Windham County Action Network (WeCAN)

"Economic growth and environmental protection are not at odds. They're opposite sides of the same coin if you're looking at longer-term prosperity."
Henry Paulson

HAPPENING THIS WEEK MONDAY, APRIL 16th, 2018-SUNDAY, APRIL 22nd (EARTH DAY!), 2018

Earth Day Celebration for Kids
Wednesday, April 18th, 2018 at the Brattleboro Food Coop (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-1pm.
Free and open to the public. 
Celebrate Earth Day with outdoor activities for kids at the Co-op! Kids will plant seeds, make a T-shirt bag, have snacks and more!
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES ARE WEATHER PERMITTING. Please visit http://www.brattleborofoodcoop.coop/event/earth-day-celebration-for-kids/ or call (802) 246-2821 and ask to speak to Lizi Rosenberg for more information.

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What is the Role of an Organizer?
presented by 350Brattleboro
Wednesday April 18th, 2018 at the Brattleboro Food Coop (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Community Room (please use the entrance at 7 Canal Street for access to the event). 6pm-8pm. RSVP here.
We are continuing to build momentum for Fossil Fuel Free towns and we know this will require organizing for the long haul. Phoebe Gooding and Abby Mnookin will be sharing a segment of the Organize! workshop that they facilitated at the recent 350.org Northeast Training 4 Trainers. This workshop includes:
• Exploring the role of an organizer
• Understanding the importance of equity and power in organizing
• Finding hope in organizing and how to share that with others
This workshop also includes some skits, deep discussion, and reflection. 

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Youth Power Snack n’ Yak and Silk-Screening Training 
presented by Brattleboro Common Sense
Wednesday, April 18th, 2018 at 16 Washington Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301. 6:30pm. This is a youth-led meeting, but seniors and other adults are welcome.
Brattleboro Common Sense is offering training and orientation for the Youth Power campaign.  Let Youth Vote and Hold Public Office.The BCS Youth Vote amendment will allow youth 16 and 17 to vote on local issues, and to serve on the school board and at representative town meeting. The process requires a petition, a local vote and then state approval.
The Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 says that young people are educated enough to vote: “any person . . . who has completed the sixth grade . . .  possesses sufficient literacy, comprehension, and intelligence to vote in any election.” Young people possessing the same level of education as many adults are qualified to vote. Those of us who don’t care won’t vote. Those of us who do care will educate themselves and vote. No taxation without representation! You pay sales and income taxes. Shouldn’t local politicians be accountable to you as well as your parents? You have to attend school until at least 17: shouldn’t your voice be heard on how your school runs? Join us! Volunteer, donate, and contact us at brattleborocommonsense.org.

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Elections for NAACP Windham County Branch
Thursday, April 19th, 2018 at Center Church Parlor (193 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301). 5:30pm-7pm.
We are excited to announce that the NAACP is hosting its first election since it became an official chapter in this area of Vermont. We tabled last year at a Winston Prouty School event, which was wonderful, and it helped us gain a lot of new memberships. Now, we are holding elections on April 19th at Center Church in downtown Brattleboro and would like to get the word out. 
Your votes matter so please come and bring a friend! Thanks for your support.

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Protest Vigil at TD Bank
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, April 20th, 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. The State of Vermont Keeps Most of Our Cash in TD. What You Can You 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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Awakening Our Gardens: Garden Bed Prepping and Planting
sponsored by Edible Brattleboro
Saturday, April 21st, 2018 at the Brattleboro Food Coop Garden (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Back Parking Lot Along the Whetstone Brook. Between the hours of 9am-4pm. There is no need to sign up, but you can let us know you're coming by dropping us an email at [email protected] Co-op shareholders and Brattleboro Time Traders can log hours.
Edible Brattleboro has set two dates for Awakening Our Gardens and prepping the beds for planting: 4/21 and 5/6. If you can spare a little time between the hours of 9am-4pm, on either of the dates we welcome your support.
If you have any garden tools that you can loan (or donate), please bring them. Please clearly label any tools you loan us with your name and phone number and/or email address. Here are some items we could use: wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes or other garden tools. If you cannot stay either of the days, you may drop off and pick up your tools at a specified location.
Tasks at each garden include:
- Clean up and pile up debris/trash for hauling.
- Renew compost and soil layers on the beds
- Lay down more wood chips on the coop paths
- Set up pea fencing and plant peas
- Plant other suitable early seeds
- Create and fill several container gardens
- Put up new signs (if they are back from the printer)
- Hand out brochures and ask for new volunteers to sign up
So get your garden gloves and shoes ready and let's get digging!

