An opportunity to reflect on Freedom and Racial Injustice Between Juneteenth Day (June 19th) and Independence Day, the Hopkinton Freedom Team and members of our community provided an array of programming, including daily educational content and calls to action to encourage community members to reflect on Freedom and Justice.  The sixteen days between the two holidays also represent an opportunity to inspire a more honest conversation about our nation’s complicated past and present experience with racial injustice.  View Juneteenth Event Page Raising the Juneteenth Flag at Town hall The event started with the raising of the Juneteenth Flag at Town hall and also educating the public about the significance and symbolism of the flag . On June 17, 2021, for the first time, the Town of Hopkinton raised a flag to recognize Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The Juneteenth Flag will hang from June 17 until July 4th in front of tow

Two-part Active Bystander Training Workshop was offered to three age groups in Hopkinton between May-June 2021 After a well-received two-part Active Bystander workshop for town employees and members of town boards and committees with the Hopkinton Freedom Team in the winter of 2021, the Hopkinton Youth & Family Services brought three more training workshops to the Hopkinton community in May and June. The workshop was facilitated by  True Story Theater . A two-part workshop was held for adults 21+ and another two-part session held for high school and college-age students while a single session was held for middle school students with an adult of their choosing. The Active Bystander Training workshops were all held on Zoom and led by True Story Theater whose mission is “Fostering a culture of empathy, respect, and creativity.”   The topics covered and skills learned in the workshops embodied that goal. The facilitators gave an opportunity for the participants to examine one’s own i

Historical First Pride Parade in Hopkinton Massachusetts  Celebrated during Pride month on June 26th, 2021 On June 26th, 2021, Hopkinton celebrated its very first Pride Parade around the Hopkinton High School track. The event was organized by Hopkinton Freedom Team in collaboration with the Hopkinton Youth Commission .  The event was a triumphant one in many ways. Planning for the event occurred in slightly unusual circumstances with the continued consequences of Covid, as well as the lead organizer for the event, Freya Proudman, being stationed thousands of miles away studying at university in England. Despite that, the parade was a unanimous success thanks to the dedication of Freya and fellow Hopkinton Freedom Team member Madison Loos, who is also President of the Gender Sexuality Alliance and incoming senior at Hopkinton High School. Many members of the community volunteered their time and effort in making this event a big success.  To many, the parade stood as a way to show suppo

A crowd of about 200 people turned out at the Hopkinton Town Common on Saturday afternoon for a rally and marched to bring awareness to racially charged sentiments of hate against Asian-Americans. This rally was organized by the Hopkinton Chinese American Association, with support from the Hopkinton Freedom Team and attended by many residents and organizations in town including the South Asian Circle of Hopkinton. The participants held signs and marched around the Common with signs voicing their anti-hatred agenda.    Click here to view photos and read about the event:  https://hopkintonindependent.com/town-common-marchers-call-out-anti-asian-bigotry As part of the event, HPS junior Kevin Gu gave a powerful speech about the issues that have been transpiring recently throughout the country and said it is high time to call out and speak up against these injustices.  Below is a video of his speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAq9u0bl6aM There has been an increase in anti-Asian cri

A two-part Upstander Training (also known as Active Bystander training) was held on two Saturday mornings during the winter of 2021 (February 6th and March 20th) for members of the Hopkinton Freedom Team, Hopkinton employees and members of Hopkinton boards and committees. The training was sponsored by the Hopkinton Youth & Family Services with support from members of the Hopkinton Youth Commission and provided by True  Story Theater ( www.truestorytheater.com ) trainers and facilitators. What is Active Bystander training? “Passive bystanders witness harm-doing and do nothing. Many reasons: fear, assuming someone else will act, not knowing what to do, being too polite, not wanting to take time...Active bystanders witness harm-doing and take constructive action. Positive action can take many forms, both during and after the event, depending on the situation, the persons involved, and the temperament and abilities of the bystander. Interventions are needed in a wide range of situation

Are you a new to Hopkinton? If so, welcome! The Hopkinton Freedom Team is so glad to have you here in our community! Starting in February 2021, we have a new flyer in the Hometown Hospitality packet for new residents. We know moving to a new place can be a bit overwhelming, so no worries if you missed our flyer. We've posted it here on our blog for your reference too! Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or would like more information about our services. Welcome to Hopkinton!