Indivisible Northampton

Luca Igneri, 10 (pictured above with sister Liliana), was one of the protesters at the VA standout on Flag Day last month (please see the post on July 18).

We asked: There are so many other things you could have been doing on a warm summer day, but you chose to come to this protest. Would you like to talk a little about why, and what it meant to you?

Luca Igneri replied: I chose to protest because fighting for what’s right by using our voices, signs, and songs can make a difference in the world.

What the protesting meant to me was that we can expand our love for democracy and peace by protesting alongside other people and expanding our voices for democracy.

Like Lennon, Luca was one of the public school students involved in organizing and executing a De-ICE Citizens Bank event last April 17: a three-mile march from JFK to a rally by the branch on King St. You can read his speech here; video is here. (Liliana was also involved in that effort; her speech is here.) Happy to say, Luca and his cohort recently saw some of the difference they made in the world when Citizens Bank agreed to cut ties with CoreCivic and GEO Group.

Sincere thanks to Luca for sharing his thoughts and for granting permission to publish, and most of all, for his extraordinary initiative, his vision, his commitment to the common good, and his generous spirit. An inspiration!