Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

“He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.”
Aristotle

 Thank you for joining us in the fight for equality this week, WeCAN friends. This week's Weekly Email Update has more than a few new entries, so settle in with your calendar and let's start making plans. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event or meeting soon!

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17th, 2020-SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd, 2020

Protest Vigil at TD Bank
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, February 21st, 2020 (and every Friday) at TD Bank Brattleboro (215 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT). In front of the building. 12pm-1pm. Signs will be provided
TD is a major investor in Tar Sands. TD helps to fund the Dakota Access Pipeline. What You Can Do (besides attending the vigils): If you’re a TD depositor, change banks! Founded in 2005, Post Oil Solutions is a 501c3 community organizing project in Southeastern Vermont whose mission is to help empower the people of the Central Connecticut River Valley bioregion in this era of global warming and climate change to develop sustainable, resilient , collaborative, and socially just communities leading to a self- and community-sufficient post petroleum society.

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Can Democracy Be Saved? (And Why Bother?)
hosted by Windham World Affairs Council
Friday, February 21st, 2020 at 118 Gallery (118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm-9pm. Coffee, tea, and conversation at 7pm, debate beings at 7:30pm.
Windham World Affairs Council (WWAC) will present a debate entitled, “Can Democracy Be Saved? (and Why Bother?). Two prominent residents of Walpole, NH, Ambassador Adrian Basora and Dr. Andrew Wilking will debate this question of urgent concern. After their debate there will be ample time for questions and dialogue.
The Debaters: 
Ambassador Adrian Basora, Trustee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Co-Chairman of its Eurasia Program and the Project on Democratic Transitions, and principal author of the book "Does Democracy Matter? The United States and Global Democracy Support." His earlier Foreign Service career included assignments in Prague, Latin America, Romania, France and Spain, and at the US State Department.
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Dr. Andrew Wilking, recently retired Professor of Pediatrics (Emeritus) at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He has long been a student of history with special interests in American and English colonial history.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up 
Monday February 24th, 2020 at KidsPLAYce (20 Elliot St., Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-7:30pm. A vegetarian meal and childcare for ages 10 and under will be provided. RSVP is helpful , but not required. Contact Abby Mnookin for more info at [email protected].
Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Action is a project of 350Vermont that brings together families to talk about the tough realities of climate change and to participate in the transition to a healthier and safer world.

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Racial Justice Organizing Meeting 
hosted by The Black, Indigenous, & People of Color Caucus and Lost River Racial Justice
Monday, February 24th, 2020 at at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams St. Brattleboro VT, 05301). First Floor. 5:45pm-8pm. Dinner is provided; Childcare is available; Fragrance-free, nut-free, wheelchair accessible space. To learn more visit: http://lostriverracialjustice.org/racial-justice-organizing-meetings/ or contact [email protected].
All those who wish to join the movement for racial justice are encouraged to attend our monthly RJO meetings. These meetings focus on education, organizing, relationship-building, and collective healing. We work together in a multiracial group as well as in breakout groups for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-identified and white-identified people.

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Climate Café presents
“Rollbacks: An Assault Against Life on Earth”, Film and Discussion
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Tuesday, February 25th, 2020 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 6pm-8pm. Free. Light refreshments available. For further information, contact Tim Stevenson, [email protected] or 802.869.2141. 
The impact of climate change is undeniable and catastrophic. The recent and ongoing fires in Australia are a heartbreaking demonstration of this. The Trump administration has met this crisis by systematically and efficiently enacting an alarming number of regulatory rollbacks, reversing past policy progress and putting our very existence at risk.
Through dramatic scenes of drought, wildfires, hurricanes and floods, ROLLBACKS  reveals how successful the Trump administration has been in reversing policies that protect the environment - from the Paris Agreement, to regulations on Coal, Endangered Species, the Opening of Public Lands to drilling, to mention but a few. The film tells the truth about the extremely dire situation we find ourselves in, with less than 8 years, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to make the changes necessary to avoid the worst consequences of our imminent catastrophe. 
Following the 30 minute movie, we will host a discussion that will center around the question: In light of the fact what is depicted in this video is the ultimate crime against humanity, and all other sentient beings, how do we as citizens effect the immediate and comprehensive changes required to avert climate apocalypse when we are opposed by such a hostile and life-subversive national government?
This video is produced and directed by the same people in Woodstock, Vermont who created the excellent film that we’ve screened in the past, “The  Wisdom to Survive: Climate Change, Capitalism & Community”.
The Climate Café is a project of Post Oil Solutions that periodically convenes during most months .

