Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

“Peace is not something you wish for; it's something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.”
John Lennon, MBE (b.Oct 9th, 1940  d.Dec 8th, 1980)
English singer, songwriter and peace activist who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles

     We hope this email finds you well and enjoying the holiday season, WeCAN friends and family. There are few new entries this week including an Impeachment Rally in Brattleboro on Tuesday, December 17th, a VT kickoff party for a presidential candidate right here in Windham County, and a Winter Holiday Cheer Critical Mass Ride on December 27th. Grab a cup of cocoa, get your calendar, and scroll through to the end of this week's Weekly Email Update to see how you can get involved in your community before the end of the year. 

HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, DECEMBER 16th, 2019-SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22nd, 2019

Brattleboro Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up
hosted by 350 Vermont and KidsPLAYce
Monday, December 16th, 2019 at KidsPLAYce (20 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-7:30pm. A vegetarian meal and childcare for ages 10 and under will be provided. RSVP helpful, but not required. Contact Abby Mnookin for more info at [email protected]. Note: We usually meet on 4th Mondays, but switched to 3rd Monday this month to avoid the holidays.
Join us in building solidarity amongst parents by taking action to protect the health and safety of our collective future.
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.
Join us on Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/groups/1575656819412318
And thank you to KidsPLAYce for continuing to give us a generous discount and hosting our monthly meet-ups!

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Impeachment Rally
organized locally by Song & Solidarity and nationally by MoveOn
Tuesday, December 17th, 2019 at  Pliny Park (Corner of High Street & Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301). 5:30pm. To RSVP and receive local details, go the the link below. Type Brattleboro's zip code - 05301 - in the search box. Then, click the Sign Up to Attend blue button. https://www.impeach.org/e…/impeach-and-remove-attend/search/. Bring “Impeach” signs. If you plan to speak at the rally and will be reading something, you will want to bring a flashlight or a headlamp.
Numerous reports indicate that the US House of Representatives will vote on impeachment on Wednesday, December 18th, 2019. While this date has not been 100% finalized and announced by Speaker Pelosi, it seems that the vote date won't be set in stone until Tuesday, at which point it would be too late to mobilize in advance of the vote. The Nobody Is Above the Law coalition has decided to act decisively in the face of uncertainty and set the date of the events. 
Brattleboro and 400+ other towns around the country will gather to send a unified message: Impeach Trump. 
It is clear that Donald Trump abused his power and put his personal and political interests ahead of the American people's. This is only the fourth time in our country's history that a president has faced an impeachment inquiry. This is historic, somber, and necessary: Impeachment exists in the constitution to protect our democracy.
We will gather in Pliny Park Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in concert with thousands across the country to support the House vote on impeachment, currently scheduled for the next day.
We will do some singing, read the Articles of Impeachment and take a voice vote on them.
The night before the House is expected to vote on impeachment, we'll take to the streets to demand that Congress impeach and remove Trump. It is clear that Trump abused his power and put his personal and political interests ahead of the interests of the American people. Here is your chance to come out and show you agree.

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Warren for VT: Brattleboro Organizing and Watch Party
Thursday, December 19th, 2019 at 118 Elliot Gallery (118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm-11pm. RSVP here: https://www.mobilize.us/vermontforwarren/event/167099/
Join us for an Informational Organizing Meeting and Debate Watch Party in Brattleboro to learn about the big, structural change that Elizabeth is fighting for in Vermont, and how you can be a part of our grassroots movement. Hear from campaign staff, ask questions, and get access to resources to help you get involved! Following the organizing meeting, we will have a debate watch party to cheer on Elizabeth - all are welcome!
To create real change – to rebuild the middle class and save our democracy – we need to dream big and fight hard. That's why we’re in this fight: to have real conversations about how to level the playing field for working families, and who is best to lead that fight.
We’ll see you there! Thanks for being a part of this.

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Protest Vigil at TD Bank
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, December 20th 2019 (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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Greenfield Harmony Holiday Concert to Benefit Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP) led by Mary Cay Brass
Saturday, December 21st, 2019 at the Wesley Methodist Church (98 North Maple Street, Hadley, MA). 4pm. Admission is $15, children under 12 are free. For more information about the concert, the choir, or the director go to www.marycaybrass.com. For more information about CASP please go to www.caspvt.org.
Greenfield Harmony is a unique, multi-generational choir known for its eclectic mix of music from diverse cultural musical heritages.
The choir will present soulful and thrilling songs of joy, love and peace, as well as songs for social justice, from the Balkans, Israel, the British Isles, South Africa, Sweden and the Republic of Georgia.
Every Greenfield Harmony concert is a benefit for a local or global peace initiative. This year’s concert will assist the Community Asylum Seekers Project. Based in Southern Vermont, CASP’s mission is to provide basic needs and a supportive community for those in the process of seeking asylum in the U.S. www.caspvt.org.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Critical Mass Ride: Winter Holiday Cheer!
hosted by 350 Brattleboro, 350 VT, Brattleboro Community Bike Clinic, and VBike; Image credit: Hugh D'Andrade
Friday, December 27th, 2019 at The Brattleboro Common (Park Place, the intersection of routes 5 and 30, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-6:30pm. 
We're continuing with our monthly rides on the last Friday of each month.Kids and families welcome! Critical (and "Kidical") Mass rides have a unique way of energizing folks around bike mobility, transportation solutions, and amplifying our collective ability and power to begin reclaiming our streets and communities. We need this, and we need YOU!
Agenda:
5:30pm: We'll be starting AND ending at the Brattleboro Common. We'll begin by getting organized, signing in, decorating bikes, and going over our route.
6:00pm: Begin Critical Mass ride. This will be a high-visibility downtown route!
6:30pm: End ride back at the Brattleboro Common
Help us spread the word & make this another successful Critical Mass Ride!

