Category: Events

Labor History: Looking Back, Moving Forward – Annual Conference June 5

by Joan Cavanagh, GNHLHA director/archivist

Members and friends of the Greater New Haven Labor History Association are invited to its annual conference and meeting on Sunday, June 5, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at 267 Chapel St., New Haven. The conference, “Labor History: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” will honor the organization’s late President, Nicholas Aiello, showcase its 28-year history and discuss plans for the future.

Author Anthony Riccio, who interviewed Nick for his books, The Italian American Experience in New Haven and Farms, Factories and Families will present “Sisters and Sweatshops: The Life of Nick Aiello,” and will give this year’s Augusta Lewis Troup Award to Louise Fortin, Nick’s sister and a retired garment worker.

Frank Annunziato, outgoing Executive Director of the American Association of University Professors, University of Rhode Island Chapter, who co-founded LHA with Aiello in 1988, will discuss the organization’s mission and its early years, inviting contributions from others who were among its first members. The Director, Joan Cavanagh, and current Executive Board members, including Bill Berndtson, President, and Steve Kass, Vice President, will talk about LHA’s accomplishments during the first 16 years of the 21st century, including its work to produce a labor history curriculum for Connecticut’s public schools.

As always, there will be time for refreshments and socializing. The organization’s troubadour, noted musician Frank Panzarella, will provide labor songs.

If you want to learn more about LHA’s history, have ideas about how to move forward in the 21st century, and/or simply want to learn more about LHA, please join us on June 5th to look back at what has been accomplished and to imagine and plan the future. For more information, please call (203) 668-9082 or contact joan@labor.history.org.

May Day on the New Haven Green Sunday, May 1, from noon to 5 p.m.

by May Day Celebration Committee

Come celebrate May Day, International Workers’ Day, Sunday, May 1st from 12 noon until 5 p.m. on the New Haven Green. Raindate: Sunday May 8.

may-day-2015This is the 30th consecutive year of May Day on the Green. May Day is a multi-cultural festival featuring live music, poetry, dance, children’s activities, speak-out time, a May Pole Dance and displays and information tables from local labor, peace, social service and social justice groups. May Day is a participatory event that is free and everyone is invited.

At a time when labor unions are being harassed around the country, we celebrate labor unions as being a worker’s best hope. At a time when immigrants are still struggling for their rights, we celebrate our immigrant heritage and culture.

Our featured performers on the New Haven Green include “Coalition Hip Hop” and “N-Finity Muzik.”

For more information visit us at #newhavenmayday or call (203) 843-3069.

Schedule May Day 2016

  • Noon Opening Remarks “May Day and New Haven’s demand for immigrant rights”
  • 12:15 Steph Serenita (Singer/Songwriter)
  • 12:45 Bread Is Rising (Poetry Collective)
  • 1 p.m. Open Mic
  • 1:15 Phil Dunlop (Clean water activist, Singer/Songwriter)
  • 1:30 Luke Rodney (Caribbean, World)
  • 2 p.m. Not Here (Jam Music)
  • 2:30 Open Mic
  • 2:45 Chris Garaffa (ANSWER Coalition –Act Now to Stop War And End Racism)
  • 3 p.m. Coalition (Hip Hop)
  • 3:30 May Pole Dance led by Bill Fischer with Out On a Whim–Mickey Koth and Kendall Alderman
  • 4 p.m. N-Finity Muzik (Hip Hop)
  • 4:45 Speak Out Time and Closing Remarks

Also: Fun activities throughout the day–Flint Ladder Circus Arts, New Haven Radical Cheerleaders, Snappy the Peas/ce Pod, Face Painting, Bubbles, Free Vegetarian Food, Graffiti Wall participatory art project, Information Tables

Admission: Free

Ultimate Net Zero Energy House Tour May 21

by Judi Friedman, People’s Action for Clean Energy

The ultimate net zero energy house will be open to the public on Saturday, May 21. With a rating of -23, this South Glastonbury, Connecticut, home is the most energy-efficient house in North America. It was the 2014 CT Zero Energy Challenge winner; the RESNET 2015 Cross Border Challenge winner; and the 2015 Housing Innovations Award winner.

