Martin Luther King Love on March Wed. Jan. 15

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WYBC Radio, 94.3 FM

Join 94.3 WYBC and Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Love March on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in New Haven.

The MLK Love March in New Haven has been going strong for over 50 years and it celebrates the life and work of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Love March will begin at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church located at 100 Lawrence St. and continue to Whitney Ave. to Edwards St. to State St. to Lawrence St. We will march on this day rain or shine to commemorate the dreams and aspirations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Love March, which was started by Shiloh’s late Founder and Pastor, Rev. George W. Hampton, Sr., has been a positive force in the community of New Haven for more than 50 years. The Love March was created to preserve the notion of nonviolence.

Come out and lend your voice of support to the community in making New Haven a better place to live. Scheduled to attend will be some of our political leaders from New Haven and the State of Connecticut.

For more information, please call (203) 776-8262, by email at [email protected], or visit www.smbcnh.org.

Dr. King’s ‘Beyond Vietnam’ Speech

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Henry Lowendorf, GNH Peace Council

The annual public reading of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s revolutionary Beyond Vietnam speech will take place Wednesday, Jan. 15, at noon in New Haven City Hall, 165 Church St. It is being organized by the Greater New Haven Peace Council, City of New Haven Peace Commission, and Veterans for Peace.

This speech shook the establishment into denouncing King because, among other things, he connected the movements for peace, civil rights and economic justice.

If you are interested in receiving a pdf of the speech and/or reading a page of the speech on Jan. 15, please email [email protected].

Annual Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Social and Environmental Justice

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by Peabody Museum

Every January, we gather at the Peabody Museum, 170 Whitney Ave., to honor Dr. King’s legacy and uplift Black leadership in the social and environmental justice movements. Our special celebration evolves annually as we co-create programming with our community partners from across New Haven and Connecticut.

Co-founded and co-presented with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, each year’s celebration includes:

  • Two days of music and dance performances on the World Stage;
  • A youth art contest and youth-led summit co-presented with Students for Educational Justice;
  • A poetry open mic and professional poetry slam;
  • Storytelling at the New Haven Museum at 114 Whitney Ave.;
  • Special access to Peabody experts and collections;
  • Activities designed and presented by environmental and social justice organizations from across the state.

This important event draws visitors from all over the region. We can’t wait for you to join us!

We are currently planning our 29th celebration, to take place the weekend of Jan. 19–20, 2025. Please visit https://peabody.yale.edu/events/calendar for updates on this year’s event. Hope to see you there!

Want to Get Involved in Climate Action Before the Legislative Session?

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by Julianna Larue, Chapter Organizer with Sierra Club CT

There’s no time to wait—let your legislators know that climate action matters to you before the session begins!

Do you want to learn more about climate change in Connecticut? There are opportunities to get involved with the Sierra Club in the next couple of months before the legislative session starts on Jan. 8, 2025. If you’re ready to take action on climate change, we hope you’ll join us for events happening across the state in the coming weeks.

These educational events will give you a broad overview of how Connecticut is being impacted by climate change, including flooding, sea level rise, wildfires, and rising temperatures. We’ll also spend time with local legislators discussing our priorities ahead of the legislative session. And they want to hear from you about what concerns you the most.

At these events, you’ll have the opportunity to take action by signing a petition that demands bold climate action in the 2025 legislative session! Go to connecticut.sierraclub.org to sign the petition and receive our updates.

I want to thank everyone who participated and joined us for the Wilton, Fairfield, New Haven and West Hartford events.

Go to connecticut.sierraclub.org for information on our virtual webinar from noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 6, 2025.

These events are a perfect opportunity to make your voice heard, learn more about climate change, and find out how you can get more involved. We hope to see you at upcoming events.

NHCM Release Youth State of the Climate Report; Unveils Climate Justice Art

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by Chris Schweitzer, New Haven Climate Movement

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2025, at 4 p.m. by the Amistad statue in front of City Hall, the New Haven Climate Movement project marked International Human Rights Day by unveiling three new climate justice banners and releasing the new Youth State of the Climate Report for New Haven.

The banners were painted by Yale student-led Project Bright Spaces, and show the impacts of climate injustice on Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, and Argentina.

