An Afternoon Benefit Concert & Lawn Gathering with Legendary Trombonist Craig Harris​

Celebrating the Legacy of the Commons and Meeting House


Great Barrington, MA – September 6, 2025 — BRIDGE invites the community to an unforgettable afternoon of music, solidarity, and celebration at a special Benefit Concert and Lawn Gathering featuring world-renowned trombonist Craig Harris and his Harlem-based ensemble, The Tailgaters.


This benefit will directly support BRIDGE Solidarity Projects, which build out mutual aid and solidarity economy initiatives in a public health framework.


A visionary composer, bandleader, and educator, Craig Harris has been at the forefront of creative music & activism for over four decades, sharing stages with icons from Sun Ra to the World Saxophone Quartet. With The Tailgaters, Harris channels the power of Harlem’s musical traditions, blending jazz, funk, and freedom sounds into a performance that is as soul-stirring as it is electrifying.


The Solidarity Farm & Garden and Meeting House carry forward a living legacy of the Commons—spaces where people have long gathered to share resources, resist injustice, and practice community care. BRIDGE’s programs on this land center racial equity, climate resilience, food sovereignty, and public health, creating a vibrant hub where youth, elders, artists, and neighbors cultivate not only the soil, but also joy, belonging, and collective leadership.


This afternoon lawn gathering welcomes everyone — families, elders, and youth to enjoy live music, local food, and community storytelling in a beautiful outdoor setting. Proceeds will directly advance BRIDGE’s mission to weave solidarity, justice, and health into the fabric of everyday community life.

Click below to RSVP, or click here:

Hello! 

Another quarter is up and running and time for us to check in with our beloved community at our Catalyst Dinner! 

We have a series of Fall events coming up and also have some exciting new developments! 

Come join us for thoughtful conversation and power building! 

Farm to table meal  and like minded folks rallying around BRIDGE mission, CEO vision for the near and long term future , community-centric, values-based programming  
and our collective future in our Berkshire community and beyond.

​RSVP Below

As many of you know, we purchased the Solidarity Meeting House back in February, and we are officially doing our ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025 at 3:30 pm! This will be followed by our Catalyst Dinner at the venue at 7 pm.

Please join us and RSVP at the links below.

Join Us for the Haitian Holiday Celebration!

We are excited to invite you to a special celebration honoring Haitian culture and heritage on January 1, 2025. Come together to enjoy a traditional Haitian Holiday and celebrate the rich history and resilience of the Haitian community.
Celebrate with us the strength and beauty of Haitian culture!

Join Us for the Indigenous Healing circles & sessions

Experience an Indigenous Healing circles & sessions with Medicine People James Etsity and Mary Blackmountain  on December 31, 2024  to January 3, 2025 at the BRIDGE Solidarity Meeting House & Hamsa Home.


Join us at the Mass Humanities Storytelling Project
We invite you to participate in the  BRIDGE  Mass Humanities Storytelling Project kicking off with a dynamic conversation with BRIDGE Youth Corps  in Conversation with James Etsitty & Kate Abbott  on January 3, 2024 at the BRIDGE Solidarity Meeting House & Hamsa Home.


Join us at the Black Feminist Book Club!
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Get your book “Imagination" by Ruha Benjamin  and join us for the revival of our partnership with BRIDGE Black Feminist Book Club with Mass MoCA!

BLACK FEMINIST - MLK Day of Service
January 20 2024  | 6:00 - 8:00 PM
BRIDGE Solidarity Meeting House, 965 Main Street Suite 3 | Great Barrington, MA 01230

BLACK FEMINIST BOOK CLUB
February 13, 0224 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM
1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA

Women to Women Events

January 9 2025 | Goals for 2025- Guest Silvia Soria - Zoom Meeting
January 16, 2025 | Information about LGBTQ community by EFC- Zoom Meeting
January 30 2025 | Knowing BRIDGE by Gwendolyn at BRIDGE  Solidarity Meeting House

Join Us at the BRIDGE Wellness Day!

Join Us at the BRIDGE Hair Salon!

​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.

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!

W2W 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!

Building a values-aligned Community
in
Equity * Justice * Health * Accountability * Leadership
through
Empowerment * Collaboration * Learning * Celebration * Integration

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!
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“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.

