Interfaith celebration honors Martin Luther King Jr.
Great Barrington — Community justice and social economic development leader Professor Jessica Gordon Nembhard will speak at the 18th annual Interfaith Celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday on Monday, Jan. 16, at noon at the First Congregational Church, 251 Main St.
Author of “Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice” and a 2016 Cooperative Hall of Fame inductee, Gordon Nembhard will highlight W.E.B. Du Bois’ pioneering cooperative advocacy, reveal the hidden history of African-American cooperative businesses, and share contemporary cooperative opportunities for all.
“The Berkshire region has a unique heritage from Great Barrington native W.E.B. Du Bois and his vision of African American economic prosperity though cooperative economic enterprises,” observed Gordon Nembhard, who teaches at the City University of New York. “The idea for my book was originally sparked by Du Bois’ 1907 study, Economic Cooperation Among Negro Americans. For 15 years, I researched the unheard stories of African Americans who often risked their lives in order to form worker, producer and consumer cooperatives.”
A reception will follow, after which Gordon Nembhard will lead a community conversation at 1:30 p.m. to discuss cooperative options for youth and adults as well as programs for schools, businesses and local governments. The events are free and all are welcome. Those attending are asked to bring a nonperishable food item for the People’s Pantry.
More information is available via Housatonic Heritage.
–E.E.
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Narotzky to speak about 350Mass Berkshires
Pittsfield — Natalie Narotzky will speak at the next Pittsfield Green Drinks meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 5:15 p.m. at J. Allen’s Clubhouse Grille about 350Mass Berkshires and its ongoing climate change work within Berkshire County.
350Mass Berkshires is an all-volunteer climate change activism organization that is part of 350 Massachusetts. Narotzky will discuss plans for 2017–2018 activities, which will include a statewide campaign supporting cities and towns on the path toward 100 percent renewable energy and a legislative agenda that will focus in particular on solar energy, increasing the renewable portfolio standards, carbon pricing, fixing gas leaks and fighting the pipeline tax.
Narotzky volunteers as a co-coordinator of 350Mass Berkshires and serves on the statewide steering team of 350Mass as well as the board of trustees of Better Future Project, which supports 350Mass’ work. Outside of volunteer responsibilities, she works remotely for the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, a peer-learning network for local government sustainability directors from the United States and Canada. Narotzky received her M.S. in climate science and policy from the Bard Center for Environmental Policy and her B.A. in environmental and urban studies from Bard College. Natalie lives in Great Barrington and also co-coordinates the Great Barrington Green Drinks meeting at the Prairie Whale.
For more information, contact Elia Del Molino at 413-230-7321 or elia@thebeatnews.org.
–E.E.
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Pittsfield Community Television channels changed
Pittsfield — Pittsfield Community Television’s (PCTV) three community access channels have reassigned for local viewers who use “cable-ready” televisions to plug directly into their cable. Relocated from channels 116-1, 116-2 and 116-3, PCTV may now be found on channels 19-1, 19-2 and 19-3.
In order for viewers to continue to tune into their local programming, they will need to reprogram their televisions. This is usually done by accessing the menu button on the remote control, navigating to the section called “Antenna” or “Channels,” and then selecting “Auto Program.” This will allow cable-ready TVs to detect all the channels that are available on cable, including the three PCTV channels.
Viewers with cable boxes or smaller digital television adapters are unaffected by the change and will continue to see the channels on 16, 17 and 18.
Viewers who have difficulty receiving the channels should contact PCTV at (413) 445-4234, info@pittsfieldtv.org or on Facebook.
–E.E.
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WGBY to launch free 24/7 PBS kids services
Springfield — Beginning Monday, Jan. 16, WGBY Kids will be a 24/7 multiplatform offering. PBS Kids programs will air on WGBY Kids 24 hours a day. A live stream will also be offered, accessible online and via the PBS Kids app and will complement on-demand clips and full episodes.
Designed to meet the needs of today’s families, the new free 24/7 services will provide learning opportunities for every child whenever and wherever they access media. Following its initial launch, the live stream will expand to offer an integrated games feature, enabling children to toggle between a PBS Kids show and an activity that extends learning. The games will align with the learning goals of each TV series, deepening children’s involvement and supporting learning.
In the coming year, PBS and WGBY will roll out a variety of additional initiatives designed to meet the needs of today’s children, including new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) content, digital innovations and customizable tools for parents and caregivers.
The PBS Kids content is available on the following channels: DTTuner 57.3; Comcast 217; Charter 180; and Time/Warner 1276.
–E.E.
