February 2022

What's Going On?

Our work transforms the winter bleakness into community and change. Next vigil: We need a speaker for the March vigil! Please contact Dana Nunes if you're able. For those of you joining us, please use this Zoom link to join us the first Sunday of each month at 10:30 AM. Our next vigil will be Sunday, March 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. Breakout session on racism in the NFL: For those interested in talking more about the continued revelations about racism in the NFL, please join us for our first breakout session after the next vigil -- just stay on the Zoom. Looking for great Black History Month learning opportunities? Check out "Memorializing A Medical Predator" shared by the African American Policy Form. And, offered FREE this month, take their Master Class -- a series of lessons taught by leading African American scholars (Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Sherrillyn Iffil, Angela Davis, Jelani Cobb, Cornell West, and John McWhorter). How about reparations in Boston? Read about the historical preservation of slave homes here and Diving With a Purpose -- a group searching for sunken slave ships while training marginalized Black youth as underwater archeologists. Find out what's happening with bail reform in this new report. 

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Honoring Black and Brown Lives February 5: Char Keefer honored Lauren Smith-Fields. Watch this news piece about the case and support the family's gofundme. Char put together this helpful linktree of all the ways you can support the family. Brenda Lee Rawls was killed on the same day as Lauren Smith-Fields and her family is also being mistreated by the Bridgeport, CT police department. Support the family's effort to get an independent investigation. WE NEED A SPEAKER FOR MARCH! 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 Voter Rights: Thank you to those of you who wrote postcards. Dana distributed them to island folks. If you're off island or you want to write more postcards, please contact: Indivisible MV -- Carla Coop is coordinating a postcard writing campaign. Vote Forward -- Sign up now to get information about their soon to be launched 2022 campaign. Pass Same-Day Voter Registration -- Call your legislators. Neighborhood First students coming to the Vineyard! Neighborhood First works with underserved BIPOC youth from Philadelphia, PA. Polly Brown graciously donated her home for a week at the end of June allowing MVBLM to reinstate this powerful Vineyard summer program. Be on the lookout for updates and ways you can help Black and Brown youth expand their horizons. Young Brothers to Men: Dana and Eric are working to reinstate this successful mentoring program for Black young men.The high school announced they designated Matt Melowski as the new coordinator of the program. Its success relies on mentors, preferably Black men, who are willing to be paired with students. Please contact Eric if you're interested or want more information. The Shed Is Back! Look for new episodes this Spring. Thank you to the donors and people who helped make this happen. This compelling podcast series, hosted by Eric Adams, lifts up the stories of the many people with island connections doing "the work". Listen to previous episodes here.

Pervis Payne's Great News: Concurrent Sentences On Monday, January 31, Pervis Payne received great news. According to the Innocence Project, Judge Skahan ruled his two life sentences can be served concurrently, allowing him to be eligible for parole in five years. Many of you -- MVBLM members, friends and family -- participated in several actions last summer, including Disrupt Death Row: Art & Justice, an event supporting Pervis. As you might guess, there's still work to be done. Contact Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich requesting she NOT appeal Judge Skahan's decision. Share this action with your network: Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook. Suggested language from Disrupt Death Row for your social media posts: #PervisPayne has been resentenced to concurrent life sentences, meaning he will be eligible for parole within five years. Pervis has maintained his innocence for more than 34 years on death row. Please contact D.A. Weirich and urge her NOT to delay justice for #PervisPayne by appealing the judge's decision or text AMY to 97016: https://bit.ly/3AMZFrm Thank you to all of you who helped Pervis get to this place and for your continued support.

Angst to Action

MV Housing Bank In order to help address the current housing crisis on the island, we desperately need to pass Housing Bank legislation. All six towns agreed to put the warrant article on their Annual Town Meeting warrant and are supporting the state enabling legislation (H1377/S868).  For this to work, there needs to be a coordinated effort with the state. Go to the Coalition to Create the MV Housing Bank website and click the "Write Your Representatives" button. You'll find an easy quick template that can be personalized and sent first to your Massachusetts Legislators, and then to the local MVY select boards at: https://www.ccmvhb.org/. If you live on the island, please plan to attend your town meeting and vote in favor of the Housing Bank. SAVE THE DATES for town meetings:  April 12: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury April 25: Chilmark May 10: Aquinnah

Immigrants Need to Drive An extension order was filed earlier this month for bill, H.3456 / S.2289, the Work and Family Mobility Act -- allowing immigrants to get licenses. The bill has until Friday, March 4th, 2022 to be reported favorably out of the Joint Transportation Committee.   Immigrants are a vital part of our Commonwealth. They are our friends, neighbors and co-workers. Immigrants – like many of us – need to drive for their daily tasks such as getting to work, going to the doctor and getting their kids to school. Yet in Massachusetts immigrants without legal status cannot get a license. Passing this bill makes all of us safer by ensuring all drivers are licensed, insured and know the rules of the road.  Call and send an email to you state representatives using the tools linked below: Call your State Legislators: https://bit.ly/dff-click-to-call Email the Joint Transportation Committee: https://bit.ly/dff-email-transpo-cmte

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."