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Progressive Action Roundtable: A forum for progressive groups in the Greater New Haven Area where actions and ideas may be publicized so that others are aware of peace, health, justice, energy, environmental and other issues for the common good.

Archive for August, 2010

Wheel-A-Thon fundraiser seeks volunteers, teams and sponsors

Aug 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Events | No Comments

by Christopher Zurcher, for CDR

The Center for Disability Rights 2010 Wheel-A-Thon to Benefit Young People with Disabilities is a fundraising and community awareness campaign to benefit the youth programs and activities of the CDR and its partners. It takes place from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sun., Sept. 19, at the Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St., West Haven.

All money raised goes to support:

  • College scholarships for students with disabilities;
  • Advocacy with students to improve their education;
  • Communication access services for youth with hearing loss involved in peer support programs;
  • Facilitation services for youth groups; and
  • CDR youth transition services.

The top fundraising team last year raised $2,600. The minimum team registration is $200 and the minimum individual registration fee is $25. There are various levels of sponsorship outlined on the website at www.wheel-a-thon.org.

“The Wheel-A-Thon is the only source of funding for the Center for Disability Rights programs for young people with disabilities,” according to CDR Executive Director Marc Anthony Gallucci.

In addition to challenging members of the community to navigate around obstacles and barriers faced by over 240,000 Connecticut people with disabilities every day, the Wheel-A-Thon is a fun, important and eye-opening event for able-bodied people and people in wheelchairs.

Participants navigate their way through an easy course past Savin Rock on West Haven Beach, across Ocean Avenue, and back to the Savin Rock Conference Center, which takes about 45 minutes.

Participants receive a t-shirt and other items donated by sponsors and local businesses. Participants and sponsors also receive recognition in various media, an increased awareness of the difficulties faced every day by wheelchair-bound individuals in our community, and an overall feeling of having done something good for the community.

An awards luncheon after the event recognizes key individuals, sponsors, and top fundraising teams.

Founded in 1988, CDR promotes empowerment and self-reliance for people with disabilities in Connecticut.

For more information about participating, becoming a sponsor or to download a brochure, visit www.wheel-a-thon.org.  For more information about the Center for Disability Rights, visit www.centerfordisabilityrights-ct.org, or call (203) 934-7077.

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5th Annual United Nations International Day Of Peace

Aug 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Peace | No Comments

by Kevin Ewing, WRNSC President

The West River Neighborhood Services Corporation (WRNSC) and the City of New Haven Peace Commission are co-sponsoring their Fifth Annual United Nations International Day of Peace event on Sunday, Sept. 19, at the UN-New Haven Peace Garden at West River on Ella Grasso Boulevard and Legion Avenue in New Haven from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The theme of this year’s event is New Haven a Peace Messenger City: Standing Together for Peace.

New Haven was designated as a Peace Messenger City in 1985. The Peace Garden at West River was established in 2000, and is one of only a few places in the world where the United Nations emblem is displayed on land not owned and controlled by the UN. “We are joining millions of people around the world in coming together to call for worldwide peace. We are joining the thousands in our city and our region standing together for peace in our city, in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our lives,” declared Reverend Kevin Ewing, president of the West River organization.

The Sept. 19 event, which is free and open to the general public, will feature local talent including the Cooperative High School jazz band, Michael Mills and Drums No Guns, Jazz Folks, spoken word artists, gospel, R&B, yoga and meditation exercises, plus activities for children. Free parking will be available on site.

The West River neighborhood is a participant in The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s Neighborhood of Choice initiative.

In case of rain, the event will be held the following Sunday, Sept. 26, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. at the Peace Garden.

For more information, contact Stacy Spell, Event Coordinator at (203) 777-2192.

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Hiroshima And Nagasaki Vigils Call For Nuclear Abolition

Aug 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Peace | No Comments

by Joelle Fishman, People’s World

New Haven, Conn Town Green vigil for abolition of nuclear weapons on Nagasaki Day, August 9, 2010. (Photo by Art Perlo)

Marking the 65th year since the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, vigils were held on the New Haven Green at the time the bombs were dropped on August 6 and 9.

Al Marder, chair of the City of New Haven Peace Commission, greeted the fact that for the first time the General Secretary of the United Nations and a United States ambassador participated in this year’s remembrances in Hiroshima. The stance of President Barack Obama creates openings, he said, to build a stronger movement against continued and increased funding of nuclear weapons production. He called for movement from symbolism to concrete actions for abolition of nuclear weapons.

Participants held origami cranes given as gifts by the Japanese delegation to the thousands of participants who marched for abolition of nuclear weapons at the United Nations in May. New Haveners traveled to that march on a special peace train.

