NORTHAMPTON — A fair that informs folks about the state of democracy and how it can be defended, strengthened and fixed is coming to the front lawn of the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence on Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to Dave Roitman, one of the organizers of the event, there is a growing pro-democracy movement happening in this country that looks to combat autocracies and overcome authoritarian regimes.
He said that this trend is reflected in the hundreds of social justice organizations riddled throughout the U.S. and at the local level, including the Movement Voter Project, a one-stop shop organization that invests in local organizations that transform policy, including ones that prioritize BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and immigrant voters.
Roitman emphasized how the pro-democracy movement is not solely about supporting a specific political candidate.
“Democracy is always a work in progress, always at risk and to make it work we need to put our hearts into it, not just our minds,” Roitman said. “This event will celebrate the good things about democracy and also highlight where we can improve — not just in the U.S. but also around the world.”
Roitman is a part of an organization called the Unitarian Universalists of Social Justice, a national organization that aims to build a powerful, inclusive and collaborative democracy movement. He said that there has been at least one democracy fair organized by a UUSJ leader in Concord, but this is the first fair of its kind in Western Mass., according to Roitman.
“Democracy has been a UU principle for many years, an explicit principle,” Roitman said of the organization. “We take very seriously the fact that democracy in this country has never fulfilled its potential.”
The fair will gather many stakeholders in the community who are all working in this pro-democracy realm including ACLU, Climate Action Now, Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution, Indivisible Northampton/Swing Left Western MA, League of Women Voters, Pioneer Valley Workers Center, Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership and many more.
All of these organizations will provide information to fair attendees about what they are doing this realm.
“Each of those organizations has their own angle into defending, strengthening and fixing democracy,” Roitman said.
The event will be family friendly, with music, activities for children and street theater and will also feature a speaking portion with state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (D-Northampton), state Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) and Director of the Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership Rev. Dr. Andrea Ayvazian, as well as an area for voter registration and post carding.
A crucial aspect of the fair, according to Roitman, is how it plans to connect the broader fight for democracy to a more localized level, which Roitman said is important because of the city’s connection with a pro-democracy movement that manifests in places like the Climate Action Now and the Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership.
“We have a vibrant pro-democracy culture here,” Roitman said. “We’re so interlinked to what’s happening around the world.”
The fair is happening the day before International Democracy Day and in the midst of the 200th anniversary celebration of the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence. If it rains the day of the fair, then it will move inside the Unitarian Society building.
“This year is the 200th anniversary of our Unitarian Society and celebrating democracy while paying attention to how we can improve it; this fits right in,” Roitman said.