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Creating a Welcoming Community for Folks Returning from Prison
hosted by the Brattleboro Community Justice Center, part of the Brown Bag Lunch Series
Wednesday, February 26th, 2020 at the Robert H Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12pm-1pm. Wheel chair accessible.
Re-Entry Coordinator Michelle Bos-Lun and Americorps VISTA Grace Koch of the Brattleboro Community Justice Center will be sharing some information about their Circles of Support  and Accountability (CoSA) Program which provides a weekly space for folks returning from  prison to talk in circle with community volunteers about the challenges and the triumphs they are experiencing during the transition from incarceration to the Brattleboro Community. At this talk, you’ll learn a little about the challenges people face reentering the community  after prison, more about what the CoSA program is and how you can become a CoSA volunteer. Thanks to Strolling of the Heifer's for putting on this series!
Interested in Volunteering? Visit the event page for our CoSA volunteer training: https://www.facebook.com/events/1426018510890862/

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Dr. Cheryl Charles Presentation: Connecting Children with Nature
hosted by The Grammar School in Putney
Thursday, February 27th, 2020 at The Grammar School in Putney (69 Hickory Ridge Road South, Putney, VT, 05346). 6:30pm-8pm.
Please join us on Thursday, February 27th, at 6:30 PM for a talk presented by Dr. Cheryl Charles on the many benefits that come from children engaging with the natural world, including the ways in which engaging with nature promotes learning.  
Dr. Charles is the Co-Founder, President, and CEO Emerita of the Children & Nature Network (www.childrenandnature.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing equitable access to nature for all children. In 2015, she was named Research Scholar and founding Executive Director of the Nature Based Leadership Institute at Antioch University New England (AUNE), where she is also an adjunct faculty member. An experienced educator with a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, Dr. Charles served for seven years as founding National Director of Project Learning Tree, and for twelve years as founding National Director of Project WILD. These are among the most widely used environmental education programs in North America for K-12 educators. She is also a member of the steering committee for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Commission on Education and Communication and its worldwide campaign, #NatureForAll. She serves on the Athens-Grafton-Westminster and Windham Northeast Supervisory Union school boards and is an active member of the Living Earth Action Group that meets weekly on Fridays at the Westminster West Church. 

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Barriers to Voting for People with Disabilities: A Focus Group
hosted by Inclusion Center
Friday, February 28th, 2020 at Inclusion Center Inc (16 Bradley Avenue, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 11:30am-1pm. Located in the lower level of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. $30 stipend for your participation. Snow date is March 6th, 2020.
For more information, to register, and/or to request accommodations such as a sign language interpreter please contact Jamie Tamler at 802-387-5285 or email them at [email protected] or contact Merry Postemski at 1-800-824-7890 ext 112 or email them at [email protected].
Disability Rights VT will remain on site directly following the focus group to provide individual assistance with voter registration, absentee ballots, voting rights, etc..

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Dinner Together
Friday, February 28th, 2020 at the Winston Prouty School (209 Austine Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the Great Room in Thomas Hall. 5:30pm-7:30pm.
Free dinner, childcare, and gentle facilitated conversation for families struggling with mental health challenges and/or trauma recovery. It's also a space for caregivers facing those issues. 

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Northeast Queer Farmer Alliance Winter Gathering
hosted by Rock Steady Farm and Flowers and Out in the Open
Saturday, February 29th, 2020 at Out in the Open (74 Cotton Mill Hill Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05031) in Suite A206. 10am-2pm. ADH accessible. Carpool info coming soon.
Calling all LGBTQI+ farmers from Pennsylvania to Maine to join the 2nd annual gathering of the Northeast Queer Farmers Alliance. A loose alliance of LGBTQI+ farmers seeking community and support.
A Potluck Brunch (bring your own plates, cup, utensils) will be available. Then, join our conversation about what the alliance is and what is in store for the year ahead-- details TBD.

