July 22nd 2023.
Camp Atwater, the oldest Black-run summer camp in the US, has recently re-opened after a three-year break. Stretching across 75 acres and neighbouring Lake Lashaway, the camp is located in North Brookfield, MA.
It was founded in 1921 by Dr. William N. DeBerry, a pastor and social worker, and has impacted the lives of more than 60,000 Black children, providing them with an educational and cultural experience like no other. It is also registered as a National Historic Site, and named after Dr. David Fisher Atwater, whose daughter, Mary Atwater, donated $25,000 in honour of her father.
The camp has gained a remarkable network of alumni, including two-time Oscar-winning fashion designer, Ruth Carter; Detroit’s first Black mayor, Coleman A. Young; and Donald Faison, the award-winning actor from the hit TV series, Scrubs.
The camp had to close down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but has now returned with government funding. US Rep. Richard E. Neal provided nearly half a million dollars to help Camp Atwater continue running in 2023. During its closure, the camp was revamped by Henry Thomas III, the CEO and president of the Urban League, which runs the camp.
Shadae Harris-Thomas, Thomas’ daughter and the camp’s new executive director, explained how the campers were in need of the camp. “Our young people need a place where they see themselves in the majority and can experience peace, put the electronics down and discover their natural environment,” she told Massachusetts Live.
This summer, the camp has been kept intentionally small, with only 50 campers, so that the staff can continue focusing on the programs. Hopefully, the camp will grow in the coming years, allowing more kids to experience the unique and beneficial opportunities that Camp Atwater offers.
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