Weekly Email Update 9.17.18
"I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated."
Malala Yousafzai
We'd like to let you know, Friends, about an event happening in Burlington, Vermont that may be of some interest to you WeCAN Family.
On Sunday, September 23rd, 2018 the Let Equality Bloom Festival: Power to the Polls, hosted by Women's March Vermont, will take place in Burlington's Old North End from 12pm-8pm. A day-long empowerment and voter education festival that takes place in many different venues, spend the day amongst guest speakers, live music, performance art, interactive workshops, group art projects, food trucks, and, of course, voter registration. The festival will introduce new and future voters to the diverse and exciting social justice movements brewing here in Vermont and across the country. It will be held at venues across the Old North End of Burlington from Noon to 8 p.m. Performances, speakers, headquarters, and finale celebration will be based at O.N.E. Community Center. In addition to inspirational speeches, the festival will include a slate of interactive workshops. New York Times best-selling Young Adult author Maureen Johnson will team up with Young Writers Project, Inc.'s visionary Artistic Director Rajnii Alexander Gibson Eddins to co-host an empowerment workshop based on How I Resist, a recently published collection of essays about activism and hope that Johnson edited.
You can find more information at letequalitybloomfestival.com/. If you do attend, please be sure to send some of your pictures to [email protected] and we'll post them in a future Weekly Email Update! Have a great week!
HAPPENING TODAY, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th, 2018
Share the Harvest
sponsored by Edible Brattleboro, A Project of Post Oil Solutions
Sunday, September 16th, 2018 at the Turning Point Garden (the corner of Elm Street and Frost Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 11am-1pm. Please bring your own bags.
Join Edible Brattleboro from 11am-1pm in our garden at Turning Point, on the corner of Elm and Frost Street (diagonally across from New England Youth Theatre) for free, locally grown veggies, herbs, and more. Please bring your own bags. All produce is free thanks to the generosity of local farmers and gardeners. We welcome donations from your garden. We also welcome donations of your time either on Saturdays or Sundays to keep the stand open through October.
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HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th, 2018-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2018
Pathways Vermont Meet and Greet
Tuesday, September 18th, 2018 at the Pathways Brattleboro Office (116 Birge Street, Brattleboro, VT). 5:30pm-6:30pm. If you are interested, please respond to [email protected] so that Pathways can be sure to save you a seat.
Pathways Vermont is offering a one-hour program for folks to see their work firsthand and meet Executive Director Hilary Melton and some of the great staff and service recipients. No one will be asked to make any financial contributions, but you will receive a call in the days following to discuss your thoughts and questions. Calvin Moen, a former staff person and board member, will be hosting the event. Pathways Vermont's mission is "to transform the lives of people experiencing mental health and other life challenges by supporting self directed roads to recovery and wellness in an atmosphere of dignity, respect, choice and hope."
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Environmental Justice & Nuclear Waste: The Road from New England to Texas and New Mexico
sponsored by the Safe and Green Campaign
Wednesday, September 19th, 2018 at the Centre Congregational Church (193 Main St., Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 6pm. Leslie Sullivan Sachs, [email protected] 802-763-8459.
CAN is organizing a High-level Nuclear Waste (HLNW) Tour in New England to address the abdication by the federal government and the nuclear industry to deal with HLNW stranded at nuclear sites throughout the country. We have a ‘mock’ high-level nuclear waste cask and are taking it on the road to show people what an estimated 1,000 shipments through New England could look like.
The tour will bring speakers from across the country to discuss the issues of nuclear waste, federal policy, environmental justice and direct action.
Speakers include Kerstin Rudek from Peoples Initiative Bürgerintiative Umweltschutz Lüchow‑Dannenberg (Germany), organizer of the successful opposition to nuclear waste transport to Gorleben; Tim Judson, executive director of Nuclear Information and Resource Service; Leona Morgan from the Navajo Nation; and CAN’s Chris Williams and Deb Katz who will address the issues of NorthStar’s decommissioning goals including sending HLNW from Vermont Yankee to Texas. The Tour will focus on the industry’s attempt to create centralized interim storage (CIS) for HLNW in Andrews County, Texas as well as a second site in Hobbs, NM. Recently, legislation passed the House that would support this controversial approach and fund it. It’s important for people to know where their legislator stands on this industry driven nuclear waste and environmental justice issue. Speakers will address the need to create a permanent solution for this toxic waste and how it will impact vulnerable communities. What is needed is a scientifically sound and environmentally just solution. Please join us on Sept. 19th at the Centre Congregational Church Parlor. If you have a conflict, on Thursday Sept. 20th the Tour will be in Greenfield MA, at 7:00 PM, Hawks and Reed, 289 Main Street, Greenfield, MA, NUCLEAR BLUES with The Wildcat O’Halloran Band, “Downtown” Bob Stannard, Court Dorsey as “Will Nukem”, and speakers.
