Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

“Eviction is a cause, not just a condition, of poverty.”
-Matthew Desmond
Pulitzer Prize winning author, sociologist, and the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, where he is also the principal investigator of the Eviction Lab. Desmond was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2022.

There's a good amount of new events this week--so grab your calendars and let's get planning, WeCAN Community!  

Reminder: Group leaders and organizational reps: please continue to send in your Spring events to [email protected]. We are happy to post your events through May right now. We are also actively taking suggestions for "1 Minute Actions" and "5 Minute Actions" that are meant to invoke movement and solidarity among our community members. Any group can submit an action, but it must be for the benefit of a large amount of people with relatively little effort and resources. 

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1 Minute and 5 Minute Actions from Rights and Democracy

1 minute action: Tell your friends, family, and neighbors in Brattleboro and beyond to support the Just Cause Eviction initiative by sharing the Just Cause Eviction Website https://www.justcausevt.org/ and social media posts by Rights and Democracy. 
5 minute action: Sign up to volunteer your time at www.justcausevt.org/brattleboro
OR
Send your State Representative an email, referencing the RAD website, and ask them to support the initiative in your town. You can also donate and check out other campaigns and coalitions RAD has going on in VT and NH at https://radmovement.org/.

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Point/Counterpoint: For Brattleboro residents voting in March's Town Meeting 

Brattleboro WeCAN members, this week we have two events that are in contradiction to one another: an event listing asking the Brattleboro voter, on Town Meeting Day, to vote FOR the Just Cause Eviction legislation that will aim to provide protections for residential tenants from evictions without "just cause", and one event organizing people to vote AGAINST IT, from a group that asks the voter to focus on a different amendment to the Charter via the Representative Town Meeting. 

For a good representation of the facts, check out this VT Digger article here: https://vtdigger.org/2023/02/12/cause-or-no-cause-brattleboro-voters-to-consider-just-cause-eviction-charter-change/ and educate yourself before you vote in Brattleboro on Town Meeting Day. 

This ballot measure applies to those who live in Brattleboro only. It is not a state-wide initiative. If you feel that this ballot measure is something your town can benefit from, please contact your local State Representative and let them know!

The image below is of the sample ballot taken from Brattleboro.org.

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"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little." 
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
American politician and lawyer who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945

   We start this week with a series of 1 Minute Action Items via Planned Parenthood of New England, WeCAN community, and round it out with a queer dance party and a farmers' market....sounds like a great week to us! In between we have listings for free food and veggies, a select-board meeting, an Abenaki Arts webinar, healthcare resource hours, a happy hour for Ukraine, and a much-anticipated book launch party. It's going to be a quite a week here in Windham County--we can't wait to see you at one of these fantastic events. 

Reminder: Group leaders and organizational reps: please continue to send in your Spring events to [email protected]. We are happy to post your events through May right now. Thank you!

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1 Minute Action Items  from Planned Parenthood
(These are really easy and involve no actual mailing on your part. Just click the link, fill out the form, and notes are sent to your representatives based on your zip code. Easy peasy!)

• Thank House Representatives for voting Yes on H.89: 130 Representatives voted yes on H.89 – let’s thank them for their support (and ask the 13 Reps who voted no to consider changing their vote when the bill returns to the House): https://www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org/a/h89housethanks
• Send S.37 and H.89 messages of support to Senators: both bills are currently in the Senate. Urge your Senators to vote Yes to protect providers and patients!https://www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org/a/vtshieldlaws
• Other ways to support Planned Parenthood’s legislative work that may take longer than 1 minute:
  • Phone bank with us next Wednesday, February 22 from 5:30pm-8:00pm (training provided from 5:30pm-6:00pm!) to ask Planned Parenthood supporters to contact their Senators in support of S.37. Sign up here and bring a friend!
  • Write a letter to the editor in support of the Shield Laws OR Paid Family and Medical Leave (H.66). 

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"Homeless (people) exist because billionaires exist. In polarity, there is extreme poverty and extreme wealth. Bridge the gap between the two and you will find balance and an Earth that will survive the threat of humanity’s self-imposed climate change, among other existential threats. Earth is a reflection of humanity."
Deborah Bravandt,
author, metaphysician, and neurolinguistics programmer

  This week's email has something for everyone, WeCAN friends: a community cooking workshop, a potluck dinner, a Meet the Candidate forum, multiple options for free and accessible food, an art opening, a talk about how to preserve a legitimate American Abenaki biocultural history and worldview, an official book launch reading...and that's just naming a few of the vital events listed below. Grab your calendar and consider making a plan to join your community at an event soon; we look forward to seeing you there! 

