Peace & Justice Center news & events: No New Prisons, F-35 win, board recruitment, and more!

Winning is possible! Read on about local successes and ways to join movements that will win! We can stop the F-35s — and if we do it in Vermont, we’ll pave the way for other states to do the same. As we abolish these weapons of mass destruction, we need to also work toward prison abolition and an overhaul on the ways we create safety and transformation. If you want to join the PJC’s Board of Directors, to support all of this work, now is a very exciting time to do so! See the application below.

-Rachel Siegel, Executive Director

Click here to visit our fair trade, local, and educational store!

The Women’s Justice & Freedom Initiative launched the No New Prisons — Reimagining VT campaign this month. The core of this campaign is a grassroots, collaborative effort that reflects the needs and voices of all community members. We are hoping that you will consider joining and help lift up the Vermont communities we all want to live in. They are looking to collaborate with organizations, groups, and folks from around the state who believe prison construction and further investment in the carceral system is not the solution to the issues and harm we face. Instead, we need to invest in solutions that actually address the root causes to why people become entangled with the legal system and to fund local, community based alternative and treatment options that will lead us to safe and thriving communities. 

Incarceration impacts us all, which is why we are calling on you to support the No New Prisons: Reimagining Vermont campaign. Here are some ways you can help put a stop to a new prison in Vermont and transform our community:

February Meeting of the Board of Directors

Want to help us build a more just and peaceful world? We are looking for activists, organizers, educators, fundraisers interested in serving as members of the Board of Directors of the Peace & Justice Center. (Check out our current board here!)

Established in 1979, our work is built on the premise that our political, social, and economic institutions continue to favor some at the expense of others. To change these oppressive structures, the PJC works on the interconnected issues of peace; human rights; and economic, social and racial justice. The PJC is committed to raising awareness of these issues, redressing multiple forms of oppression, and equipping people with tools to lead viable social change movements that include and empower all people. To achieve these goals, the PJC utilizes education, leadership development, and community-builidng to reach organizations, groups, activists, institutions, and the general public.
As stated in our by-laws, we maintain a minimum 50% People of Color on our Board. Board members serve for renewable two-year terms.

For a full job description including responsibilities and benefits, please click here. These are unpaid positions. If you are interested in becoming part of our team, we’d like to hear from you. Please fill out this form by April 1.

On Town Meeting Day, two weeks ago, the voters of Winooski made a clear and resounding statement against the deadly F-35s that fly over their homes daily.

In the face of fierce and powerful political interests, they first got the article on the ballot by petition AND turned out the vote.

Here are the results of the Article Six: Shall the City of Winooski urge the State to halt F-35 training flights in a densely populated area, such as Winooski?

  • Yes – 723
  • No – 354

That’s over a two to one margin! Thank you to everyone who made this vote outcome possible.

If you want to stay looped in or get involved in this work, you can email James Ehlers, jamesehlersvt@gmail.com, and follow People for Peace and Security on facebook. There are related bills in the Statehouse currently.

This month, the New England Journal of Medicine said the strongest independent risk factor for Covid-19 is having an intellectual disability. One barrier faced by people with intellectual disabilities is having accessible information about Covid-19. It is challenging to keep up with all the changes and most people with intellectual disabilities struggle to understand medical information in general.

For the past year, Green Mountain Self-Advocates (GMSA) has been co-hosting 3 zoom meetings a week for and by people with intellectual disabilities. In response to our conversations, we have created 13 resources about the Coronavirus written in plain language. We focus on “need to know” information. Our goal is to for people with intellectual disabilities to have plain language information during this national crisis. Most of our information is also available in Spanish and our basic booklet about Covid-19 has been translated into 11 languages.
Some of the pamphlets include:

All of GMSA’s resources can be found at here.

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, March 16

Wednesday, March 17

Thursday, March 18

Saturday, March 20

Sunday, March 21

Monday, March 22

Wednesday, March 24

  • 6-8:00pm After Dark Sex Chat with Pride Center “Discriminatory Preferences and Cultural Fetishization” (monthly)

Thursday, March 25

Saturday, March 27

Sunday, March 28

Upcoming PJC Events

All events are happening online. Registration is required

Seeing and Disrupting Racism
March 22, 6-8:00pm (monthly).
This intro-level workshop defines racism and white fragility, explores how white fragility perpetuates racism, and challenges participants to consider what steps they can take to disrupt racism at every level. This workshop was developed for predominantly white audiences, but all are welcome. Click here for registration and information. Facilitated by Hal Colston and Kristin Humbargar.

BIPOC Affinity Group
Friday, March 26, 6-7:30pm (monthly).
Join us to share in safety & community. We’ll be creating a space to allow participants to check in, discuss, focus on self-care tools, access resources and offering affirmation and support for each other.This program is led by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), for BIPOC. Facilitated by Arima Minard and Aris Garcia. Click here for registration and information.

Unpacking Whiteness
Wednesday, April 15, 6:30-7:45pm (monthly).
This space is held for white people to specifically process how white supremacy culture is harmful to them. We hope by joining this space, white people will be able to allow the emotional needs of people of color to take priority in multi-racial spaces. Each month has a different topic, so repeated participation is encouraged. Click here for registration and information.

To learn more, visit our website or contact program@pjcvt.org

Please email us events for our google calendar and enews.
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Peace & Justice Center | 60 Lake St Ste 1C, Burlington, VT 05401