Linking the need for peace to the economic crisis, Rev. Sarah Lamar-Sterling of First and Summerfield United Methodist Church quoted Dwight D. Eisenhower’s warning that every penny spent on armaments is a penny taken from those who need food, housing and health care. The church’s weekly vigil against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan joined the event on the Green.

Referring to polls showing majority opposition to both wars, Henry Lowendorf, chair of the Greater New Haven Peace Council, called attention to the largest ever vote against funding the Afghanistan war in Congress last month, including Rep. Rosa DeLauro, whose district is centered in New Haven.

Hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians were killed in 1945 when the atomic bombs were dropped by the United States in the closing days of World War II, although Japan was already on the verge of surrender. “Even in war, the killing of innocent women, children and senior citizens is a crime,” Marder said.

On Sunday, a group bicycle ride was held around the
perimeter of the area that would have been obliterated had the bombs been dropped on New Haven.

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Immigrant Women Denied Human Rights Speak Out

Aug 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Human Rights | No Comments

by Anna Aschenbach, New Haven County Branch, WILPF

On Wednesday, June 23, 2010, our Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) branch presented “Speak Out! Voices of Immigrant Women, Denied Human Rights in the U.S.” at the Courtland Wilson Library in the Hill, with Anna Aschenbach as M.C. Theresa Zumbo photographed the entire event. Branch manager Melissa Canham-Clyne was a tremendous help.

A placard in front of the podium stated, “We are all immigrants.”

Many women could not speak because their immigration status was not entirely clear.

The first speaker was Samaher Hanania, a Christian from Bethlehem, Palestine. Her husband’s cousin, a sick man who is also from Bethlehem, had been arrested in front of her by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and put in jail with no notice, no warrant, no information on where he was taken, and without his medications.

The second speaker, Guadalupe Montiel, came with her translator who also spoke Mexican Spanish. She told about the march from Fair Haven to downtown for May Day 2010 on the Green, and their demands.

The last speaker, Elvira Cereni, told about escaping from Albania and her troubles with low-income employment in the U.S.

Attendance included three WILPF members, a Turkish man, a former Russian Olympic woman athlete and two representatives of ANSWER.

We handed out postcards in English and Spanish: “10 Myths about Immigration” from Tools for Change, Syracuse Cultural Workers.

Attorney Olia Yelner’s points to be included in a good immigration bill were read aloud. One attendee added: “No profiling.”

Most importantly, the three immigrant women speakers heard each other.

CT Folk Festival And Green Expo (update with new Folk Fest headliner)

Aug 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Events | No Comments

by Anne Killheffer, CT Folk

“One Planet, Many Choices”: New Haven’s Edgerton Park is the place to be September 10-12 for music and green ideas

Kathy Mattea, the beloved, Grammy-winning singer of such classics as “18 Wheels and A Dozen Roses,” “Where’ve You Been,” and many other hits will headline the Connecticut Folk Festival and Green Expo’s main stage concert on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, in New Haven’s Edgerton Park. The 5 p.m. concert under the stars will also feature acclaimed singer-songwriter Susan Werner, The Kerry Boys, Connecticut State Troubadour Lara Herscovitch, and the mesmerizing “musical circus” of Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams.

The CT Folk Festival and Green Expo kicks off on Friday Sept. 10, with the Grassy Hill Song Circle, a unique evening of collaborative entertainment. Four of the hottest musicians on the indie/Americana scene will play solo work and then accompany each other in a jam-session atmosphere: Trina Hamlin, Reed Waddle, Seth Glier, and Marc Von Em. For the first time, the Grassy Hill Song Circle will also be held in the magical atmosphere of Edgerton Park, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Ticket information: www.ctfolk.com.

FREE: Saturday afternoon, Edgerton Park will be the site of CT Folk’s fifth annual Green Expo, a free afternoon event (11 a.m. – 4 p.m.) featuring 75 exhibitors, demonstrations and activities to promote sustainable lifestyles, as well as a free family concert and activities for kids. This year, the Connecticut Green Expo will explore the theme “Local is green.” Local food, local farming, local services, local transportation options and local musicians will all be highlighted.

As part of its annual family programming, CT Folk’s World Stage will offer a free family concert during the Green Expo on Saturday afternoon. The Expo’s World Stage will feature the top five artists from CT Folk’s 2010 songwriting contest in a competitive showcase.

FREE: Sunday, September 12 at noon is the Dava Hoot, an informal community sing-along hosted by Connecticut’s own Pierce Campbell, at noon in Edgerton Park (the Dava Hoot will not take place in case of rain).

For information, contact Alice-Anne Harwood, director, at| aliceanne@ctfolk.com, Anne Killheffer, marketing chair at annekillheffer@yahoo.com, or www.ctfolk.com.

