Pittsfield — Members of the group Western Mass. For The Future held a rally at Park Square on Saturday, April 22. The recently formed group held the rally for multiple causes, including the support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) rights; gun control; and climate action.
The event was organized by group leader Joey Pisani, a sophomore at Gateway High School. “Since today is Earth Day, we wanted to highlight climate action because it affects all of us,” Pisani said. “LGBTQ+ rights are on the line and have been taken away in other states. And as for gun control, there have been more mass shootings this year than there have been in days in it. We want to stand in solidarity with those issues, but we also wanted to have an event in a western Massachusetts setting instead of having to drive all the way to Boston for it.”
A few hours after the Pittsfield rally, a similar event was held at Northampton City Hall.
“I think that the leadership we give power to—that we elect—if they continue to stay on the same path, we’re going to find ourselves in greater places of jeopardy than we already are in,” Pisani said. “This includes the Supreme Court, Congress, and even President Biden who approved the Willow Project not too long ago. But what I am optimistic about is when people my age get the right to vote. I’m 16, and I’m optimistic about Generation Z. I do think we have allies from other generations who will all fight with us to guarantee the best future possible.”
Pisani said that Generation Z continues to fight stereotypes and misconceptions about who they are. “It’s a real common thing that people say that Gen Z is all lazy, stuck up in their phones, are couch potatoes and they don’t do anything,” Pisani said. “It’s a major mischaracterization of people my age. We’ve grown up in this time of social media where people talk about us having our phones in our faces. But phones have kind of been shoved into our faces since a very young age. If anything, I think we found a way to use our phones for activist actions like this rally. I think my generation has shown that they are not lazy when it comes to getting out the vote, when it comes to rallying, and when it comes to speaking truth to power.”
One of the many generational allies at the event was Pittsfield social worker Meg Arvin. “I am very optimistic about this rally, even if three people attended it,” Arvin said. “I’m hopeful that it has a positive response and that people feel empowered to take ownership of what they can do because we can do things about these issues. To me, an event like this is a cause for hope. It shows that we have hit a nerve with people in the community who understand the issues that we are facing. I feel like they are going to feel empowered by our ability to show up and move forward on these issues.”
Residents from throughout Northwest Massachusetts, both young and old, participated in the rally, including Stockbridge residents Jamie and Brant Keller. The two held signs that read, “Guns kill enough, freedom from fear,” and “Save the kids, stop greed, save the planet, guns kill.”
“Things have not changed over the years and it’s really sad,” Jamie Keller said. “I don’t get why people can’t care more about saving their child’s life than saving a fetus. I think it’s great that we had young people organize this rally. The more time goes by, the more we have to depend on our youth.”
“I would like the youth of this country to think more about their democracy and their concerns,” Brant Keller added. “If they don’t, nothing will ever be done.”
For more information about Western Mass. For The Future, email westernma4thefuture@gmail.com.