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Monadnock Region Earth Festival
Saturday, April 21st, 2018 Outside, next to the Monadnock Coop (34 Cypress Street, Keene, NH). 12pm-4pm. 
Monadnock Food Co-op invites you to this year’s Monadnock Region Earth Festival. This free public event takes place on April 21, 2018, Noon – 4 p.m. outdoors — next to the Co-op — and along the bike path, leading to Railroad Square Park (rain date scheduled for April 22, noon – 4 p.m.).
This year you can expect to see over 70 different organizations including: The Caterpillar Lab blending art, science, environmental education and their love of caterpillars. The Antioch Bird Club will also be on hand, sharing their extensive knowledge on avian conservation. You will also be able to meet with Community Garden Connections. They will be offering information on container vegetable gardening and how to make the most of any space, indoors or out, to grow fresh veggies at home! They will also be up-cycling egg cartons to plant micro greens to take with you. Stay for a little or stay for awhile, CGC staff will be ready to help make your container gardening dreams come true! Fun for all ages and all levels of gardening experience!
The Keene Farmers’ Market will be there, folks will be able to check out various local vendors including: Beadin’ in Eden, Lone Wolf Cheese, Deer Ridge Farm, Archway Farm, Woodard’s Sugar House, Little Greens, and many more!
You will be able to learn about solar energy from Green Energy Options and learn about the work that The Sustainability Project is doing to promote a love of nature, environmental stewardship, and caring communities. Find out how you can benefit from the Monadnock Time Exchange, how you can support Monadnock Buy Local & The Local Crowd and shop handmade jewelry, terrariums, herbs, plants, veggie starts and more!
Inside the store there will be demos provided by Joe’s Soup, Evy Tea, Archway Farms, and Garuka Bars. Be sure to stop in the store to check them out!
There will also be live music in the amphitheater behind the Co-op hosted by The Keene Music Festival throughout the event!
The Co-op’s Deli will be hosting a Local Food BBQ on the cafe patio during the festival hours (12-4pm). Last years food included a 100% grass-fed Walpole Valley Farms beef burger, a Sweet Italian Sausage made with pork from Archway Farm in Keene, and a House-made Veggie burger.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up
Monday April 23rd, 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. In celebration of National Poetry month and inspired by the article, "Can poetry turn the tide on climate change?" (written by John Dexter and published in The Adelaide Review), we'll explore how poetry can impact the movement for climate justice. We'll also talk about the role of HOPE in organizing. 

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Climate Change Café presents
An Indigenous Perspective on Today's Environmental Challenges
a project of Post Oil Solutions
Tuesday, April 24th, 2018 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301).
6pm-8pm. FREE. Light Refreshments Available. For information please email [email protected].
By way of exploring an indigenous perspective on today's environmental challenges, Rich will consider the original people of our immediate region, the Sokoki Abenaki, and their relationship with the land and water, as an exemplar. We will take a look at how colonization began, and continues, to effect change and to whom. He will examine the cultural values of relationship and reciprocity, exemplified through connection and community, and how this differs from the mainstream dominant culture. Lastly, a parallel will be made between the larger, better-known actions for positive change, such as DAPL and Standing Rock, and similar situations and needs right here in our own area.
Rich is a Windham County resident (Wantastegok/Brattleboro, VT) of Mi’kmaq and European heritage and an indigenous cultural researcher. He serves on the Vermont Commission for Native American Affairs and as a public liaison for the Elnu Abenaki Tribe, representing with governmental agencies of oversight such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the Vermont State Department of Historic Preservation (DHP). He also interfaces with other tribal groups, corporate entities, other local and state agencies, civic groups, and public and private educational institutions, providing outreach and building connections.

