Peace & Justice Center October Events & News

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Also in this issue:
Peace & Justice Center Prospective Facilitator Gathering
Thursday, October 20, 7-8:30pm, PJC. Light refreshments. E-mail or call.

How to Talk to Kids About Racism Saturdays, October 22, 29, and November 5, 3-5pm, PJC. Discussion group facilitated by Traci Griffith and Rachel Siegel.Sign up here or call.

Peace & Justice Center Annual Membership Meeting
Sunday, October 23, 3-5pm,PJC. Overview of current work, voting on new board members, and more.

“Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection” by Medea Benjamin, Book Tour
Wednesday, October 26, 4:30-6:30pm, at the PJC.

Cocoa Campaign Talk
Thursday, October 275-6pm,PJC. Led by Amy Crosswhite.

Nonviolent Activism 101
Thursdays, November 3 & 10, 6-8, Mount Mansfield Union High School, 211 Browns Trace Rd, Jericho. Sign up online or to waive the fee please call PJC.

PJC Volunteer Orientation
Saturday, November 5, 3-4pm. Led by Kristen Connors, includes a presentation on Fair Trade vs Free Trade. Email or call 863-2345 X9

“One Bead at a Time” by Beverly Little Thunder, Book Release and Signing
Tuesday, November 15, 5-7:30pm, at the PJC.

 “The Pitkin Kids Learn About Recycling!” by John Powell, Book Reading and Signing
Friday, November 185-6pm,at the PJC.

Upcoming Events

Pick up a voucher for these shows at PJC and redeem it at the Flynn for a $2 ticket. For current PJC members and volunteers. For more information on PJC membership click here.

Limited supply! Email to confirm availability.


10/14 at 8pm

: Esperanza Spalding: Emily’s D+Evolution. “A fresh artistic vision for the four-time Grammy winner, a daring tapestry of music, vibrant imagery, performance art, and stage design.” -Ebony

 

Jamie’s journey toward understanding and accepting her ADHD puts her courage to the test. But with humor and compassion, she moves past the hurt and confusion of being “different” and learns to use her strengths-becoming a good friend to Max, an inspiration to the school bully, and a positive role model for the millions of students who share her struggle.
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Center Hours

MondayFriday: 10am-6pm
Store Hours
MondaySaturday: 10am-6pm
Sunday: 9am-4pm
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)
If you would like an event listed, please emailcalendar@pjcvt.org
October 11, 2016
We recently hosted a solidarity vigil with Border of Lights, a peace initiative that Julia Alvarez and others started five years ago on the border of Haiti and the DR to address past conflict and current discrimination, and to work toward peace.

We were graced by the presence of Pierrevy Polyte, our dear friend whose Haitian Macaya Coffee is sold at our store. The hurricane decimated his home town of Duchity leaving most people with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Duchity is located in the mountains and has never received relief funds after natural disasters in the past. Pierrevy leftMonday morning and is working on rebuilding the water system that was destroyed during the hurricane. You can make donations directly to his community at the Peace & Justice Store or online here.

Hurricane Matthew touches the PJC
I, like many other white middle-aged people in Vermont, did not grow up talking in great depth about race and racism. I wanted my kids to have a different experience of this and committed to talking to them openly and regularly about it. As I “showed up” for these conversations with my kids, other parents, mostly white, started asking me how to respond to their own kids when things happened. At that time, we were starting the educational workshops and discussion groups for PJC and it was natural that we started “How to Talk to Kids About Racism.”

I recently read that we are not responsible “for” our kids as much as we are responsible “to” them. If we expand that to our community and world as a whole, I am not responsible for racism and oppression, but I am responsible to do everything I can to use the privilege and power that I have to dismantle and transform the systems that perpetuate oppression and to build authentic connections and relationships whenever I can. One of the places that I hold power, is as a mom. I am committed to using the privilege of parenting as another avenue for racial justice work.

Join Traci Griffith and me, Rachel Siegel, as we co-facilitate the upcoming three-part series on Saturdays, October 22, 29 andNovember 5, 3-5:00 at PJC. Space is limited, please pre-register.

