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Boston Globe
02-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Hiking through history: Discover the trails of the Blackstone Valley
To get you better acquainted with some of them, the Blackstone Heritage Corridor, a nonprofit that preserves, promotes and celebrates the Blackstone Valley's resources, has created a series of hikes led by experienced volunteer trail ambassadors that trek through glacial gorges, granite quarries, streams and ponds, and other natural features. Related : Advertisement On your way, ambassadors will point out historic sites, native lands, farms, and homesteads dating back hundreds of years. Hikers might pass by scenic natural features — waterfalls — or remnants of the American Industrial Revolution, all while being serenaded by a chorus of songbirds. Anya Wilczynski, director of volunteers and community engagement at the Blackstone Heritage Corridor, said the hikes are easy for all ages, including kids and pets, but may be challenging for those with mobility issues, strollers, or wheelchairs. Phil Johanson, a Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor trail ambassador from Massachusetts, leads a group of hikers at the Douglas State Forest. Courtesy of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor On the Cormier Woods trail, a 5-mile loop around a 17th-century farmstead in Uxbridge, Mass., hikers often hear the roar of lions. 'Totally safe,' said Wilczynski of the growls coming from the Southwick Zoo nearby. 'You're pretty close to the lion's den at the zoo.' Advertisement Trail ambassadors Ernie Germani of Rhode Island, and Phil Johanson of Massachusetts, provide a bounty of knowledge on local flora and fauna. Johanson has carefully detailed notes about the trail in a wrinkled notebook. 'He has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to history and nature,' Wilczynski says. 'He has a dedicated notebook for every single hike. He keeps track of where it is, the quality of the trail, and special things you should note. He's hoping to someday pass that journal on to a future trail ambassador.' While most of the trails are well maintained, they are not paved. Some are more rocky than others, and Wilczynski recommends hikers wear boots and prepare for muddy spots. Occasionally, there will be a boardwalk over a marsh. Ernie and Phil do a good job of helping hikers over challenging terrain. Hikers should pack water, bug spray, and wear comfortable pants and shoes. Pay attention to the weather when preparing for a stroll through New England's rolling hills and woodlands. This part of the state often has cliffs and rocky ledges. Phil Johanson, a Blackstone Heritage Corridor trail ambassador from Massachusetts, leads a group of hikers. Courtesy of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Wilczynski said hikes last about two hours, but can go longer depending on the speed of the group (around 50 people) and weather. Bring snacks! The series is popular with bird watchers and nature lovers who enjoy photography. At Waters Farm in Sutton, Mass., walkers will come across harmless rock snake formation and prayer sites created by Native Americans. For the past two centuries the land was a farmstead and the progress of a family over six generations ais apparent. The Advertisement 'Ernie will give a great overview of the history of that site,' Wilczynski said. 'Understanding, you know, how it was used as a monastery, and now, how it's used in a civic way.' June hikes teem with blooming flowers, including 'There's a sense of that long-term history of all the people that have walked those trails in the past, but I feel like there is also a sense of the more recent preservation of these trails and the people who make these trails possible and that really ties into our volunteer program and just the stewardship that this region has,' said Wilczynski, who added there are roughly 200 volunteers who spend about 30,000 hours each year leading groups through along the trails. The hikes are either on state property or managed by a nonprofit. Day trippers can look at an interactive map on the Blackstone Heritage Corridor website for farms, ice cream shops, and historic places to check out after the hike. If you're planning to join the hiking series, they recommend hikers 'I love being a tourist in your own backyard,' Wilczynski said. The spring series is as follows: Saturday, April 5 – Waters Farm, Sutton, Mass. Saturday, April 12 – Camp Shepard, Smithfield, R.I. Saturday, April 19 – Castle Hill Farm, Whitinsville, Mass. Advertisement Saturday, May 3 – Mendon Town Forest, Mendon, Mass. Saturday, May 17 – Warren Brook Conservation Area, Upton, Mass. Sunday, May 18 – Hawkins Pond, Glocester, R.I. Saturday, May 31 – Stowe Meadows Conservation Area, Millbury, Mass. Saturday, June 7 – Mercy Woods, Cumberland, R.I. Saturday, June 14 – Douglas State Forest, Douglas, Mass. Carlos Muñoz can be reached at
Chicago Tribune
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Willie Wilson: President Donald Trump is eroding decades of civil rights progress
