Category: Events

Celebrate May Day May 1 with International Workers’ Day Rally and General Strike

Call for General Strike on May 1!

For full video coverage of the May Day festivities, visit http://www.thestruggle.org/Mayday%202017%20in%20New%20Haven.htm.

The rally begins with speakers and performers on the New Haven Green from noon to 5 p.m. on Monday, May 1, and will be followed by a Solidarity March starting at 5 p.m.

New Haven joins a call for a nationwide strike to demonstrate our economic power by not going to work, not going to school and stopping business as usual. We aim to highlight the economic power of workers: immigrants, women, Muslims, LGBTQ folks, Native Americans and African Americans and every other marginalized group that is currently under attack by the Trump administration.

We are asking you to join us and show solidarity: close your business on May 1; don’t go to work; don’t go to school.

Join the rally on the New Haven Green from 12 to 5 p.m. Speakers, live music, children’s activities, and a May pole! Join local justice, peace, equality, and labor groups as well as social service organizations, educators, students, healthcare workers, artists and ALL people on the Green.

Join the international workers’ march from the Green through Fair Haven at 5 p.m.

Funded in part by a grant from RESIST, Somerville, MA; web: http://resist.org; phone: (617) 623-5110.

Unity and Solidarity Can Win! The People’s World International Workers’ Day Program May 7

by CT Peoples’ World Committee

In May, 1886, in Haymarket Square, Chicago, workers died in a rally for the 8-hour day. The Haymarket riot became the start of the International Workers’ Day or May Day.

“We won’t go back” is the theme of the celebration at 5 p.m. May 7 in Hartford put on by the CT People’s World Committee. There will be a slide show of May Day celebrations around the world, a panel discussion of “Today’s Struggles: Voices from the Front Line,” live music and a homemade buffet. A donation of $5 is suggested or what you can afford. The celebration will be held at the King-Davis Labor Center, 77 Huyshope Ave., Hartford.

For more information or to inquire about carpooling, email [email protected].

Neighborhood Housing Services Sponsors Family Festival on May 13

by Maria Martinez, Neighborhood Housing Services

From engineers to artists, from scientists to coders, women and girls are learning, excelling, and engaging in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math)! On Saturday, May 13, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven will host our 8th Annual Multicultural Family Festival, Full STEAM Ahead: Celebrating Women & Girls in S.T.E.A.M.  The festival invites families and children of all ages to explore hands-on activities, exciting games, and inspirational performers geared toward highlighting professional women in S.T.E.A.M.

Bringing neighbors an opportunity to come together, build community, and have fun, NHS invites you to experience different careers led by female professionals and learn about how to encourage girls’ interest in STEAM. NHS strives to provide a space for people of all ages to enjoy and celebrate all that New Haven has to offer. Admission is free and includes games, food, and activities.

For more information, visit our Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/1143219752454569.

Storysharing at the Institute Library May 19

The Institute Library, 847 Chapel St., is sponsoring a monthly story sharing group on the third Thursday of each month from 6 – 8 p.m.

The group gives its members an opportunity to share stories in a very informal atmosphere. The stories may be of any kind – traditional folk tales, myths, stories of personal experience, etc. The group is open to all levels of experience, so people with no formal experience of storytelling can try things out in a supportive atmosphere. No one is required to tell; if you simply want to listen for a while, that’s fine. If you feel so moved, come to the first session with a story ready.

We hope to encourage people to discover stories (their own or others), to become more skilled at telling them, and to build community. The group and the individuals in it will determine which is the most important. The group will be coordinated by Arnie Pritchard, local storyteller and Board Chair of the Connecticut Storytelling Center.

Meetings are from 6 to 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month.

For more information, visit us at http://www.institutelibrary.org.

PACE to Host House Tour and Electric Vehicle Show on June 10

by Mark Scully, President, PACE

People’s Action for Clean Energy (PACE) will host a tour of a beautiful, award-winning, energy-efficient home in East Haddam, CT at noon and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 10. In addition, the tour will include an electric vehicle show featuring EVs from the New England Electric Automobile Association.

The home, a winner of the 2015 Connecticut Zero Energy Challenge, is an example of how energy-efficient homes can also be beautiful and comfortable to live in. It features a dramatic open floor plan, passive solar design, an extremely tight building envelope, with close attention to air quality and state-of-the-art HVAC and solar technologies. Come experience this house in person.

