Please note: Race Task Force and Toward Racial Justice are canceled for October due to our Indigenous People’s Day events

• Race Task Force for Racial Justice Meeting (RTF)-: Monday, November, 1st 12:30PM - 2:00PM - See you in November! Please join the important events and dialogues this Month as your October action!
• Towards Racial Justice- South County Meeting (TRJ): Thursday, November 4th 6:30PM - 8:30PM See you in November! Please join the important events and dialogues this Month as your October action!
  
• See more info on upcoming partner events in our recent post. We hope to see you there!

Women2Women (W2W): Contact us to learn more and register. Email engagement@multiculturalbridge.org.

• Thursday, September 30th 6:00PM -8:00PM
  Topic: Special Meeting with Gwendolyn VanSant on Immigrant Justice is Racial Justice: Linking together
• Thursday, October 7th 6:00PM - 8:00PM (virtual)
  Topic: Open Discussion facilitated by Silvia Soria and Carmen Baker
• Thursday, October 14th 6:00PM - 8:00PM  (virtual)
  Guest: Carmen Baker 
  Topic: Super Powered- Chapter 11
• Thursday, October 21st 5:00PM - 7:00PM
  Canning & Jarring Class at First Congregational Church in Great Barrington, MA Please RSVP! rsvp@multiculturalbridge.org. Limited capacity with COVID protocols in place.
• Thursday, October 28th 6:00PM - 8:00PM  (virtual)
  Guest: Lee Bank
  Topic: Finances 

Happiness Toolbox - Harvest Festival (Save the Date!)

• October 30, 2021 4-7 PM (T). A collaboration between BRIDGE’s Happiness Toolbox and Real Talk Youth Leaders and Sweet Freedom Farm. This is a family event with hayrides, youth activities, and more. rsvp@multiculturalbridge.org​

MUTUAL AID: 2nd Annual Introduction: Canning & Jarring Class: 

• Thursday, October 21st 5:00PM - 7:00PM (in person) at First Congregational Church in Great Barrington, MA | 251 Main St., Great Barrington, MA rsvp@multiculturalbridge.org
  

ALL EVENTS WILL FOLLOW COVID GUIDELINES.
​PLEASE RESPECT OUR REQUEST TO WEAR A MASK. THANK YOU.

​The Board of Health’s expanded advisory took effect Friday and encourages mask-wearing “where social distancing cannot be maintained, and when attending with anyone outside of your household.”

Join us for four events in southern Berkshire county on Indigenous People’s Day. Our mission is to acknowledge and heal our last, honor the Native American worldview and ethic to care for nature and to integrate indigenous values into our response to climate change.

Schedule

• Thursday, September 23rd April Hill (Greenagers), Egremont, MA 6:00 - 8:00pm
  
• Friday, October 1st Listening Deeply: Indigenous Voice Panel Discussion Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire 6:00 - 8:00pm
  
• Monday, October 11th Indigenous People’s Day Gazebo Park in Great Barrington, MA 11:00am - 2:00pm
  
• Sunday, October 17th Moving Forward Together: Integration & Next Steps Workshop Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire 1:30 - 4:30pm

Equinox Fire Ceremony & Potluck April Hill (Greenagers), Egremont, MA
Thursday, September 23rd 6:00 - 8:00pm

Nature-based cultures tend to celebrate the change of seasons.  Here in the Northeast, the transition from summer to autumn is magnificent.  Let’s honor this moment together, build community, and bring our hearts and minds together, as one, to prepare for Indigenous People’s Day.

6:00 - 7:30 | Equinox Fire Ceremony to Prepare for Indigenous People’s Day
​7:30 - 8:00 | Potluck & Connect by the Fire

Listening Deeply
Indigenous Voice Panel Discussion

Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire
Friday, October 1st
6:00 - 8:00pm

What’s the purpose of Indigenous People’s Day?  Where did it come from?  Why does it matter?
In this workshop, we will explore the history of this event, what it represents and symbolizes, and how it is an essential part of the movement for Climate Leadership.  Most importantly, we will connect the dots between honoring Indigenous Values and strengthening our community’s resilience to climate change.

Indigenous People’s Day
Gazebo Park in Great Barrington, MA
Monday, October 11th
11:00am - 2:00pm
Come together with your whole community, and join Native American Community Leaders from around the Northeast, and the whole country, to observe this important holiday.