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Protest Vigil at TD Bank
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, September 21st, 2018 (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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Come Celebrate The Root's 5th Birthday
Saturday, September 22nd, 2018 at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). First Floor. 3pm-8pm. The event is wheelchair accessible. Please come fragrance free. For more information please go to www.therootsjc.org, call 802.254.3400, or email [email protected].
We are celebrating the success of the past 5 years and raising funds to keep our future strong. Become a monthly sustainer and get one of our new Root t-shirts!
Agenda:
3pm Making Signs for the Parade
4pm Racial Justice Parade Around Brattleboro
6pm-8pm Potluck Dinner and Short Program Followed by Performances
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Share the Harvest
sponsored by Edible Brattleboro, A Project of Post Oil Solutions
Sunday, September 23rd, 2018 at the Turning Point Garden (the corner of Elm Street and Frost Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 11am-1pm. Please bring your own bags.
Join Edible Brattleboro from 11am-1pm in our garden at Turning Point, on the corner of Elm and Frost Street (diagonally across from New England Youth Theatre) for free, locally grown veggies, herbs, and more. Please bring your own bags. All produce is free thanks to the generosity of local farmers and gardeners. We welcome donations from your garden. We also welcome donations of your time either on Saturdays or Sundays to keep the stand open through October.
Edible Brattleboro is in Need of Volunteers!
Sundays through October at the Turning Point Garden (corner of Elm and Frost Street, diagonally across the street from NYET, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 11am-1pm.
We need 4 volunteers every week - 2 on Saturdays to glean at the Farmers Market and 2 on Sundays to operate the stand. New volunteers are always paired with an experienced person. If you are interested, please email Marilyn ([email protected] or reply to this message) or visit our Sign-up site to reserve a spot.
Fresh veggies, herbs and more are available for F*R*E*E every Sunday thanks to the generosity of our local farmers and gardeners. Please bring your own bag.
PLEASE HELP US KEEP THE STAND OPEN THROUGH OCTOBER. WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON AND NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS IN ORDER TO CONTINUE.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up
Monday September 24th, 2018 at KidsPLAYce (20 Elliot St., Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-7:30pm. A vegetarian meal and childcare for ages 8 and under will be provided. RSVP 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. We'll continue on our theme of "adaptation." What does that word mean to you, and how does it relate to our changing climate?
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Climate Café Hosts Presentation on Vermont’s Wildlife in a Changing Climate
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Tuesday, September 25th, 2018 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT). 6pm-8pm. Free. Light refreshments will be available. For further information, contact Tim Stevenson, [email protected] or 802.869.2141.
The September Climate Café is pleased to host Tom Rogers of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department for a presentation about Vermont’s wildlife in a changing climate. Vermonters of all ages are invited to attend.
Through colorful photos and captivating stories, the audience will come away with a new understanding of how climate change is affecting wildlife. Rogers will talk about what people can do to help conserve biodiversity in Vermont in the face of these new threats.
“From warmer, wetter winters to increasingly severe storms, wildlife faces a variety of challenges from a changing climate,” said Rogers. “We’ll discuss how different species might continue to respond to many of these challenges and what conservationists are doing to address them.”
Tom Rogers is a biologist who has worked on a variety of conservation projects, researching zebras in Kenya, golden-winged warblers in New York, sage grouse and bald eagles in Wyoming, and grizzly bears in Montana. Tom currently works in outreach for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, connecting the public with fish and wildlife through writing, speaking, and photography.
The Climate Café is a project of Post Oil Solutions that convenes the 4th Tuesday of most months.
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Building Community Resilience in the Age of Trump
a presentation by Post Carbon Institute and sponsored by Post Oil Solutions & Everyone’s Books
Wednesday, September 26th, 2018 at 118 Elliot Street (118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm-8:30pm. This event is free, though donations will be gratefully accepted, and light refreshments will be available. For further information, contact Tim Stevenson, [email protected] or 802.869.2141.
