Greetings!

We have exciting things to announce including a new staff member and a racism series with Rodney Patterson! Keep reading to find out about all of the great things we've got in the works.

-Kina Thorpe, Educational Program Manager
In This Issue (in order)
  • Welcome, Joshua!
  • Dissecting Racism Series
  • PJC Tech Fundraiser
  • BIPOC Artist Spotlight
  • Action Highlight:
........-Save USPS
.........-HUD Anti-Trans ..........Housing Rules
Click here to for the quarterly Peace & Justice Center Newsletter
August 18, 2020
Views expressed by entities outside of the Peace & Justice Center do not necessarily represent the views of the PJC.
We would like to introduce the Peace & Justice Center's new Operations Manager, Joshua Oyetubo! We are excited to have him join the team. Read a little bit about him below, and give him a virtual warm welcome:

My name is Joshua Oyetubo, and I am the new Operations Manager at the PJC. I hope to use my lived experience as a BIPOC to continue to co-create an inclusive financial culture rooted in economic, social, and racial justice.

I am from Lansing, Michigan where I worked with community activists to promote inclusion of BIPOC in local ministries and city events. I am curious and collaborative with a sharp mind and a willingness to grow. I often ask myself two important questions: Whose perspectives are and are not represented? What questions have we not considered?

In addition to my work at the PJC, I am a dedicated Yogi. I regularly practice and teach yoga. My other hobbies are making beaded jewelry, reading, and biking.

I am excited to bring all my passion to the PJC and its endeavors.
Registration is now open for Dissecting Racism, a 4-6 part series brought to you by the PJC and Rodney Patterson of The Learner’s Group.

Sessions will begin on Tuesdays, September 1,8,15, and 22, 5-7pm. Participants must commit to attending the first four sessions.

This series aims to bring willing participants together in a meaningful forum to dissect the realities and presence of race and racism, and strategies for successfully addressing incidents and issues.

Workshop topics include:
  1. Understanding Race
  2. Anatomy of an Ism
  3. Manifestations and Real Examples
  4. Commitment to Transformation

There will also be two additional (optional) workshops:
5. Working as allies (for white people) and Building Coalition and Addressing Fatigue (for POC)
6. Responding to Levels of Racist Speech/Behavior

Registration is required. Click here to sign up.

About Rodney Patterson:
Rodney Patterson (CEO of The Learners Group) is one of the nation’s most effective and engaging diversity and inclusion facilitators. He has consulted and facilitated for several Fortune 500, 100 and 50 organizations, governmental, non-profit, and social services agencies including: the NBA, NFL, General Mills, and countless Universities across the country.

He formerly worked at the University of Vermont and served as the Assistant to the Mayor of Burlington. Recently, he republished his book, Trumping the Race Card: A National Agenda – Moving Beyond Race and Racism.

Registration is required. Click here to sign up.
The PJC relies heavily on internet-based software to access our database and accounting software, manage our store inventory, and run safe and secure sales. Following a recent internet outage of many days, we have seen that it's necessary to upgrade our hardware and security protection plans.

Without the internet, we couldn't:
  • Provide workshops to over 1000 people annually
  • Provide fiscal sponsorship to groups like Randolph Area Asylum Seekers Support, Middlbury SURJ, People for Peace & Security, and many more
  • Publish the enews you are reading right now (thanks for reading!)

Thomas Dukeshire at ruraltechs.biz has generously offered his time to do the installations, we only need to pay for hardware and subscriptions. Can you help us make it happen?

Donations will go toward purchasing:
  • Cisco MX67 Firewall (~$800)
  • Cisco MR33 Access Point (~$500)
  • Aruba Switch (~$700)

This will ultimately impact all of our work and enable us to function in a safer and more effective way.
All of the events listed below are happening online unless otherwise stated. This is a partial listing of event. See more in our public calendar. The PJC is not directly involved in all of these events. If you have questions about a non-PJC event, please reach out to the organization listed. 

Tuesday, August 18

Wednesday, August 19

Thursday, August 20

Friday, August 21

Saturday, August 22

Sunday, August 23

Monday, August 24

Wednesday, August 25

Thursday, August 26

Friday, August 27

Saturday, August 29

Sunday, August 30

Please email us events for our google calendar and enews.
Upcoming Events
All events are
happening online. Registration is required.