For tickets, go online to www.pace-cleanenergy.org and click on EVENTS. For additional information, call (860) 217-3686.

Dedication of White Oak Tree and Plaque For Theresa Carr

by Joan Cavanagh, a friend of Theresa’s

On Saturday, May 20, at 2 p.m. in Jocelyn Square Park (Humphrey, East, Walnut and Wallace streets), the friends of Theresa Carr and the City of New Haven will plant a white oak tree and erect a plaque in memory of the long-time New Haven activist.

While she lived on Walnut Street Theresa was instrumental in restoring the park and received recognition for her work in 2005. Throughout her life, this self-described “Marxist-Leninist lesbian feminist” was an activist for economic and social justice, peace, and the preservation of our planet.
Theresa died of cancer on March 27, 2014 at the age of 59. Her last words were “Keep doing our work.” Especially in these times, when economic injustice, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, war-making, the dismantling of social welfare and environmental protections are the clear goals of our highest-ranking government officials, the meaning and importance of her instruction (and if you knew Theresa at all, you know that it wasn’t a mere suggestion) cannot be exaggerated.

Theresa would be 63 on May 23. This event is occurring the weekend before so that out-of-town friends can more easily attend. If you knew Theresa well or slightly, have just heard about her or simply would enjoy learning about and remembering a remarkable life while sharing a picnic in our beautiful park on a (hopefully sunny) spring day, please join us!

There will be a flyer in the May PAR newsletter about the event. Please feel free to email or call me with any questions: [email protected], (203) 668-9082.

Holding Ground Conference Saturday, April 8

by Sarah Moon, conference organizer

Holding Ground exists to nourish and support artist-activists while building connections among us that help sustain our ongoing work as change-makers. In these challenging political times, we are committed to facilitating a space of inclusivity for people of all ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities and religious affiliations.

With our second Holding Ground Conference April 8 at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 608 Whitney Ave., we aim to bring together those who identify as artists (of any medium) and whose work is rooted in their commitment to sustainability and local communities. The goal of the conference is to provide attendees with an opportunity to connect with their guiding purpose and gain renewed energy to bring back to their work. By coming together in community, we can find support and inspiration from fellow, similarly-motivated artist-activists.

The day’s schedule will be as follows:
9:30-10 a.m. — Coffee and snacks
10 a.m.-1 p.m.– The Work That Reconnects. Workshop led by facilitator Coleen O’Connell.
1-1:30 p.m.– Lunch
1:30-3 p.m. — Small group sharing of our projects and offering feedback
3-5:30 p.m.– Collaborative art project.
Coffee, tea, snacks and lunch will be provided. The cost is $20. We will have a driver at Union Station at 9:30 a.m. to pick up anyone arriving by train. Please email us if you will need a shuttle pick-up. Find us on Facebook. Register here! http://www.eventbrite.com/e/holding-ground-conference-tickets-30892804209

Listen Here Short Story Reading Series

The Institute Library, 847 Chapel St., is proud to host the Listen Here Short Story reading series.  Join them every third Tuesday of the month for a night of classic short stories selected by the staff of the New Haven Review and read by cast members of the New Haven Theater Company.  Reading starts at 7 p.m., with a talk back at 8 p.m. Also, freshly baked cookies and tea are available. Free!  Our next reading will be Tuesday, April 18. Our theme:  “Mirror, Mirror.”  Our stories: “Rape Fantasies” by Margaret Atwood and “Mr. Sweetly Indecent” by Bliss Boyard. Please note that the Institute Library is one flight up and, unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible. For more information, visit us at www.institutelibrary.org.

64 Days of Nonviolence — April Events

by Women’s Studies Program, SCSU

The 64 Days officially begins each year on January 30, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, and ends on April 4, the day we commemorate Dr. King.

Sponsored by Women’s Studies Program, (203) 392-6133, [email protected]. Southern CT State University, 501 Crescent St.

All events are on the campus of SCSU unless otherwise noted.

