With support from Greylock Federal Credit Union, Berkshire United Way (BUW) and Northern Berkshire United Way (NBUW) will present "Redlining & Racism" at 5-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at the Community Empowerment Center, located at 75 Kellogg St. in Pittsfield. The panel features Dr. Frances Jones-Sneed, Professor Emeritus, History and Political Science at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), with Kamaar Taliaferro, Political Action Committee Chair at the Berkshire County Chapter of the NAACP; Michael Obasohan, Chief Diversity Officer for the City of Pittsfield; and Rachel Mabee, Vice President, Culture and Brand at Greylock.
The discussion will cover the historical practice of redlining in Pittsfield and the long-term economic and social impact that remains across the region. Redlining refers to the creation of color-coded maps of banks and loan institutions with the intent to purposely disadvantage minority groups and place barriers to homeownership and deepen segregation. In 2022, Greylock commissioned a report on redlining, in collaboration with the Berkshire NAACP, to understand the impact and what can be done to help alleviate the effects.
The event is free and open to the public. The conversation is part of a series of conversations co-hosted by Berkshire United Way and Northern Berkshire United Way. The series concludes on December 2 in North Adams.
To register, visit https://www.berkshireunitedway.org/conversations.