not in our County - berkshires
#AllhandsIn
In 2017, BRIDGE launched the Not in Our County - Berkshires campaign to unify communities throughout the county to stop hate, address bullying, and build safe, inclusive communities for all.
Join us by taking the pledge:
I commit to working together with my neighbors to create safer, more integrated communities for all residents in Berkshire County. I do not stay silent in the face of intolerance or hate based on race, religion, sexual preference, gender identity, ethnicity, country of origin, ability or any other factor. I work to acknowledge and heal all forms of hate, bigotry and bullying. I pledge to renew my commitment to this work every day.
Join us by taking the pledge:
I commit to working together with my neighbors to create safer, more integrated communities for all residents in Berkshire County. I do not stay silent in the face of intolerance or hate based on race, religion, sexual preference, gender identity, ethnicity, country of origin, ability or any other factor. I work to acknowledge and heal all forms of hate, bigotry and bullying. I pledge to renew my commitment to this work every day.
The campaign unites the county through:
Within those principles, each town or city can choose what the Not in the Berkshires action and engagement will be and it will be supported and amplified by the County-wide steering committee.
This is an ACCOUNTABILITY action. PLEASE ONLY SIGN if you are making a daily commitment to disrupt injustice, harm by speaking up, showing up, voting, engaging and repairing harm.
Take a picture of yourself, your group and tag #niot #niot-berkshire, #nioc, #allhandsin #stophate #BRIDGE413. Let your community know. Make a Facebook badge. Have intentional conversations.
- A unified visible logo, pledge and shared values
- A commitment to not be silent when ignorance, hate or intolerance arises
- A collaborative approach across our county
Within those principles, each town or city can choose what the Not in the Berkshires action and engagement will be and it will be supported and amplified by the County-wide steering committee.
This is an ACCOUNTABILITY action. PLEASE ONLY SIGN if you are making a daily commitment to disrupt injustice, harm by speaking up, showing up, voting, engaging and repairing harm.
Take a picture of yourself, your group and tag #niot #niot-berkshire, #nioc, #allhandsin #stophate #BRIDGE413. Let your community know. Make a Facebook badge. Have intentional conversations.
From left Kevin O'Regan, Cara Henderson, Gwendolyn VanSant, Patrice O'Neill, Chief Michael Wynn, Luci Leonard
Part of the national Not in Our Town movement, this campaign engages Berkshire residents, businesses, town governments, schools, community organizations and others in an effort to educate, organize, and mobilize our communities to respond to--and prevent--incidents of hate and injustice. The Berkshires are believed to be the first to launch a campaign on the county-wide level.
Read more about Not in Our County - Berkshires and the NIOT movement:
Read more about Not in Our County - Berkshires and the NIOT movement:
- Moving as an Anti-Racist: Acknowledge, Align, Amplify, Ask, Activate by Gwendolyn VanSant, reproduced on the Not in Our Town blog Gwendolyn VanSant, published on the Not in Our Town blog
- Overcoming White Supremacy with Love and Action by Gwendolyn VanSant
- Students Lead the Way to Foster Inclusion at Berkshire High School by Claudia Maurino and Lucy Doren
- NIOT in Massachusetts: Dialogue on Inclusive Communities
task force & supporting organizations |
NIOT FILMS IN THE BERKSHIRES |
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County-wide members of our Not in Berkshire County Steering Committee include: Gwendolyn VanSant, Lily Swartz, Christina Daignualt, Karen Clark, Ellyn Salkin, Sharon Lazerson, Luci Leonard, Amy McNally, Alfred Enchill, Karen Ruiz Leon, Toni Buckley, Wes Gadson, Rev Sloan Letman IV, Cara Henderson, Stacy Parsons, Chief Wynn (Pittsfield), Chief Coe (Dalton), Sandra Blomberg, Abigail Reifsnyder (& several members of Greylock Together), Rosa Zubizaretta & more!
Supporting organizations to date include select members or groups of BRIDGE Race Task Force, BRIDGE, NAACP- Berkshire, WAM Theatre, BCC, State Senator Adam Hinds, Four Freedoms Coalition, Greylock Together, Black Economic Council- Berkshire, BIO representatives, BHRSD School Committee, Macedonia Baptist Church, Selectboards of Lee, Great Barrington, Williamstown & Adams, Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire, State Reps Bouvier, Pignatelli and Mark and Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Towns like Williamstown have made this a town ordinance to institutionalize this Commitment. |
Movies from the Not in Our Town documentary film collection, which chronicle community-wide responses to hate incidents from across the country, will also be screened across the county in the coming months as part of the campaign. The screenings will be followed by community conversations.
Browse BRIDGE's upcoming events to see upcoming film screenings in the Berkshires. Visit the Not in Our Town national website to see NIOT movie trailers. |