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!

Dear BRIDGE community:
​It is a busy August season and we wanted to update you on upcoming events!

First thank you to our farm and distro partners for a fruitful season. We are reaching 200 homes twice a month with fresh nutrient rich farm to table produce. And twice a month we reach 100 of the larger families with another share. We believe access to healthy food is our human right and it brings joy, connection and health!

Thank you to Momma Lo for the special food for our Frederick Douglass Event.. Spotlight on Multicultural BRIDGE—catalyzing change and integration

In July we read the Fourth of July together in community. It was powerful and a grounding text and activity. Thank you to Mass Humanities and Mass Cultural Council.

We had partners from Simon’s Rock, BRIDGE, Du Bois Freedom Center and Diverse Otis to read Douglass’ speech and contextualize his work with that of our Berkshire legends, Elizabeth Freeman and WEB Du Bois.
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Also BRIDGE was delighted to host Town of Great Barrington Du Bois Legacy Committee monthly meetings and also the Embrace Boston & Du Bois Sculpture Meeting.  Dr. Du Bois’s grandson returned to envision the sculpture and beyond with partners across the State at our Solidarity Meeting House.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
St. James Place, 352 Main St, Great Barrington, MA 01230
Hear from our CEO and Chief Architect of the Equity Fund

Join us on Wednesday for youth training! Qi Gong and Capa with Tagan on August 9th

Register for August 9th here…

Register your kids for Happiness Toolbox. We still have room -- and transportation is available. Field trips to Lake Mansfield, Flying Cloud Campus with Circus Up and Visionary Acts, Local partnering Farms, Boat Day on Onota Lake, Apple picking, etc. Activities include arts & Crafts; economics, sports, waterslides, wellness, dance, etc.

We are planning our September 16th Know Your Rights event where we host a conversation about Civil Rights with the US Attorneys office. Currently we seek partners to co-present. Email us at [email protected] or call at 413-274-8142 or 413-274-7037. BRIDGE will host in Great Barrington and the Du Bois Legacy Committee will co-host. I am hoping you will co-host with us.

During this event while we educate and listen in our community, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many of you know our first racial justice partner and educator was DOJ CRS — this group was enacted as a part of this Act. Additionally this legislation covers voting rights, equal opportunity, desegregation of schools and public places, etc.
​
As a BRIDGE community of partners, allies and collaborators, we invite you to read the CRA of 1964 — and we hope as organizations and individuals you can connect your work to distinct Title sections as we work collectively on planning our Justice equity and advocacy work & partnerships during the remaining quarter of 2024.

BRIDGE was awarded a five year public health grant to reduce health disparities from a culturally specific lens. We cannot wait to build our CHiP Coalition!

Thank you to Great Barrington Agricultural Commission for support with our irrigation system! Enjoy the summer! Stay cool!

Thank you for being a part of our community,
Gwendolyn & the BRIDGE team

Looking back

In honor of Juneteenth our BRIDGE team had a day of rest and our BRIDGE community celebrated with DuBois Freedom Center with a compelling message from congresswoman Nikema Wiliams to get engaged in this election season these last months. Pay attention to what is happening with voting rights across the country — especially Atlanta because it impacts all of us! Get involved this election season - voter suppression is the civil rights issue of our time.

Also in honor of Juneteenth we had our Solstice BIPOC farm tour visiting Sweet Freedom, Home Farm, Sovereign Herbs, Catalyst Collaborative and Wildseed! Queer and black-led farms thinking of our ancestors, planning for our future, collectively reclaiming our agricultural knowledge and practices while cultivating beauty, partnership and fresh nutrient-rich food. Our first tour was BRIDGE’s very own Solidarity Farm and Garden and MumBett Freedom Farm. Next tour will be at the Autumnal Equinox!
​

Racial Justice

​No TRJ or RTF this month!

Take a moment to see the Levers Of Change site where our CEO provided input in 2022 and a discussion paper. Our next stop is the Policylink Equity Summit curating a BIPOC affinity group! In the time where DEI is transforming and under art am across the nation, this national work with global reach is timely.

We are going to pause our July meetings as we gather the report from our HRiA - sponsored work to reflect on our work this past year. Topics include Housing, Haitian resettlement, food sovereignty, substance use and recovery in Black communities and its interaction with culturally specific victim services.

