Dr. Bilal Ansari Receives 2021 Peacemaker Award

Bilal Ansari, Faculty Associate in Muslim Pastoral Theology, has been recognized with the 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Peacemaker Award by the Northern Berkshire (MA) Community Coalition.

The Peacemaker Award is given annually to individuals or groups. The award, which originated as part of the local celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., is made to people or groups who have contributed substantially to peace in the Northern Berkshire region.

Dr. Ansari was recognized for his racial justice work in Williamstown, MA. He is a founding member of the town’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity Committee and serves on the Racial Justice and Police Reform group. Williamstown is the home of Williams College, where Dr. Ansari serves as a Vice President in the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

In an interview in iBerkshires.com, Dr. Ansari gave credit to others who have worked along with him for racial equity in the community. In that article, Wendy Penner of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, said:

“[Dr. Ansari’s] family has a long history in the Williamstown community, which he has shared, including painful acts of racism and discrimination against them,” Penner said. “[He has] used this history to educate and empower the community to respond to racism, to not tolerate racism and to address racist practices and their impact.”

Dr. Ansari will receive a certificate of recognition and his name will be engraved on a Peacemaker Plaque kept in the office of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.

For the full article in iBerkshires.com, visit this link.

Congratulations, Bilal