The PAR Mission is to inform the greater New Haven community about the activities of many progressive groups, so that people may learn about them and become involved in discussions and actions on issues for the common good, such as peace, health, racial equity, justice, clean energy and the environment.
The New Haven Documentary Film Festival takes place this year Thursday, Oct. 12, through Sunday, Oct. 22, showing over 100 films. Screenings take place at the New Haven Free Public Library, Cafe 9, the Bow-Tie Criterion Cinemas, popup venues, and other theaters.
Visit https://nhdocs2023.eventive.org/welcome for a full listing of schedule, events, locations, ticketing, and ways to participate.
Many people’s introduction to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) comes through the Out of the Darkness Walks, taking place in cities nationwide. In our community, campus, and overnight walks, those affected by suicide – and those who support them – raise awareness and much-needed funds, strongly sending the message that suicide can be preventable, and that no one is alone.
Suicide claims more lives than war, murder, and natural disasters combined.
In 2020 (latest available data), there were 45,979 reported suicide deaths in the U.S.
Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10 and 19 in the U.S.
Currently, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to be there for one another and take steps to safeguard our mental health and prevent suicide.
There will be numerous on-site activities on the day of the walk. Check-in time is 10 a.m., and the walk starts at 11. Meet at Town Center Park (2761 Dixwell Ave), Hamden.
Register today and be part of the movement to walk #OutOftheDarkness.
Walk Chair: Caleb Warner, 203-980-7869, [email protected].
To register: https://supporting.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=register.start&eventID=9362.
If you or someone you know is in a crisis, dial 988 or text TALK to 741-741.
With tensions so high between nuclear-armed nations, it is more important than ever to bring a message of peace. Come see the boat and learn about what you can do to support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, and the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
All events are free and open to the public.
June 3, 1 p.m. The city of New Haven Peace Commission will welcome the crew of the Golden Rule at the West River Peace Garden (at the intersection of Ella T. Grasso Blvd. and Legion Ave, 16 Miller St.). Contact Aaron Goode for Peace Garden 203-507-8985.
June 4, 10 a.m. The crew of the Golden Rule will be welcomed at the Sound School music festival at 10 a.m. at 60 South River Street New Haven.
June 4, 2-4 p.m. Concert for peace with Fred Brown, MC
City of New Haven proclamation to the Golden Rule crew
Crew members will share their adventures on the great loop tour for peace, and the story of the original boat that sailed to stop atmospheric bomb tests in the 1950s.
Adrian Huq – New Haven Climate Movement
Nuclear Soldier – Hank Bolden, atomic test veteran and musician
City of New Haven Peace Commission message from Al Marder
Connecticut Peace Singers – Millie Grenough & singers
Inity Reggae Band – Fred Brown
For more information: Henry Lowendorf: 203-676-4138, [email protected].
by Steve Thornton, Hartford activist and historian
Hi, Friends at PAR,
I want to invite you to help me with an event taking place Saturday, June 10, called Teach Truth.
It’s a nationwide day of education and protest over the banning of books by the right wing. As of this moment it will take place on June 10 at noon in front of Hartford City Hall, 550 Main St.
Please join with me to help organize this event.
Thanks!
Steve
860–525–6510, [email protected].
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/teach-truth-day-of-action-june-10-2023
by Aruna Pawashe, lecturer, Yale University
There will be a free one-day children’s meditation course for ages 8-12, on Saturday, June 24 from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. It will take place at the Harkness Ballroom/Lounge, 367 Cedar Street, Yale University,
A female teacher is coming from VMC Boston and a male teacher is coming from Florida. There is no course fee to students. If any parents wish to donate (service, food or monetary help) they do it willingly in their capacity. Registration is required.
This course, as taught by S.N. Goenka, offers children an introduction to Anapana meditation, observation of the natural breath to concentrate the mind. Young people who have started practicing this technique have realized many benefits. Their ability to concentrate is enhanced, their memory gets sharper, their ability to comprehend a subject improves, and they become calmer. In general, they feel they have a practical tool to use in the face of any kind of adversity or challenge. The course includes meditation instruction, art, games and storytelling. This course is given on a donation basis. Prior Registration is Required.
