The following is the April Peace and Justice Center Newsletter:
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Spring Days of Action Against Drones 2014! The Peace & Justice Center is excited to work with our members throughout Vermont in solidarity with a worldwide coordinated campaign in April and May to End Drone Killing, Drone Surveillance, and Global Militarization. This campaign is designed to encourage communities to host educational events and actions with the goal of passing local and national laws that prohibit weaponized drones and drone surveillance from being used in their communities. Our Spring Days of Action began a little early with kite flying on Burlington’s waterfront. The brisk weather on Sunday, March 23rd may have deterred participants from the Fly Kites Not Drones event but it brought with it a perfect kite-flying breeze. The event, which took place in solidarity with Afghan Peace Volunteers, was created to celebrate the Afghani tradition of kite fighting as a means of ringing in Nowruz, the Afghan New Year that falls on the first day of spring. While participants flew homemade and store bought kites they were given the opportunity to learn more about the US and United Kingdom’s use of drones for surveillance and warfare in the war-torn country. As the war drags through its 13th year, Afghan civilians have become more accustomed to seeing drones in their skies than kites and are wary of the detrimental physical and psychological effects these machines have. The Fly Kites Not Drones event highlighted these unfortunate truths while simultaneously exalting the rich culture that has remained resilient throughout the war. April Events: TOMORROW, April 2 at 7pm: Drones & Dirty Wars: Prelude to Drone Days of Action 2014. A live program & international webcast in support of the Spring Days of Action. We encourage those who are interested to tune in here. This event features Madiha Tahir, director of Wounds of Waziristan, Maria LaHood, Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, and Carl Dix, a Vietnam War resister. It is sponsored by kNOwdrones, World Can’t Wait, and the Action for Justice Committee at the Community Church of New York, Unitarian Universalist. April 15, Tuesday: Day of Action Against Military Spending! The PJC will be tabling on Church Street in Burlington with the Will Miller Chapter of Veterans for Peace to raise awareness about how much of our income tax dollars go to the military and how little goes to other important government programs. Stop by our table and participate in an activity to share where you want you tax dollars to go and be entered in a raffle to win a one-hour massage from Silliman Massage & Bodywork April 23, Wednesday, 6pm: Drones Film Screening and Talk. Come to Montpelier’s Savoy Theater for an evening of education and discussion centered on drones as a political and moral issue. Learn about the legal controversies that surround the use of drones internationally and domestically. The evening will begin with a presentation by Lydia Bates on the current status of drones, screen the short film Wounds of Waziristan by journalist, Madiha Tahir, and conclude with a discussion of what actions can be taken to spread awareness and help prevent more transgressions. This is a FREE event. April 26, Saturday, 10am: Screening of Dirty Wars through the White River Indie Festival at Tupelo Music Hall in White River Junction followed by a Q & A and discussion. This film follows investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill, author of the international bestseller Blackwater, into the heart of America’s covert wars, from Afghanistan to Yemen, Somalia and beyond. Part political thriller and part detective story, Dirty Wars is a gripping journey into one of the most important and under reported stories of our time. What begins as a report into a US night raid gone terribly wrong in a remote corner of Afghanistan quickly turns into a global investigation of the secretive and powerful Joint Special Operations Command. Tickets: $7-$9. April 27, Sunday, 2pm: Protest Drones at Hancock Air National Guard Base. The Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars presents Dr. Cornel West, speaking on “Connecting the Dots:Poverty, Racism and Drones” at Tucker Missionary Baptist Church in Syracuse, NY. Following the talk we will have a presence at Hancock Drone base entitled “The Peoples Order of Protection Against Drone Terror”. Carpool from PJC: contact Kyle or 863-2345 ext 6. |
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CCTA Strike |
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CCTA Community Solidarity Fund Donations Please write checks to the Peace & Justice Center· putting CCTA Community Solidarity Fund in the memo line. Send to: The Peace & Justice Center, 60 Lake St. #1C, Burlington VT 05401. Or you may donate online by clicking HERE. Be sure to designate that you would like the donation to go to the CCTA Community Solidarity Fund. Solidarity Carpools We support not only the bus drivers but the riders as well. Lawn Signs Pick up an “I [Heart] My Bus Driver / CCTA Fair Contract Now” lawn sign at United Professions/AFT Vermont, 308 Pine St, between 9 and 5pm, weekdays, or at the VT Workers Center from 10 to 6pm. Sign the Petition Call for new CCTA management — click here. Host an Event Invite a driver to explain to your community group why drivers are on strike and what they can do to fix problems at CCTA: 802-373-0329 Call for a Fair Contract Contact CCTA management and CCTA commissioners to call for a fair contract that upholds public safety, basic rights, and livable jobs. Call: Bill Watterson, CCTA’s general manager: 802-864-2282 ext. 2 More Information For updates and solidarity statements see the drivers’ website: Drivers Fight for Fair Contract
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Burlington Dismas House Presents Sr. Helen Prejean |
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Burlington Dismas House Annual Dinner & Auction featuring Keynote Speaker Sr. Helen Prejean. Sister Helen Prejean has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on the death penalty and helping to shape the newly vigorous opposition to state executions. She is the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, which became a movie, an opera, and a play for high schools and colleges. Silent and Live Auction. All proceeds to benefit the Burlington Dismas House: Restoring former prisoners to our community for the greater good of all. When:Saturday, April 5, 2014 4:30 PM Social Hour & Silent Auction 5:30 PM Program, Dinner & Live Auction Where: The Old Lantern Inn, 3260 Greenbush Rd, Charlotte, VT For ticket information, call (802) 658-0381, or email info@dismasofvermont.org. To buy tickets on-line go to www.dismasofvermont.org. Sponsorships are invited! See Auction Item details on FaceBook/Burlington Dismas House/DA Event Page. To donate an Auction item or service, please email: Richard@dismasofvermont.org or call (802) 658-0381.
