Music in Common Celebrates 1-year Anniversary of Black Legacy Project

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Music in Common, a Berkshires-founded nonprofit that connects communities through music, celebrates the one-year anniversary of the launch of The Black Legacy Project, a musical celebration of Black history to advance racial solidarity, equity, and belonging.

The Black LP is a national project produced in partnership with community stakeholders at the local level.  As it travels the country, the Black LP brings together Black and White artists and artists of ALL backgrounds to record present-day interpretations of songs central to the Black American experience and compose originals relevant to the pressing calls for change of our time.

Community roundtable discussions help inform how these songs are interpreted and written.  The Black Legacy Project launched in Sept. 2021 in the Berkshires and is traveling to Atlanta, Los Angeles, the Mississippi Delta, Denver, and Boise in 2022 - 2023.  Music in Common has partnered with Berkshires-based Outpost to produce a docuseries of the Project. 

Since the September 2021 launch, Music in Common has produced ongoing Black Legacy Project programming in the region including a Black LP concert at the Colonial Theatre, a series of film screenings throughout the county, and a week-long course at Berkshire School. The upcoming anniversary celebration includes a combination of all of these.

On Friday Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m., a Black LP concert featuring a host of local musicians including Rob Sanzone, Rufus Jones, Bryan House, Glori Wilder, Terry a la Berry, Olivia Davis, Liam Giszter, and Brianna Nicola will take place at the Boland Theater at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield. The concert will feature the Black Legacy Project songs recorded in the Berkshires which featured nearly three dozen local musicians including  Wanda Houston, Billy Keane, Gina Coleman, Matt Cusson, Chantell McFarland, Chris Merendaas and others, as well as songs from other Black LP locations such as the Ozarks and Denver.

A screening of the Berkshires episode of the docuseries will kick off the evening and a talkback with Black LP directors and musicians will follow the performance. The event is free and open to all. Tickets can be reserved at eventbrite.com/e/405652967947. Masks are required.

Other events during the week-long celebration include a Black LP performance at the FreshGrass Festival in North Adams on Saturday Sept. 24 and school programs at Berkshire Community College, DuBois Middle School,  and BART. A community roundtable on the theme of  "After Sundown"  will take place  at the Guthrie Center in Housatonic at 7PM on September 21st. Interested participants can register at https://www.theblacklegacyproject.org/roundtables.

The Black Legacy Project one year anniversary is sponsored in part by Berkshire Community College. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more info and to learn how you can get involved, contact Music in Common Marketing & Development Coordinator, Simone Alyse, at simone@musicincommon.org / 404-458-7982. 

Monument Mountain Sophomore Wins Congressional App Challenge

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
12:12PM / Saturday, January 17, 2026

Congressman Neal takes questions from students during his visit. 

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Monument Mountain Regional High School sophomore Jonah Sanabria is the winner of this year's Congressional App Challenge for the 1st Massachusetts District.

 

His Health Advocate application acts as just that in your pocket, Sanabria said, helping resolve one of the biggest problems in health care — miscommunication.

 

"Every day, patients of all ages go to the doctor feeling stressed, confused, scared and uncertain, meaning they often forget what they wanted to say, and they leave without fully understanding what was said or the plan ahead," he said. 

 

"It's not because doctors don't care; it's because the system is set up in a way that makes relaxed communications really hard. Appointments are abbreviated. Patients aren't always sure what they can ask physicians, and nerves often make them forgetful." 

 

The challenge was authorized by Congress in 2015 to promote interest in science, technology, engineering and math. Each representative may host an official computer science competition in their districts. More than 85,000 high school students in all 50 states have since participated, with more than 18,000 in 2025.

 

Jonah beat out nine other submissions in the 1st Mass. His app will be featured on the challenge page and displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. In addition, he will have the opportunity to visit Capitol Hill in the spring at a celebration called #HouseOfCode, where winning teams from across the country hear from lawmakers, interact with sponsors and partners at the STEM Expo, and demonstrate their apps.

 

Before a scheduled doctor's appointment, the program asks the user about their symptoms, health issues, and health goals and organizes and prioritizes questions to ask during the doctor visit.