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Informal Democracy Round Table Discussion and Q&A
part of the Brattleboro Democracy Forum with Woody Bernhard and Nick Biddle
Monday, March 2nd, 2020 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12pm-1pm. For more information please contact [email protected]  or 802 464 3154.
12 string guitarist Burrie (A Burris Jenkins) from Northampton, MA will provide background music for the occasion.
Nick Biddle PhD. is a retired professor of history and Brattleboro resident since 2013.
Woody Bernhard is a Marlboro resident, retired carpenter, and organizer of the Brattleboro Democracy Forum.
Burrie is currently performing every 2nd Saturday night at The Floodwater Brewery in Shelburne Falls, MA.
Organized by We Celebrate Democracy/Civil Rights For All: positive nonviolent public action for democracy and civil rights for all people.

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Climate Cafe presents
Solidarity Event in Support of Indigenous Tribe’s Resistance to Oil Pipelines on Their Ancestral Land
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Monday, March 2nd, 2020 at the Brattleboro Food Coop (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Community Room (please use the 7 Canal Street entrance). 6pm-7pm. Please do not use the Coop parking lot; please park on Canal Street. Free. Light refreshments available.  
Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation in (so-called) British Columbia have called for URGENT SUPPORT as they defend their ancestral lands from fracked gas and oil pipelines and defend their sovereignty. COME TO a film/fundraiser to support the Unist'ot'en Camp!
We will show a short film, Invasion, about the ten-year Wet'suwet'en struggle and the healing center they have built in the path of the pipeline, as well as several short video updates.
The Canadian and provincial governments are violating Wet'suwet'en, Canadian, and international law. The Unist'ot'en Camp on 22 square kilometers of unceded territory is right now under attack by the courts and the RCMP. A call has gone out for Indigenous and settler-ally land defenders. Funds are urgently needed for on the ground and legal defense.

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Whole Hearted Activism with Steven Vannoy, PhD
part of the Brattleboro Democracy Forum
Monday, March 2nd, 2020 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm-9pm. For more information please contact Woody Bernhard at 802 464 3154.
Social activism is hard work. Our limited resources of time and energy must often be shared amongst family, work and community. The truly daunting challenges we face nationally and globally stir up feelings of anger and resentment, which fuel our activism. Although anger and resentment can be entirely appropriate and useful, who wants their lives to be driven by, and be exhausted by, these emotions? In this talk we’ll explore deeper aspects of our lives that can be used to nurture and sustain our calling to social-ecological-political activism. Whole hearted activism is activism fueled not only by outrage, it draws on compassion, gratitude, and other heart-centered values that give deep meaning to our lives and are thus sustainable sources of activist engagement.
Steven Vannoy, PhD, is a practicing psychologist in Brattleboro, and a socially engaged citizen.
The views expressed at the Brattleboro Democracy Forum are not necessarily those of Brooks Memorial Library 
Organized by We Celebrate Democracy/Civil Rights For All: positive nonviolent public action for democracy and civil rights for all people

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Views, Brews, and Grilled Cheese Legislator Mixer
sponsored by Windham Votes!
hosted by Windham County Vermont Democrats and Hermit Thrush Brewery
Thursday, March 5th, 2020 at Hermit Thrush Brewery (29 High Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-7:30pm
Join our  legislators to talk about the upcoming election and issues relevant to millennials living, working, and raising families  in Windham County. 

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Welcome Party: Out in the Open
Saturday, March 7th, 2020 at Cotton Mill Hill (74 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in Suite A206. 3pm-6pm.
See the new community space, meet new staff & board members, and celebrate rural LGBTQ community! More information about the afternoon coming soon!

