Letter: Support Voting Rights on MLK Jr. Day

To the Editor:

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family has requested that there be "no celebration" on the upcoming weekend in his honor until the federal voting rights legislation is enacted.

A group of concerned citizens, in an effort to honor Dr. King's memory, met to discuss what to do. We represent a number of organizations across Berkshire County.

As a collective, we are sincerely concerned about the recent attack on the rights of citizens to vote. Voting rights are the cornerstone of Dr. King's legacy. To truly honor that legacy, we agreed that it is time to rise up to "make some good noise" to protect and strengthen our democracy by doing all we can to support and protect free and fair elections in both parties, for all people.

As reported by the Brennan Center, 19 states passed over 33 discriminatory laws in 2021 that will make it harder for Americans, especially Americans of color, to vote. Moreover, more than 440 state legislative bills in 49 states offered provisions to restrict voting access. It is up to Congress and President Biden to reverse this ominous trend.

The Freedom to Vote Act, currently before the Senate, is a comprehensive package of voting, redistricting, and campaign finance reforms that would strengthen our democracy and promote racial equity for all Americans. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which has passed in the House, would complement the Freedom to Vote Act. It would largely prevent the implementation of changes to voting rules that discriminate on the basis of race or language minority status, and it would restore voters' robust ability to challenge discriminatory laws as established by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 but gutted in the Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder.

We ask that citizens across the county join us by taking at least ONE SPECIFIC ACTION in support of voting rights to honor the memory of the Rev. Dr. King this month, and continue your support throughout this critical election year.

What to do? Telephone, text and email your legislative representatives, encouraging them to work enthusiastically at their level of government for open, fair and accessible elections. Additionally, please reach out with care to friends and family in other states to enlist their help. We have compiled resources here. We have also compiled a statement of support for election workers, to ask local leaders to adopt in action.

We also encourage everyone to attend Berkshire Community College's virtual Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, which will focus on voting rights in accordance with the wishes of the King family; Monday, Jan. 17, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In this way, we envision a surge of public support for these national initiatives to maintain integrity in the voting process and the enriched support and awareness of all elections in all the United States.

Berkshire County Chapter NAACP, Dennis Powell, Pittsfield

Berkshire Democratic Brigades, Michael Wise, Great Barrington

First Congregational Church, North Adams, Lynn Rhoads

First Congregational Church, Williamstown,  Lynn Chick, moderator

Four Freedoms Coalition, Sherwood Guernsey, Williamstown

Great Barrington Democratic Committee, Michael Wise, Great Barrington

Greylock Together, Alexander Davis, Jessica Dils, Wendy Penner, Williamstown

League of Women Voters Central Berkshire, Ramelle Pulitzer, Stockbridge

Left Field, Alyson Slutzky, Great Barrington

Rural Freedom Network, Sherwood Guernsey, Williamstown

Williamstown Democratic Town Committee, Arlene Kirsch, Hugh L Guilderson

Williamstown League of Women Voters, Anne Skinner

Concerned citizens: Paula Consolini and Jim Mahon, Williamstown

Community Meeting Addresses Prejudice in Pittsfield Schools

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:49PM / Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Johanna Lenski, a special education surrogate parent and advocate, says there's a 'deeply troubling' professional culture at Herberg that lets discriminatory actions and language slip by.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Around 60 community members gathered at Conte Community School on Monday night to discuss issues with prejudice in the district. 

The event was hosted by the Pittsfield Public Schools in partnership with the Berkshire NAACP and the Westside Legends. It began with breaking bread in the school's cafeteria, and caregivers then expressed fears about children's safety due to bullying, a lack of support for children who need it the most, and teachers using discriminatory and racist language. 

"One thing I've learned is that as we try to improve, things look really bad because we're being open about ways that we're trying to improve, and I think it's really important that we acknowledge that," interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said, reflecting on her work in several other districts before coming to PPS last summer.  

"It is very easy to stay at the surface and try to look really good, and it may look like others are better than us, when they're really just doing a better job of just kind of maintaining the status quo and sweeping things under the carpet."

Brett Random, the executive director of Berkshire County Head Start, wrote on her personal Facebook page that her daughter reported her math teacher, "used extremely offensive language including both a racial slur (n-word) and a homophobic slur (f-word) and then reportedly tried to push other students to repeat those words later in the day when students were questioning her on her behavior."

The school department confirmed that an eighth-grade teacher at the middle school was placed on leave.  

The Berkshire Eagle, which first reported on the incident, identified the teacher as Rebecca Nitsche, and the teacher told the paper over the phone, "All I can tell you is it's not how it appears." Nitsche told the paper she repeated the words a student used while reporting the incident to another teacher because officials needed to know it happened. 

Johanna Lenski, speaking as a special education surrogate parent and parent advocate, on Monday said there is a "deeply troubling" professional culture at Herberg that has allowed discriminatory, racist, non-inclusive, and ableist treatment of students.

She said a Black transgender student was called a "piss poor, punk, puke of a kid," and repeatedly and intentionally misgendered by one of the school's teachers, and then wrongfully accused of physically assaulting that teacher, which resulted in a 10-day suspension. 

Another Herberg student with disabilities said the same staff member disclosed to an entire classroom that they lived in a group home and were in state Department of Children and Families' custody. When the teacher was asked to come to an individualized education program meeting for that student, Lenski said he "spent approximately 20 minutes attacking this child's character and portraying her as a problem, rather than a student in need of services and protection and support."