Tours and seminars will be held at noon and 2:30 p.m. The 2,755 square-foot house has a geothermal heating and cooling system; a rotating photovoltaic steel pole array that powers all appliances, LED lights and the hot water heater. The PV is connected to the grid but is able to get power when the grid goes down.

Other energy saving features in this home for four people include a centrally heated foundation; aluminum roofing shingles with a 70-year lifespan; an energy recovery ventilator; triple glazed windows and Energy Star appliances. The tour is sponsored by Peoples Action for Clean Energy (PACE), the only all-volunteer nonprofit public health organization in Connecticut devoted solely to clean energy education.

Reservations are accepted in order of receipt for the tour, which will be held rain or shine. The non-refundable tickets are $15.00 per person. To order tickets, go online to http://www.pace-cleanenergy.org and click on Events, indicating the choice of time for the tours and seminar. Tickets may also be ordered by sending $15.00 per person to PACE c/o Donna Grant, 128 Melrose Road, Broad Brook, CT 06016. Include the ticket holder’s name, phone number, address, email address and choice of time. For ticket information, call Judi Friedman, (860) 623-5487. For tour information, call (860) 693-4813.

Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) Stakeholder Events in New Haven May 5

During 2016, the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) will be gathering input from stakeholders across the state, as part of its charge to develop a strategy/plan to meet the state’s mandated goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below 2001 levels by the year 2050.

The current plan involves three rounds of stakeholder events (May, July and October) to engage stakeholders at different points in the process. For the first round — scheduled for 5:30-7:30 the evening of May 5 — the primary/central location will be in Hartford, with six satellite locations around the state. Participants at the satellite locations will view the presentation(s) via video link and then engage in facilitated dialogue at the local level.

The May 5 gatherings will provide stakeholders the opportunity to learn about and provide feedback on the technologies and measures that will be modeled in the Long range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP). This widely-used software tool for energy policy analysis and climate change mitigation assessment will help us understand the GHG reduction potential of various measures and technologies (and combinations thereof).

The CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs is helping to coordinate logistics for these gatherings.

Register for May 5! Please register at http://bit.ly/GC3_May5 in order to receive updated info and background materials prior to the gatherings.

May 5 Site—Yale University, Sage Hall, 205 Prospect St., New Haven. Refreshments available at 5 p.m.; program begins at 5:30 p.m. (Other sites are available; see http://bit.ly/1UC3pUb) Registration is not necessary, but it allows us to send you preparatory materials and help us ensure adequate food and proper room set-up.

Info: John Humphries, john.humphries1664@gmail.com, 860-216-7972.

Institute Library Reading Series May 17

by Bennett Lovett-Graff, Publisher, New Haven Review

Join us 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. that explores the background, meaning, and dramatic interpretation of that night’s stories.  Also, freshly baked cookies and tea are available.

Admission is free!

Join us every third Tuesday of the month at the Institute Library, 847 Chapel St. Our next reading will be May 17. Our theme: “Strange Days.” Our stories: “House Taken Over” by Julio Cortazar and “The Enormous Radio” by John Cheever. Please note that the Institute Library is one flight up and not wheelchair accessible. For more information, visit us at http://www.institutelibrary.org.

Labor History Association Annual Conference and Meeting, June 5: Looking Back, Going Forward

by Joan Cavanagh, GNHLHA Archivist/ Director

This year’s annual conference and meeting of the Greater New Haven Labor History Association will honor the organization’s late President, Nicholas Aiello, showcase its 28 year history and give our members and friends an opportunity to brainstorm about the future.

Frank Annunziato, who co-founded LHA with Nick in 1988, will give a presentation about the organization’s mission and its early years, inviting contributions from others who were among its first members. The Director and current Executive Board members, including Bill Berndtson, President, and Steve Kass, Vice President, will talk about LHA’s work during the first 16 years of the 21st century.