Facilitator Gathering
Join us on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7pm to learn about becoming a facilitator of our educational programs. The evening will include an overview of the programs we offer, explanation of our educational philosophies, and time for you to share your experiences and interest. Next steps include participation in a workshop and then becoming a paid facilitator. Programs include non-violence, racial justice, and fair trade. People from around the state are needed so if you are interested but can not join us in person, we are happy to have you with us via video or phone conference. Light refreshments served. To register call 863-2345 x6 or email.

Halloween Fair Trade Chocolate
By Melody Salerno, PJC Fair Trade Intern
Halloween is approaching! As the calendar nears one of my favorite holidays, I am anticipating it with a new and informed perspective that has developed into a prominent concern about chocolate production and consumption. My time here as the Fair Trade Intern has been eye-opening. I started by educating and familiarizing myself with the importance of fair trade and was stunned with how little prior knowledge I had on what’s been going on in today’s cocoa industry.

With the nature of America’s consumerism culture, we so often pick a chocolate bar off the shelf without knowing who grew the cocoa, which country it is sourced from, and what conditions the workers produced it under…. read more here.

Join us to indulge and to learn more:
  • Saturday, Oct 15, Chocolate Tasting at PJC
  • Saturday, Oct 22, Hot Chocolate on Church St with Lake Champlain Chocolate
  • Thursday, Oct 27, 5-6:00pm, Cocoa Campaign Presentation at PJC  (more information at the end of this email)
Tuesday, October 11

  • 7pm Champlain Area NAACP meeting at 427A Waterman Building, UVM. Meetings are every secondTuesday of the month. More information.
Wednesday, October 12

  • 6pm Join the Fight for $15 a Burlington-based coalition, working with Raise the Wage, a statewide initiative, striving to move Vermont to $15 per hour minimum wage. Meet at the Fletcher Free Library. Moreinfo.
Thursday, October 13
  • 5:30pm The Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom meeting at PJC. All are welcome to attend. More info: Robin Lloyd 862-4929.   
Saturday, October 15
  • 10am Veterans for Peace, Will Miller Green Mountain Chapter meets monthly in Montpelier’s Kellogg-Hubbard Library.    

Wednesday, October 19 

  • 5:30pm Public Forums on Law Enforcement Community Interaction: How have Vermonters been affected by implicit bias in interacting with law enforcement? Burlington City Hall. In Bennington onOct. 25.
  • 6:30pm The Coalition for a Livable City is a an alliance of Burlington, Vermont community groups working together to restore threatened public processes in defense of the environment, quality of life, transparency in governance, and democratic participation to our city. At the PJC. 
Friday, October 21

  • 6pm Malayaka House is an orphange in Uganda that was started by Vermonter Robert Fleming. Stowe Cider, 1799 Mountain Rd, Stowe, is going to donate $3 per every cider sold during that time to MH.

Saturday, October 22

  • 3-4pm PJC Volunteer Orientation with Fair Trade vs Free Trade presentation Please contact Kristen Connors at volunteer@pjcvt.org with any questions or for more information. 

Sunday, October 23 

  • 3-5pm Peace & Justice Center Annual Meeting. This event includes overviews of our current work, voting on new board members, and time for you all to offer input into the work we do going forward. The meeting is open to the public, but only current members (including volunteers) can vote for bylaw changes and board members. There will probably not be any big decisions made, but we are looking for community input. The meeting is informal and a great way to get to know more about what we do as a whole and who is involved. There are many ways to be involved! RSVP if you can or just show up.
Thursday, October 27

  • 7:30 “Agents of Change,” documentary film about the racialized conditions of college campuses that lead to protest movements in the 1960s. Part of the VT International Film Festival with sponsorship from PJC. Abby Ginsberg, the directing will be onsite for a Q&A. More info here.

 

Please tell us about other community events in Vermont. If they are mission-aligned, we are happy to list them in our google calendar and in this publication. Please email us.
Other Community Events