Wishing you a Happy New Year and a Happy Kwanzaa!

Language is very powerful. Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes. ~Desmond Tutu

Dear BRIDGE friends:
I am looking forward to saying goodbye to 2021 along with all of you and planting seeds for a new future for us all in 2022.

It is that time of year where we have been asking for renewals on pledges and giving for the 2022 year and we thank you all for joining in! If you haven't yet done so. You can donate here or follow the links on our website or view the previous newsletter here. (It is also that time of year for reflecting. What do we want to release and leave behind in 2021 and what do we want to keep and nurture for 2022? One answer for us at BRIDGE is that we want to keep nurturing our sense of community and family with each of you. Our connections have been enriched, deepened and strengthened as we have faced the pandemic and its impact over the last few years.

We are taking a pause right now and hoping we all can stay as healthy as possible. In the New Year we will start anew. (For this week our offices are closed and we will do remote work through January 4-17th. More on next steps for our community safety protocols in the new year!)

I invite you all to consider (re) visiting the 21 day challenge of race equity. Follow this link for instructions to renew your race equity commitment. This will take us right through Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Looking ahead to 2022: We are thrilled to announce partnering for our traditional MLK Service Day with Berkshire South in allyship and partnership! Stay tuned for the many ways to serve and be in community on January 17th!

Before that, we will convene the Race Task Force and Towards Racial Justice meetings. Our Women to Women program runs weekly. And we begin our first quarter Foundations course.

In the meantime, we wish you a happy healthy New Year in family and community! 
Be safe. We love you all. Thank you for being in the struggle with us for justice and equity

Happy Holidays,
Gwendolyn & the BRIDGE team

We need more real love. Gritty, dangerous, wild-eyed, justice-seeking love.
​~Brene Brown, Atlas of the Heart

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In honor of Desmond Tutu’s passing I invite you all to read the “Book of Joy.” I gave this as a holiday gift to our BRIDGE team a few years back, and know you will enjoy it.

​You can think about others who are in a similar situation or perhaps even worse a situation, but who have survived, even thrived. It does help quite a lot to see yourself as part of a greater whole”. ~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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2022 January Engagements with BRIDGE:

• Race Task Force for Racial Justice (RTF): Monday, January 3rd 12:30PM - 2:00PM
  
  • Click this link to register for RTF
    
• Towards Racial Justice- South County Meeting (TRJ): Thursday, January 6th 6:30PM - 9:00PM
  • Click this link to register for TRJ
• Women to Women (W2W): 
  
  • Thursday, January 6th 6:00PM - 8:00PM
    
    • Guest: Gwendolyn VanSant
      
    • Topic: Topic: Racial and Social Justice
      
    • Local: Zoom
      
• Thursday, January 13th 6:00PM - 8:00PM
  
  • Guest: Carmen Baker
    
  • Topic: Super Powers Chapter 12
    
  • Local: Zoom
    
• Thursday, January 20th 6:00PM - 8:00PM
  
  • Guest: Julia Antunez
    
  • Topic: Yoga 
    
  • Local: TBD
    

Thursday, January 27th 6:00PM - 8:00PM

• Guest: Sllvana Proano
  
• Topic: 18 Degrees
  
• Local: Zoom
  

• White Caucus for Racial Justice: Thursday, January 27th 7:00pm - 9:00pm
  

MLK Service

• Save the Date: Berkshire South and BRIDGE MLK Service Day January 17th 9 AM- 3PM. Stay tuned for details. Email [email protected] if you are looking to host a service project or work on one as an individual or family and which part of the day you are free. Justice, Safety and Equity in Community conversation part 2 (follow up to last year) with local law enforcement, justice organizers and public safety, childrens and family activities with Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech and biography, and COVID-safe service projects in community with local churches and programs throughout Great Barrington and surrounding towns.

Upcoming BRIDGE Training: 

• IDEA Institute: Cultural Competence Foundations
  
  • 1st Session: January 7th 9AM - 1PM
    
  • 2nd Session: January 14th 9AM - 1PM
    
    • Please click this link to register for Cultural Competence Foundations
      
• IDEA Institute: Systems of Oppression
  
  • 1st Session: January 21st 9AM - 1PM
    
  • 2nd Session: January 28th 9AM - 1PM 
    
    • Please click this link to register for Systems of Oppression
      

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​In order to donate, text “Justice” to 1-844-3-UNITY-1 or scan the QR code.