Weekly Update 9.23.19
“Please save your praise, we don’t want it…Don’t invite us here to tell us how inspiring we are without doing anything about it. We don’t want to be invited to these kinds of meetings because, honestly, they don’t lead to anything.”
Climate Activist Greta Thunberg to Senator Ed Markey, as he lauded youth for putting a spotlight on the issue of climate change during a meeting on 9/17/19
When your fellow climate activists asked WeCAN members and Windham County residents to come out in support of the Global Climate Strike this past Friday, you responded in a huge way. Estimates put attendance at September 20th's Climate Strike event somewhere in the 1000 people area, with protestors marching from Pliny Plaza to the Brattleboro Commons in Brattleboro, VT, where young people spoke and sang from the gazebo. Together, with 4 million fellow humans on this planet, we drew attention to the climate crisis that affects us all. Take a look at some of the images from Windham County's event below (courtesy of the Brattleboro Reformer). The Climate Strike continues this week. Read on for more ways to get educated and take action on this and more issues vital to our community.
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HAPPENING TODAY, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2019
Share the Harvest
hosted by Edible Brattleboro
Sundays through October 27th, 2019 at the Edible Garden at Turning Point (corner of Elm Street and Frost Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 11am-1pm. For information please email [email protected]. Please bring your own bags.
Edible Brattleboro’s "Share the Harvest" stand is open every Sunday from 11am-1pm, in their help-yourself garden at Turning Point, corner of Elm and Frost Street (diagonally across from NYET). All produce is free.
Thanks to the generosity of local farmers and gardeners, Edible Brattleboro distributed approximately 2500 pounds of free produce last summer. Feel free to drop off produce from your garden during the Sunday hours. You may also visit either of Edible Brattleboro's two public help-yourself gardens to harvest whatever is ready. Simply look for the green flags and instructions on how to harvest. The two public gardens are located at the Co-op (rear parking lot) and Turning Point. Edible Brattleboro is fully volunteer run. If you would like to help out or would like more info, contact Marilyn at [email protected] or visit www.EdibleBrattleboro.org.
HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23rd, 2019-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th, 2019
Brattleboro Mother Up! Monthly Meet-Up
hosted by 350 Vermont and KidsPLAYce
Monday, September 23rd, 2019 at KidsPLAYce (20 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-7:30pm. RSVP helpful, but not required. Contact Abby Mnookin for more info at [email protected]. A vegetarian meal and childcare for ages 10 and under will be provided.
Join us in building solidarity amongst parents by taking action to protect the health and safety of our collective future. We'll be talking about the Global Climate Strike: Week for Future! Sept. 20-28.
Mother Up!: Families Rise Up for Climate Action is a project of 350 Vermont bringing together families to talk about the tough realities of climate change and to participate in the transition to a healthier and safer world. What Joanna Macy calls the “Great Turning,” or the third revolution, is this unprecedented time where we are called to stop the destruction of our world, to build new life-sustaining practices and ways of being, and to shift our collective consciousness. We especially wish to engage young parents in this vital discussion of how we can make positive changes to protect our planet for our children's future.
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!
Note: We meet on 4th Mondays, which is not always last Mondays (as in this month).
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Windham County Consortium on Substance Abuse Launch Event
Tuesday, September 24th, 2019 at the Latchis Theatre (50 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-12pm. For any questions please contact Molly Nash at 802-463-9927 x213 or [email protected].
Come learn about the proposed collaborative efforts to address substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery efforts in Windham County and the grants providing initial support. A reception and open house at the Turning Point of Windham County will happen immediately following the event.
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Brattleboro Democrats Reorganization Meeting
hosted by Elizabeth McLoughlin for Selectboard and Emilie Kornhesier, State Representative
Tuesday, September 24th, 2019 at the Winston Prouty Campus (209 Austine Drive, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) on the top floor of Holton Hall. 6:30pm-9pm. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm.
Emilie Kornheiser and other State Legislators will update us on the upcoming session. Then we will act on the process required by state law that each Town Political party to "re-organize", every two years. We’ll elect a Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, as well as Delegates to the County Party, who are then eligible to run for Delegate to the State Democratic Party.
This starts the official process of the 2020 election cycle. With so much at stake in this next election, it's vital that we create a solid foundation at the Town level, to support work at the County, State and National levels. Join us! Together we can build a Vermont that works for all Vermonters. Please share! All are welcome!
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Vermont Workers’ Center Get Involved/Orientation Meeting
Wednesday, September 25th, 2019 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main St., Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Meeting Room. 1pm-2:30pm. The meeting room is upstairs and is wheelchair accessible. Light refreshments will be served. RSVPs not required, but encouraged. To RSVP, or if you have questions, contact [email protected]. If you’d like to attend but can’t make that date or time, please let us know as other get-involved meetings will be scheduled in the coming months. We've scheduled this one to accommodate those who can't make evening meetings.
