Berkshire NAACP Holds In-Person Freedom Fund Awards
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Hundreds gathered at the Proprietor's Lodge last weekend for the Berkshire NAACP's Freedom Fund Awards. The sold-out event that had been virtual the last three years returned with a bang.
The night included dinner, dancing, and awards given to people whose advocacy has made positive strides in the community. The event raises money for college scholarships to support students of color, awarding more than $75,000 to nearly 90 students.
"We have deep and hard work ahead of us, in our community, in our nation, and our world," President Dennis Powell said.
"May we remember that democracy means rule by the people. I urge you to participate in our activity, ensuring competitive elections, freedom of expression, and the protection of individual civil liberties and human rights."
He asked attendees to look around the room, adding "We are the community, we are neighbors, we are the people."
Professor David Levering Lewis received the W.E.B. Du Bois Award; Pamela Tatge the Katherine Dunham Award; Julianne Boyd the Ntozake Shange Award; Berkshire Pride the Jahaira DeAlto Award; and Brittney Peauwe Wunnepog Walley the Dorothy "Aunt Dot" Davids Indigenous Peoples Award.
Rebecca Thompson, a member of the Berkshire NAACP, was presented with the Allyship Award.
Tatge, the executive and artistic director of Jacob's Pillow, was recognized for leading the organization through the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic and a fire that destroyed one of its performance buildings.
"What Pamela does is lean forward even when the going gets rough," board member Sandra Burton said before presenting Tatge with the award.
"Even when people doubt that the path is clear, even when people believe that the sea will not part, even when people can't find a boat to float on, this is a person who has faith. This is a person who believes in all of us and moves forward."
The awardee said Jacob's Pillow has a rich history with the NAACP but her journey with the organization began seven years ago. Working with the city of Pittsfield and the NAACP, she helped to create Pittsfield Moves! to provide workshops and events to build community through movement and storytelling.
The dance company in Becket celebrates the legacy of Dunham, a legendary dance activist and artist, and how she has inspired generations of dancers.
"Dance grounds us in our bodies and our very humanity," Tatge said.
"It connects us to ourselves and to each other and at a time when there is so much isolation and loneliness in our world when there are so many forces at play to divide us, when our bodies are under attack. We need the healing power of dance more than ever because when we feel dance in our bodies or when we witness the beauty, the power, the strength of bodies moving through space, we bear witness to the creative and generative power of what it means to be human and it's there that we find hope."
Berkshire Pride Chair Kelan O'Brien explained the origins of the DeAlto Award, named after a former Pittsfield resident and transgender activist who was murdered in 2021.
"As I look around this room there are so many folks here who knew and loved Jahaira so well and knew her so intimately and in so many different ways," O'Brien said. "And so I think that it's really nice to be able to be here and honor her."
He added that her activism and impact can be felt throughout Berkshire County.
"Her reputation here and beyond the Berkshires is expansive. Her legacy is in the work that needs to continue every day for all of us, our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our communities to be able to live truly, freely, and authentically."
Berkshire Pride has grown into its own 501(c)3 nonprofit over the last couple of years and has extended programming throughout the whole year as well as onboarding three staff members.
Competency educator Emma Lenski explained that DeAlto was a co-founder of Berkshire Pride, a mother figure, and a warrior for justice.
"Every day we strive to make her proud by continuing her mission of fighting for equality, justice, and inclusion," Lenski said. "When reflecting on everything that Berkshire Pride has achieved, we are forever grateful to our sponsors, community members, and volunteers who are at the heart of this work."
Walley has served on the Massachusetts Mascot Coalition for several years and helped to remove mascots and logos from more than 20 schools in the state since 2017. Taconic High School was one of the schools to change its identity, two years ago, switching its mascot from the Braves to Taconic Thunder.
Walley also brought Indigenous People's Day to the town of Medway and served as co-chair on the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs.
"Brittney exemplifies and embodies the spirit of the Auntie Dot freedom award furthering the liberation from a system of oppression by regaining the autonomy of indigenous representation through education and advocacy," said Rhonda Anderson, founder and co-director of Ohketeau Cultural Center.
The awardee shared a story about her late father, Bradley Big Tree Walley, a medicine man of the Nipmuc Tribe and a Navy veteran, who was told that he would amount to nothing in grade school.
"And well, my father left high school early to join the Navy but he graduated from junior college at 29, he earned his GED at 32, and when he was 50 and I was about 8 years old, I saw him cross the stage to receive his bachelors of science degree," she said.
"To be clear, according to his daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, he amounted to a lot more than nothing."
She said her father's desire for education came through sheer willpower and while it is incredibly admirable, it is not what anyone should go through. This has continuously energized Walley's work as she "holds the baton in a really for change."
"My elders and ancestors carried it before me and there will be future generations that continue on after me," she said.
The room burst into applause as Powell delivered a final announcement: he was free of cancer.
"Many of you in this room are aware that I have been on a tremendous journey. I have been on this journey since July of last year," he said.
"By the grace of God, by the love and prayers that I have received from many of you in this room, I want to announce that as of this moment, I am cancer-free. While my journey isn't over, it's behind me. It's out of me."
Powell later led the crowd onto the dance floor to "I Feel Good" by James Brown.
Keynote speaker Alan H. Green concluded the program by speaking of his love for the Berkshires that has been experienced through his acting career, coining it a "really unique and special and weird place." He is currently a board member of Barrington Stage Company.
He spoke on the presence of gaslighting in our country and the importance of listening to your inner voice.
"I just want to encourage you all here today to care about this weird wacky place we call the Berkshires, that a lot of you call home," he said.
"Because if we can continue to try to make this a better place, we've got to listen to our own voices and let's go back to when we know right is right and wrong is wrong."
The event was livestreamed on Pittsfield Community Television.
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