April 3: Prayer Vigil for Nonviolence and Peace (12:15 p.m., Buley Library Patio).
April 4: Panel “Breaking Good: The Role of Forgiveness and Atonement in Reducing the Number of Incarcerated Women in Connecticut” (5-8 p.m., Engleman Hall B 121 A&B).
April 6: “Peace Talks: Our Place in the Social Justice Movement,” with Peace Development Fund and Gardening the Community, Springfield, MA (5-7:30 p.m., Engleman Hall B 121 A&B).
April 13: Slut Walk at SCSU (Panel Discussion at 1 p.m. in Engleman Hall B 121 A&B, One-Mile Walk on Campus beginning at 3 p.m.).
April 17: The Pre-Rally Festival, an annual event to stop violence against women and shatter the silence (12-3 p.m., Buley Library Patio).
April 18: “Take Back the Night,” an annual event to stop violence against women and shatter the silence
(7 p.m., Residential Life Quad).
April 21: “Transforming the World with a Feminist Degree & Vision: Women’s Studies Alumnae/i Summit” (2-8 p.m., Adanti Student Center Ballroom B).
April 22: Team SCSU Rock-to-Rock Earth Day Ride (10:30 a.m., TBA).
April 26: Cultural Fest (11:30 a.m., Academic Quad).
April 27: OWL (Opportunity for Women’s Leadership): The 12th SCSU Women’s Studies Leadership Team with James Hillhouse High School, Metropolitan Business Academy, Wilbur Cross High School and West Haven High School young women (8 a.m.-3 p.m., Engleman Hall B 121 A&B).

International Women’s Day Events in New Haven

by Deborah Taylor, Greater New Haven Peace Council

Tuesday, March 7: 6:30-9 p.m. Kickoff event of International Women’s Day. SCSU’s Adanti Ballroom B. 501 Crescent St. Music by folk singer Lara Herscovitch. Keynote speaker Leora Kahn, executive director of PROOF, a Media for Social Justice organization. Sponsored by the GNH Peace Council.

Wednesday, March 8: 7-9 a.m. International Women’s Day Mindfulness Breakfast. NH City Hall, 165 Church St., Meeting Room #1, 2nd floor atrium. Speakers: Enola Aird, president of the Community Healing Network, and Theresa Crisci, founder of the Total-Balance Life Choice.

12-1:45 p.m. International Women’s Day panel discussion: “Women Working toward Peace.” Gateway Community College, 20 Church St. Panelists include Seila Bruno from Neighborworks, Sr. Mary Ellen Burns, director of Apostle Immigrant Services, Will Kneerim from IRIS, and Ann Greene who connects clinical scholars doing community-based research in New Haven.

2:30-4:30 p.m. Film screening of Every Mother’s Son. Sponsored by the GNH Peace Council. NH Free Public Library, Ives Branch, 133 Elm St.

5:30-7:30 p.m. “Continue the Conversation” for International Women’s Day at Musical Intervention, 23 Temple St.

Questions, e-mail [email protected]. www.womensdaynh.eventbrite.com

March Events During the 64 Days of Nonviolence

The 64 Days officially begins each year on Jan. 30, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, and ends on April 4, the day we commemorate Dr. King. All events are on the campus of Southern CT State University unless otherwise noted. Women’s Studies Program, SCSU, 501 Crescent Street. (203) 392-6133, [email protected].

March 1: “Visioning” Sessions for the Reflection Garden Project. There will be three discussion/visioning sessions: Student Focus, 1-2 p.m.; Faculty/Staff Focus, 3-5 p.m.; Community Focus, 6-8 p.m. ASC Ballroom. All sessions are open to all participants.

March 2: A reading of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, with Iota, Iota, Iota, the SCSU chapter of the National Women’s Studies Honor Society. 7:30 p.m., Engleman Hall B 121.

March 3: Screening and Discussion of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. 12:30 p.m., TBA.

March 3: A reading of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, with Iota, Iota, Iota, the SCSU Chapter of the National Women’s Studies Honors Society. 7:30 p.m., Engleman Hall B 121.

March 6: Prayer Vigil for Nonviolence and Peace. 12:15 p.m., Buley Library Patio at SCSU.

March 7: Elm City Collective International Women’s Day Celebration Kick-Off at SCSU. 7 – 9 p.m., Adanti Student Center Ballroom.

March 8 (Tentative): Alex Wilson (Cree) on Two-Spirit and Queer Indigenous Feminism as Epistemology and Pedagogy.

March 21: Courageous Conversations on White Privilege. 5 – 7 p.m., Engleman Hall B 121.

March 22: An Interfaith Dialogue: “We Are All One: Interfaith Perspectives on the Diversity & Oneness of the Global Human Family.” 1 – 2 p.m., Engleman Hall A 120.

