Greetings! Apply for our next trip to Alabama; push your local Hannaford to join Milk With Dignity; speak truth to power about the F-35s; and buy Fair Trade Halloween chocolate. See below for more information on all this and more!
Last year, a group of folks joined the us on a trip to Montgomery, Alabama to visit the Equal Justice Institute's Legacy Museum and Memorial. Both the museum and memorial highlight and pay tribute to those who lost their lives at the hand of racial terror, and asks for our country to finally come to terms with the pain and horror it has caused.
Because the trip was so moving and impactful to those who went, we are planning to go again.
Thanks to the generosity of a committed anti-racist PJC member, we hope to make the trip completely affordable to anyone selected for the trip. Those who are able to contribute will be encouraged to do so.
The specific date has not yet been determined, but we are expecting to go for two nights in late January.
The Halloween season is in the air! Goblins and ghouls are set to roam the streets as children get ready to dress up and go trick-or-treating. But there is a spookier side to the candy children often receive on Halloween, something even more cursed than the scariest costume. For the last several decades, as the chocolate industry has become ever more centralized and controlled by some of the largest food corporations, observers and human rights advocates have sounded the alarm on the fact that the worst forms of child labor, including human trafficking and enslavement, are happening within the cocoa supply chain.
In the Ivory Coast and Ghana, where 70% of the world’s cacao is harvested, children are often trafficked in from surrounding countries and forced to work in grueling conditions for long and arduous hours. Some of the most popular candy brands, including Hershey’s, Nestle, and Mars, are all implicated in this egregious abuse.
A group of badass Anti-War Peace Activists known as the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 have been found guilty of breaking into a naval base in Georgia last year.
Martha Hennessy (a Vermonter!), Mark Colville, Clare Grady, Steve Kelly, Elizabeth McAlister, Patrick O’Neill, and Carmen Trotta used a bolt cutter to enter a remote gate at Naval Base Kings Bay, walked two miles through swamp and brush.
Once inside they prayed, poured blood, spray painted messages against nuclear weapons, hammered on parts of a shrine to nuclear missiles, hung banners, and waited to be arrested.
They face more than 20 years in prison for destruction and depredation of government property in excess of $1,000, trespassing, and conspiracy.
Undeterred Film Screening Monday, November 4, 6-8pm, Rutland Free Library, Rutland. "Undeterred" is an intimate and unique portrait of how residents in a small rural community, caught in the cross-hairs of global geo-political forces, have mobilized to demand our rights and to provide aid to injured, oft times dying people funneled across a wilderness desert. Hosted by Rights & Democracy and Rutland County 350. Co-sponsored by the PJC. FREE
Rhapsody in Black Thursday, November 7, 7-9pm, Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe. A prismatic look at life on the color line, Gantt presents a poignant, enraging, and often hilarious travelogue through the psyche of the perpetual “other.” As he spends a lifetime struggling with what it means to be black, he ultimately understands what it means to be a man. A blistering indictment of tribalism in all forms, Rhapsody in Black deconstructs notions of race and identity–provoking thought, realigning perspectives, and sparking the conversation we need right now. Co-sponsored by the Peace & Justice Center. Tickets are $15.
Community Voices for Immigrant Rights Monday, November 11, 5:30-7:30pm, 241 N Winooski Ave. Join us as we work to amplify local organizing efforts in support of immigrant rights with an emphasis on No Mas Polimigra and Milk with Dignity. This is a perfect opportunity for new and seasoned organizers alike to join in community in defense of human rights. Free dinner will be served from 5:30-6. Free child care available upon request, please email Women's March VT. Location is wheelchair accessible. FREE
POC Affinity GroupThursday, November 14, 6-8pm at the PJC. This program is led by people of color, for people of color and is a chance to be in solidarity with one another over shared experiences. FREE
Seeing & Disrupting Racism: A Focus on White Fragility. Saturday, November 16, 2-3:30pm at the PJC. Addressing racism should not be the responsibility of those who experience it. In this workshop, developed for predominantly white audiences, you'll learn about the concept of white fragility, how it perpetuates racism, and specific ways to disrupt that cycle. Stay after to hear about volunteering at the the PJC! FREE
Toxic Whiteness Discussion GroupMonday, November 18, 5:30-6:30pm, PJC. This space is for white people to process how white supremacy culture is toxic to them. We hope by joining this space, they'll let the emotional needs of POC to take priority in multiracial spaces. FREE
Fiber Fair Friday, Friday, November 22, 2-6pm, Heritage Winooski Mill Museum, Winooski. This event features a variety of handmade goods made by artisans working in fiber arts. With the holidays quickly approaching, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to pick up some unique and locally made gifts for your loved ones! Co-sponsored by the PJC. FREE.
The PJC is looking for new members for our Racial Justice Advisory Committe. This committee, made up entire of People of Color, has added tremendous value to the PJC. Members of the committee are paid for their time. Click here for more information and to apply.
Burlington Dismas House is looking to add new leaders to its local House Council. Dismas of Vermont's mission, is to reconcile former prisoners with society and society with former prisoners.
As a Council member you will be an active participant on multiple committees, attend monthly Council meetings, and participate in statewide Dismas Community Assembly meetings twice a year.
If you are interested call Kimberly Parsons at
802- 658-0381.
F-35 Noise Complaints
Do you have noise related concerns related to the F-35s? Call the Vermont Air National Guard and let them know: (802) 338-3000 x3.
Want to see more of the PJC more often?
Follow us on social media to see pictures, read articles, and be in the know about what we're up to, community issues, events, and more.
Hours are subject to change. Call (802) 863-2345 x2 to confirm.
Location
60 Lake Street, Suite 1C
Burlington's Waterfront.
(Next to Skinny Pancake)
Action Alert: Speak Truth to Power
and Migrant Justice Day of Action
Those who worked tirelessly again the F-35s have acquired of hundred citations showing that Senator Leahy and Vermont Air National Guard manipulated the Air Force into bring the F-35s to VT. They have also found
numerous citations showing Air Force basing experts stating that Burlington was not environmentally or operationally a suitable location for the F-35.
Join these activists in “Speaking Truth to Power” by signing up read some of these citations at Sentator Leahy's office.
People have already been going for the past 8 days, but there is still time to join the fight. Click here to read more about the Speak Truth to Power campaign, and click below to sign up to read a section.
Migrant Justice is calling for a Milk with Dignity Day of Action at Hannaford supermarkets across the northeast for Saturday, November 2! Over a dozen actions are already planned for that day all around the state. Sign up to join an action or organize one at a Hannaford near you!
Farmworkers and allies will descend on Hannafords to tell the supermarket giant that it’s time to take responsibility for the human rights of farmworkers.