July 6th

Mass Humanities has sponsored our Reading Frederick Douglas Together event where we will be weaving in stories of Elizabeth Freeman, Sojourner Truth and Dr Du Bois. Partnering with Dr Alexandria Russell (BSO, Tanglewood and Black Women Legacies), we invite readers of excerpts from the July 5th address. Followed by a traditional tasting! Let us know if you can make it to Solidarity House at [email protected]. Join our lineup of community voices and let us know if you are interested in reading contact us at [email protected]. ​

August is almost here!
The Happiness Toolbox is gearing up for fun. And getting back in the groove for school with our positive education framework.

Our theme is Adventures in the Berkshires.

Some activities and trips will include trips to lake Mansfield, Jiminy Peak, cooking and sports as well as language and culture.

Our youth leaders are planning and leveling up on fun, community engagement and service learning and leadership skills!

Women to Women- our Latina Women support group
Please join us for weekly meetings! Here are the topics…

BIPOC Wellness Day-July 3rd

BIPOC Wellness Wednesday and Sister to Sister Chat with Dr Jean Clarke Mitchell

RSVP to attend the day and we will let you know services available by our culturally representative healers and wellness providers!

Our community care corner--
Send healing prayers, vibes and blessings
Donations to organizations in their honor

Rev Joallen Forte (Macedonia Baptist Church) is steady recovering. Long- time partner on MLK, DuBois and Racial Justice. In her and her father Rev Forte’s honor donate to Macedonia Baptist Church for its 80th anniversary year. And to care for her family’s needs as she heals including one of our youth leaders donate to the GoFundMe…

It was an honor to host ceremonial leaders from the Penabscot Tribe of Maine this past weekend at Solidarity Meeting House and Hamsa Home!
And a care train for Samuel VanSant (founding and foundational support to BRIDGE development, finance, Solidarity Projects and of course the CEO.)  Stay tuned for July 15th start!

​Following Isabel Wilkerson’s presentation, BRIDGE CEO and Founding Director Gwendolyn VanSant, will co-lead a facilitated discussion for those that want to process the incredible impact of Dr. Wilkerson’s work and discuss critical action steps in our collective community.

The discussion will take place in the Volpe Family Studio at the Linde Center for Music and Learning informed by Isablel Wilkerson' talk on Caste. All are welcome and attendance is limited. Send rsvp to BRIDGE at  [email protected] to reserve a spot.

Dear BRIDGE community:
We are having a busy celebratory start to the summer.

Thanks for the many of you that came out for the second annual public health event.

Our focus was healing in Communities of Color and we were able to preview our new Solidarity Meeting House and Farm/Garden and our new Hamsa Home, a culturally specific temporary supported housing space in Great Barrington with nearly 100 visitors. 

Thanks to Cravings, Momma Los and Lucias Kitchen for the food.

Thank you Grice Beauty, Yaad Wellness, Berkshire Balance and more for an amazing sample of our wellness programs and offerings!

Stay tuned for more tours to follow this soft opening.

We have some important dates for you in July! See the list below and we hope you will join us!

Starting this afternoon, there are many opportunities to engage in justice and equity work!

​Mark your calendars this summer to attend both of Tanglewoods' events with Isabel Wilkerson and Saidiya Hartman. (More to come soon!) We are happy to be partnering with Tanglewood on the Spotlight Series and our Women to Women group meeting composer
Mutual Aid...continuing to build our solidarity economy!

We need summer volunteers for our food distribution for participants in our BRIDGE program! Now operating out of Solidarity Meeting House....

1. You can sponsor a share- $600/season. We also have some shares for donation twice a month by the bag. Email us at [email protected]. There are some fun BRIDGE perks that come along with the sponsorship!
2. Sorting and packing vegetables on Friday mornings!
3. Distributing to homes or our three stops between Lee, GB and Pittsfield.
4. Work on the Solidarity Farm and Garden!

BRIDGE Gala
Please save the date for 15th anniversary weekend on October 8th, 2-5 PM at Jacob's Pillow. More information coming soon about ways to partner, sponsor and come celebrate! And email us at [email protected] to reserve your tickets and add your name to the community ticket list!