Letter: Re-Elect Andrea Harrington

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To the Editor:

Unlike previous district attorneys, Andrea Harrington has brought an unwavering sense of kindness and compassion to her office, which has enhanced the way the Berkshire court system operates.

Hopefully, when someone actually pays attention to her office's accomplishments, they will want to help her build upon the momentum of change she has created.

Andrea was elected four years ago because we wanted change. Let's keep that momentum going.

Change is not an overnight process, but much progress has been made in the past four years. For example, she is working to end unfair racial disparities in the courts, and to build a culture of inclusion in our county. She is achieving that in a variety of ways.

Andrea Harrington has:



•  Been appointed to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Civil Rights Task Force to strengthen the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of civil rights violations statewide.
•  Created the first-ever Hate Crime Section in the Berkshire DA's Office to ensure that hateful incidents are met with the full force of the law.
•  Adopted equitable prosecution policies to minimize the impact of over-policing and over-prosecution on communities of color.
•  Launched evidence-based diversity equity and inclusion training for prosecutors and defense attorneys on the traumatic impact of policing on Black and Latinx people.

Berkshire County will continue to benefit by the work she has been doing and by what she brings to this office.
I hope you also want to see positive changes and new approaches continue to improve the many facets of the District Attorney's office.

I am confident in the work that Andrea Harrington has done and will continue to do.

I hope that on Sept. 6, you will vote to support her efforts on our behalf.

Hinda Bodinger
South Egremont, Mass.

 

 


Tags: election 2022,   


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King and Confidantes Debate Hope and Change in 'American Five'

By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Fiction and fact meld in the regional premiere of "The American Five," now playing at the Larry Vaber Stage of the Unicorn Theatre. 
 
The play takes a fictionalized look at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his four closest confidants in the months leading up to the famed March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. The quintet, through differing opinions, animated arguments, constant threats of violence and a late-night meal featuring challah bread and wine, become a family as they prepare for the history-making march that galvanized the Civil Rights movement.
 
Most of us know the King saga. It's the second act in which playwright Chess Jakobs' genius shines. Prejudice runs rampant here: Is Stanley Levison, a Jewish lawyer from New York who shows up in Montgomery to join the fight for racial equality and "to repair the world," viewed as white? Jewish? Both? And march strategist and organizer Bayard Rustin experiences his own fight for civil rights because of his homosexuality. Here, Jakob explores prejudice on different levels.
 
The cast is top-notch with many emotional highs. As King, Rashun Carter (who would look more like his character if he had a full moustache) and Sydney Elisabeth (as Coretta Scott King) are at their best during a scene that bounces between humor and poignancy. 
 
She questions her husband about his meeting with President John F. Kennedy; he is angry and refuses to discuss it. "There is no 'you' out there, without a 'me,' in here," she says, leading King to agree that because of her self-worth and unwavering devotion to him, she is "Coretta Scott Queen."
 
As Clarence Jones, King's personal counsel, Brett Diggs has assurance and dignity; Harry Smith's portrayal of lawyer Stanley Levison, is nothing short of extraordinary. Destan Owens' performance as gay Bayard Rustin is the play's most outstanding performance as he defends his relations with men: "You don't get to judge me!" he tells King. "I'm just trying to find love."
 
"The American Five" is tightly directed by Gerry McIntyre; the historic period projections and footage/designed by Alex Hill remind people that there are dreams, such as hope and change, that are still being fought.
 
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