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LGBTQIA+ Allies Youth Yule Dance
sponsored by Outright Vermont
Friday, January 3rd, 2020 at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm-11pm.
Like in Goblet of Fire, but with fewer straight/cis people. 

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Refugee Theater: Kurdish and Yazidi Women Speak Out
hosted by the Vermont Humanities Council and Brooks Memorial Library
Wednesday, February 5th, 2019 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7pm-8:30pm.
Rojava, a revolutionary experiment in Kurdish Syria, attempts to create an inclusive democracy safe from ISIS, Turkish incursion, and Syria’s civil war. Smith College professor Ellen W. Kaplan discusses the process of interviewing women, activists, refugees, and fighters from the Rojava region, and transforming their experiences into theater. Part of the Vermont Humanities First Wednesdays free lecture series.

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For Our Organizers and Group Leaders

Are Volunteers Needed for Your Group? St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Social Justice Committee Wants to Assist You!
The Social Justice Committee is preparing a list of organizations doing social justice work who need volunteers to assist them in their work in Windham County. Does your group need volunteers? 
If so: for what kind of tasks? How can we assist your organization in doing its work?
And secondly, do you have a one-day service project that volunteers could do during the week of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday? We cannot commit to any project immediately, as we would need to get it approved (and staffed!), but whom should we contact if we need more information about such a project?
In both cases, should there be work volunteers could do, please let us know the appropriate contact person for follow-up. We hope to assemble all this information later this month for dissemination to the Saint Michael's community in the New Year.
Best regards, 
Joyce ([email protected])
Joyce Vining Morgan, PhD 

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Tabling Opportunity for Windham County’s Social/Economic/Environmental Justice Workers 
MLK Day Event at the Brattleboro Food Coop
contact Ruth at [email protected]
The Brattleboro Coop is beginning to plan their fourth-annual MLK Day tabling event, and yet again want to invite Windham County’s social/economic/environmental justice workers to the store to set up a table and let people know what you’re up to. The Coop wants to help increase our customers’ awareness of this area’s incredible network of organizations, and encourage Co-op Shareholders to do community service work. 
As you may know, the Coop offers an 8% discount to Co-op owners for volunteer service in the community for up to four months per year, so it’s a great incentive for people to learn about your work and consider lending their time to helping your organization in exchange for this benefit.
Some details:

• If you could give the Coop a general yes or no at some point before December 24^th , that would be very helpful; the finer details will be sorted out as the day approaches.
• This message is going out to about 30 organizations, and they have around 7 tabling spots and 8 hours in the day. In the past some organizations have stayed for the whole day, but depending on how many tablers we have they may not be able to do that this year. 

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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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Brattleboro Common Sense Open Meeting and Orientation for New Volunteers
Every Sunday at 16 Washington Street (Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10:30am. For more information please call 802.490.9363 or go to www.BrattleboroCommonSense.org.
Come and check out Brattleboro's kick-ass group that makes global issues local. 
This summer our proposal for renewable-sourced municipal electricity and our petition for a sustainability coordinator were approved, but other terms of our Climate Crisis forum and common sense conservation lost their first vote in March. Brattleboro voters also approved our Youth Vote Amendment in March.
CURRENT AGENDA :
We are very glad to improve our unique and aggressive DECLARATION of CLIMATE EMERGENCY with Selectboard input that sets all Americans equal across the political divide, establishing compassion and unity for the sake of climate rescue; Local Wall Street Tax; police safety; basic social research
BACKGROUND : in 2010 EMDOVY v Brattleboro: Superior Court order that ends censorship of petitions by the Selectboard; in 2014 We promoted Brattleboro's Declaration that climate change is a real and human-made, and that carbon be listed as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

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ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING 

Indigo Radio
Sundays at 12pm on Brattleboro Community Radio 107.7FMTo 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. 

Joanna and Leslie 
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