Moving Forward Together
Integration & Next Steps Workshop
Unitarian Universalist
Meeting of South Berkshire
Sunday, October 17th
1:30 - 4:30pm
Let’s take time to integrate this powerful experience and clarify our next steps; together - as a community.  What new insights did you have because you participated in these events?  What new sense of community do you now feel?  What commitments are emerging, in regards to next steps for the year to come?  How can we support each other to deepen our efforts around climate resilience in our communities?  This is where the rubber hits the road.

On Juneteenth, Dr. Peggy McIntosh of the Wellesley Centers for Women at
Wellesley College and Gwendolyn VanSant, CEO and Founding Director of
Multicultural Bridge, will join together to illustrate personal testimonies on white
privilege and its impact. They will explore the ways in which power can be used
for social change.

Their joint presentation is free and open to the public, Saturday, June 19, 2021,
1:00 p.m., at the Tyringham Firemen’s Pavilion, Main Road, Tyringham, MA

The event will follow Massachusetts state Covid-19 protocols in place at the time.
The presentation is sponsored by the Tyringham Hop Brook Community Club, an
organization committed to community service, and by Tyringham for Racial
Justice. 

To reserve a place, please send an email by June 14
to hopbrookcommunityclub@gmail.com. (Confirmation emails will be sent.)

Donations, most appreciated, will go to Multicultural BRIDGE, dedicated to
racial justice work and to promoting mutual respect and understanding
among diverse groups. It is minority and women run.

These free will offerings may be made on the day of the presentation in cash or
by personal check payable to Hop Brook Community Club, PO Box 354,
Tyringham MA, 01264, or through your PayPal account by clicking “Send &
Request,” then “Send money” and entering hopbrookcommunityclub@gmail.com.

MCLA Institute for the Arts and Humanities (MCLA-IAH), in collaboration with BRIDGE Inc., Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF), the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), and the Berkshire Cultural Asset Network (BCAN), is launching the Art + Accountability Symposium this June. As part of this annual and signature event, MCLA-IAH will host and facilitate a series of Zoom workshops where invited guest speakers will present and engage participants in reflection and discussion. Workshops and discussions will be facilitated to develop tangible action items for participants and their institutions. Featured speakers will explore the topics of community care, public engagement, anti-racist theatre work, addressing regional culture, and experiential arts. This programming is designed to deepen our understanding of what accountability might look like in these spaces.

All programs are free and open to the public, but registration is required. For registration, or to learn more about the MCLA-IAH Summer Symposium, please visit our main event page on the IAH Canvas site: Programs and Events: MCLA Institute for the Arts and Humanities Link Here

Key Dates Include:

• June 1st from 2PM-4PM EST
  Community Care & Public Engagement: What does it mean to create brave spaces?
  Dr. Brea Heidelberg will lead a conversation about creating brave spaces and will engage participants in exploring what constitutes a brave space and discuss common mistakes made in facilitating these spaces.
• June 8th from 2PM-4PM EST
  Anti-Racist Theatre Work: Responding to “We See You White American Theatre”
  This panel discussion, moderated by Gwendolyn VanSant, will feature Dawn Meredith Simmons, Nicole Brewer, representatives from WAM Theatre and Shakespeare & Company, and featured guest Dr. Kimberly Richards from the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. Panelists will discuss what is required in anti-racism work in theatre, arts and with their sponsors and partners.
• June 15th from 2PM-4PM EST
  Responding to Systemic and Collective Trauma with Community Partnerships: Addressing Culture and Community in a Regional Conversation
  Gwendolyn VanSant (BRIDGE), Quenna Barrett, and Rebecca Martinez (Center for Performance and Civic Practice) will facilitate this dialogue alongside representatives from area cultural organizations to explore the importance of listening and responding to the community as we notice the issues that have emerged within our organizations.
• June 17th from 2PM - 4PM EST
  INSCAPES: Offered by The Mastheads, Sarah Trudgeon, and Tessa Kelly, this workshop will launch a regional campaign inviting a “call and response” creative prompt about Berkshire County from participants. This experience will culminate in a presentational video and several poetry billboards to be featured around Berkshire County throughout the summer.

