Category: Events

People’s World Amistad Awards: Which Side Are You On?

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by People’s World Amistad Awards Committee

This year’s People’s World Amistad Awards Which Side Are You On? will be held Saturday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. at First and Summerfield Church, which is home to UNITE HERE unions and located at 425 College Street, New Haven.

People’s World is honored to present the Amistad Award to three wonderful allies and working-class champions. Together they represent the kind of unity, solidarity and vision needed to build the movement that can defend our rights against vicious corporate assault, fight for our future, and transform our country to put people, peace and planet before profits.

Maryam Khan, State Rep. (HD 5), is an inspiring leader, educator, fighter for working-class children and families, first Muslim woman legislator, demanding economic and social equity, environmental justice, peace and no bigotry.

Ellen Cupo, Local 34 UNITE HERE organizer, is a mother and former alder, with courage, vision and commitment for working-class power and solidarity, and, as Vice President Central Campus, leads the fight against billionaire Yale for workers’ rights and dignity.

Stuart Beckford, Vice President of Hartford Federation of Teachers, community artist and grassroots organizer and passionate educator, is dedicated to empowering all members of the community and build union power with AFT Connecticut and CT AFL CIO.

The event will stand in solidarity with Danbury Unites for Immigrants and with union workers in major contract fights at L & M Hospital (Yale New Haven Health) in New London.

A narrated concert of multi-cultural freedom songs directed by Brian Jarawa Gray will highlight the event.

The annual event is hosted on the occasion of the 107th anniversary of the Communist Party USA. A youth tribute will be presented in the spirit of building unity against racism, red-baiting and all forms of bigotry for workers’ rights, equality, peace, democracy and a better world.

Tickets are $10. The keepsake program book will be printed and in an electronic version. We invite you to place an ad in the book to honor the awardees and the occasion. The ad deadline is Nov. 20. For ad information, please email ct-pww@pobox.com or call 203-624-8664.

CCAG Annual Awards Celebration Dec. 10  

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On Thursday, Dec. 10, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., Connecticut Citizen Action Group’s Annual Awards Celebration will take place. The awardees are former State Senator Marilyn Moore and Gretchen Raffa, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. For information and to purchase tickets: natashak@ccag.net or phone 860-233-2181. The event will be at J Under the Dome, 1 Sequassen St., Hartford.

New Haven Free Public Library Upcoming Events

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Sandy Flores, Administrative Library Aide, NHFPL

Author Talk with P. Paramita

Join us for a reading and conversation with P. Paramita about her new novel APPETITE! The book features a young Bangladeshi prep cook in New Haven. We’ll talk about author life, publishing, and the book’s big themes, including the city of New Haven, featured vividly in the novel. There will be Q&A, and the author will sell and sign books.

Saturday, Nov. 7, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Community Program Room, Ives Main Library, 133 Elm St.

Dabke Workshop

Join Little Bayt New Haven and Yale Dabke on the second floor for a dabke dance workshop. Dabke is a form of dance common to the Levantine region (Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan). The workshop is open to all ages, from littles to older kids and parents and will take place right after Arabic Language Story Time.

Saturday, Nov. 7, 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Community Conversation Room – 2nd Floor, Stetson Branch, 197 Dixwell Ave.

Mitchell Book Club – The Personal Librarian

Join the Mitchell Book Club as we discuss, The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. The book is about an extraordinary woman and the lengths she goes to in order to preserve her carefully-crafted white identity in the racist world she lives in. Copies of the book are available to borrow at the circulation desk.

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Program Room, Mitchell Branch, 37 Harrison St.

Muslim American Heritage Story Time

Listen to a bilingual story in Urdu and English. Then make a craft, get henna on your hands, and practice Arabic calligraphy! Presented in partnership with Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Baitul Aman “House of Peace” Mosque, Connecticut Chapter.

Saturday, Nov. 14, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Program Room, Fair Haven Library, 182 Grand Ave.

Humanist Association of Connecticut Book Discussion:

Join a monthly book club hosted by the Humanist Association of Connecticut and discuss great books. All are welcome! This month we are reading: JOB: A Comedy of Justice by Robert Heinlein

Saturday, Nov. 21, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Family Place, Wilson Branch Library, 303 Washington Ave.

All of these libraries are wheelchair-accessible.

Eighth annual Connecticut Trails Symposium, Friday Oct. 2, New Haven

by Aaron Goode, CT Greenways Council

The Connecticut Trails Symposium is an annual state-wide gathering organized by the Connecticut Greenways Council (CGC) in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), and the UConn CT Trails Program.