Post Oil Solutions and Everyone’s Books is pleased to host a talk by Asher Miller and Rob Dietz of the Post Carbon Institute on the topic “Building Community Resilience in the Age of Trump.
It seems that everywhere we turn — politically, economically, environmentally — things are awry. Sadly, we’re likely to experience even more disruption and shocks in the months and years to come as the full effects of climate change, resource scarcity, and economic uncertainty and inequality are felt. Worse, many of our nation’s leaders are not only failing to address these issues, they are determined to make them harder to solve.
While resistance and political engagement on the national scale are critical, it is likely that the greatest progress and most important interventions will happen at the local level. Join us for a thought-provoking and inspiring exploration of what it means to build community resilience in the Age of Trump.
Founded in 2003, Post Carbon Institute is a think tank which provides information and analysis on climate change, energy scarcity, and other issues related to sustainability and long term social resilience. Asher Miller is the Executive Director of Post Carbon Institute; Rob Dietz is its Program Director.
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Two Workshops with Sherri Mitchell, Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice Activist
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Healing Our Collective Trauma and Reconnecting with Our Spiritual Source + Healing Our Divisions and Biases and Unifying Our Movements
Saturday, October 27th, 2018 - Sunday, October 28th, 2018 at the Winston Prouty Campus (209 Austine Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in Croker Hall on the 4th Floor. 9am-5pm. Handicapped accessible. Updated location/instructions to follow closer to event. We will only accommodate the first 50 people that register, with a wait list beyond. The minimum participants are 20; we will cancel if we get less than this, and reimburse registrants accordingly. People are encouraged to bring a bag lunch and snacks for themselves, or to share. Registration: $125.00. Write & Mail Check to Post Oil Solutions, P. O. Box 431, Townshend, VT 05353, (note “Sherri Mitchell” in memo line). Please include e-mail address and phone number.
Healing Our Collective Trauma and Reconnecting with Our Spiritual Source
Description: This one-day workshop will take participants on a journey into Native American mythology and cosmology, as a means of healing our collective wounds and reconnecting with spiritual source. We have all been impacted by histories of violence. The oppressed, the oppressor, and the witness alike bear the wounds of our collective past. Together, we will look at the psychic and spiritual wounds that we all share and learn how we can untangle their hold on our hearts and minds. Participants will be asked to look at the history that led to this traumatization and explore how it continues to impact their lives. We will also learn how to hold sacred space for one another while our trauma is present. In this process, we will learn that there is a safe space for us to occupy together, whole and intact. Then, we can begin the process of healing our divisions, so that we can go back and claim a new future for all living beings.
Healing Our Divisions and Biases and Unifying Our Movements
Description: This one-day workshop provides participants with an opportunity to look at the divisions and biases, including hidden biases, that have been built into our societies and ideologies. We will look at the divisions created by our shared history, the biases informed by that history, and the ways that they prevent us from joining our movements. We will learn how to find interest convergence points that enable us to work with one another across these divisions, and how to manage the intersectionality of the emerging movement of movements.
REFUND POLICY FOR PARTICIPANT CANCELLATION: People can get a refund of the full price if they cancel 10 days prior to the event; after that they can get 50% up to 5 days before the event. If they fail to cancel before that time they will get a 25% refund up to 48 hours before the event and no refund within 48 hours.
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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 were reminded of the Rapid Response text alerts system as President Trump moves towards firing Mueller. In the event Mueller is fired, MoveOn is planning a nation-wide simultaneous protest. The trick will be to get the word out fast if/when the time comes. We are grateful to Song and Solidarity for providing this service.
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STANDING REGULAR MEETINGS
Lost River Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter-South, and People Of Color Caucus Regular Meeting
Reoccurring racial justice organizing meetings every 2nd Monday at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio of the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) on the First Floor. 6pm-8pm.
Childcare provided. Fragrance & nut free space.
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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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Alternatives to Suicide
Every Wednesday, 6pm-7:30pm at the Hive Space (24 Flat St, Suite 202, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). Second Floor, up one flight of stairs.
Alternatives to Suicide is a mutual support group open to anyone who has experienced thoughts of suicide. The group is guided by a charter of values provided by the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community. The group is non-clinical and does not link suicide with illness. Participants are free to talk about and find meaning in their experiences in/on their own terms.
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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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Have a wonderful week, Friends! Don't forget to start submitting your Organization's Fall/Winter events now!
Joanna and Leslie
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