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LGBTQ+ Night at the Circus Spectacular
hosted by Frog Meadow Bed and Breakfast and Massage Oasis for Men: Southern Vermont and Necca- New England Center for Circus Arts
Saturday, March 7th, 2020 at Echo Restaurant (69-73 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301) and the Latchis Theater (50 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301). Fundraiser begins at 5pm. Circus Spectacular begins at 7:30pm. Free admission. 
The Circus Spectacular is a dazzling fundraising event. Starring guest artists from circuses around the world, this is a unique opportunity to see some of today’s most renowned high flying aerialists, acrobats, and jugglers in Brattleboro on the Latchis Theater stage. An evening of incredible, world-class entertainment that supports scholarship and outreach programming that affects LGBTQ youth, families & circus professionals!
Over a third of those enrolled in NECCA’s programs (professionals, adults and kids) are either LGBTQ or and/or are being raised in same-sex parent households. NECCA is an oasis of support, trust, love and positive reinforcement for these LGBTQ kids, adults and families!
The excitement begins at Echo Restaurant across from the Latchis Theater! Join us from 5-7 pm for a pre-show Reception & Benefit to launch NECCA’s new LGBTQ+ Scholarship Fund complete with VIP Circus Cast appearances, door prize, $3,000 worth of raffle prizes, food, and cash bar. Plus, special Master of Ceremonies, professional circus performer and NECCA Graduate Marshall Jarreau!
Agenda:
     The excitement begins at Echo Restaurant across from the Latchis Theater! Join us from 5pm-7 pm for a pre-show reception & benefit to launch NECCA’s new LGBTQ+ Scholarship Fund complete with VIP Circus Spectacular cast appearances, door prizes, $3,000 worth of raffle prizes, food, and a cash bar. Plus, special Master of Ceremonies, professional circus performer and NECCA Graduate Marshall Jarreau will be on hand to dazzle! 
     Join us as the fun moves across the street to the Latchis Theater for the 7:30 pm performance of the 10th Annual Circus Spectacular. We look forward to seeing you there! 

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Climate Café presents
Self Care and the Climate Crisis: Healing the Internal and External Environment
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions 
Sunday, May 3rd, 2020 at the Brattleboro Food Coop (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the Community Room (please use the 7 Canal Street entrance). 1pm-4pm. Please do not park in the Coop parking lot; please park on Canal Street. Reservations Required; please email [email protected] to secure your spot and for more information.
Join Brendan Kelly--acupuncturist, herbalist, author--to hear how the overheating of the planet mirrors a similar overstimulation in our culture and within us individually. Using the lens of Chinese medicine, we’ll discuss how forest fires, melting ice and the rapid warming of the planet speaking to bigger and deeper issues for us personally and collectively. We’ll also discuss the importance of differentiating aspects of self-care and the use of local herbs, diet and lifestyle to address internal and ecological imbalances 
Brendan Kelly has been practicing Chinese medicine full-time for 16 years. He currently practices at the clinic he co-founded in Burlington, VT, Jade Mountain Wellness. He teaches Chinese medicine to undergraduate and graduate students at Northern Vermont University/Johnson State College, the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in FL and Daoist Tradition in NC. In 2015, North Atlantic Books published his first book The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis which uses the lens of Chinese medicine to look at the bigger and deeper issues of global warming.

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Healthy Relationship Lab
presented by the Brattleboro Community Justice Center and facilitated by a member of the Women's Freedom Center
Monday, March 9th, 2020 at the Brattleboro Coop (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the Community Room (please use the 7 Canal Street entrance). 6pm-8pm. Please RSVP to [email protected]. This room is wheel-chair accessible from the Canal Street entrance.
Join us for a lively conversation on intimate relationships. We'll discuss the full range of relationships, from healthy to unhealthy to abusive. We’ll explore communication styles, share ideas, & build skills to foster healthy relationships and discuss red flags. We will also learn about local resources.
This lab is a part of Community, Accountability, Safety, and Harm (CASH) Labs, a series of labs put on by the Brattleboro Community Justice Center that seek to build the skills that folks need to prevent, respond to, and heal from instances of interpersonal harm while addressing the harm's systematic roots.
Please RSVP, but it’s also okay if you show up the day of; the Community Room has a limit of 25 people so there is a small chance that if you don't RSVP you won't be able to attend the lab.

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State Delegate Selection Plan Training
hosted by the Vermont Democratic Party
Saturday, March 14th, 2020 at Brattleboro Savings and Loan (221 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the Community Room. 11am-1pm.
Join the VDP and the Windham County Democratic Committee to learn about the Party's 2020 delegate selection plan.

