Greetings! Help stop the execution of Rodney Reed and tell J Crew that if they want to be "fair trade," we want them to go all in! Sign two quick petitions and make some calls if you have time. See the Action Alerts below.
If you've been on the internet for more than five minutes you've likely come across the term "white fragility," but do you know what it means? According to white sociologist Robin DiAngelo, and the countless people of color who informed her research, white fragility is:
A state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation.
This begs the question, how can those responsible for racism in our country (white people) work to fix it if they experience extreme stress and discomfort from simply hearing about it?
Seeing & Disrupting Racism: A Focus on White Fragility explores these ideas and helps white people recognize that stopping or avoiding conversations about race and racism is a form of violence. Together we discuss ways to interrupt this defensiveness and shame.
This program is free and open to the public. Happening Saturday, November 16, 2pm at the PJC
-Richard Czaplinski, PJC member and President of Will Miller Green Mountain Veterans For Peace, Chapter 5
It’s been one hundred and one years since the Armistice was signed that ended the First World War. That war was so horrific that it was viewed as the war to end all wars. People wanted peace.
In November, 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, but it wasn’t until 1938, and after many states had already made Armistice Day a legal holiday, that Congress made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday with the words describing it as “… a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day."
For over three decades, Armistice Day was celebrated as a day dedicated to remembering and recognizing that world peace was a goal. Then in 1954, Congress amended the Act of 1938 the created Armistice Day by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." That same year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation” which began with the words: “WHEREAS it has long been our custom to commemorate November 11, the anniversary of the ending of World War I, by paying tribute to the heroes of that tragic struggle and by rededicating ourselves to the cause of peace …”
The Peace & Justice Center is excite to co-sponsor Fiber Fair Friday at the Heritage Winooski Mill Museum! This event (on November 22, 2-6pm) features a variety of handmade goods made by talented fiber artisans!
Votes…For Women? Art Exhibit through Dec. 11. Middlebury College Museum of Art
6-8:30pm, PJC board mtg. PJC, Burlington
6-8pm, 350VT meeting. 179 S Winooski Ave #201, Burlington
November 13, Wednesday
6-8pm, Homeless in Paradise: The Housing Crisis in One of the Most Livable Cities in the USA: Burlington VT withJared Carter, Esq. ONE Community Center, 20 Allen St, Burlington
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 educational events. This is a perfect opportunity for new and seasoned organizers alike to join in community in defense of human rights. Free dinner 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. Led by people of color, for POC. A space to discuss race and racism without educating white people. FREE
Seeing & Disrupting Racism: A Focus on White FragilitySaturday, November 16, 2-3:30pm at the PJC. This workshop, for white audiences, explores white fragility, how it perpetuates racism, and ways to disrupt the cycle. Stay after to hear about volunteering at the PJC! FREE
Toxic Whiteness Discussion GroupMonday, November 18, 5:30-6:30pm, PJC. A space 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 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 goods handmade 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
Community Voices for Immigrant Rights Monday, November 25, 5:30-7:30pm, 241 N Winooski Ave. See description on November 11 above. FREE
Looking for a chance to get involved in social justice work while receiving class credit and a one of a kind experience? Then join our intern team! Our newly restructured internship program allows for fluidity between our focus areas, so you can be involved in more of our work! Deadline: November 22. Visit our website for more info and to apply!
PJC Racial Justice Advisory Committee
The PJC is looking for new members for our Racial Justice Advisory Committee. This committee, all People of Color, is an important accountability measure and has added tremendous value to the PJC. Committee members are paid. Applicants outside of Chittenden County are especially encouraged. Click here to apply
Visit
Montgomery, Alabama
Join the PJC on a trip to 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 our country to take responsibility for the pain it has caused. Deadline: November 15. Click here to apply.
Voices for Palestine
-Mark Hage,
Vermonters for Justice in Palestine
Morton Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America, is riled up about recent comments about Gaza by Bernie Sanders.
At the 2019 annual conference of the liberal, pro-Israel advocacy organization J Street, Sanders had the audacity to call for
conditioning military aid to Israel, and he advocated for redirecting some of that aid to humanitarian relief in Gaza.
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 Alerts: Save Rodney Reed &
Tell J.Crew to Support Fair Trade Cotton Farmers
On November 20th, Texas is scheduled to execute an innocent man for a rape and murder he did not commit.
Mountains of evidence exonerates Rodney Reed. All of that evidence was kept from the all white jury that convicted him. Instead, the evidence implicates the victim’s fiancé – local police officer Jimmy Fennell – who has a history of violence against women, including being convicted for kidnapping and sexual assault soon after Rodney was wrongly sent to prison.
Governor Greg Abbott has stopped an execution before. He can again. A huge public uproar right now could force Abbott to free Rodney Reed and stop this execution.
Click below to sign the petition to demand that Governor Abbott stop the execution of Rodney Reed-- an innocent man.
If you see an ad for Madewell and J. Crew’s “Fair Trade Denim” collection you might assume the denim was made from fair trade materials. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Out of the long, complex supply chain that takes cotton and transforms it into thread, cloth, and finally clothes, only one stage of J. Crew's line is certified—the final factory where the jeans are cut and sewn.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 65% of the world’s cotton supply comes from countries that are at high risk for forced labor.
That’s why Fair World Project is calling on Madewell and their parent company J.Crew to stop fairwashing and commit to actually using fair trade cotton for their “Fair Trade Denim Jeans.”
Fair trade is a movement built by small farmers and artisans. As large, mainstream brands like J. Crew and Madewell enter the market, they need to create more opportunities for those who built the movement, and in a way that is actually fair.
