NAACP Berkshires Freedom Fund Awards Ceremony
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by Tanisha M. Sullivan, president of the NAACP New England Area Conference and a nationally recognized civil rights attorney and equity advocate.
January 24 | Berkshire Hills Country Club, Pittsfield, MA | 5pm
The NAACP Berkshires annual Freedom Fund Awards Ceremony returns to Pittsfield with an evening of recognition, community, and fundraising in support of Berkshire County youth. Held at Berkshire Hills Country Club, the January 24 event brings together local leaders, advocates, and supporters for awards, conversation, and a dance floor that stays lively well into the night.
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by Tanisha M. Sullivan, president of the NAACP New England Area Conference and a nationally recognized civil rights attorney and equity advocate. A Boston native, Sullivan’s career spans legal practice, policy leadership, and executive roles advancing racial, social, and economic justice, including service as chief equity officer for Boston Public Schools and a 2022 campaign for Massachusetts secretary of state.
The ceremony honors individuals whose work has advanced freedom, equity, and justice across the Berkshires and beyond, with awards spanning community allyship, youth leadership, Indigenous advocacy, and civil rights legacy. The evening includes elaborate hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, an awards presentation hosted by Roberta McCulloch Dews, and music by DJ Jimmy Hall.
The 2026 award recipients include Sullivan and Wanda L. Houston (W.E.B. Du Bois Freedom Fund Award); Robert Mulhall (President’s Community Allyship Freedom Fund Award); Jay Santangelo (Jahaira DeAlto Freedom Fund Award); Shannon Holsey (Dorothy “Aunt Dot” Davids Indigenous People’s Freedom Fund Award); and Joey Pisani (Emmett Till Youth Freedom Fund Award).
Tickets are $100, with sponsorships and tables available. Proceeds support the NAACP Berkshire County Branch’s youth programs and ongoing civil rights work throughout the region.
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After a decade of writing for RI (along with many other publications and organizations) Jamie took over as editor in 2025. He has a masters in journalism from NYU, a wonderful wife, two kids and a Carolina dog named Zelda.
