What happens after the election?

The election is near. Regardless of which way the election goes, there needs to be a conversation around what we want America to look like and stand for. Many events are happening (starting tonight) that address this.
-Kina Thorpe, PJC Educational Program Manager

Click here to for the quarterly Peace & Justice Center Newsletter

In This Issue (in order)

  • Welcome, TJ!
  • What Happens After November 4?
  • Internalized Racism
  • Action Highlights: VOTE, Count Every Vote, AND Experience and Retention of Educators of Color in Vermont

October 20, 2020

Views expressed by entities outside of the Peace & Justice Center do not necessarily represent the views of the PJC.

Join us for our Annual Meeting this Sunday at 3pm online!

Welcome to the PJC Board, TJ!

My name is Tiemogo Sangaré, but most people call me TJ. I am currently a sophomore at St. Michael’s College where I am double majoring in Sociology and Public Health, and minoring in Peace and Justice. My drive to be a part of the PJC stems from my passion for social justice work and my ambition to see the liberation of folk from all marginalized communities. When I’m home, in Upstate NY, I can be found organizing with the All of Us Community Action Group; a grassroots organization uniting people through community events, actions, education, and mobilization-with the ultimate goal of ensuring equitable prioritization of issues and allocation of resources for communities with the greatest need.

I am thrilled to be part of the PJC. I cannot wait to work with my colleagues, learn from the members of the PJC, and contribute to the amazing work being done by this organization. I strive to lift the voices of the unheard, abolish this nation’s systems of oppression, and encourage individuals to think outside of the confines that society has held us in.

Join us this Sunday for our Annual Meeting! We will share updates on our work including how we’re responding to the COVID pandemic and the uprisings. Members will have an opportunity to vote on by-law changes and board elections. Registration required, register here.

What happens after November 4th?

While keeping people focused on a strong, robust election process where everyone votes and everyone’s votes are counted is a must, many of us are also thinking about November 4th. What happens AFTER election day? We’re hoping for a landslide and a peaceful transition, but we are also preparing for a contested election or something much worse.

Join 350Vermont, the Peace & Justice Center, and many other groups from around the state for an interactive workshop to discuss the main scenarios that national movement groups think are the most possible outcomes and to brainstorm with our communities about what we’d want to do right here in Vermont. Ideas may range from direct action to mutual aid and healing circles to protests in the street — we don’t know what we’ll come up with (or what will happen) but we do know we’ll need some way to be in community for it.

Please come with your affinity group or others you’d want to organize with – or by yourself with your ideas! Start thinking about what you will need in that chaotic time and connect with others who are thinking similarly.

Click here for some resources about what post-election may look like.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE EVENT

Please note: 350VT is also hosting this workshop for the Brattleboro area on 10/22. Click here for details.

More events happening around the election:

Click here to register for tonight’s workshop

Internalized Racism

Image from the Trauma Research Foundation

“Just as racism results in the system of structural advantage called white privilege for white people and their communities, internalized racism results in the system of structural disadvantage called internalized racism for peoples and communities of color.” –Donna K. Bivens

This month’s BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) Affinity Group will focus on the topic of internalized racism. We will discuss how we (BIPOC) perpetuate internalized racism against ourselves, members of our own racial groups, and other BIPOC, what the impact of internalized racism is, and why it’s important to confront it when we see it. This is a free event, but registration is required.

Click here to join this month’s BIPOC Affinity Group!

Community Calendar

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, October 20

Wednesday, October 21

Friday, October 23

Saturday, October 24

  • 10am-12pm Caroline Fund Pro Se Legal Clinic Lawline of Vermont, 274 N Winooski Ave, Burlington

Sunday, October 25

Sunday, November 1

  • 6:30-7:30pm Vets for Peace TV show- First Sunday of every month on channel 15

Upcoming Events

All events are happening online. Registration is required

What Happens on November 4th? Tuesday, October 20, 6-8pm.
Join 350Vermont for an interactive workshop to discuss the main scenarios that national movement groups think are the most possible outcomes and to brainstorm with our communities about what we’d want to do right here in Vermont. Ideas may range from direct action to mutual aid to healing circles to protests in the street – we don’t know what we’ll come up with (or what will happen) but we do know we’ll need some way to be in community for it. Co-sponsored by the Peace and Justice Center. Click here to register. FREE

Bystander Intervention Wednesday, October 21, 5:30-7:30pm.
Join trainers from the PJC, Central Vermont Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ), and the Vermont Human Rights Commission (HRC) to learn about the tools needed to effectively intervene as a bystander. Reflect on the specific tactics that work and what you need more of, and find places where you can continuously engage in this work. Click here to register. FREE

BIPOC Affinity Group Friday, October 23, 6-7:30pm. 
This program is led by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), for BIPOC. This month’s session will focus on internalized racism. We will discuss how we perpetuate internalized racism towards ourselves, members of our own racial groups, and other BIPOC, and explore why it’s important to confront internalized racism when we see it. Click here to register (required). FREE

Chocolate & Modern Slavery Saturday, October 24, 2-3pm. The cocoa industry generates over $130 billion a year. So why do companies like Hershey and Nestle still use exploitative child labor?During this discussion, we will explore the cocoa industry’s lack of accountability, and how wealth distribution practices perpetuate generational poverty and enable modern slavery. Register here.

PJC Annual Meeting October 24, 3:30-5pm. Join us for our Annual Meeting! We will share updates on our work including how we’re responding to the COVID pandemic and the uprisings. Members will have an opportunity to vote on by-law changes and board elections. Click here to register (required).

Please email us events for our google calendar and enews