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HAPPENING TODAY:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12th, 2023

Canned Tomato Sauce and Dinner
hosted by Edible Brattleboro
Sunday, February 12th, 2023 at the Brattleboro High School Kitchen (131 Fairground Rd, Brattleboro, VT 05301). 2pm-6pm.
Free; donations accepted with gratitude. Register by emailing [email protected].
Using tomatoes from our Summer garden, join us to make a batch of Italian style tomato sauce. We will also make noodles, salad, and dessert, and everyone will go home with a jar of sauce!

“Taking a little time to stock your fridge with healthy, homemade food is an act of self-care that will serve you well while you’re busy resisting. In other words, it’s important to take care of yourself so you can better take care of the world.”
Julia Turshen
activist and author of Feed the Resistance from Chronicle Books 

     This week's Weekly Email Update is chock-full of ways, ideas, and events to get your activist juices flowing, WeCAN members. As always, we encourage you to set aside a few minutes this week to peruse this email and plan to attend a meeting or event that you feel drawn to. If you're able, ask a friend or family member to join you as we work hard to create a fair and just Windham County for all of us. 
     We'd also like to remind our activist leaders and organizers to send in your Spring events as soon as you can. We are now listing into April and May (already!) and we encourage you to send your info in early so that it runs for as long as possible, allowing many eyes in our community to see your listing. Have a great week, friends! Until next week...

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Community Notices:

From Southern Vermont Sister District:
(Editor's Note: I've volunteered with Southern VT Sister District as a Soup Chef for over 5 years now and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. This program is amazing! - Joanna)

Next Soup Subscription!! Eat soup and support Democratic state organizations.
Use this link to subscribe and get yummy soup from February through May. The first soup on February 20th, 2023 (sign up ends February 10th, 2023). 
Your ‘soupscription’ fee will be supporting the Sister District State Bridges Program, which supports Sister District volunteers across the country to fund raise for organizations leading year-round power-building work. It's a win-win-win. Eat soup, give soup, support Sister Districts important work!
Sign up to attend any of these events by clicking the State Bridges link above. These events will feature folks on the ground who are building democratic bases in key states as well as one of the leaders from the National Sister District project.

• February 8, 2023 — Wisconsin: Citizen Action of Wisconsin & WISDOM
• February 22, 2023 — Pennsylvania: PA Stands Up & Pennsylvania United
• March 8, 2023 — Nevada: One APIA Nevada
• March 29, 2023 — Arizona: Living United for Action in Arizona (LUCHA) & Rural Arizona Action (RAA)  

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HAPPENING TODAY:
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5th, 2023

HAPPENING OUTSIDE WINDHAM COUNTY: TURNERS FALLS, MA
Crossroads Exhibit Ribbon Cutting
hosted by RiverCulture and Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center
Sunday, February 5th, 2023 at the Great Falls Discovery Center (2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA, 01376). 11am-1pm.
Come be the first to see the Smithsonian Exhibit, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, in Turners Falls! Get the scoop on how rural America has changed since 1900. The Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center board members, expert hosts of the monthly Great Falls Coffeehouse series, provide coffee and refreshments for this big day.
"Crossroads: Change in Rural America" will be on view at the Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A in Turners Falls from February 5 to March 18, 2023. The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and Mass Humanities. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.
"Crossroads: Change in Rural America" is a collaboration between Department of Conservation and Recreation, RiverCulture, Friends of the Discovery Center, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Montague Public Libraries, and New England Public Media. See the full calendar of events at https://greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org/.

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
MONDAY FEBRUARY 6th, 2023-SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12th, 2023 

Vermont Food Bank’s Veggie Van Go Upcoming Schedule: The First and Third Mondays of Every Month in the parking lot across the street from the main entrance to Brattleboro Union High School (131 Fairground Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-11am. 
Please, no early birds. 
Questions? Call 1-800-585-2265 or email [email protected]. 
Veggie Van Go is a program through the Vermont Foodbank that gives out free produce and local food for people to take home.
ATTENTION: The VT Foodbank asks that participants arrive at the Brattleboro Union High School no earlier than 9:45am. Cars that arrive early will be turned away until the start of the event.
Monday, February 6th, 2023
Monday, February 20th, 2023

Important information:

• Drive through model- please stay in your vehicles
• If you are walking there: see a Vermont Foodbank associate but please make sure to stay 6 feet back.
• There are no income requirements, registration or paperwork to participate
• You do not need to be present to get food: you may ask someone to pick up on your family's behalf.