Over 250 years ago, in the home of John Ashley in the western Massachusetts village of Sheffield, the woman of the house committed violence against a slave named Mum Bett. Having learned of freedom from what became known as the Sheffield Declaration, Mum Bett walked out of the house and into the courthouse to sue for her freedom.
Mum Bett, who became Elizabeth Freeman, won that case against all odds.
Sheffield mother and farmer Nadia Milleron likes to tell the history of Elizabeth Freeman while knocking on doors in Springfield and attending events like Stone Soul Festival in her quest to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District.
Milleron is inspired by Freeman and feels she too can overcome
all odds in her race on
November 5.
Milleron, running as an independent, likes her chances. She chose not to run as a Democrat because she has never joined a party. This may work to
her advantage because
Independents in the district far outnumber Democrats or Republicans.
“The two-party system is failing,” she says. “It’s not addressing the needs of regular people. There’s little daylight between the two parties on many issues.”
And she’s taking aim in terms of crucial issues such as jobs, affordable housing, opioid addiction, health care, food insecurity, and education. Milleron is also sensitive to issues of police and criminal justice reform, noting that Springfield is under a consent decree from the Department of Justice.
It was the death of her daughter, Samya, five years ago in the crash of a Boeing 737 that thrust her into politics. Along with other crash families, Milleron helped pass the bi-partisan national Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act.
And so Milleron sees most issues from a mom’s viewpoint, which is why she was arrested for civil disobedience while protesting the government’s policy of sending money overseas to support war and atrocities on children.
As a farmer, Milleron recently shared a truckload of her zucchinis and tomatoes with the Somali community in Springfield. “Food insecurity is a huge issue for too many families, and I will fight for policies that address the lack of healthy food on people’s dinner tables.”
With the November election looming, Milleron is crisscrossing the huge district to reach its half a million voters, with only small contributions and her own retirement money to pay for airtime.
Meanwhile, she says she likes what she hears on the campaign trail.
“I’m getting a lot of support from regular people who thank me for challenging Neal. They’re glad he’s not running unopposed.”
Spoken like a mother. And a woman who is willing to fight for justice and equality in the spirit of her inspiration, Elizabeth Freeman. ■