Berkshire Community College to host annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Pittsfield— On Monday, January 19th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Berkshire Community College will host its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service at the Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church.
A welcome breakfast kicks off the event, followed by an engaging keynote speech by Alÿcia Bacon, the Community Engagement Officer for Equity & Inclusion at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Alÿcia Bacon is a published writer, poet, and artist whose poems, stories, and essays explore the sacred dance between memory, love, and liberation. With advanced degrees in Philosophy, Theatre, and Africana Studies, her work is shaped by a devotion to legacy, drawing inspiration from her family’s Ashby lineage and a practice of remembrance that asks what we inherit, what we heal, and what we refuse to pass down. As a keynote speaker, she blends story, scholarship, and cultural work to offer audiences both a mirror and a map, grounding big questions in lived truth and reminding us that the future is something we practice into being.
Following the keynote address, residents can give back to the community through volunteer activities with Habitat for Humanity and the Christian Center, as well as crafting Valentine’s Day Cards for residents of Hillcrest, organizing essentials with Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center, blood donations with the Berkshire Health Systems Bloodmobile, and more. Attendees will enjoy a free lunch following volunteer activities.
The day of events is on Monday, January 19th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located at 27 East Street in Pittsfield. Registration and more information can be found online.
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BRIDGE and community partners presents “MLK Weekend 2026,” a four-day observance
Great Barrington— From Friday, January 16th through Monday, January 19th, BRIDGE, in collaboration with Macedonia Baptist Church, Momma Lo’s, and Barrington Hall, invites the community to participate in “MLK Weekend 2026,” a four-day observance culminating in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday.
“MLK Weekend 2026” aligns with the King Institute’s national call: “Mission Possible, Part II: Building Community and Unification in a Nonviolent Way.” The community is invited to not only remember Dr. King, but to practice his vision together—through service, dialogue, creativity, and nonviolent action. The weekend is grounded in Dr. King’s vision of community, bringing together worship, mutual aid, service, culture, creative expression, and civic dialogue.
There will be mutual aid efforts, community meals, family-friendly concerts, worship, readings, hands-on service projects, creative and intergenerational activities, and facilitated community conversations. The weekend also includes a community video project, inviting participants of all ages to share reflections—in verse, poetry, song, or their own words—centered on Dr. King’s speech “Honoring Dr. Du Bois” and five themes drawn from Dr. King’s work:
- Moral courage and breaking silence
- Justice, disruption, and the danger of waiting
- Chaos or community
- Truth, legacy, and radical analysis
- Dream, vision, and democratic promise
Captured in part at the Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture, the project will create a living archive of community memory, truth-telling, and hope.
The weekend of events takes place from Friday, January 16th through Monday, January 19th in Great Barrington. All activities are free and open to the public. Transportation may be available by calling 413-274-2024 in advance. Registration and more information, including a full schedule of events, can be found online.
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Cantilena Chamber Choir presents annual Martin Luther King concert with guest artists the award-winning youth group Chorus Angelicus
Lenox— On Sunday, January 18th at 3 p.m., the Cantilena Chamber Choir presents its annual Martin Luther King concert with guest artists the award-winning youth group Chorus Angelicus.
The concert will commemorate the 86th anniversary of Marian Anderson’s historic concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday in 1939, a pivotal moment in American civil rights history. The renowned African American contralto had been scheduled to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., but the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), which owned the venue, refused to allow her to perform there because of her race. This decision sparked national outrage. The featured music on the program will be choral arrangements of spirituals sung by Anderson at the event and a live recording of the original broadcast speech by Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes will be played.
The combined-choir performance will also feature the choral music of composer Paul Halley and spirituals by Moses Hogan and William Dawson. Additionally, the winners of the Berkshire Eagle Martin Luther King student essay contest will read their entries.
The concert is on Sunday, January 18th at 3 p.m. at Trinity Church, located at 88 Walker Street in Lenox. More information can be found online.
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Norman Rockwell Museum presents special day of family activities celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Stockbridge— On Saturday, January 17th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Norman Rockwell Museum presents a special day of family activities celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
There will be guided family tours exploring Rockwell’s powerful Civil Rights-era paintings, drop-in art-making inspired by themes of equality and hope for all ages, as well as readings of stories and poetry related to the life and work of MLK, Jr.
The event is on Saturday, January 17th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Norman Rockwell Museum, located at 9 Glendale Road in Stockbridge. MLK activities are free with admission. More information can be found online.
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Clark Art Institute open with free admission in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Williamstown— On Monday, January 19th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Clark Art Institute is open with free admission in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Beginning at 11 a.m., The Clark honors the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a video capturing some of his most memorable speeches. The video will play on a continuous cycle throughout the day. The following exhibitions will also be on view: “Raffaella della Olga: Typescripts,” “Shadow Visionaries: French Artists Against the Current, 1840-1870,” “Mariel Capanna: Giornata,” and “Ground/work 2025.”
The event is on Monday, January 19th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clark Art Institute, located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. Admission is free. More information can be found online.