Designed for trail advocates, urban planners, municipal leaders, conservationists, state officials, and outdoor enthusiasts, the symposium serves as a collaborative platform to advance multi-use trail networks, active transportation, and greenway stewardship across Connecticut. This year’s symposium will have keynote addresses by JT Horn of the Trust for Public Land and Dan Hodge of Cambridge Econometrics who will both address different aspects of this year’s theme, “Benefits of Greenways.”

There will be a variety of breakout sessions on trails and greenways advocacy, and active mobility infrastructure projects across the state of Connecticut, with a particular focus on work happening in New Haven.

A full day of concurrent sessions, speakers, and plentiful networking opportunities.

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER:

https://cttrails.uconn.edu/symposium/

Homeless to Boldness Career and Fashion Event

by Christian Community Action

Christian Community Action invites you to an evening of dinner, a Future Career Fashion Showcase, and powerful stories.

Launched in 2024, Homeless to Boldness has quickly become CCA’s signature annual event, bringing together more than 140 community members, business leaders, supporters, volunteers, and families to celebrate resilience and the progress of families experiencing homelessness.

Homeless to Boldness will be hosted this year at the Dixwell Community “Q” House, 197 Dixwell Ave., on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, from 4-7 p.m., to share stories of resilience, inspire hope, and foster community. Join us to support families in their pursuit of careers and be inspired. Suggested attire: business casual.

The program includes employer networking, speakers, fashion showcase, music, and dinner catered by Icaru Peruvian Restaurant. RSVP at https://bit.ly/4zdHNmP. Tickets are $0 to $50.

Authors at the New Haven Library in September

by New Haven Free Public Library

Jill Snyder, author and historian, will be at the Ives Library on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2-4 p.m. Her presentation will be Black Women in the American Revolution of 1776. Since retiring from a corporate career, Jill has devoted her time to researching Black history. When it was suggested that she research the experiences of Black women in the Revolutionary War era, she readily said, “Yes!” Through scouring journal articles and books, Jill has discovered stories of daring Black women who, despite the chaos of war, were able to carve out a unique place in history. For more info about Jill: https://www.jillmariesnyder.com.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, 6–7:30 p.m., author Hélène Landemore will talk on the intriguing topic What Would Politics Look Like … Without Politicians? Hélène is an acclaimed political theorist and author of the groundbreaking new book Politics Without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule. Hélène will discuss her book, the Connecticut Citizens’ Assemblies taking place this summer (as well as the international movement), and will welcome questions and conversation around the idea that, although politics may have failed us, we can create other, better ways of practicing democracy.

Both events are at the Ives Main Library, 133 Elm St., New Haven. The library is wheelchair accessible.

International Day of Peace Event Sept. 19

by Manuel Camacho, Chairman of the City of New Haven Peace Commission

The City of New Haven Peace Commission invites you to save the date for this year’s Peace Tree planting in observance of the International Day of Peace. This year, the Commission will be planting the tree at Alderwoman Honda Smith’s community center, The Shack. The community center is located at 333 Valley St., New Haven, CT 06515. The date is Sept. 19 and the time is TBA.

Come join us and others as we gather to observe the International Day of Peace and to thank Alder Honda Smith for all that she has done for her community and youth, and for being a supporter of the Peace Commission.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the Chairman of the Peace Commission, Manuel Camacho. Email manueldcamacho52@gmail.com.

Fall Conference to Thwart Tech Bros’ Data Centers

by Stanley Heller, Administrator, Promoting Enduring Peace

You know about the huge data centers springing up everywhere to power the AI computers. They’re noisy 24/7, taking up huge amounts of water and often raising electricity rates for surrounding communities. In the short term, they’ll need lots of methane- (natural gas) burning power plants to provide electricity. But the tech bros plan to replace that with nuclear power plants in the mid-term. Right now CT has only one nuclear power plant, Millstone, but the CT legislature has repealed its flat ban on more nuclear power plants and has set aside $5 million to find communities that will house the nuke plants.

Nuclear power has at least one fatal flaw: its radioactive waste. The waste is dangerous for thousands of years and is kept at the plants “temporarily” in steel/concrete casks. The problem is there’s no safe way to dispose of the dangerous waste so “temporary” likely means “forever.” So if a community goes along with the drive for more nuclear power it can expect to keep and guard that waste permanently.