Join us at this meeting to learn more about the Workers’ Center, the Healthcare Is A Human Right campaign, and ways to be involved. We are a statewide organization with an active local committee in Windham County. Through our Healthcare Is A Human Right campaign we are organizing for the right of all people to access healthcare and for a healthcare system that is equitable, participatory, transparent, and accountable. We believe that all workers have the right to dignity at work, including decent wages and working conditions and the right to unionize.
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Heading for Extinction And What To Do About It
presenters: Maria and Ward Ogden
Thursday, September 26th, 2019 at Marlboro College (2582 South Road, Marlboro, VT 05344) in the Dalrymple Long Room (D38). 6:30pm-7:30pm.
Concerned about climate change and not sure what to do about it? Join us for a presentation about Extinction Rebellion, the international, apolitical climate movement that is using non-violent direct action to enact change. The talk takes about one hour with optional Q&A time afterward. Find out about the many ways you can join the climate movement!
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Film Screening and Discussion: Strength of the Storm (2013, directed by Rob Koier, 43 min.)
sponsors: Extinction Rebellion Southern VT and VT Workers’ Center
Thursday, September 26th, 2019 at 118 Elliot Gallery (118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7:30pm-9:30pm. The film will be followed by a discussion.
This film shows Vermont residents who were directly impacted by climate change during the flooding from Tropical Storm Irene, as they realized that they were all in this together and organized after the destruction of much of their mobile home community. “Strength of the Storm” is an extremely powerful film that highlights the devastating impact that global climate change has had on the lives of Vermonters. Rob Koier’s documentary helps us all see and feel how the impact of our addiction to fossil fuels challenges life as we know it in an intimate and compelling manner. Let’s hope this important work inspires meaningful change.” – Jeffrey Hollender, Author, Activist, and Co-Founder of Seventh Generation.
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Protest Vigil at TD Bank
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, September 27th, 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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Critical Mass Strike by Bike!
hosted by 350 Brattleboro, Brattleboro Community Bike Clinic, and VBike
Friday, September 27th, 2019 at the Brattleboro Common (Park Place, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5:30pm-6:30pm.
We're continuing with our monthly rides with rotating themes on the last Friday of each month. This month's ride is part of the Global Climate Strike: Week for Future!
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, going over our route & enjoying popsicles!
6:00pm: Begin Critical Mass ride. This will be a high-visibility downtown route!
6:30pm: End ride back at the Brattleboro Common OR continue to the Retreat Farm for a film screening of Motherload showing in Brattleboro, a "crowdsourced documentary about a new mother’s quest to understand the increasing isolation and disconnection of the digital age, its planetary impact, and how cargo bikes could be an antidote."
Help us spread the word & make this another successful critical mass ride!
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Film Screening: Motherload
hosted by VBike, Local Motion, 350 Vermont, 350 Brattleboro, Retreat Farm, Brattleboro Coalition for Active Transportation
Friday, September 27th, 2019 at Retreat Farm (45 Farmhouse Square, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 6:30pm-8:30pm. This is the Vermont Premiere! MOTHERLOAD will be shown outdoors (indoors if we have rain), so bring warm clothing and a blanket or chair to sit on. We are working on having food there for the hungry!
MOTHERLOAD is a thrilling, crowd-sourced documentary about a mom searching for freedom & connection in a fossil fueled, digital and divided world. She discovers how cargo bikes are helping to reshape and reframe our communities and how we get around. It's a story of how we can redeem ourselves by making the mundane extraordinary!
And join the Critical Mass Strike by Bike! to MOTHERLOAD. Meet at 5:30pm the Brattleboro Common. The ride will start at 6 pm and end at the Retreat Farm for the film. (Details available above in this Weekly Email Update.)
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Help Us Plant a Forest!
Saturday, September 28th, 2019 at SIT Graduate Institute (167 Kipling Road, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the Lower Field. 10am. Follow signs down the hill to the forest site. Park at SIT main campus and walk across, or park in Alumni/Philanthropy parking. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Anyone that can bring an extra shovel please do so. Call 802.258.3527 for more information.
What better way to cap a week of climate action than to plant a tree (or several)? Join us on the SIT campus on Saturday, Sept. 28, starting at 10 a.m. We will be planting 250-300 trees to reforest roughly three acres of land. SIT will provide the trees, the land, and lunch. All you need to bring is a shovel and some friends.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Environmental Justice and Nuclear Waste: The Road from Vermont Yankee to West Texas (IN GREENFIELD, MA)
organized by Citizens Awareness Network and VT Yankee Decommissioning Alliance
sponsored by Sugar Shack Alliance, Solar Store in Greenfield, The Nolumbeka Project, Extinction Rebellion, Climate Action Now
Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019, at Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center (289 Main Street, Greenfield, MA). 7pm. Donations welcome at the door; Cash Bar. For more information please email [email protected], call 413.339.5781, or visit www.nukebusters.org.
