ANNUAL REPORTS

-------WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO NEGRO ELECTION DAY STATE HOLIDAY AND THE BLACK COMMUNITIES’ LEGACY -----

As People around Massachusetts award me, the title of, One of Massachusetts Top Black Leaders, through MassLive, the city of Salem, Massachusetts is on a mission to destroy the black leadership in Salem, this 284-year-old history or both. 

Not that they will succeed, but they are fighting to make Salem United, Inc. bid on a contract to maintain the annual festival; but their own 2016 Minutes state, Salem United Inc. is the official organizers of the festival.  The city themselves admits in this 2016 document, there has not been an organizing body in the past; which verifies the city was not the organizing body of the festival.  Salem United, Inc. was never paid for their services and never had to bid to become the organizers of the festival.  No city owns a State Holiday and has no control over something that is State run.  The only recourse the city of Salem has is to say, the event cannot be on the historical grounds of Salem Willows, even though it is listed as a historical landmark, locally, Statewide and National. Why after 9 years of building a legacy for the black community does the city of Salem want to dismantle Negro Election Day holiday from its official organizers:  Is it money because Salem United, Inc does not make a profit.  We are a one-day event, we do not make money as the month-long Halloween events.

Since 2016, Salem United has been financially responsible for the cost of the festival, until 2024; when the mayor of the city denied Salem United from obtaining financial compensation or they would prioritize the event.  Even though Salem United, knew something was not legal, they complied to their demands.  Yet, even though Salem United complied, they mayor, the chief of staff and members of the city council began to harass and intimidate me, while threatening to deny me the right to keep the festival in the hands of the black community where it has been for 284 years. 

The City of Salem uses revenge tactics to harm the Black Community and it is so evident by their intimidating and harassing tactics.  During a Juneteenth celebration, I was harassed by a member of the city who holds a high position.  It was embarrassing and humiliating. 

Imagine, it is a celebration of the end of slavery, and a white woman begins telling a black woman she is bought; bought and owned by a white man in 2024.  The fact that this woman felt it was okay to even suggest, I, Doreen Wade, a black woman who is a descendant of slaves, both African and Indian, was being bought by a white man, on any day, is an insult to my intelligence, but to say it on that day. 

Freedom of speech is one thing, but when an official in the city uses this racist speech to intimidation and cause fear, this is an over reach of power.  We have a law now, not to use behavior coercion on a person, will this person be held to those same standards or are the laws going to continue to be inequitable for black people.

This type of harassment can eventually lead to the city pushing me out, so I will not return.  This is the way Negro Election Day (then called Black Picnic) was stopped before.  And we can say, it never stopped.  Well, in a way it did; we lost all our activities and most importantly, many people stopped coming together as a community at Salem Willows.  Black people were harassed when they came into Salem and felt unwelcomed.   

Are you willing to let it happen again?