"By March, the worst of the winter would be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run and the world would wake into itself again." ―Neil Gaiman

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March 2022

Directors Note:

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Welcome to March!


Spring is on the horizon! Get in your last chance for snow fun before it’s all gone!


This month we celebrate and increase awareness for: Women’s History, Ethnic equality, Gender Equality. And developmental disabilities. Purim will be from March 16-17. March 25 is both World down syndrome day and International day of rememberace of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade day.  March 31 is International Trans Day of Visibility!


As the world focuses on the invasion of Ukraine, let us also remember to pay just as much attention to other areas also facing similar pain like Palestine, Syria, and so many others. If your grief over these tragedies becomes too much, please know that The Davis Center, IWS, and The Chaplain’s office are here for you. If you are reading this from off campus, please consider reading this article on processing the ‘trauma of war from afar’. 


In this issue, we highlight a first for the Deaf Community, how instrumentals go hand in hand with lyrics, cycles of nature, and encourage you to color! Keep scrolling to learn about the great events and opportunities that march holds!


Read on!

Eden-Reneé

DC TEAM SHARES

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My name is Aseel Abulhab, and I'm the Assistant Director of the DC. Welcome to Williams Signs, and Happy New Year! Each newsletter, I will share something related to sign language and/or D/deaf culture. Happy signing!


Earlier this year, I highlighted the movie CODA in the DC newsletter. CODA stands for Children of Deaf Adults, and references folks who are hearing but often consider sign language as their first language because they grew up in a D/deaf household. The movie CODA tells the story of a hearing high school student who wants to study music and sign professionally, but also has to navigate her role in her Deaf family, who doesn't completely understand her aspirations. It stars Marlee Matlin, who is an awesome and very famous Deaf actress (check out her other work like Switched at Birth and Children of a Lesser God).


Last week, CODA won Outstanding Movie Cast at the 2022 SAG Awards. Troy Kotsur also made history as the first Deaf male actor to win a solo SAG Award for his role in the movie. You can read more about the awards and the cast's reactions here and make sure to watch the film if you haven't had a chance yet! 

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Greetings, Ephs! I’m Aly, the Associate Director of the Davis Center. Each month I write a little about issues of identity and power in U.S. musical culture.


This month, I want to share a little about what I’m listening to, because listening closely to a song to try to figure out how it works is one way I take a break–however briefly–from everything else. Since March is the month when Tracy Chapman was born (Chapman’s birthday is March 30), I want to suggest spending some time with Chapman’s song Fast Car.” 


“Fast Car” is one of those songs by an artist who never came out as queer, but which has somehow become something of a queer anthem. It’s not too hard to hear why. The lyrics suggest it’s a song about seeking intimacy when a family of origin can’t offer the care that’s necessary, about trying to break a toxic pattern that always seems to reassert itself. And the instrumentals accentuate that story. The rhythmic, repetitive guitar riff during the verse builds up energy but rather than moving into something new, it usually just reverts back to the loop. When the song does make it to the bridge and the chorus, the drums and guitar fill in sonic space, and there’s some energy that makes it feel like we’re finally going to get somewhere. But then…the verse returns, the loop resets, and the pattern reasserts itself. But Chapman’s final lines, over that hypnotic guitar riff, remind us that even when we feel stuck in a pattern, we can make the decision to change things up, however hard it might be.


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This past Sunday morning, I had a fantastic solo snowshoeing adventure atop Hoosac Ridge in Florida, Massachusetts. The snow was slushy and the ice was hazardous, but I had come well prepared and stayed dry and sure-footed. Really, it was just beautiful. By the time I got off the mountain, the air turned warm and a bit humid--and like that, ::snap:: all the snow in the area disappeared over the next twelve hours.


The outside world has a lot to teach us: one day it may be perfectly beautiful and the next a tempest; one day the world is drab and grey and a few weeks later the world is exploding in green before our eyes. As George Harrison (and many others!) have stated, "ALL THINGS MUST PASS." Good times will end....but so will the bad times. The coldest, most unforgiving weather will eventually give way to a period of pristine sun and warmth.


We cannot control the weather just like we can't always control what happens to us: what we can control is how we respond to something. Whether it's the weather or life circumstances, you do have the ability to control how you respond to the moment: if you choose to see something bad in it, that's YOU seeing it that way: OWN IT, that's all your making. In the same light, you can choose to look at it in a different light--in the least try to look at a misfortune as a great tool for learning and growth, if you can't think of anything else.


Either way, we need the rainy days, the cold days, the hot days, the perfect days--just like in our life, our growth comes from the good days, the bad days, the sad days, and the perfect days. Appreciate that all time is fleeting and wake up: go outside (figuratively and literally) and find something good to appreciate, because it's there just waiting for you to see it.

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I know I’m not the only person who really enjoyed coloring as a child. I’m kinda envious that my kids get to color every day. Luckily, adult coloring books are popping up everywhere, fostering creative juices while making us still feel like grown ups. Turns out coloring is a great way to live in the moment, destress, and lower anxiety. Coloring also boosts resilience. So, this month, let’s all COLOR! Your page doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t even have to be finished, just take some time to color. When will you find the time? During group meetings/classes when you don’t need to take notes (if you feel comfortable), during lunch, while watching tv, listening to a podcast, talking on the phone….anywhere you can get in a little time (or a lot!). There are lots of coloring pages in The DC (Jenness House) and free options online. Look for a page that speaks to YOU!


Want to go deeper? Color for 5-10 minutes every day (maybe work on the same image for a week) and journal for a few minutes afterwards about how you felt.


Want to learn more? Read this article about the many benefits of coloring and more on why it works.


Want to talk about it?  I’d be happy to talk! Here’s the office hour calendar for The DC Team! Also consider creating your own self-care check in group.

Click here to learn more about the DC team including office hours

EVENTS•OPPORTUNITIES•RESOURCES

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The Community Engagement Fellows are a Davis Center trained, peer-to-peer education group. The DC Community Engagement Fellows work closely with the DC staff and are part of the Davis Center’s effort to provide education for the campus on issues of identity, power, and privilege in order to build a more inclusive community. 


Community Engagement Fellows co-facilitate workshops, hold office hours, form partnerships across the campus, and work on independent capstone projects.


Apply to become a DC CEF Toady! Application deadline - Monday, April 4, 2022.


Information sessions are held in Jenness on Friday, March 11 from 1-2pm and Tuesday from 5-6pm!




Click here to apply!

The Future of Belonging: Contemporary French and Francophone Film Festival 2022

Over 3 consecutive Mondays at 7:30 PM, on February 28, March 7, and March 14, the Williams Department of Romance Languages will screen 3 recent French and Francophone films at Images Cinema that center the perspectives of Black and Indigenous women on the concept of belonging, love and family. The Davis Center is co-sponsoring this series; stay tuned to Daily Messages for more details about a workshop with filmmaker Amandine Gay and the Davis Center in early March.

  • March 7: Une histoire à soi/A Story of One’s Own (2021) by Amandine Gay. Q&A with director Amandine Gay and editor, sound engineer and producer Enrico Bartolucci after the film showing and lecture the next day.
  • March 14: Kuessipan (2019) by Myriam Verreault (written by Naomi Fontaine)
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SAY IT LOUD! ON RACE


An Online Talk with Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy On his New Book Say It Loud! On Race, History and Culture Wednesday, March 30, 2021 at 7pm EST Online via Zoom/Free and Open to All RSVP here to receive link  In his new book, Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy addresses a broad range of the key racial and social justice issues of our time, with essays on “The George Floyd Moment: Promise and Peril,” “Isabel Wilkerson, the Election of 2020, and Racial Caste,” “The Princeton Ultimatum: Anti-racism Gone Awry,” “The Constitutional Roots of ‘Birtherism’,” “Inequality and the Supreme Court,” “Frederick Douglass: Everyone’s Hero,” “Remembering Thurgood Marshall,” “Why Clarence Thomas Ought to be Ostracized,” “The Politics of Black Respectability,” “Policing Racial Solidarity,” and many others. In the preface, Professor Kennedy highlights his three sometimes-contradictory beliefs that run throughout these essays—that race continues to be a major force in America, that there is much to be inspired by when surveying the African American journey from slavery to freedom, and that social relations are complex and messy. Professor Kennedy writes: “I luxuriate in the messiness. I savor the paradox and irony. I try to share with readers my sense of surprise, ambivalence, and humility while seeking to understand the race line in American life.” Professor Kennedy is the Michael R. Klein Professor at Harvard Law School. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall after attending Princeton University, Oxford University, and Yale Law School. He writes for scholarly and general interest publications, and speaks regularly at venues such as The New York Historical Society.  Professor Kennedy will be interviewed by Doug Mishkin, a frequent OLLI speaker. Free and open to all, but pre-registration is required.  Click here to register safely and securely online. Generously co-sponsored by: BERKSHIRE GAS Click here to sign up for our free email newsletter, and don't miss out on our great programs! Click here to support lifelong learning in the Berkshires OLLI: the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College Partners in education with Williams College, Bard College at Simon's Rock and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 1350 West Street | Pittsfield, MA 01201 | 413.236.2190 | olli@berkshirecc.edu


Berkshire Natural Resources Council

March Hikes & Events


  • Family Woodland Discovery Hike at The Boulders, Dalton  
  • Saturday, March 12, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
  • Join us for a child-led stroll. Interactive signs along the trail will connect kids to the natural surroundings. 
  • Click here for more information.


  • Beginner Snowshoe Romp-Around at Bousquet Mountain, Pittsfield
  • Rescheduled: Sunday, March 13, 3:45 pm – 4:30 pm 
  • New to snowshoeing? Join us for a short beginner snowshoe session. You’re welcome to come for the session only or continue on the sunset hike.
  • Click here for more information.


  • Snowshoe/Winter Hike near Sunset to Mahanna Cobble, Pittsfield 
  • Rescheduled: Sunday, March 13, 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm  
  • Join us for a 3.2-mile out-and-back winter hike.
  • sidenote: Nat was part of a team that built the Mahanna Cobble trail
  • Click here for more information.


  • La Caminata Autoguiada Observar el Mundo Natural es Fácil:
  • Señalización de la Fauna Silvestre y de la Corteza de los Árboles estará en exhibición desde el sábado 12 de marzo hasta el domingo 3 de abril (desde el amanecer hasta el atardecer) en The Boulders Reserve en Dalton.
  • Por favor haga clic aquí para más información.

 

  • The Self-Guided Easy Naturalist: Wildlife Sign and Tree Bark walk
  • will be on display from Saturday, March 12 through Sunday, April 3 (dawn to dusk) at The Boulders reserve in Dalton.
  • Click here for more information.

 

  • Full Moon/Night Hike at Housatonic Flats, Great Barrington 
  • Friday, March 18, 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm  
  • Join us for a 1-mile beginner-level full moon hike.
  • Click here for more information.
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CLICK HERE TO APPLY TODAY!
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Berkshire Benchmarks is surveying county residents to understand better the issues facing us all. This survey covers economics, education, the environment, local government, health, housing, social environment, and transportation. The survey will take an estimated 20 minutes.

Click here to learn more

Integrative Wellness Services (IWS)

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IWS AND THE MANY SERVICES AND OPPORTUNITIES THEY PROVIDE

The Davis Center at Williams College

10 Morley Drive

Williamstown, MA 01267


diversity.williams.edu/davis-center/

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