Southern Berkshire County Resource Guide Released

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LEE, Mass. — A collaboration between the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative, Families Like Ours Inc., and the Tri-Town Health Department has resulted in the release of the Southern Berkshire County Resource Guide.
 
The Southern Berkshire County Resource Guide is designed to connect individuals and families with essential services. It helps to navigate services such as food access, housing support, mental health support, special needs services, and transportation options. 
 
Additional sections are being developed for future printings of the guide, and the Resource Guide will be regularly updated online throughout the year.    
 
The Southern Berkshire County Resource Guide is available in both print and digital formats. The printed version will be distributed in March 2025 to first responders, town clerks, libraries, boards of health, and council on aging offices.
 
 
Suggested changes or additions or requests for printed copies can be directed to Rania Markham at Rania@familieslikeoursinc.com. This resource is free of charge.    
 
Jayne Smith of SBPHC stated that the guide was initially developed for first responders, public health officials, and service providers, but is a valuable tool for everyone.    
 
The Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative is a shared services arrangement providing support to the local boards of health in its 12 member towns, including Alford, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, and Tyringham.  Services provided by SBPHC to member towns include public health nursing, inspectional and health agent services, car seat fittings, sharps disposal, and community collaboration.    
 
Families Like Ours is a non-profit organization that supports families of individuals with special needs in Berkshire County.    
 
Tri-Town Health Department is a regional health department providing public health services to Lee, Lenox, and Stockbridge.  Tri-Town, through the Town of Lee, is the fiscal host for the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.   
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

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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