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Vermont Rural Pride Convening 
Friday, April 27th, 2018 at Goddard College in Plainfield, VT. Time TBD. 
Please join Green Mountain Crossroads and The National Center for Lesbian Rights as we host the next Rural Pride event at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont on Friday, April 27. Register for this free event here. 
These Rural Pride gatherings are about recognizing that the myth of the affluent urban cis gay is not even close to representing the full spectrum of our community and where we live. Come explore experiences and challenges of being LGBTQ in rural America. Full session descriptions and speaker bios to come! This is a free and open event.
General sessions will focus on the state of LGBTQ rights under the Trump Administration, the challenges still facing LGBTQ families post-marriage equality, poverty and economic justice in the LGBTQ community, and protecting and improving our access to health care. Breakout sessions will focus on the needs of rural LGBTQ seniors and youth, LGBTQ people in agriculture, and incarceration and its alternatives.
We hope you can join us! Register now (it’s free!) and mark April 27th on your calendar!

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Building Ground: A Climate Justice Leadership Training
sponsored by 350Vermont
Friday, April 27th, 2018-Sunday, April 29th, 2018 beginning at 6pm Friday and ending at 3pm on Sunday. Please contact [email protected] for location information. No prior experience in organizing or climate justice work is needed to attend this program - All are welcome! Read more about the program here and register online today. Cost: This Leadership Training costs between $50 – $175.
Join 350Vermont and facilitators Abby Mnookin, Phoebe Gooding, and Katherine Quaid from April 27 - 29 in Waitsfield for a weekend of learning, skill development, and community building! Building Ground, part one of our Climate Justice Leader Training, is designed to provide background and basic skills for individuals looking to grow their leadership and involvement within the climate movement. And we want you to join us! 
This program will include the opportunity to connect with other new leaders around the state, explore core definitions and concepts of climate and racial justice, learn about 350’s particular approach to change-making, and practice fundamental organizing and facilitation skills taught by experienced organizers.  All of this while building the strong container of community that carries our climate justice movement forward.

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Apartheid from Gaza to the Reservation
presented by Brattleboro Common Sense
Sunday, April 29th, 2018 at First Baptist Church (190 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 2:00pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and can be purchased by mailing payment to Brattleboro Common Sense, 16 Washington Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301. For further information please call Mia Feroleto at 802 952 6217.
Brattleboro Common Sense presents a discussion with Middle Eastern Scholar Norman Finkelstein and Lakota Sioux Elder Alex White Plume on Sunday, April 29th at 2:00 pm. at the First Baptist Church, located at 190 Main Street in Brattleboro, Vermont. The discussion will focus on the parallels between the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and Native Americans here at home. BCS founder Kurt Daims will serve as moderator for the talk.

NORMAN FINKELSTEIN
Norman Gary Finkelstein (born December 8, 1953) is an American political scientist, activist, professor, and author. His primary fields of research are the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the politics of the Holocaust, an interest motivated by the experiences of his parents who were Jewish Holocaust survivors. He is a graduate of Binghamton University, and received his PhD. D in political science at Princeton University. He has held faculty positions at Brooklyn University, Rutgers University, Hunter College, New York University, and DePaul University where he was an assistant professor from 2001 to 2007. In 2007, after a highly publicized feud between Finkelstein and an academic opponent, Alan Dershowitz, Finkelstein's tenure bid at DePaul was denied. Finkelstein was placed on administrative leave for the 2007–08 academic year, and on September 5, 2007, he announced his resignation after coming to a settlement with the university on generally undisclosed terms. An official statement from DePaul strongly defended the decision to deny Finkelstein tenure, stated that outside influence played no role in the decision. In 2008, he was banned from entering Israel for 10 years. Finkelstein taught at Sakarya University Middle East Institute in Turkey between 2014 and 2015.

