Sharon panel discusses MLK’s legacy

Sharon - With Martin Luther King Jr. birthday as the backdrop, a seven-person panel addressed issues of diversity, civil rights, and nonviolent protests.

TV host, professor and lawyer Charles Walker lead the discussion of King’s legacy on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the Sharon Adult Center.

“This community togetherness is part of (King)’s legacy,” said panelist Beth Hoke. She serves as the coordinator for the Sharon Pluralism Network,

Hoke said King’s legacy was important for a diverse community like Sharon. According to the Massachusetts Department of Education, one quarter of Sharon isn’t white and approximately 18 percent of the population doesn’t speak English as their first language.

Other members of the panel included Nabeel Khudairi, a co-chairman of the Interfaith Committee of the Islamic Center of New England, Lyda Peters, a professor of civil rights and social justice at Boston College, David Blocker, the cantor for Temple Kol Tikvah, Janet Penn, the Executive Director of Youth Leaders Engaging Across Differences, and Sharon students Puya Sasani and Saima Ali.

Taking an international view, Sasani, a junior at Sharon High said the developments in his home country of Iran correlate to King’s struggle in the United States.

“(King) had a huge impact on how politics works,” he said. “People try to act like he did by being aggressive, but not violent. This is what many are trying in Iran.”

Sasani was concerned nonviolence may not work in Iran though, as many of the peaceful protesters have been received with violence from the Iranian military.

Two of his cousins have been arrested during these protests, he said. One was released shortly after, but he said the other will be in prison for the next 10 years.

Peters argued that nonviolence could work though and urged Sasani to believe so too. She said just as Iranian protesters are receiving unfair consequences, so did King and his followers during the civil rights movement. She said King’s message of peaceful protest was successful, because he was accompanied by many other protestors.

“Dr. King, although an important figure, was a member of a larger movement,” she said.

Program Coordinator for the Sharon Adult Center Marsha Books said discussions like the one between Sasani and Peters, are why these events are so important. She said that through this debate, a community can learn to understand each other more.

“I am delighted that we are starting a dialogue here,” she said. “I hope that everyone will continue this conversation in the future.”

As the event came to a close, Walker asked everyone to stand and link hands. As slideshow images of King flashed on wall behind him, everyone held hands and sang “We Shall Overcome.”

An edited version of the discussion will be aired on Walker’s television program, “The Heart of the Matter,” throughout the holiday weekend. Books was the primary organizer of the event, and said she did so because there had been a void in Sharon over the last few years.

“The last few years nothing has been done to commemorate MLK,” she said. “I just didn’t want another year to pass without a remembrance to him.”

Evan Koslof

1/13/2012

Originally Posted: http://www.wickedlocal.com/sharon/news/x3497273/Sharon-panel-discusses-MLK-s-legacy?zc_p=0#axzz1li2OhLar

Connolly produces Deborah Samson documentary

Sharon - In 1782, as the Revolutionary War blasted on throughout the United States, one 22-year old Sharon resident enlisted in the continental army under the name Robert Shurtliff. This soldier, strong and independent, differed from the rest though in one significant way. She was a woman.

This famous figure, whose real name is Deborah Samson, has had her story told by various historians and writers. Her name can be seen on statues, buildings, fields, novels and even street signs. And now, Sharon resident Steve Connolly is in the process of making a six part video documentary to commemorate her life.

The documentary, which has already had the first two sections released on the Sharon Community Television channel, was directed by Connolly and has used various local residents as the actors. Connolly, an engineer, said he was inspired to make the series because the woman lived such an incredible life. 

“Samson was willing to do anything to protect her country in a time when a woman couldn’t fight,” he said.

Connolly said that throughout the process, various members of the community have jumped on board with the project. Included in the group has been the historical societies of various Massachusetts towns such as Plympton, Samson’s place of birth, Sharon, Worcester, Middleborough, Duxbury, Canton, Bellingham, Dedham and various others.

The project has also received support from the historical societies of New York, Rhode Island and Cincinnati and from groups such as the West Point Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

“The more I took on, the more people got interested in contributing,” he said. “She is just that important of a figure.”

The first two movies were based on the years 1620 through 1778. The first followed the 140 years before she was born, and the second was based on her childhood up until she turned 18.

The third part of the series was released during the first week of January and covers her life after she turned 18. At this time, she spent nearly four years working as a teacher in Middleborough.

The fourth series will focus on Samson’s time in the army where she fought in combats for approximately 17 months. The fifth will be about her return to Massachusetts. During this time, she married Benjamin Gannet in 1785, and settled down on his farm in Sharon. She remained in Sharon until her death in 1827. Finally, the sixth part of the series will focus on her impact today.

Connolly said the project has been really exciting, because he is finding answers to complicated historical questions that many still don’t know.

“This has been a really rewarding process,” he said. “It’s like solving a 250-year-old jigsaw puzzle.”

Evan Koslof

1/09/12


Originally Posted:  http://www.wickedlocal.com/sharon/news/x638335272/Connolly-produces-Deborah-Sampson-documentary#axzz1j6PZjdFl