Summer 2022
Honoring Elizabeth “Mum Bett” Freeman
Thank you to everyone who joined me in the unveiling of a statue of Elizabeth “Mum Bett” Freeman August 21, 2022! Read all about it here and see more photos here. Read the letter from The Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman Honorary Host Committee here. Read more in The Berkshire Eagle.
New Pathways
Now is a time for urgent response and intentional reflection! To respond to this moment, I produced New Pathways for BRIDGE, timely talks and action labs intended to help us seed and equitable and resilient future based on justice, healing, and transformation. These are short and accessible talks with local and national leaders to support new forms of leadership and organizing during and post COVID-19. Please use them! Learn more about New Pathways and watch all talks and labs here. If you appreciate this series, support BRIDGE’s work by making a donation today. Or, support our work on Patreon.
Press
W.E.B. Du Bois
Cowgill, Terry. “Great Barrington selectboard officially recognizes ‘Du Bois Legacy Day’” The Berkshire Edge. January 14, 2021.
Landes, Josh. “Great Barrington to Mark 51st Anniversary of Du Bois Homesite Dedication.” WAMC Northeast Public Radio. October 16, 2020.
Landes, Josh. “Great Barrington Middle School To Be Renamed For W.E.B. Du Bois.” WAMC Northeast Public Radio. September 10, 2020.
Pan, Deanna. “In embrace of W. E. B. Du Bois, Great Barrington names middle school after the civil rights icon.” The Boston Globe. September 4, 2020.
Cowgill, Terri. “Advocates win longstanding battle to rename school after the legendary Du Bois.” The Berkshire Edge. September 4, 2020.
Bellow, Heather. “Great Barrington changes middle school name to honor Du Bois.” The Berkshire Eagle. September 3, 2020.
Landes, Josh. “W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee Member Previews Vote To Rename School After Civil Rights Icon.” WAMC Northeast Public Radio. August 24, 2020.
Landes, Josh. “Great Barrington Holding Third Annual Du Bois Birthday Celebration.” WAMC Northeast Public Radio. February 21, 2020.
Bellow, Heather. “Effort underway in Great Barrington to rename middle school for Du Bois.” The Berkshire Eagle. February 5, 2019.
Cowgill, Terry. “Petition to rename regional middle school after scholar, civil rights advocate W.E.B. Du Bois to be on town meeting warrant.” The Berkshire Edge. February 5, 2019.
Landes, Josh. “Great Barrington’s W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee Up And Running,” WAMC Northeast Public Radio. January 25, 2019.
Bellow, Heather. “Historic moment as Du Bois Legacy Committee kicks off in Great Barrington.” October 16, 2018. The Berkshire Eagle.
Landes, Josh. "Great Barrington, MA Formalizes W.E.B. Du Bois Committee." WAMC Northeast Public Radio. September 25, 2018.
Bellow, Heather. "Great Barrington creates Legacy Committee to honor W.E.B. Du Bois." The Berkshire Eagle. September 3, 2018.
Cowgill, Terry. "Another Go-Around: The Complicated Matter of Naming a School After Du Bois." The Berkshire Edge. May 21, 2018.
Landes, Josh. "Berkshire DA Challengers Expand On Progressive Reforms." WAMC Northeast Public Radio. August 24, 2018.
Landes, Josh. "Berkshire DA Office Undertakes Reforms Mid-Campaign." WAMC Northeast Public Radio. August 1, 2018.
BRIDGE (see multiculturalbridge.org)
Van Sickle, Hannah. “BRIDGE Unveils a New Vision of Equity, Inclusion, and Justice for the Berkshires.” The Berkshire Edge. July 16, 2022.
McLaughlin, Elizabeth. “Racial Equity in the Arts. Multicultural BRIDGE, state agency eye diversity, inclusion.” The Berkshire Eagle. October 9, 2020.
Landes, Josh. “Multicultural BRIDGE CEO On Implementing Structural Change” WAMC. June 10, 2020.
Van Sickle, Hannah. “BRIDGE develops ‘New Pathways’ of leadership, organizing in answer to COVID-19.” The Berkshire Edge. May 18, 2020.
Van Sickle, Hannah. “BRIDGE of western Massachusetts is named finalist for prestigious Everyday Democracy Award.” The Berkshire Edge. January 19, 2020.