ALEX WHITE PLUME
Alex White Plume was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He grew up strongly connected to traditional Lakota culture. He joined the US Army and was stationed in Berlin, Germany, where he left the US Army in 1978. White Plume’s interest in sociopolitical issues developed later in life after his return to Pine Ridge. White Plume has pursued a life of farming but had difficulty succeeding with crops on the limited agricultural lands of the reservation, where physical conditions are harsh and challenging. He and his extended family, or tiospaye, tried alfalfa, barley and corn; they also raised horse and bison, which are being raised by ranchers in growing herds on the Great Plains. All yielded little more than subsistence under the harsh conditions .After considerable research, in 1998 the Oglala Sioux Tribe passed an ordinance to allow the cultivation of low-THC-hemp on the reservation. The market for the crop was high around the world, and it is a sustainable product with a short growing season. During World War II, the US government encouraged hemp’s cultivation for its qualities of “hardiness, utility and low cost.” In April 2000 White Plume and his family planted industrial hemp on their farm on the Pine Ridge Reservation. At that time, he was reportedly the only farmer to openly plant, cultivate, and produce cannabis-related crops within the borders of the United States since it was prohibited by federal anti-drug laws in 1968. While hemp products can be sold in the United States, its cultivation is prohibited, a law implemented by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).Although related to cannabis, hemp does not have psychoactive properties and is used worldwide for a variety of applications, including processing as a cloth and as food. In addition, White Plume believed that the tribe’s sovereignty on its land would enable him to grow the crop. Federal DEA agents made a surprise raid on his field that August and destroyed his crops. In August 2002, he was served with eight civil charges by the US District Attorney related to the hemp cultivation, and a court order prohibiting continued growing of the crop. Although he has appealed, the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the DEA, while acknowledging that its registration process could be a burden and that hemp might be a good crop for the Pine Ridge Reservation. Finally in 2017, Alex White Plume has planted his first hemp crop in more than 15 years. He intends to build a hempcrete home for himself and his family.

BRATTLEBORO COMMON SENSE
Founded by Kurt Daims, BCS has advanced democracy for everyone in the state of Vermont. As Brattleboro has gained a small voice on the national stage, it becomes important for us living here to express ourselves on national issues. And as many people addressed global issues locally, others with a more traditional approach to government began in 2011 to actively suppress the peoples’ free speech and petition rights. Brattleboro Common Sense has gone to the streets and to the courts, to end voter suppression, to end the abuse of government power, and to restore those rights whose use gives Brattleboro so much of its character and reputation, rights that are essential to innovation in government and to democracy.

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Cool the Planet: Food, Water, Soil, Climate, Hope
Sunday, April 29th, 2018 at Main Street Arts (37 Main St, Saxtons River, VT 05154).  4pm-6pm. 
Annual Meeting of the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association with Living Earth Action Group, present Cat Buxton and Henry Swayze, founders of the Vermont Healthy Soils Coalition. What can we as individuals and as planetary citizens DO to cool the planet now? Learn about surprising new information about the ways water cycles and soil affect our climate, and how to change it for the better, no matter where you live.  

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Workers Rights Day
Tuesday May 1st, 2018 at the Vermont Statehouse (115 State St, Montpelier, VT 05633). 10am-4pm.
This is it folks--the final mobilization! Haven't yet showed up for the economic justice issues in our communities? Come build the collective power of Vermonters by packing the VT Statehouse with our lifted up, unified, voice!
We all know it's far past the time to raise the wage to $15 AND create a paid family and medical leave program here in Vermont. So, what can YOU do to make it happen? Join the Vermont Raise the Wage Coalition for a May Day celebration of economic justice, worker's rights, and holding our governor accountable to the people of Vermont on May 1st! 
Come pack the Statehouse with working Vermonters who want to end poverty wages, improve family life, and see their interests represented by their elected officials. Expect a full day of lobbying, a press conference, and workshops on a variety of topics concerning the state budget and human rights. Follow this page for the forthcoming agenda.
Can't make it to the whole thing? Join for what you can. There will be a May Day rally immediately following afternoon workshops hosted by the Human Rights Council of Vermont on the Lawn.