BRIDGE Membership:
Stay connected, host lunch ‘n learns, receive discounts to trainings, sponsor meaningful work with direct impact on the most vulnerable and marginalized & more! Open subscription

Thank you to all of our Members of 2021-2022! It has been such a pleasure to partner with you to keep our communities & workplaces thriving! Thank you to all of our member organizations!
​
Please think about joining or renewing! Our membership packages are explained here: https://www.multiculturalbridge.org/members.html

10:00-11:30 MLK Day of Service, “Safety & Justice in our Beloved Community”

10:00 Zoom Session: Gather and Welcome;
“Discover the element of good in your enemy. And as you seek to hate him, find the center of goodness and place your attention there and you will take a new attitude.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Hate destroys the hater as well as the hated … Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. … And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

10:10-10:40 Listen to MLK Speech of I Have A Dream in community

10:45-11:15 Zoom Rooms:

• The Not in Our County pledge- join Gwendolyn for history of the pledge and learn about next steps and ways to hold accountability. Supplies will be available at the Church for pickup- signs, cards and stickers. Send emails asking folks to sign and make plans to deliver their business card, sticker and yard sign. Make social media posts #allhandsin #niot #NiotBerkshires #BRIDGE413 #bridge413
• Valentine Making for Elders - Make Valentine’s for Elders and deliver them to BRIDGE for distribution to Elders by Feb. 14th. Bring Supplies to your Zoom session to make Valentines’ for our local elders.
• Dream Corner - Do the Clouds together. Or post to make Social Media posts for Dream Challenge.
  • **Community challenge: Tell us your dream for 2021. What will you do to get us there in community? Take pictures and post on social media and tag BRIDGE. Find us at BRIDGE413 ,on IG multicultural-bridge and friends of BRIDGE, on Twitter at BRIDGE413, tag us on Facebook. Use hashtags #bridge413 #revdrmlkjr #ihaveadream #allhandsin. Tag us and let us know at BRIDGE your dream ~families and children welcome!
• Tech Support - Tech Support with BRIDGE - BRIDGE Volunteer Jeff Lowenstein will be available in a Zoom room for bilingual tech support in English and Spanish. Come get help with questions like:
  • Help with Zoom (signing on, learning all the features/options)
  • Broadband issues
  • Options for free software
  • General tech support and any other questions!
  • We will work to answer all your questions and will follow up on any issues we can't help with in the moment after the Day of Service.
• Food Drive - First Congregational Church in Great Barrington. Please drop off reusable grocery bags, supplies for COVID safety, hygiene, household items, and culturally relevant & staple foods for diverse communities (increments of 25 is useful to us). We serve 100 families biweekly. You can also donate here to support our mutual aid efforts (please write in "mutual aid support" in the Paypal form), and find more ways to support BRIDGE here.

11:15 Closing (15 min)

12:00-1:00 MLK Program “Safety & Justice in our Beloved Community” - Rev. Forte, Rev. Allman Morton and Rev Letman IV with Gwendolyn VanSant, Stephanie Wright & more:

• Welcome, Safety & Justice in our Beloved Community
• Prayer, Rev Forte
• Song, “Lift Ev’ry Voice”
• Reading from Dr. King, Stephanie Wright
• Perspectives: Rev Allman Morton (5 Min), Rev. Forte (10 Min) and Rev. Letman IV (10 min from Isaiah and Amos), Leigh Davis (5 min-T)
• Silent Meditation, “This Little Light of Mine”
• Community Reflections and Sharing, Stephanie Wright
• Reading of Dr. King, “Loving Your Enemies”, Gwendolyn VanSant
• Generosity & Gratitude, Food Drive
• Song - Benediction, “We Shall Overcome”, Rev Forte
• Closing

2:15-3:00 New Pathways Lab: Listening Session and Community Forum on Safety in Community: Talking through Concerns regarding Hate Crimes and How to Protect our Community
In this New Pathways Lab, we will talk about our rising concerns around safety and justice in our community with District Attorney Andrea Harrington, Director of Community Engagement Bryan House, Assistant US Attorney Scott Garland (Hate Crimes Specialist), Assistant US Attorney Deepika Shukla (Chief of Springfield Office) and Community Outreach Specialist Cara Henderson to discuss safety in our community, what has been threatening it and what we want to do about it? These representatives from our local and regional justice offices will come to listen to community voices and plan for future work alongside our communities and houses of worship.

January 7 | 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EST

​For more info, click here.