The Youth State of the Climate Report for New Haven presents the climate dangers New Haven faces and the urgent need to act now to avoid creating climate chaos for future generations. See the Report and Banners at instagram.com/newhavenclimatemovemnent.

Reminder: New Haven Green Fund Grant Applications Due Jan. 31, 2025

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Apply for funding for community projects in New Haven, Hamden, Woodbridge and East Haven that will improve our quality of life through environmental and sustainability initiatives.

Visit www.gnhgreenfund.org for details, or email [email protected] with any questions. Applications are due Jan. 31, 2025. Grant awards are for amounts up to $10,000. Microgrants and sponsorships throughout the year are available for up to $1,000.

Grants for Environmental Justice Projects

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Environmental Justice for New England

Environmental Justice for New England will distribute $48 million of grant funds to be fully expended by the spring of 2027. The initiative will distribute grants among the federally-recognized and state-recognized Tribal Nations of EPA Region 1 and the six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The funds will be distributed through three tiers and the Seed Fund to support capacity-constrained organizations. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with quarterly reviews, till all the funding is awarded.

Seed Funds are available for up to $75,000 for activities and capacity-building efforts to support severely capacity-constrained community-based organizations. Capacity-constrained community-based organizations are defined as those having an equivalent of four or less paid full-time staff members at the time of application, amongst other criteria. A full eligibility definition can be found in the request for proposal (RFP). First deadline: Feb. 14, 2025.

For details, please go to the website https://environmentaljusticenewengland.org.

Our Bodies. Our Futures: People’s March, Jan. 18, 2025

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The Women’s March

We are not done. With Trump set to return to the White House early next year, we’re facing a moment that calls us to act boldly. It’s time to march. Join us at the PEOPLE’S MARCH—Jan. 18, 2025—DC & Everywhere.

We will unite in a feminist-led day of action. We will demand and defend our freedoms against fascism. We will demonstrate our collective strength, sending a clear message: Our freedoms are inalienable, and we will not allow them to be threatened.

The mobilization is being organized by a coalition of organizations across the movement landscape through a broad committee structure. Amongst the coalition members are Abortion Action Now, Time to Act, SisterSong, Women’s March, Popular Democracy, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, The Feminist Front, NOW, Planned Parenthood, National Women’s Law Center, and the Frontline. Women’s March is anchoring the logistics of the mobilization. The role of coordinated infrastructure and these convos have been moving since July 2024.

[Full text at womensmarch.com and peoplesmarch.com. Also see https://tinyurl.com/t22j9hvm.]

Civil Rights Town Hall: Implications of a 2nd Trump Administration

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by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Connecticut

We want to hear from you. The Trump administration’s agenda promises a significant blow to civil rights and liberties in Connecticut and nationwide. The ACLU has a plan. We are prepared to meet this moment. Join us for a Town Hall event to hear from our team and to be heard.

The ACLU of Connecticut invites you to attend one of these free, public events we are hosting across the state. Hear from expert legal, policy, and communications staff who are ready to answer questions about the implications of a new administration for the civil liberties you care about most:

  • Free Speech & The Right to Assemble
  • Immigrants’ Rights
  • Reproductive Rights & Bodily Autonomy
  • LGBTQIA+ Rights
  • Criminal Legal System
  • Government Surveillance
  • Voting Rights

Join us from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Ives Main Library, 133 Elm St., New Haven to learn more about the ACLU’s plan to address threats and opportunities, ask questions, and learn about how you can help. RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/3aeasenz For other CT meetings, see https://www.acluct.org/en/townhalls or call 860-523-9146.

Dec. 18 Press Conference on International Day of Action to Defend Migrant Families

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Unidad Latina en Acción

[PAR received the following press release. The Dec. 18, 2024, event happened as planned. ULA and its allies are organizing to protect CT’s immigrant residents.]

Mobilizations planned for Dec 18 as families prepare for what is to come

New Haven, CT – On Wednesday afternoon at 5:00 PM EST, immigrant-led organizations in CT will host a press conference and send a message to local officials, immigrant workers and families across the tri-state area. The activity is part of a grassroots day of action on December 18 when immigrants in multiple cities across the U.S. will participate in an “international day of action and solidarity with migrants.”

