Weekly Update 06.11.18
"Despite our ridiculously hypocritical attitudes towards immigration, we demand that Mexicans cook a large percentage of the food we eat, grow the ingredients we need to make that food, clean our houses, mow our lawns, wash our dishes, look after our children. As any chef will tell you, our entire service economy — the restaurant business as we know it — in most American cities, would collapse overnight without Mexican workers. Some, of course, like to claim that Mexicans are ‘stealing American jobs.’ But in two decades as a chef and employer, I never had ONE American kid walk in my door and apply for a dishwashing job, a porter’s position — or even a job as prep cook. Mexicans do much of the work in this country that Americans, probably, simply won’t do."
Anthony Bourdain
We'd like to offer a reminder that you are valued, you are appreciated, and your skills matter to your fellow Vermonters. If you or someone you know is struggling, calling the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is a great place to start.
-Call 1-800-273-8255 to speak to a live person
-Chat Online: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
-Help Another: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-someone-else/
HAPPENING TODAY, SUNDAY, JUNE 10th, 2018
Green Mountain Crossroads' Fourth Annual Pride Family Picnic
made possible with support from our friends at Youth Services
Sunday, June 10th, 2018 at Living Memorial Park (Memorial Park Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). In the Kiwanis Shelter. 11am-1pm.This event is free, donations are greatly appreciated.
For LGBTQ Families, LGBTQ Parents, and parents/family of LGBTQ folks of all ages. Join us for a picnic in the park with other LGBTQ families! Please bring a dish to share.
In addition to all the wonderful dishes you are bringing, GMC will provide meat and tofu dogs, buns, drinks, watermelon, and chips. There is a huge grill at the park so feel free to bring things to grill as well!
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HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, JUNE 11th-2018-SUNDAY, JUNE 17th, 2018
Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival: Week Five: Everybody’s Got the Right to Live: Education, Jobs, Income and Housing
Monday, June 11th-16th, 2018 at The Vermont Statehouse (115 State St, Montpelier, VT 05633). Rally begins at 2pm.
Starting on Monday, May 14th, 2018, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival will launch a season of nonviolent moral direct action. By engaging in highly publicized, nonviolent moral direct action, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival aims to bring about a serious national examination of the intertwined problems of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and our distorted moral narrative.
Each Monday, there will be a rally at the State House. People who have committed to taking direct action and been trained will engage in nonviolent direct action. If you are interested, but have not been trained, there will be a training each Sunday evening at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Barre, with solidarity housing provided. To sign up for the training contact [email protected] and for solidarity housing contact Avery Book: [email protected].
Each Monday's actions will also include a rally that includes people who are not participating in the direct action. The rallies will be at the State House and begin at 2:00pm.
Each week has a theme, but this is a fusion campaign, meaning that we understand these problems to be joined at the root and to come from the same underlying causes. The aim is to highlight ways that systemic poverty, racism, militarism and environmental degradation impact our communities, but not to separate them into silos.
The themes are:
Week 1 (May 13-19) – Somebody’s Hurting Our People: Child poverty, Women, and People with Disabilities
Week Two (May 20-26) – Linking Systemic Racism and Poverty: Voting Rights and Immigration
Week Three (May 27-June 2) - The War Economy: militarism and the proliferation of gun violence
Week Four (June 3-9) - Ecological Devastation and the Right Health
Week Five (June 10-16) – Everybody’s Got the Right to Live: Education, Jobs, Income and Housing
Week Six (June 17-22) – A New and Unsettling Force
June 23rd – Mass rally in Washington, D.C. and Global Day of Solidarity
To connect with others going up from Windham County contact Ellen: [email protected] or (802) 257-4436.
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Art Build for Medicaid March
Tuesday, June 12th, 2018, at the Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). On the first floor. 5pm-8pm. The Root is handicap accessible, nut free and fragrance free. For more information contact [email protected] or (802) 257-4436.
Making signs & art for the Medicaid March, which will take place on June 16th. Art materials and snacks provided. Bring your creativity and your passion for preserving Medicaid and ensuring that everyone has a right to healthcare.
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Dismantling American Oligarchy According to James Madison
part of the River Garden Brown Bag Series and Democracy Forum
sponsored by We Celebrate Democracy/Civil Rights for All: Positive Nonviolent Public Action for Democracy and Equal Civil Rights for All People
Wednesday, June 13th, 2018 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12 pm-1pm.
Nick Biddle, PhD, retired professor of history and co-owner of Artrageus1 in Brattleboro will be speaking.