On the day the nation paused to celebrate the late civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ends all equity plans across the federal government and its employees. The order 'Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing' falsely criticizes diversity, equity and inclusion plans as 'immense public waste and shameful discrimination.' I can imagine King looking down from heaven and singing Marvin Gaye's song 'What's Going On.' Trump's actions are creating conditions for violence, racial unrest and instability. Several of the executive orders erode decades of progress achieved through the civil rights movement. Trump also signed an executive order that invalidates President Lyndon Johnson's 1965 order that required federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to promote equal opportunity for women and minorities. Johnson's executive order prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin, and it was amended to add sex. Trump's order ' Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity ' directs the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs within the Department of Labor to 'immediately cease promoting diversity, holding federal contractors and subcontractors responsible for taking 'affirmative action.'' The order encourages the private sector to 'end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.' Without Johnson's order in place, CNN reports that 'it will be harder for people to confirm that they're being discriminated against, and far fewer checks on employers who do practice discrimination, either consciously or unconsciously.' Trump's order could cause a chilling effect on employers hiring, promoting or contracting with diverse individuals and businesses. This could lead to increased unemployment, poverty and greater instability in communities of color. Crain's Chicago Business reported that 'the Illinois Department of Transportation recently republished a solicitation for roadwork without a diversity goal as a result of a directive from the U.S. Department of Transportation.' Will diversity goals go away? Will research grants examining racial disparities end? Major companies are ending their diversity programs. The U.S. has a painful history of race and gender discrimination. The late Benjamin E. Mays, a leader in the civil rights movement, said: 'He who starts behind in the great race of life must forever remain behind or run faster than the man in front.' That is the dilemma facing Black people in America who arrived on slave ships and Native Americans whose land was taken by force. While we have made progress toward a colorblind society, Black people remain trapped in a spiral of poverty, inferior schools and hopelessness. Racial disparities in wealth, health, housing, employment, education, environment and the criminal justice system continue to hold Black Americans, Native Americans and others down. Last week, the nonprofit watchdog group the Housing Rights Initiative filed 176 complaints against Chicago landlords for discrimination in the largest housing case in Illinois history. Every time Black people have made progress, systemic barriers have been put in place to slow their pace. In 1934, the Federal Housing Administration adopted rules that perpetuated racial discrimination in lending and housing segregation. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was needed to prevent discrimination concerning the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin or sex. Redlining was outlawed in 1968, but the effects are still being felt today. In 1921, the Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, dubbed 'Black Wall Street,' was a shining example of Black people's success. They were landowners and operated stores, hotels, churches, law offices, medical and dental offices, schools, barbershops, funeral homes and newspapers. White supremacists burned down 35 city blocks in Greenwood over 24 hours. They left Black people homeless and hundreds injured or dead. Trump and those aligned with his vision of taking America back cannot understand another person's journey unless they walk a mile in that person's shoes. The attempt to erase rules on race and gender equality from the federal government does nothing but give a nod to white supremacists and the architects of Project 2025. Trump's pardons of those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, emboldens those associated with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Symbols really do matter. Trump has placed a picture of President Andrew Jackson in the Oval Office. Jackson was an owner of enslaved people who became wealthy because of the institution of slavery. His Indian Removal Act forced more than 50,000 Native Americans off their ancestral homes, opening up the land for white settlement. Perhaps Trump's actions will awaken communities of color to organize and use their collective economic and political power to effect positive change. We must fight hate with love. The following are recommendations to keep America moving toward a more perfect union: Civil rights organizations must challenge the legality of Trump's executive orders. Any diminishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 must be met with a legal challenge. Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois leaders must not retreat from their commitment to diversity in hiring and contracting. Faith leaders should organize roundtable discussions around holding accountable those companies that end diversity programs. In Psalm 37:25, King David said: 'I was young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread.' God is in control, and together, we shall overcome. Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.
