MLK Day Of Service

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

Monday, January 17, 2022

Hybrid Event: Berkshire South Community Center & Zoom

9:00am-3:00pm

Join BRIDGE, Berkshire South, Berkshire National Resources Council and the Office of the Berkshire District Attorney as we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
 
MLK Day of Service January 17th presented by BRIDGE, Berkshire South, and the office of the Berkshire District Attorney. This hybrid event will be hosted at Berkshire South Community Center where folks will have the option to pick up bagged lunches and project kits for the Civil Rights cloud and Valentine's day card activities. Please complete the form linked below to let us know if you will be picking up bagged lunches and/or project kits.

Please bring negative tests and/or vaccination cards.

You can pick up art kits, 7 Am - 12 noon at Berkshire South on Saturday and Sunday.
Register by emailing [email protected] for service assignments, Zoom link, and bagged lunch registration. You can also fill out the RSVP form linked below.

Zoom Registration

RSVP form

RSVP

​agenda

Agenda also available for download here.

9:00:

• A welcome from Berkshire South and the BRIDGE Race Task Force
• Opening Prayer & message led by Reverend Sloan and Reverend Forte

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10:00:
   Service Projects: 

• Valentines Cards for elders and veterans/active duty
• Packing backpacks for (formerly) incarcerated Berkshire women in Chicopee
• Mutual Aid Food Drive
• Macedonia Service Projects - Active Historically Black Church in Southern Berkshire
• Cleaning up trails at DuBois legacy sites for Du Bois Legacy Festival (weather permitting)

   Other Activities:

• Reading Hour with BRIDGE Happiness Toolbox for “I am Martin Luther King Jr. “: Identify leadership traits and character strengths for Dr. King
• BRIDGE Dream Corner: “I have a Dream Speech” - Arts & Crafts DreamCloud Project and Reflections on Excerpted Quotes and Inspired Prompts

12:30: 
  Bagged Lunch With Berkshire South and Story Walk with Berkshire Natural Resources Council
  Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner by Janice N. Harrington. It is a story about the first Black entomologist.

2:00:
   Community Forum - New Pathways Lab
  "Safety and Trust in our Beloved Community, pt 2: Redefining Civil Rights and what it means to us today

Invited: Great Barrington Police Department, US Attorney Office and Berkshire District Attorney Office (DA Harrington confirmed)
What were the takeaways from the forum of 2021? What changes, initiatives and activities did Berkshire DA, GB Police, and USAO develop after the forum?
What does Civil Rights mean to each of you and how is it impacted by the pandemic and racism today?
Facilitated Community Sharing, Question & Answers

3:00:
- Closing Prayer/Remarks

 

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Alternatively, our partners at the NAACP are offering this programming:

This year’s salute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in accordance with the wishes of the King family, is focused on voting rights. After the keynote speech from Olivia Nda at 9:20am, a graduate of Pittsfield High School and a senior at Howard University, virtual sessions will be held in Zoom breakout rooms, allowing participants to connect and share ideas with fellow community members. To register for the event, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/mlkday.

Join us for service activities including:

• Writing postcards to your elected officials to advocate against voter suppression and discriminatory legislation.
• Crafting Valentine's Day cards and notes of appreciation for Berkshire Healthcare Systems nursing home residents and staff members (please mark ‘resident’ or ‘staff’ before drop-off)
• Donating new face masks, new underwear for men and women, small hand sanitizer, disposable menstrual products, individual snacks, and coffee K-cups for the homeless shelter in Pittsfield.

Please drop off donations between 1-3 pm at Paterson Field House, located at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield, downhill from the main campus of Berkshire Community College. Please wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.

Alternatively, participants can make a monetary donation to the Pittsfield homeless shelter by visiting www.berkshirecc.edu/mlkday and following the donation instructions on the event page.