James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution,” was keenly aware of the risk America faced with regard to the rich exploiting the poor politically as well as economically. Madison foresaw the possibility of oligarchy developing with startling prescience. This talk will match Madison’s insights to contemporary American oligarchy and draw from Madison’s prescription for dismantling oligarchy so as to identify a way back to democracy. To arrange to present at the Democracy Forum contact Woody at 802 464 3154. [email protected].
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CONTACT Program Celebration at SIT
Thursday, June 14th, 2018 on the SIT Campus (1 Kipling Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Lowey International Center. 7:30pm-9pm. Free and open to the public. Call 802-258-3527 for information or to request accommodations.
Join SIT for a free community event to celebrate 21 years of peacemaking through the CONTACT program. Meet current and past CONTACT participants and hear the music of Mary Cay Brass and the River Singers and Greenwood Harmony choirs.
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Protest Vigil at TD Bank
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, June 15th, 2018 (and every Friday) in front of TD Bank Brattleboro (215 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 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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March for Medicaid
sponsored by the Vermont Workers’ Center
Saturday, June 16th, 2018 at the UCC Church (1325 Main St., St. Johnsbury, VT ). 11am-1pm. For more information or to carpool from Windham County, contact [email protected] or (802) 257-4436.
March will be followed by a community meal at the UCC Church
● Do you or a family member count on Medicaid or Dr. Dynasaur?
● Are you a person with a disability who relies on Medicaid to live independently?
● Are you unable to access dental or other care you need?
● Are you unfairly excluded from Medicaid because of immigration status or other reasons?
● Are you worried about changes proposed to Medicaid?
You are not alone! Over 1 in 3 of us in Vermont is on some form of Medicaid or uses a Medicaid-funded service. As healthcare costs rise, politicians are looking for ways to cut spending on Medicaid. We are marching In St. Johnsbury to call for the preservation and expansion of Medicaid, and for healthcare for all. We are traveling to St. J because it’s in the region of Vermont with the highest percentage of people on Medicaid.
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Meditative Vigil of Lovingkindness
Saturday, June 16th, 2018 at the First Baptist Church (190 Main Street, Brattleboro (next to Brown & Roberts)). On the lawn. 11am-12pm.
NOTE: Rain Date & Time, Sunday, June 17th, 2018, 11am-12pm. For further information, or if you wish to be part of a contact list that will inform people of future Lovingkind Vigils, please forward your name, e-mail address, and phone number to: [email protected] or 802.869.2141.
With a banner that reads, “May All Beings Be Free Of Pain And Suffering, May All Beings Know Peace And Happiness,” Post Oil Solutions will host a silent meditative Vigil of Lovingkindness for the peaceful, sustainable and socially just society we are all seeking.
Living as we do in a time when moral values are in decline, it is essential that we give expression to humanity’s potential for goodness—for love--as well as to encourage that we all act throughout our everyday lives with behaviors that are informed by our inherent heart values.
Though silent, the Vigil of Lovingkindness is intended to give voice to these values—selfless love, personal integrity, service to others, moral courage, and a basic commitment to the sacredness of life--that are the foundation of a wholesome society, and to speak up for the compassionate alternative that they represent.
Please join us. All are welcome to join for a few minutes or for the entire hour. People may stand, sit or kneel, as they see fit. Please bring a chair, cushion, mat, or whatever you are comfortable with.
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Brattleboro CBD/Hemp Farmers Market
presented by Heady Vermont and sponsored by Vermont Hempicurean
Sunday, June 17th, 2018 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-2pm. Attendance is free to the public. Interested vendors can sign up here: https://goo.gl/forms/ba83snLnCpLeAH873.
Following the success of multiple CBD Hemp Farmers Markets this winter and the sure to be successful Grand Opening of Vermont Hempicurean (8 Flat Street) on Saturday, June 16th, 2018 Heady Vermont is proud to bring Vermont cannabis, CBD (cannabidiol), and hemp products and producers to the heart of Brattleboro.
Taking place the gorgeous River Garden on Main Street in Downtown Brattleboro on Sunday, June 17 from 10am to 2pm, the CBD Hemp Farmers Market will feature a diverse group of local CBD and hemp producers and cannabis advocates - all continuing their efforts to bring CBD education to the canna-curious public and foster positive dialogue between the burgeoning hemp industry and the citizens of Vermont.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Elements of Success: Energy Efficiency, Ride Sharing, Accessible Biking, Healthy Soil
Wednesday, June 20th, 2018 at the Brattleboro Food Coop (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Community Room. 5:30pm-7:45pm. Please use the 7 Canal Street entrance. We'll provide pizza from 5:30 on, and the program will begin at 5:45pm. Questions? Contact [email protected].
Join 350 Brattleboro for the presentation and celebration of four local successes in responding to climate change. After a brief introduction, we'll have short presentations of ideas you can use in your own life. Each of these is something we're already doing locally in some way, and you can too!
