Massachusetts
Lexington celebrates first Massachusetts Emancipation Day – The Boston Globe
The state Legislature last year passed legislation declaring July 8 Massachusetts Emancipation Day, also known as Quock Walker Day. Governor Maura Healey marked the state’s first observance this year with an official proclamation.
But Lexington started its own celebration three years ago, local organizers said.
Walker “wasn’t someone in a position of power,” said Sean Osborne, cofounder of the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, which hosted the event. “You don’t have to have a special power to change things.”
State Senator Cindy Friedman, a Democrat who filed the legislation to create Quock Walker Day, agreed.
“It’s a great moment in Massachusetts history,” Friedman said, addressing the crowd. “But it’s important to be reminded of the value of life and liberty, and how far we still need to go.”
Walker, whose family came from the Akan tribe in present-day Ghana, was born in Massachusetts to enslaved parents. The Caldwell family promised him freedom, but when they died, the Jennisons who acquired Walker refused to grant him freedom, according to Friedman.
He emancipated himself, and was brutally beaten when captured. But he wasn’t trying to be a martyr or a symbol, Obsorne said; he just wanted to “live his life,” a sentiment that Black Americans share today.
Walker turned to the courts to fight for his freedom. He filed a lawsuit in 1781, and his lawyers argued that slavery was antithetical to the Bible and the Massachusetts Constitution.
On July 8, 1783, the SJC declared Walker to be free. The decision would serve as the basis for Massachusetts’ abolition of slavery on constitutional grounds, several decades before the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States in 1864.
One historian noted that Walker’s quest for freedom is important to recall, particularly at a time when affirmative action and other civil liberties are in peril.
“In a trying time, this [celebration] gives me hope,” said Kerima Lewis, who teaches history at Emerson College.
The event also paid tribute to other figures like Prince Estabrook, who fought along with his white neighbors during the Battle of Lexington, according to the National Park Service.
His story, and those of other enslaved figures, such as Violet Locke, have largely been forgotten, organizers said.
“We need to pierce the illusion that slavery didn’t happen here in Massachusetts, and that wealth wasn’t derived from it,” said Russell Tanner, 65, one of dozens of residents who attended the event.
Slavery is often thought of as something that was only prevalent in the South, and the remembrance of Quock Walker can help debunk a myth of “historical purity,” he said.
Osborne, who has lived in town for 22 years, said he hopes the annual Walker celebration can help highlight the long history of Blacks in Lexington.
He hopes visitors “might consider Lexington to be a place where they’d consider raising their children.”
“Black people have been in Lexington since before it was even called Lexington,” said Osborne. “People here should know they are a part of that story.”
Sarah Raza can be reached at sarah.raza@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarahmraza.
Massachusetts
High School On SI 2024 All-State Massachusetts’ Football Award Winners
There were first-time state champions, repeat winners – and some of the craziest games you will ever seen played anywhere on a football field this fall.
And now it is time for High School On SI Massachusetts to release its individual award winners, including the player and coach of the year honorees.
The Boston College commitment played for Division 2’s top team, which Catholic Memorial defeated King Philip Regional 39-21 for the Super Bowl. Dodd was the workhorse for the team, rushing for 1,362 yards on 115 attempts and scoring 20 touchdowns. The senior also added seven catches for 139 yards through the air.
Whether it was through the air or on the ground, Attaway compiled over 1,000 yards either way. The senior led the way to the Hawks winning the Division 6 Super Bowl state title. Attaway finished completing 76-of-113 passes for 1,329 yards and 20 touchdowns. On the ground, Attaway rushed for 1,008 yards on 65 carries and 12 scores.
Frisch stood out on both sides of the ball, but especially on the defensive side at middle linebacker. The 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker racked up 59 tackles, eight going for a loss, 12 sacks, an interception and forced a fumble. On offense at tight end, Frisch caught 14 passes for 301 yards and five touchdowns.
Playing for the Division 7 Super Bowl state champions, the junior running back was phenomenal out of the backfield. The Spartans’ tailback carried the rock 201 times for 1,772 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. LaChapelle caught five passes for 100 yards and two scores.
Despite losing multiple games during the regular season and many throughout the state wondering if Xaverian Brothers could repeat as Division I state champions. The Hawks pulled it off under the guidance of Fornaro as he guided the team to the Division I Super Bowl, defeating Needham, 14-7.
Follow High School On SI throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!
Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.
High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.
To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App
— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi
Massachusetts
Lucas: Ayotte’s shots at Healey over immigration hit mark
Hardly had Kelly Ayotte, the new governor of New Hampshire unloaded on Massachusetts over its immigration policy, than another illegal immigrant was charged with rape in the Bay State.
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Massachusetts
Disciplinary hearing for suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor continued to 2nd day
Suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor’s Trial Board disciplinary proceedings will go on to a second day.
Proctor’s trouble publicly began when he testified during the murder trial of Karen Read last summer. During a tense examination by the prosecution and even more intense cross examination, Proctor admitted to inappropriate private texts that he made as the case officer investigating Read.
“She’s a whack job (expletive),” Proctor read from compilations of text messages he sent to friends as he looked at Read’s phone. The last word was a derogatory term for women that he at first tried to spell out before Judge Beverly Cannone told him to read it the way he wrote it.
“Yes she’s a babe. Weird Fall River accent, though. No (butt),” he continued under oath on June 10, 2024.
He also texted them “no nudes so far” as an update on the search through her phone. He also testified that he told his sister that he hoped that Read would kill herself.
On Wednesday, Proctor sat through a full day of trial board proceedings at MSP general headquarters in Framingham. When that concluded in the late afternoon, the board decided to continue for a second day on Feb. 10. Neither Wednesday’s proceeding nor the second day is open to the public.
Proctor was relieved of duty on July 1 of last year, which was the day the Read trial concluded in mistrial. He was suspended without pay a week later. The State Police finished its internal affairs investigation last week and convened the trial board to determine the next step in the disciplinary process.
The trial board makes disciplinary recommendations to the superintendent, who determines the final outcome.
“A State Police Trial Board shall hear cases regarding violations of Rules, Regulations, Policies, Procedures, Orders, or Directives,” states the Department’s Rules and Regulations.
“In the event that the Trial Board finds guilt by a preponderance of the evidence on one or more of the charges, the Trial Board shall consider the evidence presented by the Department prosecutor pertaining to the accused member’s prior offenses/disciplinary history, and shall make recommendations for administrative action,” the rules and regulations state.
Read, 44, of Mansfield, faces charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision causing the death of O’Keefe, a 16-year Boston Police officer when he died at age 46 on Jan. 29, 2022. Read’s second trial is scheduled to begin April 16.
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