Greetings! You probably know that tomorrow is voting day. But do you know about the thousands of people, including in our own communities, who can't partake because of voter suppression?

-Kina Thorpe, Educational Program Manager
In This Issue
  • Leaving the PJC
  • From the Blog: Voter Suppression
  • Anger & Liberation
  • Killing Gaza
  • Protect Immigrants
  • Action Highlight: Vote!, Tell Starbucks: Don't Use Slave Labor!
Click here to for the quarterly Peace & Justice Center Newsletter
March 2, 2020
The Peace & Justice is seeking a new Executive Director. The ED must be capable of strengthening the long-term vision for organizations work, creating innovative strategies, facilitating teamwork, and uniting diverse constituencies around common solutions. They should have a strong understanding of and ability to confront economic and racial justice issues, particularly institutional racism, white privilege, classism, in addition to knowledge of issues related to peace, human rights, globalization and many forms of oppression. Think that's you? Click here for more information and to apply. Applications being accepted until April 10th, 2020.
-Rachel Siegel, PJC Executive Director

My class and race privilege limit my ability to do this work with the expertise and authenticity that this organization deserves. I came to this solid understanding after participating in the  Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizer Training Program for white social justice activists  last year. As a nonprofit, like most nonprofits, we do not offer a lot of financial compensation nor benefits. At PJC, we don’t even offer healthcare.  

We are in a bind: If we are to be more successful as an organization, we need leadership from those most impacted by the oppressions we address AND when we hire people who lives with more marginalization, it is hard for them to support themselves in this job. I was able to live off this salary, and lack of benefits, because of my access to wealth: I have insurance through my partner’s job, I have no college debt, and my parents help pay for things related to my kids. This is not normal. 

I have had series of meetings with members to discuss the situation in more depth. Here is a  15 minute video  that gives overview of the issues we are up against and why we need this change of leadership. We are looking for ideas to support this transition and for help from people who do have money to give (specifically, I’m looking for three-year pledges of amounts listed below). 
-Elizabeth Dunford, PJC Intern

In 1869 the United States Congress passed the 15th Amendment, securing the right to vote to all United States citizens, regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” This legalized and allowed for the enforcement of voting rights for all white and black male citizens in the United States. However, as history shows us, the following era of the post-Reconstruction South saw intense tactics of violence, disenfranchisement and economic deprivation against emancipated black populations. These laws and the social violence that accompanied them not only terrorized black communities but suppressed black men’s newly gained right to vote. In places like Louisiana, “grandfather clauses” were passed right before the turn of the century to prevent former slaves and their descendants from voting, and later Jim Crow laws, poll taxes and “literacy” tests stifled voting access for African Americans across large swaths of the U.S. South. But these tactics of voter suppression certainly weren’t left behind in the 19th and 20th centuries. 
-Sanjna Krishnan, PJC Intern

Happy Womxn’s history month! This month the theme for our affinity group is “Anger and Liberation: How We Can Use Ourselves to Set Us Free”. This meeting will start off with a tribute to the revolutionary womxn before us, who bravely paved the way so that we could be where we are today. In remembering our heroes, we not only pay homage to our well-known sisters, like Angela Davis and Grace Lee Boggs, but also our lesser known sisters. This is not only a space for education and consciousness-building, we hope to make this a space where we can transform resistance into a radical act of self-care and self-love! Yes, this is a group for people of color, but we would like to take this opportunity to gather and reflect on ourselves and our community.
 
We hope to discuss strategies of resistance and liberation in ways that draw on the negative energy that we may be holding within ourselves. Burnout is real, and it is incredibly taxing to keep that contained. If we can find a way to find liberation by expending toxicity from our lives, we hope to make resistance more of a sustainable activity that continues to help us fight the long fight. We will be discussing historical movements of feminism, and how we can draw on the lessons that we have learned in the past and use them to make it work for us now. Please join us TOMORROW, March 3rd at the Peace & Justice Center from 6-8 pm for this affinity group gathering.
This is a partial listing. See more in our public  calendar . The PJC is not directly involved in all of these events.

Monday, March 2
  • 5:30 – 8pm Youth for Change, Root Social Justice Center, Brattleboro (every other Monday)

Tuesday, March 3
  • 6–8pm 350VT meeting, 350VT Office, Burlington (every other Tuesday)

Wednesday, March 4

Thursday, March 5

Friday, March 6

Saturday, March 7

Sunday, March 8

Monday, March 9

Tuesday, March 10
  • 6 – 8:30pm PJC board meeting, Burlington

Wednesday, March 11

Thursday, March 12

Friday, March 13

Sunday, March 15

Wednesday, March 18

Email  us events for our  google calendar  and enews
PJC
Programs & Events

Community Voices for Immigrant Rights, Monday, March 2, 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 Migrant Justice's No Mas Polimigra campaign. Free dinner from 5:30-6. Free child care available upon request, please email Women's March VT . Wheelchair accessible location. FREE

POC Affinity Group Tuesday March 3, 6-8pm, PJC. This program is led by people of color, for people of color. It is a monthly gathering for POC to come together to share their experiences and explore their identities. FREE

No Mas Polimigra Teach-In , Thursday March 5, 6:30pm, Saint Michael's College, Colchester. Learn about how you can support the No Mas Polimigra campaign and start one in your town! This campaign, started by Migrant Justice, is closing loopholes in the statewide Fair and Impartial Policing Policy that allow for local police to work with immigration officials. Hosted by Community Voices for Immigrant Rights, No Mas Polimigra BTV, St Mike's Civil Rights Alliance, and the PJC. FREE

