Women of Color Giving Circle, Berkshire County Chapter of NAACP Graduates Recognition Event

03:08PM / Thursday, May 29, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Women of Color Giving Circle of the Berkshires, in collaboration with the NAACP – Berkshire County Branch will host the 23rd annual Graduates Recognition Event at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 31 at Berkshire Community College.

The event will be held in the Connector building.

The event, which is free and open to the public, recognizes Berkshire County high school graduates of African descent. Each student will receive a financial gift toward their academic pursuits. Additionally, graduates in attendance who are pursuing higher education and vocational/technical training will be eligible to receive additional stipend and scholarships from the sponsoring organizations.

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, Mayor Peter Marchetti of the city of Pittsfield, and Dennis Powell, president of the Berkshire County NAACP, will deliver greetings. The event emcee will be Mirabai Dyson, district legislative aide with the Office of Rep. Farley-Bouvier.

The event will feature a selection by Abby Percy, an alumna of the Rites of Passage and Empowerment (R.O.P.E.) Program, a dance performance by Youth Alive Dance Coach, Serina Saunders, and a poem recitation by Iyrielle Spratling-Keele, an ambassador in R.O.P.E.

The keynote speaker will be Shanique Rodriguez, Executive Director, Massachusetts Voter Table.

The Women of Color Giving Circle of the Berkshires works to build community, encourage youth development and educational success.

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Restructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to restructure the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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