In a powerful culmination of vision, purpose, and community, the Blackshires Leadership Accelerator celebrated the graduation of its third cohort on Thursday, June 26th, 2025, at Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Pittsfield. The event drew family, friends, civic leaders, and community partners to honor 14 dynamic graduates who have spent the last 15 weeks cultivating leadership, building businesses, and launching high-impact projects across Berkshire County.
Led by the Blackshires Community Empowerment Foundation, the Leadership Accelerator is not your typical training program—it is a launchpad for BIPOC excellence rooted in equity, healing, and empowerment. Over the course of the program, fellows engaged in intensive workshops, mentorship, and community tours while developing their own “Impact Charters”—strategic, actionable plans designed to catalyze real-world change.
A Leadership Ecosystem for a New Generation
“This isn’t just a graduation,” said John Lewis, Executive Director of Blackshires, “it’s a declaration. We’re not just training leaders—we’re cultivating architects of equitable futures. These graduates are not waiting for seats at anyone’s table—they are building new tables, rooted in the values of community, ownership, and belonging.”
From creating culturally responsive birthing collectives to launching inclusive arts initiatives, each project represented a commitment to dismantling systemic barriers while honoring the rich legacy and future promise of Berkshire’s Black and Brown communities.
A Ceremony Marked by Joy, Vision, and Challenge
The event began with warm welcomes by Board President Dubois Thomas and a prayer from Pastor Donsil Harris, setting a tone of reverence and celebration. City of Pittsfield DEI Officer Michael Obasohan offered remarks affirming the city’s ongoing partnership with Blackshires, and cohort members Alexa Icenia and Ashni Sunder shared emotional reflections on the program’s impact.
The highlight of the evening was a stirring keynote by Andre Lynch, Vice Provost of Institutional Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at MCLA. In an address that moved the crowd to tears and ovation, Lynch challenged the graduates to trade dreams born of survival for visions rooted in power and purpose:“We’re not guests—we are the carpenters. And we don’t just build tables anymore—we plant forests. Forests rooted in equity and belonging… where new seeds don’t just sprout—they thrive.”
Meet the 2025 Graduates
This year’s cohort includes 14 fellows whose projects span housing, wellness, arts, education, youth development, cultural preservation, and system reform:
- Kulton McCall – Blessed Roots Foundation
A creative community initiative empowering Black writers, artists, and entrepreneurs through storytelling and social change. - Noel Staples-Freeman – Berkshire African Diaspora Dance and Drum Collaborative (B.A.D.D.)
A cultural arts hub that teaches African and Caribbean dance traditions while training future performers and educators. - Alexa Icenia – Mahogany Forum
A media platform spotlighting underrepresented leaders through curated storytelling and increased community visibility. - Brianna Christie – Complexities of Her Body: A Hybrid-Poetic Memoir
A healing narrative that uplifts the stories of Black women survivors of sexual violence. - Dallas Jones – Grit and Embers Initiative
A youth wellness project using physical and mental fitness to support Black boys and young men in Berkshire County. - Don Harris – Just Kickin’ It Bar-B-Que
A food truck delivering authentic North Carolina BBQ while building community through food and cultural connection. - Kathia Maitre – Supportive Housing for Women & Mothers of the Berkshires in Recovery
A housing model providing trauma-informed support for women in recovery, especially mothers with children. - Royaltee Love – A Royal Experience Consulting Program
An empowerment initiative offering natural hair care education to promote cultural pride and self-worth. - Flordaliza Pimentel – Broader View Consultants
A consulting firm working to make legal spaces more culturally affirming and accessible for Black and Brown residents. - Samantha Elliott – Ancestral Blooming Birthing Collective: Voices of Birth Pilot
A maternal health equity project using community storytelling to inform future birthing care models. - Ashni Sunder – R.O.O.T.T. – Radical Opportunities for Overcoming Troubles Together
A land justice initiative building sanctuary spaces for marginalized communities rooted in healing and collective care. - Ygor Lobo – Unlearn. Rebuild. Transform.
A forthcoming book and practical equity framework to transform systemic whiteness in arts and culture institutions. - Glory-Anne Jones – Vessels of Voice
A storytelling and wellness program led by Black and Brown Elders to build intergenerational healing through tea circles. - Erica Barreto – HEARTWORKS
A consulting business that applies design thinking and joyful learning to support community education and activation.
Each fellow received a $2,000 completion grant to help advance their initiatives, representing just one element of the Blackshires Foundation’s commitment to tangible support and long-term impact.
Powered by Partnership
The 2025 Accelerator was made possible through support from the Massachusetts Urban Agenda Grant ($100,000), with additional funding from 1Berkshire, Berkshire Bank Foundation, Common Capital, and donors like Josie Greene of the Crane Family, Milltown Capital, Lee Bank, and Ann Henderson.
Key partners included Berkshire Innovation Center, EforAll, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Team R3SET, Celebration of Black Voices, Jacob’s Pillow, Berkshire Film & Media Collaborative, Ventfort Hall, and the City of Pittsfield.
A Model for What’s Next
The Blackshires Leadership Accelerator is more than a program—it’s a movement. It redefines leadership development as a community-rooted act of transformation and equity. Graduates leave not just with skills, but with a calling—to plant forests of change, equity, and possibility across Berkshire County and beyond.
As keynote speaker Andre Lynch reminded the crowd: “Your story is not a weakness. It’s your power.”