March 22: Screening of the Documentary, Adama, followed by a Q & A with Adama Bah and filmmaker David Felix Sutcliffe. 6 – 8 p.m., Adanti Student Center Theater.

March 24: Coalition of Women’s Studies in Connecticut & Rhode Island. 9 – 3 p.m., University of New Haven.

March 25-April 1st: SCSU Bike Week.

March 25: New Haven Social Justice Bike Ride: 13 mile bike ride through New Haven that celebrates current and historical social justice sites in our city. Bikes and helmets available for loan. Free! Limited to 25 people. 6:30-9:30 a.m., TBA.

March 25: The 21st Annual African American Women’s Summit, a Sisters’ Collective in New Haven. 8 – 3 p.m., Beecher School, 100 Jewell St., New Haven.

March 30: Wig and Clothing Drive for Transgender Day of Visibility. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., SAGE Center.

March 30: Shoruq Debka and Hip Hop Theatre Performance. 7 – 9 p.m., Engleman Hall C 112.

Palestinian Dance and Hip Hop at SCSU

by Shelly Altman, Jewish Voice for Peace

On Thursday, March 30, Jewish Voice for Peace New Haven will be partnering with SCSU Women’s Studies Department and Tree of Life to present the touring Shoruq Debka and Hip Hop. Shoruq, an initiative of Palestinian refugees, has two debka dance troupes (traditional Palestinian dance), one for adolescents and one for younger children. Participants are trained in dance techniques that allow them to express their thoughts, opinions and national identity. The troupe of dancers in the tour are age 13-16.
Shoruq envisions Palestinian refugees striving individually and collectively to attain and exercise their rights, especially the right of return to their original lands, and realizing dignified lives for themselves in the meanwhile until their return. It provides free legal aid and psychosocial support to refugee children in conflict with the law; owns and operates a media center that offers trainings and access to equipment to help children, youth and professionals generate media forms including music, online radio, video; uses art as a tool for advocacy; and creates many projects geared towards the social development of the refugee community.

Shoruq’s hip hop group is specialized for girls, currently 9 girls. The girls write about their feelings and experiences as refugees and as girls to share them with the world. They re-cord their original songs at Shoruq’s media center. Hip hop is a means for advocating and reinforcing children rights and refugee rights. They meet regularly to share new ideas and get training from Shoruq’s volunteers who have a good background in hip hop.

An excerpt from one of the Shoruq songs:
All I need in this life, is to be free
Free, from this cage, but I need a key
The key for a life waiting for me
If only you’ve seen what my eyes still see`
Problems after problems, yet in poverty
IDENTIFIED, without identity
I will fight for my country till eternity under the name of justice, humanity I want to live, I want to learn, and I want to be successful
Even if it’s stressful
Just for staying alive, for life I am grateful
I’m right here, and that’s what I rap for
All my life I’ve been paying them up prices
I’m depending on luck, so I’m just throwing dices

Details: March 30, 7:30 p.m. Engleman Hall, C112, SCSU, 501 Crescent St., New Haven. $15 general, $5 students, available at www.eventbrite.com/e/palestinian-debka-hip-hop-in-new-haven-tickets-31114730998 or email [email protected] Web: www.jvpnh.org Facebook: jvpnewhaven Twitter: @jvpnewhaven.

Documentary Reuse! Free Screening March 2 EcoWorks

EcoWorks/Creative Reuse presents a free screening of “Reuse! Because You Can’t Recycle the Planet,” at 5:30 p.m. March 2 at the New Haven Museum, 114 Whitney Ave. The free screening will be followed by a panel discussion with local reuse businesses in the New Haven area. The panelists are Joe DeRisi, Urban Mines; Lori Martin, Food Rescue US (formerly Community Plates); Lisa Spetrini, EcoWorks; and Melissa Gonzales, Vinanthromodern; with Sherill Baldwin, moderator.

The film isn’t about our waste problem. It’s about solutions. And they are everywhere!

Traditional recycling is NOT enough. The REUSE mission offers a more sustainable solution that everyone can be a part of. The film REUSE! follows reuse pro Alex Eaves’ cross-country adventure to all 48 states. He finds endless reuse solutions for our waste problems that are not only sustainable, but many of which are easy and fun!

Coordinated in collaboration with the NH Bioregional Group and the New Haven Museum.

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