An Education
The celebration of the first voting system in America
Author’s Note: Before reading this story, please be aware that while I normally refer to African American people as “Black,” I have substituted this term with “Negro,” out of deference to Doreen Wade, the Salem United™ president whom I interviewed for this story: she strongly identifies with being referred to as “Negro,” not “Black. The information in this piece is from that interview, with supporting information documented in footnotes.
In my story, “The Month of May,” I had a bit of a rant about a day for everything, and I ended with a challenge to pick ONE THING and support it. (To quote myself on one of my suggestions, “Pick a non-white group and support them and their needs, as well as their heritage.”) I decided to take my own advice. Little did I know what I was in for!
My first visit to the Salem Willows in Salem, Massachusetts, was years ago with my Negro boyfriend (I am white). He told me about the Negro Election Day™ celebration held annually for many years at the Willows on the third Saturday of July. His description of the event — its parades, the various foods attendees cooked, and the overall fun — was wonderful to hear, and I saw the Willows as a special place in addition to its magnificent location.
“Is it open to whites on that day?” I had asked him.
“Oh, yes,” he laughed. “It is a good time for everyone. There are whites who make a point of visiting on that day.”
Located on the Salem Neck Peninsula (in Salem, Massachusetts), the property juts out into Salem Harbor and Salem Sound. White willow trees, planted in 1801 for the then-inhabitants of the property — those recovering from infectious diseases — along with beautifully manicured lawns, add old-time charm to the property. I have been to the Willows several times since, happy in the knowledge that this is a place where, for at least one day a year, skin color does not matter; instead, there is a gathering for picnics, games, parades, and people behaving like neighbors.
The event is New England in flavor, first documented in 1741(1) and held on the Boston Common in 1630. It ultimately ended up in its current home, the Salem Willows, in 1858, when the Willows also became a public park.
But the most significant part of this day of fun is the educational aspect. It is a reenactment to remember an important part of Negro history: the first voting system.
This first Negro voting system (documentation varies according to location — ~1639 or ~1740) allowed both enslaved and freed Negroes to vote to elect a “Black King” (actual title) or “Governor” for their community(2). The position was not in name only, since the elected person served as an intermediary between the Negro community and whites. The vote was not conducted by ballot, but by debates and the candidates’ presentation of sound credentials — such as a good relationship with both Negroes and whites, one with demonstrated integrity (wow, what a concept!), and one who had African royal heritage. After the American Revolution, those who served in the Union’s Negro regiments were strongly favored in the election. The fun and color of the parade and other events after the vote were in keeping with Western African tradition.
This act of democracy — the voting process — demonstrates Negroes coming together to make sure the voices of Negroes were heard — well before this country’s first election of George Washington in 1789. In short, Negroes understood the power of their voices even during a time in this country when they had virtually no human rights.
Since 2014, Doreen Wade (whom I interviewed for this piece) has organized the Negro Election Celebration™, where she established Salem United, Inc.™, serving as the president. Her primary mission is to preserve and protect Negro history and to build community engagement focused on the history of Negro Election Day™. Note that she has trademarked both names and the brand to ensure that the preservation of knowledge of the Negro Election Day™ legacy is maintained.
Governor Charley Baker of Massachusetts (2015–2023) agreed, signing legislation establishing Negro Election Day as an official Massachusetts state holiday on July 22, 2022. Kim Driscoll, the former five-term Mayor of Salem and now Lt. Governor, supported this move and recognized Doreen Wade’s work in preserving this historical heritage.
After hundreds of years of celebration, Negro Election Day™ became an official state-sponsored celebration.
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During the July 15, 2023, celebration, which drew approximately 5,000 attendees, Driscoll’s presence demonstrated the Commonwealth’s commitment to acknowledging Negro community pride and commitment well before the nation’s — predating the Declaration of Independence.
The event features a parade, speeches, community awards, historical re-enactors, and cultural performances, marking the transition of the annual gathering from an informal picnic to its original coronation as an officially recognized historical observance.
The Willows remains open to all during the event, and for decades, the City’s contribution to the park’s summer visitors has been what one would expect: police, trash pickup, and the like.
However, in 2025, Doreen Wade was denied a permit and told she had to apply to hold the event as a private one, for which she was required to pay for all the City’s services or give up her rights and sign a Request for Proposal.
WHAT CHANGED? The City (AKA current Mayor Dominick Pangallo, a controversial mayor who won his seat by only 432 votes) claimed that there was no funding for the event. The “funding” was one of those odd grants in which money was floating around that had to be distributed; in the case of the Negro Election Day™, the $10,000 grant was a one-time windfall of COVID money that had to be given to a minority group and was applied to the Negro Election Day™. Prior to that grant money, the City had always provided “in-kind” services, including police, trash collection, and other services. In 2025, there was no more grant money, so Mayor Pangallo ordered the Parks and Recreation Commission to refuse the permit unless Doreen agreed to allow the city to “partner” with Salem United, Inc.™ and Negro Election Day™. The terms of the partnership required Doreen to relinquish her trademarks to the City of Salem, thereby eviscerating the event’s educational purpose.(3) In addition, the celebration would be controlled by the mayor’s newly developed city-based committee. In a city in which only 4.87% — 5.43% of the population is Negro, one can guess the demographics of that committee.
Doreen refused, and last year’s event (2025) was sadly absent of the educational and celebratory components of Negro Election Day™. This year, the City stood firm, and while still advertising the event under the Negro Election Day™ trademark(4), they were able to find a Negro, Irvine McConney, who was willing to apply for a permit under the city’s terms, calling it “Celebration of Historical Black Tradition.”(5)
Hmmm. . . Why the removal of the educational component surrounding Negro voting? Let me see. Oh yes. Well, for one thing, this has become a national pastime, as demonstrated in Louisiana, for example. In June 2026, Louisiana finalized a new congressional map reducing Black political power in a state where Black residents make up one-third of the population. It did this by eliminating one of the state’s two majority-Black districts.
An article in the July 15, 2025, “Prism Report”(6) outlines the complexity of voting in Negro America, with some claiming the celebration of Negro Election Day™ as yet another way of pointing out how whites get “Black people to fall in line with the white power structure,” while another comment in the article states that “despite Negro Election Day’s many tensions, there are also powerful histories.” It is Doreen Wade’s commitment to keeping this slice of history, with its implications for today, part of the Negro experience in this country.
I mention the Prism article because I do not want it assumed that, as a white person, I take the stance of “Look! We let Negroes vote!”, but rather applaud the boldness of those Negroes of long ago who dared to speak up.
I have not contacted the Mayor of the City of Salem regarding the dispute. Doreen Wade, as the holder of the trademarks Salem United, Inc.™ and Negro Election Day™, is the legal holder and president of these non-profit “brands.” I am of the opinion that something is rotten in Salem. Doreen is committed to the education and remembrance of Negro history.
Doreen and I agreed that we hate stories without some sort of resolution, so I will write another story that hopefully celebrates the restoration of the [true] Negro Election Day™.
1 https://tinyurl.com/3d49zctj
2 https://tinyurl.com/2p8yv6ze
3As trademark owner, only Doreen can “control the nature and quality of the goods and services used in connection with the brand.” https://tinyurl.com/3x6y5car
