CIVIL RIGHTS

A few hundred middle and high schoolers from western Massachusetts presented a variety of ideas this week at a civics showcase in Springfield. Showcases are taking place around the state, in an effort to teach students about civic engagement and community service.

Swan fought for civil rights in Springfield, championed desegregation in the school system and pushed for reform in the police department.

Emma MacDonald's closest friends shared stories about her life at a memorial service Tuesday, in view of where she was killed almost two weeks ago at the Hotel UMass on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The Trump administration does not want children to have access to gender-affirming care — and is using federal policies and financial threats to make that happen. Massachusetts is among the states assuring families the care will be protected. But those promises are hard to keep when hospitals, including Baystate Health in western Massachusetts, stop providing the treatment on their own.

Healy sent a letter Friday giving the Department of Homeland Security one week to provide the legal basis of every ICE arrest in Massachusetts. She says most of those arrested had no criminal record.

Five years ago, a predominantly Black church in Springfield, Massachusetts, named after Martin Luther King Jr., was burned down in a suspected hate crime. Church leaders say they are trying to focus not on the fire but on rebirth and forgiveness.

A few dozen people along the main road in West Springfield, Mass., carried signs defending free speech and the constitution. They're hoping for higher turnout next weekend.

Several families from around western Massachusetts have an historic and personal connection to the Civil War and Juneteenth, dating back to June 19th, 1865.

Panelists discuss a local town's role in the defense of the U.S. Dept. of Ed., concerns of civil rights rollbacks five years after George Floyd’s murder, Berkshire arts groups unified in infrastructure advocacy and much more.

The annual parade and festival celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. This year, many said they were attending as a form of resistance to the Trump administration's hostility towards trans rights.