Author Anthony Riccio, who interviewed Nick for his books, The Italian American Experience in New Haven and  Farms, Factories and Families will present “Sisters and Sweatshops: The Life of Nick Aiello” and will give this year’s Augusta Lewis Troup Award to Louise Fortin, Nick’s sister and a retired garment worker.

As always, there will be time for refreshments and socializing and our troubadour, Frank Panzarella, will serenade us with labor songs.

If you have memories to share about Nick or the organization’s history, ideas about how we should move forward in this new century, and/or simply want to learn more about LHA, please join us on June 5th to look back at what has been accomplished and to imagine and plan the future of our mission to document and celebrate working class history.

Come to the African American Women’s Summit

by Mary Jones, Summit Coordinator

The African American Women’s Summit will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, at the Immanuel Baptist Church, located at 1324 Chapel St.

The theme this year is “Enhancing Our Community and Family Life through Health, Nutrition, Housing, Insurance and Social Justice.” Experts in the areas of health, nutrition, housing, insurance and social justice will lead a panel discussion. Workshops topics will center around our theme.

This year will feature an Authors’ Row comprised of prominent authors in the community and surrounding areas. They will be discussing their latest book. Purchase a book and get it autographed by the author. Lunch will feature entertainment. There will also be vendors.

Come out and celebrate our 21 years of service in the community. For your convenience, you may park at Shure Funeral Home located at 543 George Street. You can enter the lot from George Street or Day Street. You may also park at St. Paul UAME Church at 1267 Chapel Street. The parking lot is located on Dwight Street behind the church. Please park between the white lines only.

April 15-16, Women’s Studies Conference, SCSU

Alisha Martindale, Women’s Studies Program

Organizers of the 22nd Women’s Studies Conference “#FeministIn(ter)ventions: Women, Community, and Technology” are excited to announce our keynote speaker will be Anita Sarkeesian. A media critic and public speaker, Sarkeesian is the creator of Feminist Frequency, a video web-series that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives. Her work focuses on exposing and deconstructing the sexist stereotypes and patterns in popular culture, and highlighting issues surrounding the targeted harassment of women in online and gaming spaces. She has received particular attention for her video series Tropes vs. Women in Video Games, which examines tropes in the depiction of female video game characters. In 2015, she was chosen as one of the Time 100, Time Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

The conference will be held at Southern Connecticut State University Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16. Conference sessions will juxtapose global, comparative, inter-sectional, interdisciplinary, and inter-generational perspectives for the collective re-thinking on women, community, and technology. Expect serious fun through meals and performance, with women, girls and their allies speaking of their struggles and power. Registration is required for attendance. Please email the Women’s Studies Program at WomenStudies@Southernct.edu or call (203) 392-6133 for more information on registering for this event or to register as a vendor for the fair.

Be sure to visit the Women and Girls’ Fair while attending the conference. The fair features a number of local female-centric, female-owned businesses and organizations aimed to introduce you to local and regional handmade goods, gifts, crafts, and more.

Get Ready for Rock to Rock!

by Chris Schweitzer, New Haven-León Sister City Project

Only in its eighth year, the Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride has quickly grown into one of the region’s largest environmental events and fundraisers. Starting at 9 a.m., the event itself — on Saturday, April 30 — is a day-long celebration of Earth Day and New Haven’s rich environmental and cultural resources.

1,500 cyclists will travel between West Rock and East Rock, with celebrations on both sides of the city. Along the way, they will eat tasty food, hear great music, take on environmental challenges and service projects, and explore the city’s parks. They will travel along the Farmington Canal Trail and official city bike lanes, pass through many of the city’s beautiful neighborhoods, and make stops in Edgewood and Beaver Pond Parks on their way between the Rocks. In 2016 there will be five rides: the 8-mile family-friendly ride; a 12 mile adult ride; the 20-mile ride; the 40-mile ride; and a metric century (60+ miles), all traveling through scenic and park filled routes in the New Haven region. Music at various stops and at the end at East Rock will be provided by CT Folk and with include performances by local musicians.

