Great Barrington — The work of Multicultural BRIDGE Founding Director and CEO Gwendolyn VanSant, along with community leader Wray Gunn, was celebrated at an awards ceremony at the Mahaiwe Cemetery on Saturday, July 15 in front of the Du Bois family grave site. The ceremony, known as the Torch-Bearer Awards, was part of this year’s Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run.
The organization behind the event is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based out of New York City and has organized the peace torch relay event since 1987. According to its website, since its inception, the organization has had over seven million participants in 155 countries, with over 395,000 miles run with the torch.
The event was founded by late Indian spiritual leader, athlete, musician, and peace activist Sri Chinmoy.
This year’s North American leg of the Peace Run began in New York City, traveling throughout the east coast up through Canada, with plans to finish in Chicago. Along the way, the relay has included stops in numerous towns and cities, including at Mahaiwe Cemetery for the Torch-Bearer Awards ceremony.
The award is a recognition of “people from all walks of life for their tireless efforts for a better world,” Berkshire County event coordinator Begabati Lennihan. “While the peace run and Torch-Bearer Awards is a celebration of peace, it’s also a celebration of a lot of other different qualities,” Lennihan told The Berkshire Edge. “One of those qualities is the oneness of humanity. W. E. B. Du Bois was such a beautiful example of someone who encouraged the oneness of humanity. He was an example of someone who encouraged racial justice and also worked for international peace. Every time we go around the world, in many of the communities that we go through, we celebrate local heroes, including those who have worked very hard in the spirit of international peace.”
Torch-Bearer award winner Gunn is a well-known community leader with many achievements in Berkshire County. Gunn was the co-chairman of a Human Rights Commission in 1969 that led to the founding of Construct Inc. He eventually became a charter member and president of the organization. Gunn has also held leadership roles with Sheffield’s Planning Board, Historical Society, and the Lions Club, and is the founder of the Clinton Church Restoration organization, now known as The W. E. B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy.
Gunn could not be present at the award ceremony, but his award was accepted by Virginia Conway of the Macedonia Baptist Church, who read a speech on his behalf. “I’m sorry I cannot be with you today, but I am very honored to receive this award,” Gunn wrote in his speech. “My family has been involved with Du Bois since the 1950s when meetings were held at our home in Stockbridge to determine ways to honor Du Bois in Berkshire County. I appreciate all that is being done for his legacy right now.”
VanSant was the second Torch-Bearer Award winner who was honored at the ceremony. As per the organization’s website, she co-founded Multicultural BRIDGE in 2007 as a grassroots organization dedicated “… to advancing equity and justice by promoting cultural competence, positive psychology, and mutual understanding and acceptance. The organization acts as a catalyst for change through collaboration, education, training, dialogue, fellowship, and advocacy.”
Her many achievements include serving as the founding director of Equity and Inclusion at her alma mater Bard College at Simon’s Rock in 2016. In 2017, VanSant spearheaded the county-wide “Not in the Berkshires” campaign. She was recognized as an Unsung Heroine by the state’s Commission on the Status of Women in 2018, and in 2019, she received the Woman of the Year award from Berkshire Business and Professional Women.
“I am deeply moved by this honor,” VanSant said in her acceptance speech. “Over 7 million people have held this Peace Torch. This global demonstration for peace began in 1987, which is when I came to the Berkshires. What does peace mean to me? The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘peace’ as a state of not being interrupted or annoyed by problems, noise, and unwanted actions.’ Mostly, it is freedom from war and violence. Peace to me, at this moment, signifies a celebration that reflects deep gratitude for those that hold the vision of peace, those that run, work, and sacrifice for that vision in the past, present, and future. It means that we are all in this together, and the connection is real. Work is happening, and hope is here.”
