 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb 4, 2025 Town of Great Barrington Announces the 8th Annual W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Festival & Du Bois Legacy Day Observance In marking 90 years since the publication of Du Bois’s groundbreaking work Black Reconstruction, this year’s festival will invite participants to imagine the legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois - past, present, and future. Great Barrington, Mass. (Feb. 4, 2025)--The Town of Great Barrington W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee announces the Eighth Annual W.E.B. Legacy Festival in honor of the birthday of native son Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois. This year, the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee and community partners invite participants to engage in a dynamic exploration of Black Reconstruction themes and the ongoing fight for civil rights and racial justice, which has been - and continues to be - critical to American democracy. All events will be held in downtown Great Barrington, highlighting the importance of place, and the historically Black community that nurtured Du Bois’s development in his earliest years, and to which he returned to repeatedly in his memoirs. On Saturday, February 22nd from 2:00-5:00pm, Jacob's Pillow will present a movement workshop titled “Freedom Moves: Embodying the Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois” at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington. Curated by Legacy Committee members Thasia Giles and Gwendolyn VanSant, the workshop will be led by dance artists Gesel Mason and Roxanne Young, and “scholartist” Dr. Amma Y. Ghartey Tagoe-Kootin. Invoking the power of movement and storytelling, this dynamic and playful workshop will invite participants to explore and express the core values championed by W.E.B. Du Bois: freedom, civil rights, progressive education, economic justice, and racial equality. Walk-ups are welcome, however, space is limited and registration in advance is recommended. More information can be found at: https://www.jacobspillow.org/events/freedom-moves/ As part of our annual Festival celebration tradition, on Dr. Du Bois’s birthday eve, join the W. E. B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy for the opening reception of their field office and to meet their interim Director, Dr. John Lloyd at 309 Main Street, Great Barrington, from 6:00-7:30 pm. On Sunday, February 23 - Du Bois’s birthday and the official holiday observation of W.E.B. Du Bois Day in Great Barrington - Macedonia Baptist Church will have a special convocation honoring Dr. Du Bois’ birthday. Guest pastor Reverend Traci Jackson will deliver the convocation. Pastor Traci is the founder and lead pastor of Wellspring Global Fellowship Church and a long time leader at Urban League in Boston. Pastor Traci Jackson serves as an international leader & speaker at the intersection of faith-based communities and domestic violence and sexual assault in communities of color. She will lead us in celebrating Du Bois’ legacy across the State. Participants will join a processional Legacy Walk after the convocation, arriving for the birthday celebration, “Imagining Du Bois through the Arts: Past, Present, and Future” at the Mason Library at 11:00 AM. Novelist Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than 30 novels, will read a selection from her newest work of fiction, Harlem Rhapsody, which will be released at a tea & talk event at Ventfort Hall later in the day, at 3:00 PM. Gesel Mason of Freedom Moves: the Embodiment of a Legacy, and Dr. Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin and Dr. Khalil Sullivan of the Buffalo Team will join the Festival’s birthday celebration as we honor the 90th anniversary year of Black Reconstruction and Dr. W. E.B. Du Bois. Dr. Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin, a Ted Talk Fellow, will share her personal and professional ties to Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois. Also joining the event on Sunday will be Legacy Committee member Ari Zorn with Julie Michaels as representatives of the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project of Great Barrington. Legacy Committee Vice Chair Gwendolyn VanSant will serve as emcee and moderator. Legacy Committee member Leah Reed will welcome with song, and we are pleased to be joined by State Representative Leigh Davis and members of the Great Barrington Selectboard. An artifact copy of Black Reconstruction from Du Bois’s personal library will be on view, courtesy of collector and Du Bois Legacy Committee co-chair Randy Weinstein. The full schedule of events, festival flyer and registration information can be found below. These events are presented & hosted by the Town of Great Barrington Du Bois Legacy Committee, Jacob’s Pillow, BRIDGE, the Du Bois Freedom Center and Macedonia Baptist Church. Luncheon reception provided by Bae’s Global Kitchen at 1 PM at Mason Library. The Legacy Committee provides special thanks to the sponsors & hosts: Mass Cultural Council; BRIDGE and their partners : Barr Foundation Creative Vitality Program & DOJ Office of Health and Human Services- SCESA and Ujima; Ventfort Hall; and Jacob's Pillow. For more information, please visit duboislegacy.com & the Festival Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/163EtMxoEv/ FOR MORE INFORMATION: Randy Weinstein, [email protected], Chair, Town Of Great Barrington W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee mailto:[email protected] Gwendolyn VanSant, [email protected], Vice Chair, Town Of Great Barrington W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee mailto: [email protected] Phone: 318-528-1011 https://www.facebook.com/share/163EtMxoEv/ #duboislegacy #greatbarrington #duboisfestival #webdubois #duboislegacygb ABOUT THE GREAT BARRINGTON W.E.B. DU BOIS LEGACY COMMITTEE Since its convening by the Town of Great Barrington Selectboard in 2018, the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee has upheld the charge to preserve and promote Great Barrington native W.E.B. Du Bois's legacy as a scholar and activist for freedom, civil rights, progressive education, economic justice, and racial equality. The committee does this through town-sponsored events such as the annual W.E.B. Du Bois Festival; collaboration with partner organizations uplifting the Du Bois legacy; and community engagement via guest speakers, artists, and dialogue.    Comments are closed.
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