The goals for 2016 are $200,000 raised and 1,500 riders. In 2015, the Ride attracted 1,307 registered riders – the largest number ever; 2,958 donations made to local environmental work; $186,802 raised – up from our previous $152,158 record; 40 sponsors, contributing $60,912 and critical in-kind support; 100+ volunteers; 20-plus high-impact environmental organizations whose work is fueled by this event. Creating a city full of healthy food, street trees, community gardens, green jobs, outdoor adventures, clean and accessible parks, bike trails, educational opportunities and much more. Register at http://www.rocktorock.org or for more info call (203) 285-6147.

Best Video Film and Cultural Center April Schedule

1842 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. (203) 500-7777. All events are at 8 p.m. and $5 except where noted.

  • Friday, Apr. 1. Blues Rock: Just Us with Noah Kesselman
  • Sunday, Apr. 3. 2 p.m. Free. Afternoon Bluegrass Jam
  • Sunday, Apr. 3. Best Video Film & Cultural Center & The Institute Library present “Books To Film: The Way,” with special guest Jack Hitt at The Institute Library.
  • Monday, Apr. 4. Film Screening: “The Best Man”
  • Wednesday, Apr. 6. Indie Rock with Redscroll Records
  • Thursday, Apr. 7. Blues: The Moody’s BluesBEST-VIDEO
  • Friday. Apr. 8. Folk: Hugh Birdsall & Dana Takaki
  • Monday, Apr. 11. Film Screening: “The Contender”
  • Thursday, Apr. 14. Indie Rock: Spit-Take, Box Fan
  • Tues., Apr. 19. Film Screening: “Bulworth”
  • Wednesday, Apr. 20. Jazz: Badslax
  • Thursday, Apr. 21. Indie Folk: The Mid Season
  • Friday, Apr. 22. Jazz: Rebecca Abbott & Friends
  • Monday, Apr. 25. Film Screening: “A Face In The Crowd”
  • Thursday, Apr. 28. Sephardic Music: The Heretics Of Cordoba

May Day Celebration on the Green 2016!

by Jeff Spalter, May Day Celebration Committee

Come celebrate May Day, International Workers’ Day, from noon until 5 p.m. Sunday, May 1, on the New Haven Green. (Raindate: Sunday May 8.)

maypole-smallThis is the 30th consecutive year of May Day on the Green. May Day is a multi-cultural festival featuring live music, poetry, dance, children’s activities, speak-out time, a May Pole Dance, free vegetarian food and displays and information tables from local labor, peace, social service and social justice groups. May Day is a participatory event that is free and everyone is invited.

At a time when labor unions are being harassed around the country, we celebrate labor unions as being a workers’ best hope. At a time when immigrants are still struggling for their rights, we celebrate our immigrant heritage and culture. At a time when violence threatens our communities, we say tax the rich and give us jobs. At a time when US forces and drones are still deployed around the world, we say no more war.

Our featured performers on the Green include Coalition Hip Hop, N-Finity Muzik and Not Here.
For more information visit us at http://www.facebook.com/newhavenmayday or call Jeff Spalter (203) 843-3069, jeffreyspalter@netzero.net.

May Day mission statement: to organize a multi-cultural festival that honors and celebrates our labor history and the labor, peace, social service and social justice groups that today continue the struggle for peace and human rights.

2016 Annual Conference and Meeting: Labor History: Looking Back, Going Forward

Joan Cavenaugh, Archivist/Director, GNH Labor History Association

The theme of this year’s annual conference and meeting on Sunday, June 5, from 1:30 to 4:40 p.m., has a special poignancy given the death of our co-founder and President Emeritus, Nicholas Aiello, last November, as well as the passing of so many of our members in recent years. We will be honoring them and looking back at the history of this organization as we also envision our future.

laborAnthony Riccio’s presentation, “Sisters and Sweatshops: The Life of Nick Aiello,” will be a keynote, with discussion to follow. We urge all who have memories of Nick and stories to share to come prepared to do so!

