Letter: Kamala Harris' Visit Was for the Money

To the Editor:

I hope the Harris campaign thanked iBerkshires for the free advertising you gave them about her visit to Pittsfield for a lavish fundraiser at the Colonial Theatre. Make no mistake, Kamala didn't come to the Berkshires because she cares about what average people are struggling with in the 413 area code — she came because privileged followers donated $1.4 million.

I am under no illusion that she will keep us out of World War III, curtail the impending climate catastrophe, raise the national minimum wage, significantly reduce crushing student debt, or fight to get us Medicare for All. She takes big money from superPACs including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and such donors will heavily influence her policies. Martin Luther King said that people should be judged "for the content of their character," and this should apply today to Kamala Harris, who superficially might seem like a good leader for our troubled country. Let's not forget that as Attorney General of California she prosecuted the impoverished parents of truant children while not prosecuting investment banker Steve Mnuchin for his role in the 2007-8 financial crisis.

The election of 2024 is not just a contest between the two corporately controlled political parties. I strongly reject both the Democrats and Republicans, neither of which work to significantly improve the lives of average Americans. Both are corrupt and support needless wars and a genocide in Palestine. Trump has been convicted for his payments to a porn star, but every high level member of the Biden/Harris administration should also be prosecuted for being partners in the Palestinian Genocide. And it is not anti-Semitic to say that Israel is an apartheid, racist, settler colonial state whose foundation was based on land theft and forced displacement of an indigenous population. Many American Jews like me share the conviction that anti-Zionism is not a form of anti-Semitism, and that the phrase "never again" must mean never again to anyone.

There is another choice that should be reported by our media, assuming that balanced reporting is the goal. Jill Stein is seeking the Green Party nomination, she doesn't take big donor money or have a superPAC supporting her, she is pro-labor, pro-climate, pro-peace, and anti-genocide. It's time to put the lives of ordinary people over corporate profits by voting for her for president.

Henry Rose
Dalton, Mass.

Colombian Artist Celebrates Immigrant Stories in New Pittsfield Mural

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
06:49AM / Saturday, October 24, 2026

Artist Laura Barrios explains the  inspiration of the mural, of immigrants building new lives in the Berkshires.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The walls along the Intermodal Center's train platform are a little more colorful following the unveiling of Let It Shine's third mural at that location, transforming a space once surrounded by bare concrete into a vibrant display of public art.

 

The unveiling on Thursday, marks the close of Let It Shine's 2026 outdoor public art season and the third year of its emerging artist program, said Mill Town Foundation Program Director Andy Wrba. 

 

Let It Shine's Emerging Artists Mentorship program was established in 2024 to support aspiring artists in the community by providing guidance, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to create large-scale public art.

 

"This mural, along with all the murals, as part of this emerging artist program, and even more broadly, all the murals that you see downtown throughout Pittsfield shows that we care about the cultural scene and we care about the creative people that live and work in our city," Wrba said.

 

The new mural, painted by Colombian artist Laura Barrios, celebrates immigrants who have built lives and found a sense of home in Berkshire County.

 

Barrios has been working on the piece for the last two months alongside mentor artist, Jesse Tobin McCauley. 

 

"It's a homage to the immigrants who work and make a home in the Berkshires … this is a very personal experience too because I am an immigrant," Barrios said in her speech.