Hello Neighbors,
I hope this note finds you well and you were able to enjoy this lovely weekend. For those of you who I may not know personally, I work at the Peace & Justice Center as one of the ways I interact in our neighborhood and community in general. I hope many of you are aware of the work that this membership organization does in the Burlington community as well as throughout the state. If you are interested in social justice work I encourage you to find out more about our current work at www.pjcvt.org.
I am writing today because I want to highlight a some free upcoming events that we are working on in the Burlington Area. I have listed them below with minimal amount of description. For more info and links to sign-up visit www.pjcvt.org/get-involved/upcoming-events
World Fair Trade Day Celebration
Saturday, May 7, from 10am-2pm at City Hall Park in Burlington
Learn about the fair trade movement, shop from fair trade vendors, eat chocolate samples, cycle to make banana smoothies, play games in the kids booth and enjoy a performance by Jeh Kulu.
“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” Book Discussion Group
Tuesdays, May 10 and 17 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm at South Burlington High School
This book, written by Michelle Alexander, examines institutional racism in the United States and how it relates to and has evolved from previous oppressive laws, such as slavery and Jim Crow policies. Two facilitators will lead this discussion group, in order to get the full benefit of this program, participants are asked to read the book in it’s entirety and attend both sessions. If you would like a FREE copy of the book call 652-7035.
Ideas on Tap: "Between the World and Me"
Wednesday, May 11 at 7pm at ArtsRiot on Pine Street in Burlington
Dr. Emily Bernard leads a discussion of the landmark book by Ta-Nehisi Coates, winner of the 2015 National Book Award. It is written as a letter to Coates’s son, has garnered a huge amount of attention for its unflinching take on the legacy of racism in America. Free copies of the book are available while supplies last. If you wanna go out to dinner before this event consider, Bluebird BBQ, because on May 11th, 10% of the entire evening’s sales will go to support the Peace & Justice Center!
Building Empathy and Addressing Racial Oppression Workshop
Wednesdays, May 25, June 1, June 8 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln Street in Essex Junction
Francine Serwili-Ngunga and I will lead workshop participants through this labyrinth of challenges including how to identify and acknowledge racial bias and create tools and guidelines that help undo racism. It is essential to the work that folks attend all three parts of this workshop. Space is limited so we highly recommend registering. Note on you sign-up form if you would like to join in a carpool.
Loving Day 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2pm-4pm at Pride Center Vermont, 255 S. Champlain St., Burlington
Join the 3rd annual Loving Day in Vermont, which celebrates the legalization of interracial marriage, diversity, and community! This year’s event will be held in collaboration with the Pride Center of Vermont, celebrating the recent legalization of same-sex marriage. A thoughtful discussion with local activists and couples affected by both court decisions will be the primary focus. Co-sponsored by Loving Day Vermont, Pride Center Vermont, and the Peace & Justice Center. Free and refreshments are provided. For more info contact: lovingdayvt@gmail.com
If you have questions about any of these events or the programs/campaigns they are a part of please connect with me! Any and all support you can offer in attending these program and/or helping to spread the word about them is greatly appreciated. Thank you and I hope to see you soon.
Kyle Silliman-Smith
Program Manager, Peace & Justice Center, 863-2345 x6