Pete Seeger Tribute

By Eric George, Burlington folksinger

 

There is a well that never runs dry to which everyone is welcome. When we drink from it, we become part of it. When we become part of it, we replenish it. It is a simple, sacred and ancient tradition that requires nothing of us but thirst – thirst for some form of the collective, something real, atavistic in its essence. For over half a century, Pete Seeger tended the path that leads to this well. In doing so, he ensured the continuation of the folk tradition in a rapidly changing world, inspiring millions to sing along.

 

I am one of the countless folk singers deeply influenced and inspired by Pete. It was through him that I discovered the foundations of folk music, the traditions of borrowing, recycling, and sharing songs both new and old. He became a grandfatherly figure to me, a keeper of wisdom and song. He broke down boundaries between music and everyday life, fought tirelessly against the oppression of all people and their environments, and reminded us of our shared human experience – of love, sorrow, and a yearning for freedom.

 

To Pete’s friends, and to those whose lives were forever changed by his words and actions: we are all family. And together, there is work to be done. The movement toward social and environmental justice continues, and songs like “Banks of Marble” and “Coyote, My Little Brother” still burn with truth. When we sing out to be free, he will sing with us. And when we lead others down the path to the well as Pete did for us, he will be there.

 

Pete Seeger Tribute Concert & Community Sing

The concert will be hosted by Rik Palieri, a Hinesburg-based singer, musician, storyteller, and writer who has been a close friend and documenter of Pete Seeger since the 1970’s. Rik will be joined by other local and regional performers. The event will be held at North End Studio A, at 294 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014. It will start at 7 p.m., and is free. Seating is limited to 200, so advance registration is highly recommended. To reserve seats, email info@vpal-us.org, subject line: Pete Seeger, with specific names of each person to attend, or call 802-863-6713.

 

The folk coffee house series is presented by North End Studios, and sponsored by Amalgamated Culture Works, a local screen-printing company owned by Wayne Turiansky. The series will consist of 8-10 concerts per year which will be free to the public. In addition, a few special events featuring nationally-known folk performers may be presented at affordable prices. North End Studios is operated by the Vermont Performing Arts League, and is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. www.northendstudios.org.

By Lydia Bates, PJC Intern 

 

With the words of President Obama’s State of the Union Address fresh in our minds it is an opportune time to pursue drone aircraft resolutions via our local city councils. Currently drones are being used by the Obama Administration to perform targeted killings abroad, as well as for surveillance within the United States and along its borders. Despite Obama’s statement that the “privacy of ordinary people” will not be violated the US citizens are now facing grave transgressions of their Constitutional rights to privacy and “unreasonable searches and seizures” embodied in drone proliferation. In terms of international drone strikes, the US government is violating a handful of international conventions and declarations delineating states sovereignty and human rights inside and outside of warfare. To combat these invasive actions and illegalities of drones several cities across the US

have passed resolutions to block their usage and it is time for Vermonters to do the same.
 (Read whole article.)

 

 

By Amanda Sanderson, PJC Intern 

 

Shelley Martin was diagnosed with cancer. As a full-time state employee, she was able to use paid sick days during her illness. Had she lacked this benefit she would have lost her job and become a burden to the state.

 

Her story was just of one of many that were told at the public hearing for H. 208 held at the State House in Montpelier on Thursday, January 30th. This bill would require that employers provide 56 hours (seven days) of paid sick leave each year to their full-time employees. This bill also mandates that part-time and seasonal workers would accrue sick time proportionally to full-time workers.

 

The US is the only industrialized country that does not require paid sick days, paid maternity leave, or paid vacation days for its working citizens. Without paid sick days, many people have to work when sick – thus spreading germs and illness to their coworkers and customers – or stay at home and risk financial security. Job security is also risked for caregivers when children or dependent adults are sick. This is not a choice a person should have to make as it is neither necessary nor just.

 

We as a community must make our voices heard. We must let it be known that we stand for paid sick days not only because it will be beneficial to our own ends but because it will strengthen our communities and make us more effective in our positions.