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May Day Rally
Tuesday May 1st, 2018 on the Vermont Statehouse Lawn (115 State St, Montpelier, VT 05633). 4:30pm-6pm.
Join us for an afternoon of music, poetry, street theater and art as we rally to advance pressing issues for human rights and to celebrate working class power and unity. More details to follow.
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Ven a una manifestación en frente del capitolio en Montpelier. Habrá música, poesía, teatro, arte y discursos avanzando los derechos humanos y celebrando el poder y la unión de la clase obrera! Pronto se publicará más detalles.
Evento sponsored by VT Human Rights Council // Evento patrocinado por el Consejo de derechos humanos de Vermont:
Vermont Workers' Center, 350 Vermont, Migrant Justice / Justicia Migrante, Vermont Center for Independent Living, UE Local 203, United Academics UVM, Green Mountain Self-Advocates, Vermont Interfaith Action, Justice For All, Peace & Justice Center, Rural Vermont, Rights & Democracy VT, Pride Center of Vermont, Green Mountain Labor Council, Burlington DSA

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May Day! Voices of Working People
hosted by Brattleboro Solidarity
Tuesday, May 1st, 2018 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 6pm-8pm. Soup and bread will be served. For more information please contact [email protected]
Brattleboro Solidarity is hosting a reading of  Howard Zinn's Voices of a People's History.  Brattleboro community members will represent historical figures with a focus on labor struggles in Vermont and beyond. After the dramatic readings, audience members are encouraged to share their stories.The facilitators will lead a discussion connecting everyone's experiences to Dr. King's Poor People's Campaign, the teacher's strikes in Oklahoma and West Virginia, gun violence, and other struggles. This event will be part of a string of events that will lead up to Diversity Day at Brattleboro Union High School.  Diversity Day is an eleven year old event at Brattleboro Union High School that allows teachers and students to engage in meaningful learning around topics related to curricula and becoming lifelong learners. Topics have included food security, biodiversity and diversity, Malian cooking, Media & diversity, the power of perspective, and the road to marriage equality.

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FREE WORKSHOPS 
presented by The Make! Radical Arts Intensive in Coordination with VT Poor Peoples’ Campaign 
Friday, May 4th, 2018-Sunday, May 7th, 2018 at Goddard College (123 Pitkin Rd, Plainfield, VT 05667). 1pm-6pm daily. Childcare provided.
Saturday, May 5th, 2018- Party at 7pm.
Join us for a weekend of Banner Painting, Printmaking, Giant Puppets, Stenciling, Music, and more! For more information or to volunteer please contact [email protected] or visit www.poorpeoplescampaignvt.org/arts-and-action. Check out our Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/123themake and our Instagram page here: www.instagram.com/123themake.

