Town Will Celebrate Race Amity Day and Youth Heroes
Photo: National Center for Race Amity
The Town of Amherst will host a celebration of Race Amity Day on June 14 at 11 a.m at Mill Valley Recreation Area, 95 Montague Road, Amherst. The event is free, open to all, and will include a celebration of the winners of the 2026 Amherst Human Rights Youth Hero Awards. Race Amity Day offers a day of food, fun, fellowship, stories, music, dance, and the reading of a town council proclamation, and is open to all. A free lunch will be provided. The event is sponsored by the Town of Amherst, the Amherst Human Rights Commission, the League of Women Voters Amherst, and the Interfaith Opportunities Network. Watch the town website for a listing of the day’s events.
Race Amity Day
Race Amity Day in Amherst is an annual civic celebration held on the second Sunday in June,. The event, which highlights the oneness of the human family and celebrates interracial friendship, typically features a community picnic, live music, and the presentation of the Human Rights Commission’s Youth Hero Awards. Amherst holds the distinction of being the first town in Massachusetts to formally recognize Race Amity Day, passing a local measure in 2015 before the event was adopted as a statewide observance. Race Amity Day in Amherst was founded by civil rights activist and former president of the NAACP of Western Massachusetts, Ray Elliott. He established the local group Citizens for Racial Amity Now (CRAN) in 2013 and successfully led the effort to make Amherst the first town in Massachusetts to formally adopt Race Amity Day.
Youth Hero Awards
The Human Rights Youth Hero Awards are an annual celebration hosted by the Amherst Human Rights Commission. The awards recognize local youth who exemplify kindness, selflessness, and community service within their families, schools and community or who have shown exceptional care, mutual respect, or social courage, during the past year. Award winners are nominated by members of the community. Nominees must reside in Amherst or attend an Amherst public school. Both individuals and youth groups can be nominated.