Baseball Great Ralph Branca "Pitches" At MLKing Event Jan 10

Mary Lee Berridge to Receive MLK Award

by Judy Silberstein, photo by Karin Sherman

(January 4, 2007) 60, 40 and 20 years of progress will be celebrated by the Mamaroneck-Larchmont Human Rights Commission’s at its annual program in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Emelin Theatre on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 7:30 pm. This is the 20th year of the program; Larchmont’s Mary Lee Berridge will be honored for 40 years of community activism; and keynote speaker Ralph Branca, a teammate of Jackie Robinson, will be remarking on the integration of professional baseball 60 years ago.

Mr. Branca will help the community remember and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the integration of professional baseball by Jackie Robinson. A former pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Mr. Branca is himself a local sports legend, born in Mount Vernon and currently living in Rye. The program includes multi-media tributes to Jackie Robinson’s history-making actions and Mamaroneck student and faculty performances.

Another highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the 2007 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award to Mary Lee Berridge, a long-time Larchmont resident and the current chair of the Mamaroneck/Larchmont Interfaith Council and president of the Local Summit (chairing its Human Rights Committee). Her selection for the award is based on her contributions to the community over the past forty years, which the Commission found “exemplify the principles and dedication of Dr. King.”

Over the years Ms. Berridge has: protested race and religion-based exclusivity of some local clubs in the 1960’s; fought for local, fair and affordable housing; tutored children in Harlem, the Bronx and Port Chester. As a professional social worker, she chaired social service departments in area nursing and retirement homes for 23 years Most recently, she was honored with an “Amigo” award from the Hispanic Resource Center for her help in attempting to resolve the Mamaroneck day labor situation.

The Human Rights Commission noted, “Ms. Berridge’s noble commitment to social justice throughout the past several decades seems to have only strengthened her dedication.”

The public is invited to attend and participate in the free event. As stated in the invitation, “Broad community participation is essential to accomplish the mission of the Human Rights Commission.”

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