(Photo submitted by Ellie Richardson)
July 2, 2022
(Greenfield, MA) – The Greenfield Recreation Department held its annual 4th of July fireworks display on Friday night. And people at Beacon Field were witness to a silent protest of the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. During the national anthem, a group of women dressed in “Handmaid’s Tale” style robes lined up in front of the stage. The group that organized the protest submitted the following press release afterwards:
July 1, 2022 9:15 PM
We, a group of friends and strangers alike, have organized to exercise our First Amendment Rights by holding vigil during the National Anthem at the Greenfield, Mass., Beacon Field Fireworks on July 1, 2022. We do this to exhibit our despair at the loss of the protections provided by Roe vs. Wade at the hands of the current SCOTUS. We display our disdain at the loss of physical autonomy for all women, non-binary and trans people that are also child bearing, and the devastating effects this will force on our nation. We wear the red robes and white bonnets of Margaret Atwood’s Handmaids in recognition of the servitude American women, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, have been assigned. We choose this particular local event, as we believe there is nothing to celebrate in the United States this Fourth of July. The Independence of more than half of our citizens has been denied.
Signed ~ concerned people of Greenfield and surrounding areas