Rally for No Mas Polimigra BTV at City Hall , Monday March 9, 6:30-8:30pm. As we said at the end of our rally on February 18th...
WE'LL BE BACK ON MARCH 9TH! And be back we will! Come stand again for the final vote of City Hall to demand that we end the collaboration between our police department and deportation agents! We will start out with a rally outside City Hall, and then make our way into city hall to make public comment and have our voices be heard so that city council will pass a resolution to end the unjust collaboration between BPD and CBP/ICE. FREE

Thursday, March 12, 5:30-6:30pm PJC. This space is held specifically for white people to process how white supremacy culture is harmful to them. The hope is that by joining this space, white people will be better able to allow for the emotional needs of people of color to take priority in multi-racial spaces. FREE

Migrant Justice Milk With Dignity Tour , Tuesday, March 17, 6-7:30pm, Burlington UU. In 2017 Ben & Jerry's became the first company to sign onto the Milk with Dignity Program. Last year, farmworkers announced plans to expand the program to Hannaford supermarket! Join us to learn about Milk with Dignity, exciting updates about the new campaign, and how to get involved. Hosted by Migrant Justice, Community Voices for Immigrant Rights, the Burlington UU, and the PJC. FREE

PJC Activist Award Celebration. Thursday, March 19, 6-9pm , ECHO. Celebrate the work of PJC co-founder Wendy Coe and  Vermont Coalition for Ethnic and Social Equity in Schools . Enjoy a chili dinner, cash bar, and silent auction, and DJ Melo Grant! Suggested donation $25. Tickets available for purchase here  or in the store. For more info email  rachel@pjcvt.org .

PJC Prospective Facilitator Gathering Thursday, March 26 5:30-7pm, PJC. Learn about facilitating our programs! The evening includes an overview of our programs, our educational philosophies, and time for you to share your experiences and interest. People from around the state are needed so if you are interested but can't join in person, we're happy to have you with us via video or phone conference. FREE, light refreshments served. To register call Kina at 863-2345 x9 or email program@pjcvt.org .

For more info on these events visit our website or contact  program@pjcvt.org
Want to see more of the PJC more often?

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Israeli Bulldozers – Killing Gaza – The Meaning of “Relative Quiet”
-By Mark Hage , VTJP

Middle East Eye : Family of Palestinian mangled by bulldozer condemn Israel
Belal al-Naem was appalled when he saw the footage: an Israeli bulldozer dragging, mutilating and dangling a Palestinian’s corpse in the besieged Gaza Strip. Then he found out it was his brother’s body.
“I lived the shock twice, first before I knew that he is my brother, and the other when I knew that was him,” he told Middle East Eye.

Ashley Smith and Betsy McGavisk of Burlington share their thoughts on why it's crucial that on March 9 Burlington City Councilors vote YES on protecting the rights of immigrants. Read their op-ed here.
Flynn Vouchers

Pick up a voucher for these shows at PJC and pay $2 cash at the box office. For current  PJC  members and volunteers. For information on membership  click here . Limited supply! 
Flip Fabrique: Blizzard
Sunday, March 15, 3pm
With their new show, Blizzard, the acrobats lead a madcap journey in the dead of winter, inviting the audience to lose themselves in a complete whitewash of wonder. With performers at the peak of their art and outstanding visual poetry, Blizzard is a storm of agility and spectacle.
Peking Acrobats
Tuesday, March 17, 7pm
The Peking Acrobats are China’s finest, an elite troupe of gymnasts, jugglers, cyclists, and tumblers whose dazzling displays of flexibility, contortion, and control astound and inspire. Heightening the spectacle, a live orchestra of traditional Chinese instruments accompanies the athletes’ visual pyrotechnics.
The Snowy Day
Monday, March 23, 6pm
Student matinee: March 23, 12
Childsplay Arizona’s The Snowy Day celebrates the magic and bounvdless possibilities of childhood as well as the challenges of growing up. A classic since its publication in 1962 and winner of the Caldecott Medal, Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day was one of the first picture books for young people to feature an African-American protagonist, and is still beloved today.
Center Hours 
Monday-Friday: 10am-6pm
  
Store Hours
Closed Mondays 
Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-6pm
Sunday: 10am-5pm
 
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:
Don't forget to vote!
Tell Starbucks to stop using slave labor
Tomorrow, March 3, is voting day in Vermont. Don't forget to vote and make sure that your voice is heard! With voter suppression happening all around the country, it's important that those who can not only show up but also work to put an end to voter suppression and give a voice to all.

You can visit the Vermont Secretary of State's website to check your registration status. Even if you're not registered to vote in Vermont (or at all), Vermont has same day registration which means you can register in person at the polls right before you vote.

Outside of voting it's also important to educate yourself about voter suppression and the fight for the right to vote. Organizations like Fair Fight and Rock the Vote are working around the country to assure that every American has the right to vote and that all votes counts equally. Follow their work to stay up to date on their efforts.
For the second time in nine months, labor inspectors on plantations where Starbucks buys coffee in Brazil have found slave labor. These aren’t just any plantations; these are farms that are “certified” to their C.A.F.E. Practices standards. Starbucks holds up their C.A.F.E. Practices standards as the key to their commitment to source “99% ethical coffee.” But it’s becoming more and more clear: These standards are glossing over a serious problem.

Instead of making real change in their supply chains, Starbucks is trying to re-brand forced labor and slavery-like conditions as “ethical.” But we won’t let them get away with it.

Sign the petition to tell Starbucks to drop slave labor!
Peace & Justice Store
Peace & Justice Center | 802-863-2345 |  info@pjcvt.org  |  http://www.pjcvt.org
60 Lake St, Ste 1C
Burlington, VT 05401