There will also be a presentation about LHA’s 28 year history, followed by a discussion of its future. This is a crucial time not only to look back at what has been accomplished, but to imagine and begin to plan ways to accomplish the organization’s continuing goals in a social climate that is markedly different than it was in 1988. We need all hands on deck for this discussion session!

This year’s Augusta Lewis Troup award will be presented to Louise Fortin, sister of Nicholas Aiello and a retired garment worker.

The conference will conclude with the annual meeting, where members in good standing will vote on the newest by-laws revisions and for the slate of officers for 2016-2018.

If you have memorabilia from Nick’s life or from the 28 years of the Labor History Association’s work, please contact us ASAP. We’re thinking about possible formats to display such things for posterity.
Visit the conference website at http://www.conference.ctcor.org.

Critic of Israeli Government Speaking March 1 in New Haven, and March in 2 New Britain

by Stanley Heller, Promoting Enduring Peace

Professor Ilan Pappé is an Israeli who taught at Haifa University. He left his teaching position in Israel after he was isolated by an ever more right-wing faculty and even started receiving death threats. Pappé and other “new historians” examined Israeli army records and disputed the conventional excuses for the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians. They revealed that the Palestinian narrative about what happened to them in 1947-1948 was essentially correct.

Ilan Pappé

Ilan Pappé

Pappé now teaches at the University of Exeter (UK) and is author of many authoritative texts including “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” and “The Forgotten Palestinians: A History of Palestinians in Israel.”

He will be speaking at Yale on Tuesday, March 1, at 8 p.m. in Linsly-Chittenden Hall, Room 102, 63 High St., New Haven. He’s sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine (Yale).

The next day, Wednesday, March 2, he’ll be speaking at 7:30 p.m. at Vance Academic Center – Room 105, Central Connecticut State University, 1615 Stanley St., New Britain.

Short Story Reading series at the Institute Library continues March 15

Listen Here! Short Story Reading series at the Institute Library. Join them 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 Co.

Reading starts at 7 p.m., with a talk back at 8 p.m. that explores the background, meaning, and dramatic interpretation of that night’s stories.

Also, freshly baked cookies–a different batch at each reading–and tea are available.

Admission is free!

Join them every third Tuesday of the month at the Institute Library, 847 Chapel St. The next reading will be March 15.  The theme: “Say It Again.” Our stories: “Mudder Tongue” by Brian Evenson and “The King of Sentences” by Jonathan Lethem.

Please note the Institute Library is one flight up and, most unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible.

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

Best Video Film and Cultural Center March Schedule

  • Wednesday, Mar. 2. Singer-Songwriter: Ben Erickson, Stephen Hladun
  • Thursday, Mar. 3. Singer-Songwriter: Joy Ike
  • Friday, Mar. 4. Jazz: Jovan Alexandre
  • Sunday, Mar. 6. Film Screening & Q&A with screenwriter Donald Margulies (co-presented with The Institute Library): “The End Of The Tour.” 2 p.m., $15 in advance, $20 at the door
  • Monday, Mar. 7. Oscar Series Film Screening: “Suffragette.” 7 p.m., $7
  • Wednesday, Mar. 9. Singer-Songwriter: Pat Stone with Amanda Belitto
  • Thursday, Mar. 10. Experimental: Human Flourishing, Light Upon Blight
  • Friday, Mar. 11. Acoustic Guitar: Shawn Persinger Is Prester John
  • Sunday, Mar. 13. Free Afternoon Bluegrass Jam. 2-5 p.m. • Wednesday, Mar. 23. Experimental: Nick Di Maria, The Forest Room
  • Thursday, Mar. 24. Rock: Parker’s Tangent
  • Friday, Mar. 25. Singer-Songwriter: Dick Neal
  • Wednesday, Mar. 30. Indie Rock/Singer-Songwriter: Eugene Gallagher, Western Estates
  • Thursday, Mar. 31. Singer-Songwriter: Frank Critelli, Joe Flood

1842 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. (203) 500-7777. All events are at 8 p.m. and $5 except where noted.