The Windham & Windsor Housing Trust will share tips for home energy efficiency; Becky Jones will talk about how carpooling can be subversive; Dave Cohen will introduce us to the local efforts of VBike; and Marilyn Chiarello of Edible Brattleboro will tell us about the many climate benefits of maintaining healthy soil. After our four short presentations, we'll challenge everyone to come up with one personal climate action they can take in the next month.
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Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up
Monday, June 25th, 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. Kathy Urffer, MU! parent and River Steward with the Connecticut River Conservancy, will be joining us to talk about our local watersheds, how these watersheds are connected to the climate, and what we can do to support their health.
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FUTURE EVENTS
Carry the ‘Civil Rights for All’ Banner in the Fourth of July Parade
Wednesday, July 4th, 2018 at Brattleboro Union Hugh School (131 Fairground Rd, Brattleboro, VT 05301), in the Parking Lot. 9am.
Can we make our 4th of July Parade stand up to Trump’s proposed 4th of July Military Parade down Pennsylvania Ave.?
Let's do our best. Stand up and march with the CIVIL RIGHTS FOR ALL banner at 9 am at the BUHS parking lot.
Make signs for Democracy and Equal Civil Rights for all people. Learn songs praising Democracy and civil rights at the Brown Bag Lunch Democracy Forum at the River Garden on June 27th. Contact: [email protected] or call (802) 464-3154.
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Green Mountain Gala
hosted by Defend Our Future and the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center
Saturday, July 14th, 2018 at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center (10 Vernon Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301). 7pm-10pm.
For tickets: www.membership.onlineaction.org
Join Defend Our Future and special guest speakers for a night of community celebration and fun at our first ever Southern Vermont Fundraising Gala!
With a ticket, gala-goers can look forward to a night of live music, catered treats, and a photo booth! There will be a cash bar with beer and wine from Windham Wines available.
This fundraiser will be the first of its kind for Defend Our Future, bringing together local environmentalists and the Vermont community of all stripes to support the next generation of climate leadership.
All proceeds from the event will be used to expand and deepen the campus organizing work that Defend students and staff are able to do in their communities. Through hosting educational events, meeting with elected leaders, and organizing voter registration and education drives, our teams are helping to develop environmental activists across the country and you can help!
Tickets come in three levels: silver, gold and platinum. In addition to admission, gold and platinum sponsors will receive a special gift. Tickets can be purchased on the Defend Our Future website and above.
All gifts to Defend Our Future are tax-deductible.
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Southern Vermont Sister District Summer Soup Subscriptions Are Now Available and Summer Update!
The words Summer and soup may not sound like a good match, but our chef team (including WeCAN's own Joanna Wilson Phillips) is coming up with a selection of delicious warm-weather delights for the June - September subscribers. Sign-up to enjoy tasty homemade soups or “gift” your soup subscription to our local food shelf. ALL proceeds go to supporting progressive Democrats in strategic swing races. Sign up now as these subscriptions go quickly!
You can link directly to the order form here: Soup Subscription Form.
Raising money and providing support to progressive Democratic candidates in strategic races.
By subscribing to our SisterDistrict Soup Project you will receive delicious homemade soup selections from June through September, one per month. You also have the option to gift your subscription to the Putney Food Shelf (a popular choice for out-of-town supporters). Soup chefs volunteer their time and donate ingredients which means that ALL $$ goes to help move our political structures in the direction of sanity, compassion and justice. Currently our two "sister" race is a state level race in Pennsylvania that is critical to make blue inroads in the state.
More information about our PA sister candidate Melissa Shusterman can be found here: https://www.melissashusterman.com/about/
More information about SisterDistrict strategies can be found here: https://www.sisterdistrict.com/. Please sign up for SisterDistrict's email list while you're there so that the Southern Vermont SisterDistrict team can keep you informed about our work and ways that you can plug in.
About our soups: In addition to raising $$ to help get our nation onto a better trajectory, we are also committed to providing you the most delicious and locally-sourced soup that we can. All soups are vegetarian, gluten- and dairy-free, and delicious! There is no reason that you can't eat well and resist at the same time!
In other news: Save Our Nation Vacation (another Southern Vermont Sister District Project) is having an orientation for folks who want to share a meal (provided by the SONV team) with like-minded people who are committed to taking a(nother) small personal step that can have a LARGE, collective impact on flipping strategic races BLUE. Come learn about the project and get all the resources and support you need to find just ONE property for our fall catalog. The “Summer Sampler Catalog”, that lists available vacation properties, can be found at SaveOurNationVacation.org. Orientation will be at Putney Friends Meeting, June 3rd, 4:00pm-5:30pm, followed by shared meal. Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SVTSisterDistrict/.