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The Salt of the Earth: The Rhetoric of White Supremacy
hosted by the Vermont Humanities Council and Brooks Memorial Library
presented in partnership with Middlebury College and the Mellon Foundation
Wednesday, May 6th, 2020 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm-8:30pm. Part of the Vermont Humanities First Wednesdays free lecture series.
In 2014 in Grand Saline, Texas, a 79-year-old white Methodist minister named Charles Moore set himself on fire as a final protest against the community’s racism. Drawing from his documentary film Man on Fire, Middlebury professor James Sanchez discusses the rhetoric of white supremacy and suggests ways communities might address bigotry.

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RESOURCE FOR WeCAN

Rapid Response Text Alert System
When WeCAN began, Song & Solidarity set up a Rapid Response Text Alert System for WeCAN Groups. Directions for signing up are on WeCAN's website, here: https://www.wecantogether.net/rapid_response. We are grateful to Song and Solidarity for providing this service.

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STANDING REGULAR MEETINGS  

Women Veterans Weekly Coffee and Tea Social
Thursday Mornings at Brattleboro Legion Post 5 Inc. (32 Linden Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 9am-10am.
All female veterans are invited to join in the Women Veterans group coffee held at the American Legion.  All women veterans are welcome. You do not need to be a Legion member.

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Youth 4 Change
Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month from 5:30pm-8pm. 
For more information please contact Youth 4 Change at [email protected].
Agenda:
5:30pm: Drop in homework time and art making
6:00pm: Food
6:30pm: Meeting and Organizing
Youth 4 Change is for local-area youth 12-22 interested in political organizing around local/state/national social justice issues that are important to them. Brattleboro area advocates and educators are holding a space, and assisting youth in building a strong personal tool kit to organize for change. Using a variety of creative methods, we aim to enable youth with tools for resilience, courage and compassion, while fostering their ability to speak up about issues that matter to them, and to take action in the name of love and liberation for all people.  Come explore issues of racial, economic and gender justice through art, movement, first-hand accounts and contemplative practices. Connect with area youth around the issues that matter to you and strengthen your tool kit for action! 

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Windham County NAACP Regular Meetings
Monthly community meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month at The Root Center for Social Justice (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) on the First Floor from 6pm-7pm. For more information please email [email protected]. All are welcome. 
The meetings are open to anyone interested in racial justice. The Mission of the NAACP is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

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Racial Justice Organizing Meetings Hosted by Lost River and The Root’s BIPOC Caucus
hosted by The Black, Indigenous, & People of Color Caucus and Lost River Racial Justice
4th Monday of Every Month at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:45pm-8pm. Dinner is provided; Childcare is available; Fragrance-free, nut-free, wheelchair accessible space. To learn more visit: http://lostriverracialjustice.org/racial-justice-organizing-meetings/ or contact [email protected].
All those who wish to join the movement for racial justice are encouraged to attend our monthly RJO meetings. These meetings focus on education, organizing, relationship-building, and collective healing. We work together in a multiracial group as well as in breakout groups for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-identified and white-identified people.

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Lost River Racial Justice Working Meeting
hosted by Lost River Racial Justice
2nd Monday of Every Month at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). First Floor. 5:45pm-8pm. Bring a dish to share if you’re able. Please contact us at [email protected] if you need childcare. Fragrance-free, nut-free, wheelchair accessible space.
Lost River is starting a NEW monthly meeting for white-identified people to gather and deepen our work together. We envision this being a space to dig in to the leg work of organizing and responding to community needs, to support each other with our process of unlearning and challenging white supremacy, and to be a place for new people to plug in. We hope you can join us and bring a friend!

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ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING 

Indigo Radio
Sundays at 12pm on Brattleboro Community Radio 107.7FM. To stream live, visit: www.wvew.org 
Indigo Radio, deepening understanding and making connections! IndigoRadio is a group of area educators seeking to learn through engaging with others in our community and throughout the world. We will be talking about educational and social issues both globally and locally and connecting them to our lives and Brattleboro community. Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indigoradiowvew/. For archive recordings of past shows: https://soundcloud.com/user-654648353. 

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     Thank you, this and every week WeCANners, for becoming the backbone of this County's fight for equality and justice. Your actions reverberate far and wide and we are so thankful for your activism. Until next week...