Page 2 - Hal Wakefield News Today

RUTLAND — A local branch of the NAACP is denouncing the sale of what appeared to be slave shackles at a gun show held last weekend on the Vermont State Fairgrounds in Rutland.The Rutland Area Branch of the NAACP wrote a letter to the fairgrounds’...

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BENNINGTON — A Declaration of Inclusion that “condemns racism and welcomes all persons” — also being proposed in a number of municipalities around Vermont — has been adopted in Bennington.

Dont miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.   MONTPELIER — Gov. Phil Scott has declared the week of May 9-15 “Inclusion Week in Vermont,” issuing a pair of proclamations welcoming people of diverse backgrounds to the state and acknowledging the need to address systemic racism and inequality. In addition to a proclamation announcing Inclusion Week, Scott also issued a Proclamation of Inclusion, calling on all Vermonters to “denounce prejudice, to openly acknowledge and...

A growing list of Vermont communities are adopting a new pledge that condemns racism and sends a message that they welcome all people.The city of Rutland joined the list this week, when its Board of Aldermen approved the Declaration of Inclusion in a unanimous vote.“I hope this sends a clear message to the community, to the rest of the state, and really to the country that Rutland is a place that is welcoming of everyone,” said Thomas Franco, a member of the Rutland Board of Aldermen. ...

Franco formally signed his name to the newly adopted document Wednesday, along those of his colleagues. The towns of Pittsford, Pittsfield, Franklin, Brandon, Waterbury, Middlebury and the village of Woodstock have similarly embraced the declaration, according to Al Wakefield, one of the members of a group promoting greater adoption of the Declaration of Inclusion. “Our vision is that the Declaration of Inclusion is really a challenge to move Rutland forward, to embrace and promote change, to...

Sculpture honors 1st Black president of U.S. College Sculpture honors 1st Black president of U.S. College The first Black president of an American college is being honored with a sculpture installed in the Vermont city where … A sculpture of Martin Henry Freeman, the first Black college president in the United States, is on display on the sculpture trail in downtown Rutland, Vt., where he was born in 1826. Mr. Freeman, an 1849 graduate of Middlebury College, became president in 1856 of A...

The first Black president of an American college is being honored with a sculpture installed in the Vermont city where he was born in 1826. The larger-than-life marble bust of scholar Martin Henry Freeman sits on a stack of books in a downtown square as part of the Rutland Sculpture Trail. “It’s a very soft, gentle portrayal of Martin Freeman,” said Al Wakefield, one of the sponsors of the piece that was installed in November. “I don’t know how many people remember eith...

First Black president of U.S. college honored with bust Storm Gifford Martin Henry Freeman, who made history as the first African-American president of a U.S. college, has been immortalized in sculpture. Born in 1826, Freeman was just 30 years old when he became president of the all-Black Allegheny Institute and Mission Church in western Pennsylvania, which would later be known as Avery College, reported The Associated Press on Friday. On Friday, Freeman’s birth city of Rutlan...

RUTLAND, VERMONT - The first Black president of an American college is being honored with a sculpture installed in the Vermont