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Hi there, We are so grateful to our BRIDGE community! With you all, we have accomplished amazing things as a community in these trying times. Families have felt closer and more engaged in our local community and we have found new spaces to find joy and connectedness! We have tons of work to do still as we see and experience intolerance and encounter cultural blind spots. I ask that you stay focused on equity, safety and justice in all of your interactions. We can only be healthy if our entire community is healthy. "There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." – Margaret J. Wheatley Leaders are being asked to think differently and create new pathways to an equitable future. Please stay connected in our learning community! Best, Gwendolyn & the BRIDGE team  New Pathways Lab: Towards Racial Justice South: Prioritizing Black Lives in White Allyship August 6th at 6:30 PM Newell Eaton (New Pathways Lab) and Aseante Renee join Gwendolyn VanSant for a conversation on White Allyship in the time of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Join us for probing questions and deep dialogue on how to advance racial justice in authentic relationship, care and action. Black Community members: Join to make the asks and requests of White People in your community for racial justice and equity. Submit requests ahead or come to the New Pathways Lab for an intergroup dialogue and action planning. White Community members: Whose Black Lives are you prioritizing, protecting and honoring? What Black Communities are you supporting? Whose Black Leadership are you amplifying? How do white allies support Black people in the pandemic facing injustice and disparities and the threat our future holds in communities and workplaces? When: Aug 6, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/uZAlcO6rqT4rCPimkdUzGFqb3yoYdx-1pQ After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Fireside Chat - July 26th : Solidarity & Justice in the Black Lives Matter Movement : A conversation with the Jewish community In the article "Skin in the Game", educator and advocate Eric Ward explores the relationship between racism, antisemitism, and other forms of bias and hate. If we are to be the best allies for one another, this context matters. Join with Gwendolyn VanSant and Rabbi Neil Hirsch for a conversation about this important article, continuing our community’s exploration of Black-Jewish relations. Resources:
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sf-GqrjssG9BdE3MZDTnEq-dZwd4Pk3_1 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.  Happiness Toolbox (virtual program) coming soon! We are happy to announce a hybrid program for August. Our “Happiness Toolbox” will launch with pre-recorded sessions on our website for all to access. Special (social distancing) in-person visits in August in small groups of 10 at special outdoor Berkshire locations for some cultural history and special guest appearances. Upon enrollment, you will receive kits, an interactive Zoom schedule and a sign up sheet for small socially distanced visits at beautiful Berkshire locations. Watch for videos from: Stephanie Wright, Berkshire Legends Florence Afanokue, Leadership & Culture Carmen Silva Baker, Character Strengths/Las Fortalezas de Carácter Maya Richards, Yoga and Mindfulness JV, Drawing Lesleye Bautista, Spanish JV & Tim, Coding Special Guests Curtis Mraz, Beekeeping Gwendolyn VanSant, Chesterwood & Abraham Lincoln Otha Day, Drumming Jeanne Bassis, Play Suzi Banks Baum, Bookmaking Leah Abel, DRIVE Forward Jessica Hampton, Handle & Equine Therapy Sessions Youth Leaders return with special lessons and program support: Soka Vanegas, Westley Hampton VanSant, Damari Taylor, Julianne Harwood & more! "The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." – Coretta Scott King  I want to thank all of the individuals and partners in our community who have supported BRIDGE in the mutual aid effort of getting supplies to families who have been underresourced over the last 20 weeks or have been especially vulnerable during this pandemic. We are also supporting communities in response to the traumatic events leading up to the Black Lives Matter Movement who have felt exponential isolation and exhaustion in this time. We are 350+ donors strong in this effort alone! We have put all of these resources back in to our community and thank you all for resourcing a healthier, safer Berkshires. Our “Soil, sun and water” program with Woven Roots is underway along with beautiful veggies delivered weekly to families from Woven Roots, Taft Farms/Gideon’s Garden, and Random Harvest. Thanks to Greenagers for installing raised beds in our BRIDGE families’ homes! Special thanks to the Janey Fund, Paul Clark, Hsu Family Fund, MaryAnn and Bob Norris, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and Berkshire Urgent Covid-19 response. Our efforts are not only for now but for the sustainable future!  Thank you also for standing for Racial Justice in Sheffield and across the County! Together we will make the change towards equity and justice ~ there is no turning back. Stay vigilant, active and disruptive! Read here: https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/after-racist-graffiti-shatters-sheffield-protests-aim-to-help,609480  New Pathways Lab - August 31st at 8:30 AM Dr. Beverly Tatum joins CBRSD and BRIDGE on August 31st for a fireside chat, book club and strategy session. Thank you to Berkshire United Way, Berkshire Money Management and Williams College for joining as sponsors! Join us on Zoom for Dr. Beverly Tatum as she supports Central Berkshire School District’s Equity & Inclusion Committee in launching our Berkshire academic year. Members of the Berkshire educational system and larger community will spend the entire morning with Dr. Tatum. Dr. Tatum and Gwendolyn VanSant of BRIDGE will be engaged in a fireside chat. The morning session will be moderated by Aseante Renee. Then participants will break in to small groups and return for a debrief in our New Pathways Lab format. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvcO2hrj4jG9VoOUo0aggIAbWRpbXBCpqu President Emerita, Spelman College Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College, is a clinical psychologist widely known for both her expertise on race relations and as a thought leader in higher education. Her thirteen years as the president of Spelman College (2002-2015) were marked by innovation and growth and her visionary leadership was recognized in 2013 with the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award. The author of several books including the best-selling “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and Other Conversations About Race” (now in a new 2017 20th anniversary edition) and “Can We Talk About Race?” and “Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation” (2007), Tatum is a sought-after speaker on the topics of racial identity development, race and education, strategies for creating inclusive campus environments, and higher education leadership. Also, one more New Pathway Talk has been uploaded. Join me and Amber on a New Pathways reflection. In case you have missed any of the New Pathways Labs, we invite you to listen to our podcast as we upload two a week. Keep an eye out on our website for events and updates!
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