  • All CT Folk Festival & Green Expo events will be held in Edgerton Park, on Whitney Avenue. In case of rain, we move to indoor venues:
  • Friday: Grassy Hill Song Circle moves to Lyman Center, SCSU, 501 Crescent St.
  • Saturday day: The Green Expo moves to the City-wide Field House, 480 Sherman Parkway.
  • Saturday evening: Concert featuring Kathy Mattea moves to Lyman Center, SCSU, 501 Crescent St.

We Got The Legislature, Governor And Electric Company Blues

Aug 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Fight the Hike | No Comments

by Paula Panzarella, Fight the Hike

Last session, the Legislature voted in favor of a bill that would have helped lower electric rates, promote renewable energy and call for corporate accountability of the electric companies. This was path-breaking legislation that Fight the Hike supporters throughout the state helped get passed. However, the Governor vetoed it, and there was no attempt to override the veto.

And now, we are in a worse situation. In order to balance the budget, a special tax will be added to the electric bills that will go to the state, unless we fight it. The Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) has to hear from us!

The Competitive Transition Assessment (CTA) charge is scheduled to end in Dec. 2010 for CL&P customers and Dec. 2013 for UI customers. The budget that was approved will keep CTA charges on and the money will go to the state.

Excerpts from Office of Consumer Counsel’s statement:

The legislature is balancing the state budget for this fiscal year (July 2010 – June 2011) by adding a special charge to most electric bills across the state. CL&P and UI will be required to put this charge on customer bills for the next several years, even though it has nothing whatever to do with the electric services these companies provide. This new charge is nothing more than a state budget tax.

The new charge continues an electric bill item called the “CTA”, which otherwise would have expired soon. Instead of granting CL&P and UI customers at least some of the rate relief which has been expected, the legislature is helping keep rates high for these customers.

Fight the Hike is calling on everyone to oppose this new tax on ratepayers. Contact the DPUC and let them know they should NOT allow this to be imposed on our utility bill. When you contact them, please refer to DPUC Docket No. 10-06-20.

Public hearings are scheduled for:

  • Sept. 7, 7 p.m., Hearing Room G-2 in the Mitchell Hall of Records, 200 Orange St., New Haven
  • Sept. 14, 7 p.m., the Brass City Room, 2nd Floor, in the Sovereign Bank, 24 Leavenworth St., Waterbury.

You can also call the DPUC at 1-800-382-4586, e-mail: dpuc.executivesecretary@po.state.ct.us,  or write:

State of CT Department of Public Utility Control
10 Franklin Square
New Britain, CT  06051

For information about Fight the Hike, call (203) 562-2798 or e-mail paulapanzarella@yahoo.com.

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Remember The UFW Boycott Actions In New Haven?

Aug 31

Posted by Progressive Action Roundtable in Workers | No Comments

by Mary Johnson, GNHLHA

The Greater New Haven Labor History Association (GNHLHA) hopes that you do.

In the 1960s, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) launched a grape boycott that inspired New Haven area residents (as well as people throughout the world) to join and help win good contracts in most of California’s vineyards. In the mid to late 1970s, a UFW Boycott staff person came to New Haven to organize boycott committees in Connecticut.

Almost immediately, the New Haven committee began picketing and leafleting at supermarkets urging customers to boycott fruits and vegetables grown by producers who refused to negotiate contracts with the UFW. All of these were successful.

Most memorable was the Gallo Boycott. The efforts of the New Haven Committee not only attracted a great deal of community support but received a very negative response, including physical violence, unfortunately initiated by some members of a rival union.

The California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which became law in 1975, guaranteed farmworkers the right to bargain collectively. Gallo Wineries decided that it preferred its known adversary, the Teamsters, to the more militant, independent UFW. Gallo collaborated with the Teamsters to suppress the UFW.

The UFW called for a nationwide boycott of Gallo Wines. The New Haven UFW Boycott Committee, after months of picketing liquor stores on Orange Street, convinced three owners to remove Gallo Wines from their shelves.

When the picket lines moved to a liquor store on Whitney Avenue, Gallo salesmen as well as groups of men wearing jackets identifying themselves as supporters of a Teamsters Local, began observing us for several weeks. This culminated in the brutal beating of a 16 year UFW advocate. That incident and a tremendous show of community support for the boycott resulted in nationwide news coverage.

If you remember any of these and later activities, please call Mary at (203) 387-7858 or send your stories to info@laborhistory.org. GNHLHA would like to share them on its website. New Haven’s UFW boycott activities were part of a powerful and inspirational social change movement and we cannot afford to lose that history.

Please help. Thank you.

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