Burlington Dismas House is the largest and longest running provider of post prison housing in ChittendenCounty. Opened in 1986, Burlington Dismas House is the result of the grassroots planning and fundraising efforts of dedicated Vermonters who saw the local need for after-prison transitional support. Dismas has housed more than 680 former prisoners and has a proven track record of reduced prison return rates and successful transitions back into society. |
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Voices Across the Divide |
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Vermont Film Showings & Discussion with Director Alice Rothchild “A moving and deeply insightful journey into a history that Palestinians and Jews both share. Rothchild gives voice to Palestinians and, in so doing, shows that she is giving voice to the Jewish people as well.” –Dr. Sara Roy, Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies at HarvardUniversity Dr. Alice Rothchild is an American-Jewish physician, author and activist from Boston, Massachusetts. Her new film, Voices Across the Divide, is a moving documentary and oral history of Palestinian refugees in the U.S. Through personal testimonies, family photos and historical footage, the film illuminates the forgotten history of the Palestinian people. Dr. Rothchild has many years of personal experience in Israel-Palestine, and her approach to the conflict is grounded in empathy and forgiveness, coupled with an appreciation of the urgent need for political action. Film and radio interview schedule: (More events are being planned; we will update this roster as additional venues are confirmed.) Tuesday, April 8:
Wednesday, April 9:
Thursday, April 10:
Friday, April 11:
Saturday, April 12:
________________________________________________________ This film tour is sponsored by Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel. The event on Saturday, April 12, at ArtsRiot in Burlington is co-sponsored by the Vermont International Film Foundation. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kathy Shapiro. |
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Upcoming Events |
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April 3, Thursday 5pm CCTA Community Solidarity rally on the corner of Church & Cherry Sts. April 5, Saturday 12 noon CCTA Community Solidarity leafletting meeting at the VT Workers Center. Burlington Dismas House Annual Dinner & Auction. Keynote Speaker Sr. Helen Prejean. 4:30pm Social Hour & Silent Auction; 5:30pm Program, Dinner & Live Auction at The Old Lantern Inn, Charlotte, VT. For ticket information, call (802) 658-0381, or email. To buy tickets on-line go to www.dismasofvermont.org. April 6, Sunday 12:30 – 1:30 pm Meet a Bus Driver Storytime! Kids of all ages are invited to share a story read by a real bus driver, then enjoy drawing & snacks together. At the Fletcher Free Library. April 6, Sunday 4:30 If These Halls Could Talk film and discussion. Documentary conversation between 11 students of color discussing life on predominantly white college campuses. Short discussion to follow. Peace & Justice Center. Free. April 7, Monday The Burlington branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) brings Carolyn Raffensperger, a lawyer and executive director of the Iowa-based Science and Environmental Health Network, to speak at various venues in Vermont from April 7 – 11. Attorney Raffensperger is nationally known for her innovative approaches to climate change and environmental pollution. 5:30pm Potluck at the Quaker Meeting House, N. Prospect St, Burlington. April 8, Tuesday April 10, Thursday 7pm Native Rights and the Struggle Against Tar Sands. Speaker Clayton Thomas-Muller, Member of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation of Northern Manitoba, Co-director of the Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign, and Organizer for Defenders of the Land and Idle No More. This lecture will focus on how the Canadian Tar Sands Project threatens the land and lives of communities across the continent. It has also inspired a campaign that unites movements for indigenous rights, the environment, and economic justice. This campaign has the potential to protect the people and the environment and resist big oil and corporate power. Silver Maple Ballroom, Davis Center, UVM. Will Miller Social Justice Lecture Series. April 19, Saturday 8pm The PJC has 12 vouchers for The Flynn Center: Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. For more information. Contact Krista at the PJC if you are interested. Will will need the voucher to go to the box office and pay $2 for a ticket. April 20, Sunday 4:00-5:30pm Film: “Spies of Mississippi.” Spies of Mississippi is a journey into the world of informants, infiltrators, and agent provocateurs in the heart of Dixie. The film tells the story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation and maintain “the Mississippi way of life,” white supremacy, during the 1950s and ’60’s. The Film House, 3rd floor, 60 Lake St., Burlington. Followed by snacks and conversation in the PJC. |