1st Black History Month People’s World Celebration: Black Youth Leadership – Resistance 2.0 in Today’s Freedom Struggle

by Connecticut People’s World Committee

The 51st People’s World Black History Month Celebration, including the annual arts and writing competition for grades 8 to 12, will take place Saturday, Feb. 22, at 4 p.m. at the New Haven Peoples Center, 37 Howe St., New Haven.

Black Youth Leadership – Resistance 2.0 in Today’s Freedom Struggle is the theme for the event and competition. The full invitation to the competition is below.

In addition to the presentation of prizes for the competition, the event on Saturday, Feb. 22, will include drumming, a panel discussion by youth activists, and guest speaker Aaron Booe, national organizer for the YCL USA.

A $5 contribution is asked if possible or what you can afford. No one will be turned away.
For information contact [email protected] or leave a message at 203-624-8664.

African American History Month, February 2025

Arts and Writing Competition for Students Grades 8 to 12 is sponsored annually

by Connecticut People’s World Committee to remember the lives and dedication of Dalzenia Henry and Virginia Henry to the youth of New Haven and to make a better future.

BLACK YOUTH LEADERSHIP

Resistance 2.0 in Today’s Freedom Struggle

This SOLIDARITY PLEDGE: We Won’t Go Back! was made by all present at the People’s World Amistad Awards, Dec. 14.

“It’s up to us to defend our hard won democratic rights and protect our future. We reject all racism, bigotry, militarism and attempts at fear and division. We reject the use of smear tactics to justify war, repression and deportations. We join together in solidarity, and celebrate our diverse multi-racial, multi-national, multi-gender and multi-generational working class and people. Inspired by the historic freedom struggle, we pledge resistance and solidarity to defeat the Project 2025 corporate agenda and move forward, not back. We pledge to join in rapid response with our allies to resist every attack on any section of the people – an injury to one is an injury to all. We pledge to organize for multi-racial workers’ rights and worker power to win transformational change that puts people, peace and planet before profits. We Who Believe In Freedom Will Not Rest Until It’s Won.”

In 1964 when three young civil rights workers were murdered in Mississippi, civil rights activist Ella Baker said: “Until the killing of Black men, Black mothers’ sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother’s son—we who believe in freedom cannot rest until this happens.” James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner disappeared together during Freedom Summer. In response, hundreds more young people came to the South to take their place.

Express in artwork, essay, poetry, rap or song:

  • What can you do along with others in your school to promote equality?
  • What can you do along with your friends to reject, and educate against, hate speech?
  • Reflect on historical figures in the freedom struggle and victories that were won. How can you help continue the fight and work to change your community now?

Share digital art work, drawings, paintings, collage, prints, photographs, essays, poems, raps or songs (max. two pages).

Entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 13. MUST INCLUDE: Entry title, Name, address, phone, email, age, school, teacher’s name (if applicable). Send entries to: [email protected]. Prizes: Gift cards ($200 first place, $100 second place, $50 third place) and books. Presentation Prizes and recognition for all entries will be presented February 22 at the 51st Annual African American History Month Celebration. Info: [email protected] or leave messages at: 203-624-8664.

Leonard Peltier to Be Freed After Half-Century in Prison: ‘A Day of Victory for Indigenous People’

Democracy Now!, Jan. 21

Indigenous political prisoner Leonard Peltier is coming home after nearly half a century behind bars. Just minutes before leaving office, former President Joe Biden granted Peltier clemency and ordered his release from prison to serve the remainder of his life sentence in home confinement. In a statement, Peltier said, “It’s finally over — I’m going home. I want to show the world I’m a good person with a good heart. I want to help the people, just like my grandmother taught me.” Biden’s historic decision came after mounting calls by tribal leaders and supporters, and a community-led campaign that fought for Peltier’s freedom for decades.

Watch the complete interview with the NDN Collective’s Nick Tilsen at https://www.democracynow.org/2025/1/21/leonard_peltier. Nick just visited Leonard Peltier in prison after news of his sentence commutation, about fighting for Peltier’s freedom, his health and Trump’s executive orders attacking environmental rights and Indigenous sovereignty. “Indigenous people, we’re going to be on the frontlines fighting this administration.”

