Dear BRIDGE supporters:
All that you touch you change, all that you change changes you? ”
Hi all!
We finished up the summer and started Fall with a sprint! It has been a great fulfilling month as we flexed our core value of collaboration and joined our partners and friends in moving the needle on justice and inclusion in our community. Indigenous Peoples Day:
We were able to show up in partnership with the Town of Great Barrington Du Bois Legacy Committee and drafted, approved and showed up for the vote to shift to Indigenous Peoples Day. If you did not make it to the town meeting, please view the video:
50th anniversary of the Du Bois Boyhood Site
Along the same intentions for reparations, The Du Bois Legacy Committee, UMASS and the Town of Great Barrington are honoring the 50th anniversary of the Du Bois Boyhood Homesite. BRIDGE Is a proud-sponsor along with 15 community partners on the event. Our TRJ Du Bois Campaigners are in full swing! Please join us for a beautiful day. #allhandsin
Pipeline
We are looking forward to the production of Pipeline! We have Dr. Tracy Benson with the book launch for educators on bias in schools at the Nov.7th Pipeline show with TRJ-South. We have District Attorney Andrea Harrington and Race Task Force member and DA Office Community Engagement Officer Bryan House joining for two talkbacks. Taconic High School Jamal Ahumada of new Black Studies.
Read the article here! Mass MoCA Feminist Library Book Club for Cauleen Smith exhibit
Thanks to the BRIDGE TRJ members who joined the discussion at MassMoCA about Parable of the Sower. Please see our agenda designed by Gwendolyn.
Upcoming Book Club Events:
SJIA Garden Party!
Thanks to Steve & Diana! We raised $2700 at their beautiful garden party and welcome a few new volunteers. BRIDGE board treasurer Steve and his wife Diana worked with the BRIDGE team of staff and volunteers while our CEO and Community Engagement Coordinator with Susan Witt of Center for New Economics were in Austin, TX at a women, money and power conference! Stay tuned of how you can leverage your resources for positive social impact on women, girls and others historically oppressed!
Apple Squeeze, Construct Walk & Flash Mob Dance, Harvest of Hope, Latino Festival of the Berkshires
Special thanks to all of our volunteers who tabled, did outreach and preparation and were stellar ambassadors for BRIDGE! With your help, we can celebrate and collaborate the important work of our partners and promote our Not in the County campaign! Thanks so much!
In the berkshires community
Stephanie is hosting a book read of Beverly Tatum’s 20th anniversary edition of Why are all the black kids sitting together? in the Central Berkshire Regional District and their feeder towns. Find that agenda on our website and read along!
Vanessa arranged for us to share the Statewide Cultural Appreciation Week with the Great Barrington Courthouse. Our Women to Women and staff made an authentic dish from our cultures and family traditions for a potluck with all courthouse staff and a few retired Ones. We shared job roles for both BRIDGE and Courthouse members. We discussed immigration, race and poverty issues that the court sees daily. And they joined us in signing the pledge. We were joined by local attorneys as well that supported the process with good questions and reflections.. A small step towards a deeper collaboration. A member of the GB courthouse will join our Race Task Force Coalition!
The day before, County Police Chiefs received Gwendolyn of the Race Task Force and Dr. Leticia Haynes of Williams College (newest Race Task Force member) for a presentation and discussion regarding campaign, training, collaboration and more! Stay tuned!
Keep an eye out for some links on social media to an InsideHigherEd article on cultural competency with Dr. Emily Williams and Gwendolyn, Kristen (WAM Theatre) and Gwendolyn’s Blog about Pipeline, and some of our CEO articles will be surfacing again soon (it has been a busy summer on collaborative written pieces!) These posts are meant to support your journey towards equity and liberation for all.
Great News
In March 2019 we had the pleasure of hosting the book launch Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments by Dr. Saidiya Hartman. We are proud to know that our Advisory Council Member has been acknowledged as a MacArthur Fellow, ie. She is a recipient of the “Genius” award. We are proud to know her and benefit from her work! Watch the videohere!
Congratulations for Stephanie Wright (BRIDGE) and Karen Murray (BRIDGE women to women and RMV) to be accepted in to the Women’s Fund Of Western Massachusetts Leadership for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI)at UMASS. Thanks to Moonlight Mile for resources to sponsor.
Thank you for reading our updates! Support BRIDGE
Many thanks to our sustaining donors that make a meaningful monthly pledge!
You can always support our urgent response and reparations fund for those at the target of bias incidents and responses. We will notify you always when we are responding in urgent response and/or offering reparations funds. Send with a memo and note so it is applied correctly. If you shop Amazon, join Amazon Smile! If you are having a birthday, crowdfund for a day or a week on Facebook! Join our monthly meetings and actions and follow your pledge commitment to being active positive bystanders. Spread the good word about your experiences and we would love it if you would send us testimonials regarding your BRIDGE experience. Wishing you all the best, The BRIDGE team "Kindness eases Change. |
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