An Evening of Nuclear Blues with: The Wildcat O'Halloran Band, "Downtown" Bob Stannard, Court Dorsey as "Will Nukem"
Speakers Include: Leona Morgan: Navajo activist and Organizer from New Mexico, Dianne Darrigo: Radioactive waste and project director of the Nuclear Info and Resource Service, DC, and Deb Katz: Executive director, Citizens Awareness Network
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Hike for the Homeless
Saturday, October 5th, 2019 starting at the Mountain Road Trailhead to Mount Wantastiquet in Hinsdale, NH (244 Mountain Rd, West Chesterfield, NH 03466). Registration begins at 9:30am. Hike begins at 10am. Register here: https://groundworks.rallybound.org/Hike2019.
It's our 9th annual HIKE FOR THE HOMELESS! Did you know that if you can't make it to join us on October 5th or if there's another hike or walk you've been wanting to do elsewhere, you can feel free to register as a "Virtual Participant" and walk/hike virtually anywhere and at any time! You can create your "virtual participant" fundraising page here: https://groundworks.rallybound.org/Hike2019.
If you're joining us on Saturday, October 5th at the Mountain Road trailhead to Mount Wantastiquet (Hinsdale, NH), you can expect a crisp fall morning hike to the summit or a leisurely walk on the River Trail at the base of the mountain. You'll also find refreshments and camaraderie as you raise vital funds to help Groundworks Collaborative work to house our neighbors experiencing homelessness. So grab your friends and family, form a team, and set a fundraising goal to help us meet the basic needs of our neighbors with dignity. Thank you so much for your support of Groundworks and our neighbors in need!
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CPR and First Aid Training
Saturday, October 5th, 2019 at Putney Moves (133 Main Street, Putney, VT, 05346) from 1pm-3pm or 3pm-6pm.
CPR/AED: Adults, Children, and Infants: 1pm - 3pm is $40.00. First Aid: 3pm-6pm is $55.00. Attend both sessions or just one! To register visit our trainer's Site: instituteforwildmed.com/courses/ and for more about our trainer: instituteforwildmed.com.
Are you interested in deepening your knowledge of First Aid and/or CPR? Do you work in a health care field and want to feel confident administering emergency care? Join Putney Moves and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician Nicole Roma Thurrell for one or both training sessions and get certified this Fall! Certification is good for two years!
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Windham County NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner
hosted by the Windham County NAACP
Saturday, November 16th, 2019 at the American Legion (32 Linden St., Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5pm-9pm.
Tickets are now LIVE for our first annual Freedom Fund Dinner. This is our first Windham County NAACP fundraiser. All proceeds go to fund the branch and our youth scholarship initiative.
To buy tickets and RSVP visit the link! https://windhamnaacp.app.rsvpify.com/
Agenda:
5pm-6pm: Public Lecture
6pm: Reception
6:30pm: Dinner and Formal Reception
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US Immigration Policy in Historical Perspective
hosted by Vermont Humanities Council
Wednesday, December 4th, 2019
Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vt, 05301). 7pm-8:30pm.
One would think that current anxieties about immigration in the US have never been more intense, but history teaches us otherwise. Dartmouth professor Richard Wright examines the present-day contradictions of US immigration policy and places them in historical perspective. Part of the Vermont Humanities First Wednesdays free lecture series.
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Southern Vermont Sister District Project Soup Subscription Information
In addition to raising funds to help get our nation onto a better trajectory by turning red districts blue, Souther Vermont Sister District is also committed to providing you the most delicious and locally-sourced soup that they 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! For a $50 donation, you will receive 1 quart a month for four months, and for $100 donation, you will receive 2 quarts a month. Soups are available for pick-up either in Brattleboro or Putney on the third Monday of the month. (Dates for this subscription are: 10/21, 11/18, 12/16, & 1/20.) You will receive an email reminder shortly before the pick-up date each month.
By subscribing to our SisterDistrict Soup project you will receive delicious, monthly, homemade soup selections from October through January. You also have the option to gift your whole subscription or a single month to the Putney Food Shelf (a popular choice for out-of-town supporters or those traveling during soup time). Soup chefs volunteer their time and donate ingredients which means that ALL funds go to help move our political structures in the direction of sanity, compassion, and justice. Currently our "sister" race are state level races in Virginia that are critical to making blue inroads in the state.
Your subscription fees will go directly to these Sister District Project candidates who are running for election to the Virginia House of Delegates this year:
Larry Barnett - VA House of Delegates, District 27 (Richmond area) https://sisterdistrict.com/candidates/larry-barnett/
Hala Ayala - VA House of Delegates, District 51, incumbent (Northern VA, Prince William County) for more information, go to: https://sisterdistrict.com/candidates/hala-ayala/
More information about SisterDistrict strategies can be found here: https://www.sisterdistrict.com/. Please sign up for SisterDistrict emails 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.
-- Thanks from the Southern Vermont SisterDistrict crew
(Editor’s Note: I cook regularly for Sister District and these soups are not only DELICIOUS, but they are also health promoting and made with love and care. We hope you can join us for this Fall’s subscription cycle! -Your Friendly WeCAN Admin Joanna)
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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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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.
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Thank you, as always, for your commitment to your community. We look forward to seeing you this week at an event! Until next time...
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