August was full of Abundant Joy, Healing and Adventure!
 The Solidarity Project Culturally Specific Healing Programs: Wellness Day, Annual Beach Trip, Zumba and Sister to Sister Mawu Hair Salon - All were a big hit! 
Women to Women enjoyed their annual beach trip to our very own Umpacene Falls where Zumba and a healing circle were enjoyed by all! Thank you to our Women to Women leaders for sharing the joy, tips for healthy living and sisterhood! Flowers donated by Pryjma Petals, Lotions by One Mercantile and Essential Oils by Grice Beauty. Solidarity Projects: Farm & GardenOur deer fence is up thanks to our Solidarity Stewards hard work and a helpful volunteer Paul from Great Barrington Fairgrounds!  Lots of tours this month! Scholars, Partners, Fellow Farmers, and Catalyst Dinner guests along with many other friends have come to tour our solidarity economy / food sovereignty project in action!
Did you know that at the Solidarity Farm & Garden we have planted heirloom seeds delivered directly from Palestine along with food from all Countries/regions represented by our BRIDGE community and the Solidarity Farmers? West Africa, Central and South America, Southern US, Haiti & more! And our sacred corn from Baja Mexico from the mexica-purépecha traditional ceremony of 7 blessings that we held in Nahuatl early summer is looming as tall as 10 ft with our blessings this month! Truly majestic. Joyful meditation and care for our community abound in Solidarity Farm & Garden. Medicine Man James returned with his wife Mary (of the Dine/Navajo Nation) returned on his healing journey back to our Peace Garden at Solidarity and shared a healing circle and our foraging activity with our youth at Happiness Toolbox!  Upcoming eventsW2W schedule Date: 7 September 2024 | 6:00 PM Event: Planning BRIDGE Participation at Latino Festival Guests: Estervina Davis & Silvia Soria Venue: Via Zoom Date: 12 September 2024 | 6:00 PM Topic: Skin Care Guests: Sandra Zuniga Venue: Solidarity Meeting House Date: 26 September 2024 | 6:00 PM Topic: Healthy Relationship Guests: Elizabeth Freeman Center Venue: Solidarity Meeting House TRJ and RTF (regular September meetings directed to Know Your Rights)  RSVP to [email protected] Happy to report Berkshire County District Attorney Office is joining our session along with the Great Barrington Police Department! Bring your stories, questions and learn about our civil rights and how to respond to hate crimes. Also Community members bring your questions and concerns… This is a unique opportunity we offer which always serves us well creating a safer community for communities of Color in the Berkshires. We will honor and dedicate our evening to the Civil Rights Act anniversary of 1964! Also! See you around town at the final Du Bois Freedom Center Salon of 2024 and Latino Festival 2024! BRIDGE is a culturally specific women run public health organization: Building a values-aligned Community in Equity * Justice * Health * Accountability * Leadership through Empowerment * Collaboration * Learning * Celebration * Integration We have been proudly awarded the HRiA CHiP for our home County for five years to move the dial on health with a racial equity lens. Seeking to build our coalition to commence in September. If interested, contact registration and put in the email subject line- Let’s Talk about CHiP! Questions? Contact us! [email protected] | 413-274-8142 Fun Labor Day Weekend First Annual Canning & Jarring SJIA Marathon Pop Up with our CEO and BRIDGE friends & Solidarity Growers. Saturday August 31st - Monday September 2nd! Thanks for all that joined us for a canning and jarring sessions at the Solidarity Kitchen with our Solidarity Harvest. Everyone brought their special herbs and recipes and we made pickles, pickled green tomatoes, jalapeno jelly and marinades, traditional Haitian epis, traditional Mexican pico de gallo, homemade Italian spaghetti sauce and Susie’s signature Solidarity themed pickled garden goodness. We all shared wisdom and had a joyful time!  Catalyst Corner: Read our Catalyst Story of our Founding with Bob Norris & come witness two catalyst events: Equity Initiative Launch of BTCF and Pay Equity Summit of Coalition of BRIDGE ILC Cohort Alumni & friends! Join our CEO for the BTCF Equity Initiative Launch in September and the Pay Equity Summit in September. Both of these efforts were catalyzed by BRIDGE and our CEO! Transformative Change local, regional and national! Reminder: Equity Initiative Launch Event Thursday, Sep 19, 2024 from 4:30pm - 6pm Saint James Place (342 Main St, Great Barrington, MA 01230, United States) Berkshires/Columbia County Pay Equity Coalition: 2024 Summit Wedenesday, September 25 at 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center 14 Castle Street Great Barrington, MA 01230  BRIDGE’s Origin Story with Initial Seed Donor and Co-founder Bob Norris — and his enduring link to work today! Our Origin Story! “Their ideas began to ding my bells,” says Norris, a decades-long supporter of social justice initiatives in and around Great Barrington. After agreeing to provide the seed money that would germinate and grow into Multicultural BRIDGE, Norris said something that went on to leave an indelible mark on the history of the organization: “You are going to be a catalyst,” he said, in no uncertain terms, after hearing about the plans VanSant and Bourdon had to address issues of race, poverty and immigration in South County. And just like that, the concept stuck.”  More fun news! Check out Pops Petersons column in the B. Special feature of the CEO and how impacted Pops has been by her work at BRIDGE.   Our Solidarity Office is now officially open on September 2nd in Great Barrington and we welcome Estrella Cando and Flor Pimentel as new Members of the BRIDGE team! Estrella is our Lead Engagement Coordinator of Solidarity Projects and Flor Pimentel as our Solidarity Steward/Family Advocate. We have our program team now close to our Farm & Garden and Meeting House! Contact us: Engagement 413-274-8142 and [email protected]  FAWOHODIE symbol - independence, freedom, emancipation and self -determination
"From the expression: Fawodhodie ene obre na enam.” "Independence comes with its responsibilities." No worries! You can still find our administrative offices and dedicated team upstairs in our Beloved Zabians building home in Lee! Business Office: 413-238-1824 and email [email protected] Thank you all for your donations, engagement and encouraging affirmations! Come find your activity with BRIDGE and join us for healing, justice, equity and repair! We are making a call for the activists, allies and accomplices support of 2016 & 2020 to surface again in time talent treasure and/or testimony for BRIDGE and overall for our democracy! Our freedoms depend on it! Come to an event or be in touch! Comments are closed.
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