As the incoming Trump administration advances its threats of mass deportations, immigrant committees and worker centers are convening actions big and small to unify immigrant communities, local and national partners. In the face of the many attacks against indigenous migrant communities in NY and the threat of deportations by Donald Trump, Unidad Latina, Hamden Action NOW!, People’s Center, NDLON, NILC, Greater New Haven Peace Council, and CT Shortline Indivisible are anchoring the activity in New Haven, in collaboration with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). For more information about the activity in CT, email [email protected].

“Our adversaries wish and expect our immigrant communities to disappear in the silence of the night. That is because they know nothing of our courage. But we know of the courage in our communities,” said Pablo Alvarado, Co-Executive Director of NDLON. “They want to instill fear in us, with their extremist rhetoric and policies. But all they will do is fan the flames of our indignation. And we will turn this indignation into action.”

John Jairo Lugo
Community Organizing Director, Unidad Latina en Accion
ulanewhaven.org
37 Howe St, New Haven, CT 06511
phone 203-606-3484

 Resource Sheet for Food Pantries

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Please take note of the soup kitchen and food pantries insert (also available at https://www.getconnectednewhaven.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/11/Food-Assistance-Resource-GuideENG.pdf).

We hope our PAR readers will make photocopies of the flyer to carry around and keep in their car. People who need help and ask for money also need to know how they can access resources. In addition to giving those in need some money, you can give them information about these organizations and agencies that can help sustain them in a more consistent way.

Information about warming shelters can be found at https://www.newhavenct.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/16742/638370255582500000.

 

As Temps Drop, Tiny Shelter Residents Double Up

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Jabez Choi, Dec. 6, 2024, New Haven Independent

A group of unhoused neighbors have taken to sleeping two or even three to a room inside unheated pre-fabricated tiny shelters that are still standing in a Rosette Street backyard.

“When we do bundle up, it’s tolerable being in there,” said Robert Harris, as he pointed at a row of white Pallet shelters. “But sometimes it’s colder in these because it can be like an ice box.”

There are currently 14 people living in six different under-100-square-foot shelters that have stood for over a year in the backyard of the Amistad Catholic Worker House at 203 Rosette St. in the Hill.

Harris, who has been residing in that Rosette Street backyard since May, said that all the residents have numerous blankets and sleeping bags to keep warm throughout the night. Currently, he sleeps outside in what is called the “hut.” If the cold becomes unbearable, he sleeps inside the Amistad house, on a chair.

A group of homelessness activists — led by Amistad’s Mark and Luz Colville and their neighbors and supporters — first erected these six single-room shelters last fall to provide a roof for people displaced from cleared homeless encampments and who otherwise had nowhere else to go.

In July, the city called on UI to turn off the power in these shelters, following the expiration of a 180-day state permit allowing electricity to the backyard, thereby rendering those shelters “illegal dwelling units.” (The shelters do not have individual kitchens and bathrooms. As part of a suite of zoning relief granted by the Board of Zoning Appeals in March, the Amistad Catholic Worker House has to make available the main home’s bathroom and kitchen to the backyard residents.)

In the intervening five months, people have continued to sleep inside these six tiny shelters — which have only become more crowded with the onset of winter weather…

read the entire article at https://tinyurl.com/yck8s6yv

Resource Sheet for Warming Centers

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Please take note of the insert about warming centers (also available at https://www.newhavenct.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/16742/638370255582500000).

We hope our PAR readers make copies of the flyer to carry around and keep in their car. People who need help and ask for money need to know how they can access resources. In addition to giving those in need some money, you can give them information about these organizations and agencies that can help sustain them in a more consistent way.

Information about soup kitchens and food pantries can be found at https://www.getconnectednewhaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Food-Assistance-Resource-Guide-ENG.pdf).

Yale Students Overwhelmingly Pass Divestment Referendum

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by Nora Moses, Dec 08, 2024, Yale Daily News

The Yale College Council announced today that the student body has passed the divestment referendum by a large margin.

The referendum, proposed and written by the pro-Palestine Sumud Coalition, asked three questions. The first two ask whether Yale should disclose and divest from its holdings in military weapons manufacturers, “including those arming Israel,” and the third asks whether Yale should “act on its commitment to education by investing in Palestinian scholars and students.”