March Events for 64 Days of Nonviolence

by Women’s Studies Dept., SCSU

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. In our thirteenth annual observation of the 64 Days at Southern Connecticut State University, we continue to celebrate the peace and justice heritage in many of our cultures and heritages, including our observation of Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Asian/Pacific Heritage Month.

  • Wednesday, March 2: An Interfaith Dialogue  1-2 p.m., Engleman A 120
  • Thursday, March 3: Alyssa Liles-Amponsah, “Portraits of American Moms. #BlackLivesMatter, and #SayHerName”  12:25-1:40 p.m., EN B 216
  • Monday, March 7: “Chops Beyond the Practice Room” with Jessica Meyer 1-2 p.m. Engleman C 112
  • March 7-17: SCSU Campus E-Waste Collection  Mon & Wed: 7:30-11:30 a.m., 1-2:30 p.m., Thurs: 7:30 a.m.-noon. Facilities Operations Warehouse, 615 Fitch Street
  • Tuesday, March 8: Screening of “Journey to the Bottom of the N-Word,” by Frank Harris III. Co-Sponsored by Multicultural Center, Anthropology Department, History Department, Sociology Department, VPAS and Women’s Studies.  7 p.m., Adanti Student Center
  • March 9-16: Week of Wellness
  • Tuesday, March15: NDN (American Indian) Women’s Cultural Production & Sustaining Turtle Island with Teresa Juarez and Ali El-Issa, 12:25-1:40 p.m. Engleman B 216
  • Saturday, March 19: The 21st Annual African American Women’s Summit, a Sisters’ Collective in New Haven 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Wexler-Grant School, 55 Foote St.
  • Monday, March 28: “Gender, Projected” 5:30-7 p.m. Adanti Student Center 301
  • Tuesday, March 29: The 7th annual “The Z Experience,” in memory of Zannette Lewis, in conjunction with Women’s Appreciation Day. 7:30-10 p.m., Adanti Student Center Ballroom
  • Thursday, March 31: Slut Walk at SCSU. Panel Discus-sion at 2 p.m.; One-Mile Walk on Campus, beginning at 3 p.m.

For more info: Office: (203) 392-6133; (203) 392-6864 http://www.southernct.edu/womensstudies

Plans for May Day 2016 Have Started! Help Bring this World-Wide Holiday to the New Haven Green

by Jeff Spalter, May Day Celebration Committee

It’s time to start planning May Day again. This will be our 30th May Day.

I hope everyone had a wonderful year and in the midst of melting snow you are ready to bring on Spring by focusing on our important event. The peace and social justice struggles at home and around the world bring hope and comfort and make life meaningful. It’s time again to wake up the Green with our demands, our solidarity and a magnificent multi-cultural festival.

maypole-smallThe 2016 May Day celebration will be on Sunday, May 1, from 12-5 p.m. on the New Haven Green. Please come to our meetings or contact me directly about what you would like to see at May Day or what you can do to help. This is a free space for expression where the people will be heard!

By the time you receive this newsletter, we will have had our second meeting. Please call or e-mail me about our next meetings and join us. If you are unable to attend meetings there are still lots of ways to participate. We need help fundraising, ideas for performers, help contacting area activists and groups, help to publicize May Day and lots of volunteers on the day to set up, staff tables and clean up.
Thank you!

Jeff Spalter (203) 843-3069 jeffreyspalter@netzero.net, http://www.maydaynewhaven.org

May Day’s mission statement is to organize a multi-cultural festival that honors and celebrates our labor history and the labor, peace, social service and social justice groups that today continue the struggle for peace and human rights.

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