Remembering Elaine Peters

The PAR community has lost a beloved ally with the passing of Elaine Peters, local dancer and drummer. She had an exuberance that could get the most reluctant person joining in her conga line. Local groups were fortunate to have her on their organizing committees through the years, including Community Kwanzaa Association of New Haven (of which she was the president and founder), Mothers and Others for Justice, Sisters with a New Attitude (SWANA) and the May Day Celebration Committee.

A Culture-Bearer Passes On: Elaine Peters Dies At 70

by Lucy Gellman, Jan. 16, 2025, Arts Paper

Elaine Peters at last year’s Caribbean Heritage Festival on the New Haven Green. For those who knew her, Coconut was forever by her side.

Lucy Gellman File Photo.

Elaine Peters at last year’s Caribbean Heritage Festival on the New Haven Green. For those who knew her, Coconut was forever by her side. Photo: Lucy Gellman

Elaine Peters had the spirit of dance inside of her. As a girl, she set the stage ablaze at the Bowen-Peters School of Dance, where her father and stepmother were the founders and she taught for years. In New York, she soared through work with the late Lavinia Williams and members of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Back home, a spirited conga line seemed to follow her across the city, from the New Haven city bus to the city’s Caribbean Heritage Festival. Her chihuahua, Coconut, was often dancing along in her arms or at her feet.
Now, New Haven must carry on that rich legacy without her. Peters, a skilled dancer, drummer and visual artist who built community through the arts and for decades led New Haven’s Kwanzaa celebrations, died late last month [December 2024] at the age of 70. She is survived by her siblings, Jomo and Ntombi Peters, her daughter, Tulani Peters-Adger, and a host of friends who are feeling her loss acutely.

In New Haven, she leaves behind a community wracked by grief, from former dance sisters and peers at the New Haven Free Public Library to drummers who can’t imagine a healing circle without her. She was also an active and longtime member of New York’s East Coast Village, a retreat dedicated to Indigenous ancestral wisdom and helmed by the late Malidoma Somé.

“She had a personality where she just embraced life—she would just take you where she wanted to take you, you were just happy to be along for the ride,” recalled her younger brother, Jomo Peters, in a phone call last week. “She loved to celebrate, she celebrated love and life and togetherness. There was always a spark in her. I’ve never encountered anyone else who could do that. She could make any situation a celebration.”

[To read the article in its entirety and to see more photos, please go to https://tinyurl.com/mrw9su5c]

CT NOFA Winter Conference Feb. 25-27 ECSU

CT Northeast Organic Farming Association’s 43rd Winter Conference features virtual workshops on Feb. 25-27 and a full-day, in-person gathering and celebration on March 1, at Eastern Connecticut State University in partnership with their Institute of Sustainability.

Workshops will cover topics such as farming, seed saving, organic land care, community food security and social justice issues, and the presentation of the Bill Duesing Organic Living on the Earth award and our members’ annual meeting.

Conference registration includes access to all virtual and in-person sessions, lunch at the conference, and exclusive access to all recordings. Registration info, including fee, registration fee waiver request and travel stipend can be found at https://ctnofa.org/winter-conference/2025-winter-conference.

Financial Greed Now Drives Incarceration

by Charles Picarella, PAR reader

Traditionally, incarceration has been used in the United States as a deterrence to incapacitate offenders from committing further crime, to extract a measure of retribution, and to promote methods of rehabilitation. More recently, incarceration is being driven by financial greed. For-profit companies, such as GTL, Securus, CoreCivic, Aramark, Keefe Group, and Bob Barker Company Inc., supply goods and services to the corrections-industrial complex as part of a business model that serves their desire to turn a profit. Corpo-rate profits as a motivation for incarceration should be concerning to those that bear the costs: taxpayers.

In Pennsylvania, $3.1 billion of the state’s budget has been allocated to corrections, the second largest item in the budget. That is money that will not be spent on education, healthcare, housing or infrastructure. Instead, those funds will go to rent-seeking prison profiteers, many of whom employ lobbyists to capture ever more government funding.

Many incarcerated people are not hardened criminals but are our family, friends and neighbors. Many of these people struggle with substance abuse issues and/or homelessness. A shockingly high percentage of incarcerated people have mental health issues underlying their criminal behaviors. Jails and prisons are not places in which these people will receive the help and rehabilitation that they need to break the cycle of incarceration. We simply should not continue to fund the cycle for the benefit of corporate interests.