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Green Up Day Vermont
Saturday, May 5th, 2018, throughout Vermont.
Click HERE to find your nearest Green Up home base location and Green Up Day organizer contact information for 2018. 
What is Green Up Day? Green Up Day, always the first Saturday in May, was launched in 1970 by Governor Deane Davis. In 1979, the non-profit organization Green Up Vermont was formed to carry on the tradition of Green Up Day. It is an annual statewide event, when over 22,000 volunteers come together to remove litter from Vermont’s roadsides and public spaces.      
In addition to Green Up Day, we have two free downloadable educational booklets designed for grades K-2. To download them, visit the Contests page. Our poster design and writing contests, for grades K-12, also engage children in a hands-on way about the importance of litter-free living. Congratulations to this year’s overall poster design winner, Uma Chirkova, Grade 8, of Newbury. Congratulations to this year’s Writing Contest winner, Eden Morris, Grade 8, of Northfield. You can read and view all the 2018 winning contest entries on our 2018 Winners page.
How is Green Up Day organized? Green Up Day happens all over the state and wouldn’t happen without the dedicated help of our coordinators. Each town has a coordinator that volunteers can contact to get their Green Up bags. To find your town’s coordinator, go to the Get Involved page.
Green Up Day App! Volunteers for Code for BTV, who donate their time to create apps for nonprofit organizations, chose Green Up Day as one of their volunteer app projects this year. The app focuses primarily on bringing people together, such as small groups of friends or business employees who can coordinate their group clean ups. It also enables users to pin where they are dropping their full Green Up bags, and to see where bags have already been dropped, potentially creating less overlap on areas that have already been cleaned. Learn more about it here: GreenUp Flyer  For download instructions for both the Android or IPhone version click here: Green Up Vermont for Mobile devices  or visit the Code for BTV website. 
Support Us! Individuals can support us by Clicking Here to Donate Online. Consider including Green Up Vermont in your planned and legacy giving. Green Up Vermont works directly with the Vermont Community Foundation on this, so please contact them if you are interested. Did you know that you can give to Green Up Vermont on your Vermont State Income Tax Return on Line 29?  Click here for more information!
Green Up’s mission is to promote the stewardship of our state’s natural landscape and waterways and the livability of our communities by involving people in Green Up Day and raising public awareness about the benefits of a litter-free environment.

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Awakening Our Gardens: Garden Bed Prepping and Planting
sponsored by Edible Brattleboro
Sunday, May 6th, 2018 at Turning Point (the Corner of Frost Street and Elm Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301).
Between the hours of 9am-4pm. There is no need to sign up, but you can let us know you're coming by dropping us an email at [email protected] Co-op shareholders and Brattleboro Time Traders can log hours.
Edible Brattleboro has set two dates for "Awakening Our Gardens" and prepping the beds for planting: 4/21 and 5/6. If you can spare a little time between the hours of 9am-4pm, on either of the dates we welcome your support.
If you have any garden tools that you can loan (or donate), please bring them. Please clearly label any tools you loan us with your name and phone number and/or email address. Here are some items we could use: wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes or other garden tools. If you cannot stay either of the days, you may drop off and pick up your tools at a specified location.
Tasks at each garden include:
- Clean up and pile up debris/trash for hauling.
- Renew compost and soil layers on the beds
- Lay down more wood chips on the coop paths
- Set up pea fencing and plant peas
- Plant other suitable early seeds
- Create and fill several container gardens
- Put up new signs (if they are back from the printer)
- Hand out brochures and ask for new volunteers to sign up
So get your garden gloves and shoes ready and let's get digging!

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Intentional Peer Support Training
Monday, May 7th, 2018-Friday, May 11th, 2018 at the Winston Prouty Campus (20 Austine Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in Holton Hall on the 4th Floor. 9am-4:30pm daily. Free admission, wheelchair accessible, lunch provided daily. People who are interested should contact Malaika Puffer directly at (802) 591-7291.
There will be an opportunity for any interested community members to attend an Intentional Peer Support training in Brattleboro. Intentional Peer Support is a framework for inviting and thinking about mutually transformative relationships. The training also shares some alternative perspectives related to mental health. The training is being offered by the HCRS (Health Care and Rehabilitation Services of Southern Vermont) peer support team and there is funding available to sponsor community members to attend, with lunch included.

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Incarceration in America: Immigration Detention, Part of the CAPA Symposium
Friday, May 11th – Saturday, May 12th, 2018 at the Center for the Advancement of Public Action (1 College Drive, Bennington, VT, 05201). Free and open to the public. For more information please contact [email protected] or 802-447-4267.
Panel Discussions
-General Trends in Immigration Enforcement
-Immigration Detention and Private Prisons
-Local Government and NGO Involvement

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Brattleboro CBD/Hemp Farmers Market
hosted 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, Heady Vermont is proud to bring Vermont cannabis, CBD and hemp products and producers to the heart of Brattleboro.
Taking place the gorgeous River Garden on Sunday, June 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 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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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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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

