Letter: International Women's Day

Letter to the EditorPrint Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

This letter was ignored by the Berkshire Eagle

Friday, March 8, was International Women's Day. Here in the Berkshires, it was celebrated by the Zonta club, an International Women's Leadership organization, by honoring six dynamic women from our community at a special dinner that attracted over 200 attendees.

This diverse group of women has made monumental contributions from coaching young professionals to build careers here to providing over two million diapers to those in need. These women aren't CEOs of big corporations and they didn't develop the latest app. They excelled by giving their time, skills and in most cases their own money for the benefit and betterment of the Berkshires. Their stories are inspirational, serving as powerful testaments of selfless service to guide young girls and women.

On Saturday morning, I sat down with my digital copy of the Berkshire Eagle–our Hometown Newspaper– expecting to read about this event and the special women leaders who are uplifting our community but there was no story or photo. Making headlines was the lead story with photos about “Drag Time Story Hour for our Children.”


I seriously question the Eagle's editorial decision and judgment. How do you ignore this opportunity to illustrate International Women's Day through local coverage of Zonta's six remarkable honorees, from diverse backgrounds and roles, who are leading the Berkshires to build a more equitable, desirable and respectful place to live?

I've met the editor and publisher of the Eagle. He's a smart guy. This wasn't a mistake. I believe this was an intentional effort by our hometown newspaper to advance a political agenda while ignoring real community heroes. Eagle editors have demonstrated irresponsible behavior and a lack of leadership and judgment by propagating a targeted narrative.

Get the focus where it belongs.

Respectfully,

Roger Gibboni
Lanesborough, Mass. 

 

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Boards OK Permanent Mural Honoring 54th Regiment

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — City boards and commissions have approved a permanent mural in Durant Park honoring the Black residents who fought in the Civil War. 

During its Jan. 20 meeting, the Community Development Board approved a floodplain site review for "Pride of the Westside," an approximately 25 x 12-foot mural of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment.  The project was brought forward by the Westside Legends and unveiled during the 2025 Juneteenth celebrations

Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath has been working closely with the neighborhood revitalization nonprofit to permanently mount the mural in Durant Park, located at 30 Columbus Ave. 

"It's a very handsome mural, and I think it really tells an important story about Pittsfield's role in the Civil War and particularly around the African American experience," he said, adding that the regiment’s story needs to be told. 

The 54th Mass was the second Black regiment raised during the Civil War (the 1st Kansas was formed two months earlier) and a priority of Gov. John Andrew and abolitionist supporters. These soldiers would prove their bravery not only in battle but against the discrimination and bigotry they faced, and harsh treatment or execution if captured. 

By the end of the Civil War, nearly 180,000 Black soldiers had seen service in the Union army.
 
The regiment's establishment in 1863 and its heroic actions at Fort Wagner in South Carolina were dramatized in the film "Glory" starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Broderick as Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Shaw and his troops are memorialized across from the State House in a bronze relief by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
 
Frederick Douglass' two sons were among its recruits, and Pittsfield's the Rev. Samuel Harrison of Second Congregational Church was its chaplain. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories