GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project has been awarded $50,000 from the Massachusetts Office of Economic Development for completion of a statue of W.E.B. Du Bois to be sited in front of the Mason Public Library on Main Street in Great Barrington.
The funding was requested by State Sen. Paul Mark (D – Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire District), chair of the state’s Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development. “Few people know that Du Bois—a civil rights giant and founder of the NAACP—was born and raised in Great Barrington,” said Sen. Mark. “These funds will help complete the monument and promote Black history and tourism in the Berkshires.”
“We are grateful to Sen. Mark for supporting our efforts to recognize Du Bois and [are] eager to join him in promoting Black history in the Berkshires,” said Ari Zorn, co-chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project.