With protests and riots happening across the country in response to the tragic death of George Floyd, we wanted to help the community in any way we could. We saw a need for voices to be heard, and offered free speaker and microphone rentals for peaceful protests in Connecticut.
We were contacted by a young woman representing a newly formed group in Suffield, CT, for an event they were having on their town green. The group called, “Anti-Bias, Anti-Racist Suffield” had invited many speakers from the local community and greater Hartford area to speak.
We provided the speaker and microphone rentals for free, to reaffirm our dedication to ending racial injustice. We only charged for the labor to set up and take down the speakers, which included on-site support for any issues that arose during the event.
On June 17th, 2020, we arrived early to the Suffield Town Green to set up. We were greeted by event organizers and directed to where they wanted the speakers set up. As time went on, more members of the community arrived. We also noticed many members of law enforcement providing security for the event.
For context, Suffield is a smaller town in Connecticut, which prides itself on its historical roots, farming, and agriculture- all of which are very prominently seen throughout the town. We had posted the event on our social media pages and received mixed responses. While many welcomed the event, there were still quite a bit of responses that eluded that Suffield was not the place for this type of event.
Honestly, we weren’t sure how many people would show up, or what might happen. The group of 10 or so grew to 20, and soon close to 300 people were sitting on the town green in support of the event. Some hecklers drove by, honking their horn and occasionally yelling profanities, but it never escalated or interfered with the event.
Speakers included Liz Warren, director of Cultural Diversity at Suffield Academy, Keren Prescott of PowerUp Manchester, State Representatives, musicians, and more! The event was charged with energy, and our goal of giving people a voice was achieved.
The event was only supposed to last two and a half hours. It ran for over three, but the messages from the speakers were so captivating, and the crowd so engaged, we really didn’t mind staying longer.
After the event was over, we were approached by event organizers and members of the community who thanked us for being there and being part of such an event.
We are grateful to ABAR Suffield for allowing us to be part of the event, and for the Suffield community for being so welcoming and engaged. We truly hope the event had an impact on you and we are glad we could be a part of it.
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