 

To learn more, please go to: www.workerscenter.org/paidsickdays.

 

To show your support, contact your local representative and let them know that you care about paid sick days and the dignity of workers.

 

To e-mail your representative: https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4023/c/117/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=7800

 

To call your representative: https://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/FindMyMember.cfm

 

This delegation will examine the state of indigenous rights in Nicaragua at a time when the government has demarcated indigenous land and granted communal titles to indigenous groups but also at a time when illegal loggers and land grabbers have invaded those lands, deforesting pristine, internationally recognized nature reserves and threatened the tranquility of the indigenous territories.

 

Join Nicaragua Network National Co-coordinator Katherine Hoyt and Alliance for Global Justice board chair Charlie Delaney-Megeso, a member of the Nulhegan-Coosuk tribe of the Abenaki Nation, who has represented the Nicaraguan Miskito in the United States, on this important delegation.

 

The delegation will include:

• Meetings with governmental officials involved in indigenous land titling and the environment;
• Meetings with Miskito leaders and leaders of human rights and environmental groups;
• Trip by land to the Bosawas, the UNESCO Biosphere Nature Reserve to observe deforestation and meet with Mayangna leaders to learn about their way of life and the problems of land invasion;
• Meetings in Managua with government and other representatives involved with indigenous property demarcation and titling as well as environmental preservation.

Contact nicanet@AFGJ.org for information on this important delegation.  Fee: $1,150 includes all lodging, food, translation, and all in-country travel, including the plane flight to Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas. It does not include international travel.

Sponsored by the Nicaragua Network (a project of the Alliance for Global Justice) with 35 years in solidarity with the people of Nicaragua. Tel. (619)423-2909.

 

February 4, Tuesday

• 6pm Film: HIGH POWER: Nuclear Power in India. The filmmaker Pradeep Indulkar will join us for discussion sponsored by Burlington Quaker Meeting and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Downstairs Community Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT
• 6:30 “Peace and Popcorn” A casual series of peace and social justice films from the PJC’s video library, chosen by night-of participants on the first Tuesday of every month. Good films and good company. All are welcome. 6:00pm, Peace & Justice Center, 60 Lake Street. Free.

February 6, 13, 20, 27, Thursdays

• 6-7:30 White Privilege Discussion Group: Candid weekly discussion open to all, focusing on white privilege, with the goals of: examining privilege in our own lives, learning to identify the effects of systemic racism, and developing appropriate response to these realities. Readings and sometimes a video are emailed out weekly, then discussed the following week. Contact Corey Mallon for more information, to be added to the email list and/or get directions.VT Workers Center, 294 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT.

February 8, Saturday

• 4-6pm Sustainable Communities Forum. Over a dozen speakers, selected for their expertise and/or leadership in creating a durable local economy, will each address the Forum for five minutes. The Forum will be followed by a series of Circles where individuals will meet together to network and discuss topics of particular interest to them. Light fare will be provided. RSVPs are requested, as seating is limited.  Please call 448-3350 to sign up. Phoenix Books, 191 Bank St, Burlington.

February 16, Sunday

• 7pm Pete Seeger tribute concert hosted by Rik Palieri. At North End Studio A, 294 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT. FREE, but seating is limited to 200. To reserve seats, email info@vpal-us.org, subject line: Pete Seeger, with specific names of each person to attend, or call 802-863-6713.

February 16-18, Sunday – Tuesday

• PJC Phonathon. We will be calling folks who haven’t made a donation in the past year. We look forward to talking with you!  Become a member or renew your membership to avoid a phone call!

February 21, Friday

• 6pm Join director Rob Koier and the Peace & Justice Center for a screening of The Strength of the Storm, which explores the Vermont community’s response to Irene. Stars of the film will lead a short Q & A after the film. Tickets ($10) available at the Peace & Justice Store. Event is at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Film House on the 3rd floor of 60 Lake St. To learn more, check out the website: https://www.strengthofthestorm.com/