We’re told there’s this great need for more electricity for the AI, but there’s no necessity for more AI. Some of AI holds promise but a lot of it is openly designed to eliminate jobs. What’s really needed is a program to deal with the global warming emergency that’s causing climate collapse. Solar, wind, batteries and mandatory conservation measures can do the job.

The conference will likely take place in November with some high-powered speakers and community activists who have taken on data centers in their areas. Those interested in planning it can contact Promoting Enduring Peace at office@pepeace.org or (203) 444-3578.

[“Tech bro” is a slang term for stereotypically masculine individuals working in the technology industry, particularly programming.]

¡Fiesta Latina! 2026, Sept. 26-27

by Yale Peabody Museum

The Yale Peabody Museum and Junta for Progressive Action will host ¡Fiesta Latina!, a celebration of Hispanic cultures that features music and other community events.

The free all-ages celebration will take place Sept. 26 and 27. Junta for Progressive Action will host programming at 175 Grand Ave., New Haven from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26.

From noon to 5 p.m, on Sunday, Sept. 27, there will be music and dance performances held at the Peabody Museum, located at 170 Whitney Ave. Spanish-speaking scientists will be at the museum, and there will be Spanish-language family workshops, games, and storytelling. Details are at https://peabody.yale.edu/events/fiesta-latina-2026.

Hundreds of Volunteers to Make Up 11th annual ‘I Heart New Haven Day’ June 6

Bridges of Hope is a group of diverse New Haven area churches from across denominational, social, and cultural lines that have agreed to come together as one to serve the New Haven community as members of the community.

This year we are organizing the 11th annual “I Heart New Haven Day” which will take place on June 6, 2026. The goal is to serve the city through over 27 different projects with over 250 volunteers participating from Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, Church on the Rock, Vox Church, Trinity Baptist Church, Christ Presbyterian Church, All Nations Church, St John’s Episcopal Church, CT Korean
Presbyterian Church, Elm City Vineyard, International Church at Yale and several other churches.

This is the 11th anniversary of coming together to build partnerships, serve immediate needs and give back to the city our volunteers know and love. People know these volunteers as the “blue shirts,” but they are also residents, public servants and leaders in the city. The day will begin at 9am on the New Haven Green with words of encouragement from the pastors of the churches and then the volunteers will be sent off to their projects to serve from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Here is a glimpse of sites we will be serving across the city. A full and comprehensive list can be supplied upon request

Examples of sites this year include:
● Organizing donations at Columbus House
● Landscaping and painting for elderly community members
● Landscaping and painting at local public schools (Hill Central, Fair Haven, Clinton Avenue and more)
● Painting at Loaves & Fishes, Christian Community Action, Amistad Catholic Worker
● Creating Gratitude cards with kids in the neighborhood…and more!

America 250: Democracy at a Crossroads

International Festival of Arts and Ideas event

Come to the New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Ave., on Sunday, June 7!

From 1-2 p.m., hear an eye-opening conversation about democracy, power, and resilience. Democracy Under Pressure: What History Tells Us. What does history actually tell us about the moment we’re living in? Join three of America’s most compelling historians: Elizabeth Hinton, Joanne Freeman, and Beverly Gage — for an eye-opening conversation about democracy, power, and resilience. Reserve a seat at https://www.artidea.org/event/2026/5859.

Then from 2:15-3:15 p.m., you can take part in the workshop Your Voice Belongs Here: How Everyday People Make Change, led by Connecticut lobbyist and former legislative staffer Aurora Melita. In a moment when many people feel concerned about the future of democracy, this interactive Civic 101 workshop offers a practical and empowering starting point. This session breaks down how the legislative process works at the state level — and where everyday voices meaningfully influence public decision-making.  Drawing from her work inside the Connecticut legislature and on state elections, Aurora translates complex systems into clear, conversational explanations that help people feel confident navigating and participating in civic life. Reserve a seat at https://www.artidea.org/event/2026/5860.

From 3:30-4:30 p.m., consider UnCivil Uprising: Can a General Strike Save Democracy. Jack Hitt and Chenjerai Kumanyika, the hosts of the Peabody Award-winning podcast Uncivil ask the question nobody in power wants you to consider:  Can a general strike save  American  democracy?  The most powerful weapon against fascism might be the one we’ve nearly forgotten. To reserve a seat, go to https://www.artidea.org/event/2026/5861. See more Arts and Ideas events at https://www.artidea.org/calendar.

The New Haven Museum is wheelchair-accessible.

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