos of women and girls playing a variety of sports. Congratulations to the sports editor for the parity in coverage.

By MARIEL E. ADDIS

As the U.S. decides whether to stop support for Ukraine to prevent Russian takeover, I notice a complete lack of information about what life might be like for ethnic Ukrainians under Russian rule. I’ve seen no real reporting on this in either commercial or public media.

Last week I had the misfortune to need medical attention at Mass General Brigham, Cooley Dickinson Hospital for a minor but painful injury. I spent five hours waiting to be seen. However, I was very surprised waiting five hours in an emergency room would turn into a wonderful, heartwarming, educational experience.