Leadership
Jin, Danny. “Angela Davis believes 'new footprints' will provide path toward social justice.” The Berkshire Eagle. November 12, 2020.
“‘History is being made’: Berkshire leaders hail election of Black woman as vice president.” The Berkshire Eagle. November 7, 2020.
“Executive Spotlight: Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant.” The Berkshire Eagle. June 9, 2019.
Van Sickle, Hannah. “VanSant Named Berkshire Business and Professional Women’s 2019 Woman of Achievement” The Berkshire Edge. May 13, 2019.
Landes, Josh. “Multicultural BRIDGE Founder Recognized By Berkshire Professional Women’s Group” WAMC Northeast Public Radio. May 2, 2019.
“Museum exhibit highlights the African-American experience in the Berkshires.” The Berkshire Edge. February 12, 2019.
“Be-Hinds the Scenes? Berkshire Senator’s Big Sophomore Agenda…” Western Mass. Politics & Insight. February 7, 2019.
"Four Berkshire Women Celebrated as Unsung Heroines" iBerkshires. June 21, 2018.
"Finalists Chosen for Berkshire Nonprofit Awards" The Berkshire Eagle. April 10, 2018.
Arts & Social Justice
Cassidy, Benjamin. “BLK FMNNST Loaner Library not your average book club.” The Berkshire Eagle. October 16, 2019.
Smith, Jenn. “The past is present in oral history exhibit at Berkshire Museum.” The Berkshire Eagle. January 31, 2019.
Local & National News
Pratt, Mark. “Statue honors once-enslaved woman who won freedom in court.” The Associated Press. 21 August 2022.
Martinez, Matt. “Statue of Elizabeth Freeman in Sheffield immortalizes ‘the grandmother of the Civil Rights Movement’” The Berkshire Eagle. 21 August 2022.
“The Unveiling of Elizabeth Freeman.” Sam B. Photography.
“Great Barrington to Replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day” | October 3, 2021. The Berkshire Eagle.
“Stimulus Payment Access Has a Racial Gap —Here's How to Advocate for Your Family and Others” May 5, 2021. Parents.com
“In rural Massachusetts, racial injustice persists despite big BLM turnout.” PBS NewsHour. September 26, 2020.
Gowland, Lelia. “These Professional Women are Making Money Moves that Matter.” ForbesWomen. December 18, 2019.
Larson, Jamie. “An Insider’s Guide to Great Barrington.” Chronogram. January 1, 2019.
Landes, Josh. “Berkshire Activists Continue Push For County Communities To Adopt Trust Policies.” WAMC Northeast Public Radio. October 3, 2018.
Published Articles, Op-Eds, and Interviews
Listen to the audio transcript of Gwendolyn VanSant’s interview as part of the exhibit, “Their Stories: Oral Histories from the NAACP” at Berkshire Museum.
Watch Gwendolyn VanSant’s speech at MCLA’s 125th Anniversary Celebration upon receiving the President’s Medallion. September 29, 2020.
VanSant, Gwendolyn. “Moving as an Anti-Racist.” NIOT.org. June 30, 2020.
VanSant, Gwendolyn. “Learning from NIOT Leaders: Gwendolyn VanSant.” NIOT.org. June 24, 2020.
VanSant, Gwendolyn. “Bouncing Forward, not Bouncing Back: Adapting with Resilience (Part 1).” VIA Institute on Character. July 1, 2020.
Williams, Emily Allen. “CEOs On Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education.” HigherEdJobs. 2 December 2019.
Williams, Emily Allen. “The Evolution of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Positions in Higher Education Institutions.” HigherEdJobs. October 1, 2019.
VanSant, Gwendolyn. “3 Ways to Navigate Your Bias: A Closer Look at Colorblindness” Not in Our Town. August 2, 2020.
VanSant, Gwendolyn. “Work Needs to be Done on the Problem of Racism.” The Berkshire Eagle. July 27, 2019.
“John Bissell, Peter Taylor, Gwendolyn VanSant: Addressing organizational bias in Berkshires.” The Berkshire Eagle. July 26, 2019.
VanSant, Gwendolyn. “Leading Against the Odds: Lessons Learned about Grassroots Nonprofit Leadership” Berkshire Nonprofit Connections Magazine. January 2019
VanSant, Gwendolyn. “Overcoming White Supremacy with Love and Action” Not in Our Town. October 17, 2017.