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Southern Vermont Dance Festival Announces Early Registration and Performance Tickets Available:
Early Registration for the Southern Vermont Dance Festival is now open! Early Registration allows everyone to get the classes that they want before they sell out. Advance tickets for all the performances are now on sale including the Midsummer Night's Picnic and Promenade which will take place at the Retreat Farm nature trail. Southern Vermont Dance Festival was designed as a long term economic driver for the community as a response to Tropical Storm Irene. The festival returns for a 6th season with an exciting round of dance classes, community events and performances hosted in the one and only Brattleboro, VT. Festival attendees are invited to attend dance performances each evening as well as a choice of many different classes each day. For people who want to experience the beautiful town of Brattleboro, there are community events with live music and dance performance throughout the 4 days. For the third year in a row, SVDF will offer a Mid Summer Night's Picnic and Promenade, using Vermont's natural beauty as a stage for top notch performance. There are early registration discounts, advanced ticket prices and group discounts as well as opportunities to volunteer and sponsor the festival. Volunteers will be able to take classes and see performances. In addition there are internships available for people of all ages. see more at http://www.southernvermontdancefestival.com
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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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Job Listing
Let’s Grow Kids Seeks Southern Vermont Canvassing Team
Let's Grow Kids is looking for fun, energetic people to join our southern Vermont canvassing team for the Summer season. If you are passionate about early childhood and like to be outdoors then this is the job for you! Our Canvassers will join a team of like-minded individuals, walk around beautiful Vermont towns, and talk with residents about the campaign. This is a great Summer job for college students, recent graduates, teachers, and anyone looking to make a difference. Canvassers work up to 25 hours per week: Wed-Fri evenings and Saturday & Sunday during the day. $15/ hour. Check out the full job description at letsgrowkids.org and feel free to get in touch if you have questions. [email protected].
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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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Youth4Change Regular Meeting
The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). First Floor.
Youth4Change (Y4C), a program of The Root Social Justice Center, builds the leadership skills of youth ages 12-21, especially those from/in historically disenfranchised communities who want to use education, art, and action to address issues of racial, class, gender, queer, immigrant and indigenous justice.
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Alternatives to Suicide meets 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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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Inclusion Center is Looking for Assistance with Our Annual Reporting Requirements
NEW: As Inclusion Center grows we find we are in need of assistance with our annual reporting requirements. We all have different skills and if this is your skill, please do consider donating your time in this way to our wonderful program! Volunteering with Inclusion Center by helping us for (literally) one or two hours a year in this area would help IC very much!
Inclusion Center is an amazing program that works with all people who have disabilities or medical issues, and everyone else who has an interest in being with us.
The possibilities for what Inclusion Center could be in the future are endless: A drop in center within another program! Have our own space with our doors always open. Offer classes. Offer services as well as being a drop in center! And those are just a few of our ideas!
However, in order for us to grow, we need a few more people who can either come to our board meetings (the second friday of each month at 2:00pm), or come to a work group each month (generally Friday mornings).
At Inclusion Center we all matter. Everyone helps make decisions. It doesn't matter if you want to join the board or just drop in as often as you can. Either way, your ideas and input matter just as much as everyone else's.
Please contact us ([email protected] or 802-387-5285) to discuss how we could work together.
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INTERNSHIP AVAILABLE
Internship with 350Vermont Available
If you are interested, apply online at 350vermont.org/internships and feel free to get in touch with Katherine ([email protected]) with any questions.
This summer 350Vermont is looking for two dynamic people to join our team starting June 4, 2018 for a ten week internship, ending August 10, 2018. These two people will work together to advance our Re)Generate New Solutions campaign and engage communities around the state in climate solutions. They will be integral to planning and implementing different outreach and engagement opportunities with 350VT staff, board, and volunteers. Most often, these internships are based in Burlington, but based in Brattleboro might be an option.
In each position, we are looking for someone with a commitment to and passion for the 350Vermont mission of building a local movement to stop the climate crisis. We seek self-starters with the passion, creativity, and drive to make things happen while working independently and in close coordination with a team.
Each position will be paid, 30 hours a week, with some work taking place during the evenings and weekends. This internship includes free housing accommodation (if wanted!) and 20 hours of training by our staff and facilitation team.
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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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Democracy, Eventually
WVEW 107.7FM, Brattleboro Community Radio Station
You can listen to recorded and archived episodes here: https://soundcloud.com/democracy-eventually and you can find us on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/democracyeventually/ and on Twitter here @Democrazeee.
We are Democracy, Eventually a radio show covering local, state, and underreported national news stories from a progressive analysis. We air live on WVEW 107.7FM LP Brattleboro Community Radio Station.
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