For more information about the course and to register, visit www.dhara.dhamma.org, www.dhamma.org/en-US/schedules/schdhara#child_course
To see an introduction video on children’s courses, visit:
http://www.dhara.dhamma.org/courses/teen-child-courses, http://www.children.dhamma.org/en/videos/seeds.shtml
For contact: Email: [email protected], Phone: 413-625-2160 X313
The NOFA summer conference returns this July with workshops, events, children’s programming, and more. Join us online and in person in Worcester, MA this summer!
This year’s conference begins online, Monday, July 24 – Thursday, July 27 with evening speakers and workshops, and continues in-person and online on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29 at Worcester State University for knowledge, sharing, and celebration through:
Spend the week engaging with farming technologies, practices and thoughts around good, vital and just living for all, at the community scale! Register at www.nofamass.org/nofa-summer-conference
Join everyone for music, art, food, and movement building. Take to the streets with us, as we march to the places where unhoused people, migrant workers, LGBTQ workers, students, teachers, and land defenders are fighting for liberation and justice.
Gather on the New Haven Green at 12 p.m. Rally at 4 p.m., March at 5 p.m. May Day Coalition tinyurl.com/may1newhaven
by Marian Huggins, Branch Manager
Here are some of the May activities for the Mitchell Branch Library, 37 Harrison Street, in Westville. We’re a branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, where our values include advancing literacy and promoting connection and collaboration.
Seed Library Opening Monday, May 1st, noon to 8 p.m.
The Seed Library opens for the 2023 season and welcomes both new and experienced growers. Patrons are free to both take and to donate seeds while also discovering books and other information about gardening. https://nhfpl.libnet.info/event/8332209
Piano Lessons at Mitchell Library Thursday Afternoons, 3:30 to 6 p.m. May 18 through June 22
Free half-hour lessons between the hours of 3:30 to 6 p.m. for people ages 12 and up. Sign up for a half-hour lesson at the circulation desk. https://nhfpl.libnet.info/event/8332091
May Joint Library Book Chat: The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar Thursday, May 25, 7 p.m. on Zoom
Join patrons of the New Haven Free Public Library and the Prospect Public Library to discuss this great novel in a group of friendly readers. The meeting will occur virtually on Zoom and can be joined at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86829609931
https://nhfpl.libnet.info/event/7812401
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to give us a call at 203-946-8117.
Thank you.
More Mitchell Library events in PAR calendar page.
by Kimberly Stoner, CT Climate Crisis Mobilization
As readers of the PAR newsletter know, C3M (the CT Climate Crisis Mobilization) and CT NOFA (the Northeast Organic Farming Association of CT) have been working hard to get HJ 37, the resolution proposing the CT Environmental Rights Amendment to the state constitution passed in the legislature, so that it can come to a referendum of the people.
We are excited to announce that Maya van Rossum will be coming to Connecticut April 19 to April 22 to inspire us to action in honor of Earth Day. Maya van Rossum is the founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring passage of Green Amendments in every state constitution across our nation. Van Rossum was also a lead petitioner in the landmark case decided by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2013, that revived the state’s long-ignored Constitutional Environmental Rights Amendment, empowering it to protect the people’s right to pure water, clean air, and a healthy environment. This victory inspired her to write the book, The Green Amendment: Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment, now in its second edition. Planning for her visit is still in process, but the following events are confirmed:
Thanks go to donations from the GNH Green Fund to CT, NOFA and a donor to C3M for making these events possible!
by Chris Schweitzer, New Haven-León Sister City Project
Support local environmental and climate work through Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride! We are working with over 20 partner organizations to take real action in response to the climate emergency, and to raise critical support for local environmental organizations.