Challenge your elected officials when they campaign as “being tough on crime.” Ask them what that means. Who will pay that cost? How exactly will the funds be spent? Who will reap the benefits – those incarcerated, the community, or a company looking for financial gain? Demand change. Let your elected representatives know that you don’t want to fund prison profiteering. Let them know that you’d like the money spent elsewhere. Incarceration has a place in contemporary society but surely that place is not to drive profits for private business.

Charles Picarella is a prisoner in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. He publishes a monthly newsletter. For a free copy, write to Charles at:
Smart Communication/ PADOC
Charles Picarella #MZ7013
PO Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL  33733

‘No’ to Rate Increases, No to Expansion of Fossil Fuels!

by Sena Wazer, Sierra Club CT Chapter

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m., the Stop Project Maple Coalition will gather at the Eversource corporate headquarters at 56 Prospect St. in Hartford, to call out unaffordable rate increases, harmful to low-income customers, and the continued expansion of fossil fuels.

Stop Project Maple is a regional coalition focused on stopping the expansion of an Enbridge-owned gas pipeline known as AGT; this expansion project called Project Maple would run through New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

In Massachusetts, Eversource publicly stated that they offered a bid on the expanded gas from Project Maple. In Connecticut, Eversource is the monopolistic electric utility for most of the state and also provides gas to many towns. Connecticut relies primarily on fossil fuels for both electricity and home heating, which raises rates, creates air pollution and destroys the climate. There are grave concerns about the continued increase in use of fossil gas and the possible purchase of additional gas from Project Maple in Connecticut.

On Feb. 11 at 3 p.m., we will rally to call out the role of our utility companies, especially Eversource, in the promotion and expansion of fossil fuels, as well as how they have consistently taken advantage of low-income rate-payers. The rally will include speakers as well as an action.

Please contact Sena Wazer at [email protected] with any questions. More information will also be shared on the Coalition’s website: stopprojectmaple.org.

CT Residents Protest President-Elect Trump Ahead of Inauguration

by Shahrzad Rasekh, January 18, CT Mirror

A Connecticut contingent marched in opposition to the impending second term of President Donald J. Trump in Washington, D.C., Saturday [Jan. 18], carrying signs and expressing concern about the fate of racial minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, women, immigrants and the environment over the coming four years.

The People’s March, organized by a coalition of nonprofits including the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood and Time to Act, drew an estimated 50,000 demonstrators to the nation’s capital days before Trump’s second inauguration. Under gray skies and a light drizzle, a multi-generational crowd — from babies in strollers to senior citizens — marched to the Lincoln Memorial, chanting intermittently, “This is what democracy looks like!”

[Article can be read in its entirety at https://tinyurl.com/49bedmkn]

Remington Woods Soon to Be ‘Nature For All’

by Jhoni Ada, Sierra Club CT Chapter

Remington Woods, a 422-acre urban forest in Bridgeport, Connecticut, stands as Fairfield County’s last lung—a vital sanctuary in a city shaped by industrialization and urban sprawl. Over the last 5 years, we’ve seen remarkable progress toward securing its protection, each milestone bringing us closer to a future where this irreplaceable green space is preserved for generations.

In 2024 we attended a fully booked bus tour of Remington Woods, offering residents, students, and advocates a firsthand experience of its towering trees, serene Success Lake, and thriving wildlife. The awe and enthusiasm from attendees underscored why protecting this forest has been an essential part of the Sierra Club CT’s goals.

Perhaps last year’s biggest moment came when the agricultural company Corteva unveiled their Nature for All plan, proposing public access to Remington Woods with trails, a nature center, and a sustainable energy farm to fund its long-term stewardship. Collaborating on this bold vision has been a privilege, and we are determined to help make it a reality.

Our partnership with High Horizon middle-schoolers was another highlight, showcasing how this forest inspires future conservationists. From wildlife clubs to documentary participation, these students reminded us that protecting Remington Woods isn’t just about today—it’s about creating a better tomorrow.

This year also brought important milestones:
Hosting Black Birders Week: Celebrating diversity in conservation with nature enthusiasts from across the state.

Advocacy Wins: Contributing to the National Old Growth Forest Campaign, amplifying the call for stronger protections.

