Weekly Update 9.30.19
"If people have moral courage to stand up to the smallest injustice-their own and other's-it's kind of like practice for when the big ones come around."
Colleen Kelly
Happy Autumn, fellow activists! This week's Weekly Email Update has plenty of new additions including a health care reform forum in Bellows Falls, a concert to benefit asylum seekers, a volunteer opportunity with The Inclusion Center, and a job opportunity with Restorative Justice of Southern VT. Grab yourself a cup of hot cider and your calendar, park yourself on the front porch, and get ready to plan this week's activism activities. We hope to see you at an event or meeting soon!
HAPPENING TODAY, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th, 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.
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HAPPENING THIS WEEK, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th, 2019-SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6th, 2019
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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Protest Vigil at TD Bank
sponsored by Post Oil Solutions
Friday, October 4th, 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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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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BEYOND WINDHAM COUNTY
Celebrate the Harvest with the Original Vermonters
Saturday, October 12th, 2019 at the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum (1 Ethan Allen Homestead, Burlington, VT, 05408). 10am-4pm. Included with the price of admission to the homestead.
Join the Vermont Indigenous community in celebrating the harvest as they prepare and cook Abenaki foods in traditional ways over open fire in the Vermont Indigenous Heritage Center's historical village while wearing their ancestral clothing and using historic implements. Special behind the scenes tours will also be offered.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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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Bellows Falls People's Health Care Forum
sponsored by Vermont Workers' Center
Wednesday, October 16th, 2019 at the Rockingham Public Library (65 Westminster Street, Bellows Falls, VT, 05101). 6pm-8pm.
- Do you and your family rely on Medicaid (Green Mountain Care) or Dr. Dynasaur?
- Are you forced to buy health insurance because you make more than the Medicaid income limit?
- Do you have health insurance, but avoid receiving care because your deductible is too high?
Join us for a forum on the fight to protect Medicaid and win healthcare for everyone in Vermont.
Health Care is a Human Right Platform
1. Protect Medicaid and Dr. Dynasaur: No cuts, hurdles, or exclusions.
2. Increase funding for home health and community based services.
3. Keep our rural hospitals and clinics open and thriving.
4. Implement a financing plan for Act 48, Vermont’s universal healthcare law.
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Community Forum for a Hate-Free Vermont
hosted by Attorney General T.J. Donovan
Thursday, October 17th, 2019 at Oak Grove School (15 Moreland Avenue, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), in the Cafeteria. 5:30pm-7:30pm. For questions please contact 802-828-3171 or email [email protected]
Please join the Vermont Attorney General's Office and others for a conversation about hate crimes, bias incidents, and how to respond as a community.
This will be the fourth Forum for a Hate-Free Vermont and will take place at the Oak Grove School Cafeteria in Brattleboro. Community members are encouraged to attend to tell their stories, learn, provide support, and share in a vision for a hate-free Vermont.
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Nobody is Above the Law—Really? with Tim Kipp
part of the Brattleboro Democracy Forum/Brown Bag Lunch Series
sponsored by: We Celebrate Democracy / Civil Rights For All
Wednesday, October 18th, 2019 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12pm-1pm.
The concepts of a "nation of laws and not people" and the "rule of law" are as old as the nation-state itself. Elbowing aside the "divine rights of kings" this new system would place the law above all else and establish the very foundation of democracy. This presentation will assess how well the United States is upholding these essential democratic values. Tim Kipp is a retired U.S. history and political science teacher of 39 years and a political activist since the 1960's.
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Benefit Concert for Community Asylum Seekers Project
Friday, October 25th, 2019 at All Souls Church Unitarian Universal (29 South Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 7:30pm-10:30pm. $20 advance/$25 door
No one will be turned away. For more info, email George at carvill.net or call 603-721-9825. Tickets are available HERE.
Join Emma's Revolution for a #Resistance Concert to Benefit Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP)!
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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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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Inclusion Center Needs Your Help: Volunteer Grant Writer and Fundraiser Needed ASAP
Inclusion Center is doing very well as far as programs and participants goes. We are not doing well with fundraising as we don't have any one person who has taken the lead on this. One of us recently stepped in and organized all the attachments, background information and so on that go into a applying for a grant. She also did research on what grants are out there. We now have a list of 22 possible sources specific to Inclusion Center. Now it's time for someone to take the grant writing process to its next level. If you are hearing about this new topic for the first time, please consider working with IC to raise some money (through grant writing or otherwise) and think about who else we should contact, others who might be interested in helping IC in this way. IC is an amazing and extremely unique program. Please help us to continue our success story by donating time, money or goods!
If you are interested in learning more, please contact [email protected] ASAP. Thank you!
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JOB OPPORTUNITY
Restorative Community Justice of Southern VT is Hiring
We're hiring a community outreach & development coordinator! Join our small team of dedicated restorative practitioners and contribute to RCJSV's community-driven work in Windham County.
See attached job description for more details. Feel free to forward this to any groups, lists, and/or individuals who might be interested. Questions (and applications) can be sent to: [email protected].
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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.
Thank you, this and every week, for standing up for justice. We appreciate every gesture you make to ensure that Windham County remains fair and accessible to all.
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