January 2022

What's Going On?

As we reflect and honor Martin Luther King's legacy today, we continue to stand together in our efforts to achieve equity and justice for all. Please use this Zoom link to join us the first Sunday of each month at 10:30 AM. Our next vigil will be Sunday, February 6 at 10:30 AM. If you get a pass code prompt, please use this: 125857. Send us an email at Hello@mvblm.org if you're having trouble connecting. Remember seeing Lieutenant Caron Nazario being pepper sprayed in Windsor, VA at a gas station last year? Virginia's Attorney General was watching too. At the very end of 2021, Mark Herring filed a lawsuit citing Windsor for unconstitutional and discriminatory policing. For those of you who view our Sunday vigils as your "church", here's a piece about ringing in the New Year with a "Watch Night Service" mirroring Frederick Douglas on the eve of January 1, 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.

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Eradicating Racism: A Path Forward The Dock C. Bracy Center for Reconciliation is hosting a series of FREE educational opportunities. Eradicating Racism: A Path Forward begins on January 20. The four part series focuses on the complexities of racism, white privilege, systemic racism, and finding your voice. Register here. Their next monthly book group will be on January 26th. Participants will discuss The Sum of Us: What racism costs us and how we can prosper together, an excellent book we recommend you read.

Shots Fired

Looking for something to watch this month? Frontline's "Shots Fired" focuses on how police training escalates situations instead of deescalates them. Working to create a culture of fear and shame, trainers focus on worst case scenarios encouraging excessive force as the first response. On December 15, Netflix released a documentary called "137 Shots". It focuses on the 2012 police chase and fatal shooting of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams by Cleveland police in Northeast Ohio. Both victims were unarmed.

Honoring Black and Brown Lives January 2: Amy Cazzupoli honored Mario Gonzalez pictured to the right. Read what Amy shared here. WE NEED SPEAKERS! Your participation in the Sunday vigil keeps it going. Please sign up to present and see the names of everyone who has been honored. Details of how to present are also included in this shared document. Use this resource to find stories of Black women who were killed and amplify their stories.

Quick Updates Neighborhood First: We're working to bring Neighborhood First to the island again and are getting close to securing housing for a week in June. Be on the lookout for updates and ways you can help underserved BIPOC youth from Philedelphia expand their horizons and share joyous Martha's Vineyard moments. Young Brothers to Men: Dana and Eric continue meeting with the high school to re-institute the Young Brothers to Men program. Eric is currently working on identifying mentors.

Angst to Action

Justice for Lauren On December 12, 2021 Lauren Smith-Fields was found dead in her apartment. Although her death was suspicious, the Bridgewater CT police did not begin an investigation until public pressure mounted for them to take some kind of action. The family is seeking financial assistance to pay for their own investigator. Please consider supporting their efforts via this gofundme page. Get updates about the case on their lawyer's Instagram and watch the this news piece announcing the lawsuit they're filing.

Stand with the Duwamish The Duwamish are the First People of present-day Seattle, and are the original stewards of this land. Since time immemorial, the Duwamish Tribe has maintained their ancestral home in traditional, sustainable ways for the benefit of all. Seattle is built upon and thrives on the lands of the Duwamish People, and the City still carries the name of the Tribe’s most well-known leader, Chief Si’ahl (Seattle).  Chief Si’ahl of the Duwamish and Suquamish Tribes of Indians was the lead signatory of the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, and that agreement has never been invalidated. Yet the U.S. Government has continually failed to give the Duwamish People their rightful recognition. Federal recognition does not create a tribe, but honors the government-to-government relationship between tribes and the United States. It is also vital to protecting the cultural integrity of the Duwamish People. SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION TODAY TO RECOGNIZE THE DUWAMISH TRIBE! Duwamish Tribe’s Website Duwamish Tribe Fact Sheet Duwamish Tribe & Environmental Advocacy Promised Land Documentary Real Rent Duwamish Duwamish Tribe on Twitter

Listen to Shed, a podcast series featuring interviews with islanders working to end systemic racism. Eric Adams leads each discussion using the unique lens of a therapist. Listeners are invited to "shed their old beliefs about race and make room for a new understanding of it's impact and implications."