Toxic Whiteness Discussion Group Wednesday, August 19, 12-1pm OR August 20, 5-6pm. This space is held for white people to process how white supremacy culture is harmful to them. The hope is that by joining this space, white people will allow the emotional needs of people of color to take priority in multi-racial spaces. Space is limited, please sign up for only one monthly session. Space is limited, please sign up for only one monthly session. Click here to register for the 12-1pm session and here for the 5-6pm session. Recommended donation $10, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Fair Trade vs Free Trade Saturday, August 29, 2-3pm. Learn about globalization and how policies & practices have paved the way for huge companies to profit at the expense of people and the planet. Shows how the Fair Trade movement and principles seek to, at a minimum, counterbalance these atrocities. Click here to register.. FREE

Dissecting Racism Series, Tuesdays, September 1,8,15, 22, 29, 5-7pm. This series, brought to you by the PJC and Rodney Patterson of The Learners Group, aims to bring willing participants together to dissect the realities and presence of race and racism, and strategies for successfully addressing incidents and issues. Sliding scale fee $0-$100. No one turned away for lack of funds. Click here to register.

To learn more, visit our website or contact
Want to see more of the PJC more often?

Follow us to see pictures, read articles, and be in the know about what we're up to, community issues, events, and more.
BLM and Immigrant Rights Protest at ICE
Take a stand against ICE and DHS on August 29, 2:00pm at ICE in Williston. Join The Black Perspective,Migrant Justice, and Community Voices for Immigrant Rights in standing up for three key demands: End the recent deployment of federal agents in US cities to suppress Black Lives Matter protests; Defund and abolish Customs and Border Protection, ICE, and the police and dismantle the Department of Homeland Security; and Create a just and safe economy for all workers. Click here for more information.
Voices for Palestine: The Democratic Party & Palestine 2020: Continuity & Change
In presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, the Israel lobby has a throwback candidate to a bygone era when Democrats and Republicans equally fell over themselves to praise Israel, and the best that can be said about Kamala Harris’s record in the Senate is that she voted against a bill last year that encourages states to unconstitutionally deny contracts to people who support BDS campaigns for Palestinian rights.

For the first time, this year’s Democratic Party platform includes a plank supporting the First Amendment right to engage in BDS. But the Democratic Party’s support for the constitutional right to support BDS is the only redeeming feature of an otherwise horrid platform that refuses to even name Israel’s military occupation, much less condemn it.
Front Porch Forum Hiring

Front Porch Forum is hiring! They are seeking an Online Community Manager to join their team. The position is 32-40 hours/week, including weekend shifts, working from home. Help them fulfill their community-building mission. For more information and to apply, click here.
Center Hours 
(reached via email or phone)

Monday-Friday: 10am-6pm
  
Store Hours
CLOSED
 
Location
60 Lake Street,
Suite 1C
Burlington's Waterfront
(Next to Skinny Pancake)  
BIPOC Artist Spotlight
Art is an important form of self expression and movement building. For BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) it can often times be the only way that the world allows for self expression. Art allows people, regardless of where you're from or what language you speak, to connect with one another. Since art and BIPOC voices are essential, check out and support these two Vermont based BIPOC artists.
If you are an Vermont BIPOC Artist and would like to be featured, please email Program@pjcvt.org.
Adi Birnbaum
Vermont based artist, Adi Birnbaum, has been constantly creating Art since early childhood. Her artwork is inspired by music, nature and everyday life. View and support her work by following her on Instagram.

Instagram: @pear.tree.arts
Rajnii Eddins
Originally from Seattle, Washington, Spoken Word Poet/Emcee and Teaching Artist Rajnii Eddins has been engaging diverse community audiences for over 27 years. He was the youngest member of the Afrikan American Writers Alliance at age 11 and has been actively sharing with youth and community in Vermont since 2010. His latest work, "Their Names Are Mine," aims to confront white supremacy while emphasizing the need to affirm our mutual humanity.

Website: rajniieddins.com
Action Highlight:
Save USPS
HUD Anti-Trans Housing Rules
In an attempt to keep people from voting by mail during the pandemic, Donald Trump is trying to gut The United States Postal Service. USPS employs over 500,000 people, and is an essential part of the American infrastructure. In a world where many things are financially inaccessible, USPS still makes it possible for people around the country to mail letters for just 55 cents.

Two bills sitting on Mitch McConnell's desk that could significantly help the USPS:

  • H.R.6800 - The Heroes Act includes 25 billion allocated to the USPS
  • H.R. 2382 - This bill repeals the requirement that the U.S. Postal Service annually prepay future retirement health benefits.

Contact your representatives to voice your support and show those that wish to dismantle and privatize the USPS that we are against letting one of our prize institutions fail. 


Peace & Justice Center | 802-863-2345 | info@pjcvt.org | http://www.pjcvt.org
60 Lake St, Ste 1C
Burlington, VT 05401