2023 rides include 5-, 12-, 20-, 40-, 60-mile, and 2 Family Rides in East Rock Park, plus hikes in East Rock Park and West Rock Park. Join the fun April 29. All rides start and end at East Rock Park, with a Green Fair, live music and food trucks. [email protected] or phone 203-479-0298.
by Lynne Bonnet, NH Bioregional Group
Join us for “Oysters: Natural Resources of the Quinnipiac River and Morris Creek.” The program will be Saturday, March 4, 2 p.m. at the Q River Grill (event room), 2 Clifton St., New Haven, presented by The New Haven Bioregional Group, co-sponsored by Gather New Haven and Copps Island Oysters, LLC with support from the Greater New Haven Green Fund.
Zofia Baumann, Ph.D., from UCONN Avery Point, received funding from the Quinnipiac River Fund to study oysters in the Quinnipiac River and Morris Creek from spring through fall 2022. The study was in collaboration with Dr. Mary Beth Decker from Yale University and Mr. Richard Harris of Copps Island Oysters, LLC, and was supported by citizen scientists from the New Haven Bioregional Group, 10,000 Hawks, Sound School, and other volunteers. She will present the major findings and attempt to answer the following questions:
How long do oysters live, and when do they reproduce?
How many oysters are there and where are they?
What can we do to increase oysters in the Quinnipiac River and New Haven Harbor?
How can we assist oyster restoration?
Are you interested in citizen science projects?
Following the Q & A there will be a walk from the restaurant to the oyster reef; low tide is around 3:30. If you plan to walk, be sure to wear suitable boots for a muddy/shell-covered river bank!
This event is free and open to the public.
Sunday, March 5, 3 p.m.
On the anniversary of the 2007 bombing of the booksellers’ market in Baghdad, and in defiance of the ongoing attacks throughout the world, including the United States, against reading and readers, excerpts from the anthology “Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here” will be read by Daisy C. Abreu and Stephen Vincent Kobasa.
This event is free and open to the public and begins at 3 p.m. at
Best Video Film and Cultural Center
1842 Whitney Ave, Hamden
www.bestvideo.com
Join the Yale Peabody Museum and CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for the 27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy of Social and Environmental Justice with two days of free, hybrid events open to all. Come Sunday, Jan. 15, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. to 114 Whitney Ave. and Monday, Jan. 16, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. to 260 Whitney Ave. Space is limited. Virtual and in-person registration is strongly recommended. Free parking is available in Yale Lot 22 at 260 Whitney Avenue.
On Sunday, Jan. 15, 12:30-3:30 p.m. there is Family Story-telling and Dance at the New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Avenue. The New Haven Museum and the Peabody are teaming up for an afternoon of inspiring family programs celebrating Dr. King’s life and legacy. Storytellers Joy Donaldson, Waltrina Kirkland and Clifton Graves will share stirring fables, anecdotes, and stories that honor King’s work and testify to his impact on the justice movement.
Ms. Hanan’s Dance and Beyond will present an interactive performance of cultural dance and drumming from the African diaspora and you’ll discover kid-friendly activities throughout the Museum offered by our program partners, including the CT DEEP, the Black Caucus American Library Association, and the Amistad Committee. Peabody scientists will introduce attendees to fascinating specimens from our Paleobotany collection.
Masks are required in the New Haven Museum and space is limited. To register, please go to peabody.yale.edu/events/mlk-celebration.
Monday, Jan. 16, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. features the Z Experience Poetry Slam at the Yale Science Building, O.C. Marsh Lecture Hall, 260 Whitney Ave. Join influential poet performers Croilot and Ngoma, in-person for the first time since 2020, as they emcee an electrifying spoken word experience, honoring Poetry Slam founder Zannette Lewis, in one of the largest auditoriums on Yale’s campus. Spend the day with us or tune in live and online as our hosts kick things off with a high-energy group performance and a curated open mic. Those talented storytellers will be followed by a slate of renowned featured poets competing in the poetry slam.
Visit tables hosted by the National Council of Negro Women and New Haven African American Historical Society to hear from their members about the work they are doing in the community. And museum staff will be on hand to offer the latest information on the Peabody renovation.
This event is appropriate for adults and young adults with the discretion of a parent or guardian. For current Yale University vaccination and mask requirements and to register, please go to peabody.yale.edu/events/mlk-celebration.
.