The first question received 83.1 percent “yes” votes, the second 76.6 and the third 79.5.
For all three questions, the total number of respondents who voted “yes” also amounted to over one-third of the student body. All three referendum questions therefore met the requirements set by the YCC constitution to officially pass.

Read the entire article at yaledailynews.com/blog/2024/12/08/yale-students-overwhelmingly-pass-divestment-referendum.

CT Jews Commend Sen. Chris Murphy for Voting to Block Arms Sales to Israel Fueling Gazan Genocide

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by Miranda Rector, JVPNH and Sarah White, HJOC

Jewish Voice for Peace of New Haven (JVPNH) and the Hartford Jewish Organizing Collective (HJOC) commend U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy for his vote Nov. 20, 2024, to block the sale of weapons to Israel such as Joint Direct Attack Ammunitions and 120 mm mortar rounds that are being used to kill thousands in Gaza in the ongoing Israeli genocide.

Sen. Murphy joined 18 other US Senators in voting to approve Senator Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block the Biden administration’s 20 billion dollar arms sale to Israel. Although the resolutions did not pass, this was the first Senate vote ever to stop arms sales to Israel. Sen. Murphy was among the 7 of the 11 Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that voted in favor. Three of the nine Jewish members of the Senate also voted in favor. The vote signals growing support within the Democratic party that cutting off the flow of weapons to Israel is the only way to end the US-backed genocide that has killed more than 44,000 Gazans so far, including at least 16,000 children, with the actual death toll far higher.

JVPNH and HJOC joined organizations across the state in urging Sen. Murphy to vote in favor of the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, including by organizing a constituent letter with over 440 signatures, hosting a Children’s Day where participants colored drawings for Sen. Murphy, organizing more than 60 Jews to call Senator Murphy at a Shabbat dinner, canvassing local neighborhoods, and participating in numerous phone banks.

“The organizing that went into persuading Sen. Murphy is a huge victory. We showed both that Connecticut Jews and allies support blocking weapons to Israel and that we’re a powerful voice for change,” says Miranda Rector, a Chapter Coordinator for JVP New Haven. “We must continue to use our collective power to stop arming Israel and end the genocide.”

“The U.S. government is actively enabling the Israeli government’s genocidal campaign, offering it unconditional funding and weapons, as well as impunity, in direct violation of international laws. This makes every taxpayer complicit in this ongoing genocide and the Israeli military’s more recent assaults on Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen,” says Sasha Zoldessy, an organizer with HJOC.

To contact Jewish Voice for Peace of New Haven, phone Miranda Rector at 203-850-7183 or email [email protected].

To contact Hartford Jewish Organizing Collective, phone Sarah White at 206-388-7222 or email [email protected].

The Elm City’s Commitment to LGBTQ+ Equality

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City of New Haven Press Release Nov. 22, 2024

Mayor Justin Elicker celebrated the City of New Haven receiving a score of 100 on the 2024 Municipal Equality Index (MEI), a comprehensive assessment of LGBTQ+ equality in the areas of municipal policies, law, and services, which is conducted annually by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. As part of its work, the HRC Foundation conducts the MEI, which was released nationally on Thursday. The MEI “examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there” and “cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.”

New Haven received a score of 100 on the 2024 [MEI], the highest score that can be received by a municipality. This marks the first year that the City of New Haven has achieved this distinction, and New Haven is one of only two cities in Connecticut to receive an MEI score of 100, with the other being Stamford.

The index evaluated and recognized New Haven’s commitment to LGBTQ+ equality across several key areas, including: non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement policies, and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.

One item of note is the city’s support of and partnership with the New Haven Pride Center, which provides a variety of critical services, free resources, and meaningful programming for LGBTQ+ residents of all ages. This includes monthly community dinners and social events, affinity social spaces, professional and personal development, a community food and toiletries pantry, a clothing closet, a lending library featuring LGBTQ+ books, among other services.

The score is also reflective of the city’s efforts to ensure LGBTQ+ residents are included and able to access city services and programs. Residents can connect with the city’s LGBTQ+ Liaison, Killian Gruber, at [email protected] or 203-946-4984, or the New Haven Youth and Recreation Department’s LGBTQ+ Liaison, Ernest Cloman, at [email protected] or 203-946-4939.

Read the entire article at https://www.newhavenct.gov/Home/Components/News/News/509/144

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