Building Partnerships: Engaging with US Fish and Wildlife Service, Aspetuck Land Trust, Save the Sound, and local leaders like Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Clanmother Shoran Piper of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe.

As we look ahead, our priorities include supporting Corteva’s conservation plan, strengthening partnerships, and advocating for USFWS involvement to ensure permanent protection.

Thanks to all the support, we’re closer than ever to preserving Fairfield County’s last lung. Together, we’re shaping a legacy of urban conservation and hope for our community.

Ask Your State Legislators to Support Your Environmental Rights

by Kimberly Stoner, Director of Advocacy, CT NOFA

Every person should have the fundamental human right to a clean and healthy environment: clean air, water, and soil, healthy ecosystems, and a safe and stable climate. This right is essential to our survival but is not mentioned in the CT state constitution or the US Constitution. An alliance of individuals and organizations, including CT NOFA, C3M, Sierra Club CT, CT League of Conservation Voters, and the CT League of Women Voters, among many others, have been working together to pass a resolution in the state General Assembly that would put environmental rights on the ballot.

This year, the resolution is HJ7, and we already know that it will get a public hearing in the Government Administration and Elections Committee. Last year’s resolution passed the GAE committee, but never got a vote in the state House or Senate.

Here’s what you can do now, at the start of this year’s legislative session:

  1. Find your state legislators. If you don’t know your legislators, you can go to cga.ct.gov, click on “Representation” and “Find Your Legislator,” and put in your address. Your legislator’s email is: [email protected]
  2. Send an email asking your legislator to co-sponsor HJ7. Here’s a simple script:
    1. I’m a resident of [city/town] and your constituent.
    2. I support the CT Environmental Rights Amendment because …..
    3. Tell them very briefly why – just one sentence is enough. Possible talking points:

A personal experience showing why a clean and healthy environment is important to you.

It recognizes environmental rights as being on par with other fundamental human rights, such as the right to free speech.

It protects the environment for the benefit of all residents.

Protests Brace for Four More Years

by Laura Glesby, Jan, 20, New Haven Independent

Protesters declare support for trans, immigrant, Palestinian rights and more on the Green…

A Statue of Liberty drawn on fire, free toiletries for any who needed, and collective shouts of immigrant, transgender, and Palestinian resistance rang through the frigid cold at two parallel protests downtown.

Protesters declare support for trans, immigrant, Palestinian rights and more on the Green. Photo: Laura Glesby

Their message resounded on Monday afternoon as Donald Trump once again took an oath of office — with a flurry of executive orders cracking down on immigration and cementing anti-trans policies awaiting his signature.

About 75 people clustered at the center of the New Haven Green at a rally organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and a host of other organizations, from Trans Haven to the Semilla Collective to Unhoused Activist Community Team (U ACT).

Meanwhile, another 40 people affiliated with Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) convened across the street on the steps of City Hall.

While the former protest shined a particular spotlight on Palestinian self-determination and the latter focused especially on the rights of undocumented immigrants, activists at both gatherings stressed a need to collaborate and stand against injustices they view as all interconnected.

“We need to step out of our silos,” said Sun Queen, a poet and activist with Black Lives Matter New Haven and U ACT, on the Green.

Sun Queen quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in honor of the national holiday also on Monday designated for remembering King’s legacy: “There is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it.”

At that rally, protesters made clear that while they were gathered to oppose Trump, they were not there to mourn the status quo under Joe Biden — especially when it came to the United States’ relationship to Israel.

[Article can be read in its entirety at https://tinyurl.com/5n6kbd3r]

Author Talk — Radical Connecticut: People’s History In The Constitution State

Author Andy Piascik joins us for a discussion about his and Steve Thornton’s new book: “Radical Connecticut: People’s History In The Constitution State.”

Version 1.0.0

“Radical Connecticut” tells the stories of everyday people and well-known figures whose work has often been obscured, denigrated, or dismissed. There are narratives of movements, strikes, popular organizations and people in Connecticut who changed the state and the country for the better.

Bridgeport native Andy Piascik is a long-time activist and award-winning writer whose work has appeared in many publications and on many websites. He is the author of the novel “In Motion.”
“Radical Connecticut: People’s History in the Constitution State” is his fourth book.

Thursday, Jan. 23, 6-7:30 p.m.
Phillip Marrett Room
Ives Main Library
133 Elm St.
New Haven

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