Designers & Doodlers: Create an Image for Our Bag Share Program!
sponsored by 350Vermont and Downtown Brattleboro
The Bag Share Project is a coalition of residents, downtown Businesses, 350 Brattleboro, Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Action and Downtown Brattleboro.
Due Date: Earth Day (of course), April 22nd. 
Please email [email protected] with your submissions.
What would your dream design on a cloth bag be? Okay now draw it, submit it and help launch the town's plastic bag ban, which goes into effect on July 1st! 
The voters were clear: ban plastic bags in Brattleboro. The Select Board ironed out all the details and the ban will take effect July 1st, 2018. Now, a group of us have created a Bag Share Program to make it happen!
This is where you come in: A fantastic image for the bag will be the secret to the success of this Bag Share Program. We want it to convey:
*the urgency of banning plastic bags
*the commitment Brattleboro has to protecting our Earth
*the commitment we have of doing it as a community
*the hip factor of this bag share program
Why would you do this:
*it feels good to help your community rise up 
*your design will be hanging from the arms of 1,000 people
*Mother Earth will smile on you
Details:
-2 colors
-print on only 1 side of the bag

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Volunteer Sister District Soup Makers Needed

Volunteer soup chefs provide the time and the ingredients so that 100% of subscription fees went directly to support candidates. We distribute soup on the third Mondays of each month - February 19, March 19, April 16 and May 21.  All soups are vegetarian, dairy free and gluten free. We need cooking volunteers each month during the weekend before distribution Monday. Volunteers receive a simple recipe the weekend before they cook and pick up containers and labels the next Friday.  Soup makers cook in their own kitchens and purchase ingredients which should cost around $20/4 quarts. If you want to cook but can’t cover that expense, we will hook you up with an ingredient sponsor. Once prepared, the soup is delivered cold to our refrigerators in Putney or Brattleboro. From there, it is picked up by subscribers or donated to the Putney Food Shelf according to the subscriber’s instructions. 
You can sign up to make soup as many months as you want. If you would like to cook or have questions, please email Diane Shamas at [email protected] or call 802-579-8294.  We will need to know which months you’d like to cook, whether you’d like to make a single (4-5 quart) or double (8-10 quart) batch, and whether you want to pick up/drop off in Brattleboro or Putney. 
A Little About Southern VT Sister District: Subscriptions to our SisterDistrict Soup CSA raised $10,000 for progressive Democrats in strategic races! We helped elect two fine candidates, John Bell and Jennifer Foye, to the Virginia House of Delegates and our third candidate, Margaret Good, is running for Florida's House of Representatives on February 13, 2018. Read more about her here. Many many thanks to all of you who’ve cooked so far and donated the soup that makes it possible!!!

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Inclusion Center is Looking for People Who are Interested in Helping our Organization Grow and Mature in Various Directions
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 2:00), 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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And lastly, a message from Woody Bernhard & Susan Kunhardt (We Celebrate Democracy/ Civil Rights For All)

If Democracy could talk, Democracy would say thank you.
Thank you to all who stood up for Democracy by funding the anniversary flight of the We Celebrate Democracy/Civil Rights For All banner over Main Street (in Brattleboro, VT) from April 8th to the 15th.
Thank you to all who attended the Light a Candle For Democracy Candlelight Vigil on the 8th at Pliny Park.
Thank you to legislators Becca Balint, Molly Burke, Emily Long, Mike Mrowicki, Jeanette White and Valerie Stewart who attended the vigil and spoke up for Democracy. 
Thank you to local musicians Robert Wyckoff, Tina Olsen, and George Carvill who led us in singing songs for Democracy.
Thank you to the 40 hearty people who lit their candles for Democracy at the vigil.
Thank you to the Town Managers’ office and the Department of Recreation and Parks for help with permitting the event, to the Fire Department for hanging the banner, and to the Reformer, and BCTV for covering the event. 
BCTV will be posting a video of the vigil. It was a pleasure to be there with you and in solidarity with people around the world who cherish the promise of Democracy. Thank you all. 

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