Category: Events

Sing-Along Concert to Celebrate a New Songbook by the Authors of Rise Up Singing Oct. 16

by Kim Stoner, Promoting Enduring Peace

Annie Patterson and Peter Blood, the authors of the popular songbook Rise Up Singing, will be performing a sing-along concert to celebrate their new songbook Rise Again, and will be joined by Charlie King, The Nields, and Sally Rogers, singer-songwriters who have songs in the new book. The concert will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 16, at the Unitarian Society of New Haven, 700 Hartford Turnpike in Hamden.

Since 1988, Rise Up Singing has sold nearly one million copies around the world. This popular songbook contains the words and chords to 1200 songs from Beatles to ballads, from Bob Dylan to Broadway, from campfire favorites to gospel & Hebrew folksongs. Rise Again, the long-awaited sequel, includes the words and chords to 1200 entirely different songs – including new songs written since 1988 and new genres only lightly covered in Rise Up Singing, such as Motown, blues, jazz & swing, and country.

This historic event is co-sponsored by CT Folk and is a benefit for Promoting Enduring Peace (PEPeace.org), whose motto is “Peace On Earth — Peace With Earth.”

Advance tickets may be purchased online starting at $20 ($10 for under 18), $25 after Oct. 9, and $30 at the door. Group ticket rates are also available. Copies of Rise Again can be purchased in advance at www.riseupandsing.org/events/rise-again-new-haven or at the event.

Please Attend an Important and Unique Forum with Aida Touma-Sliman, Oct. 17.

by Henry Lowendorf, Greater New Haven Peace Council

Aida Touma-Sliman became an Arab member of the Knesset in the Israeli election last January. She is a lifelong political activist, Director-General of Women Against Violence, the largest Arab women’s NGO in Israel, editor-in-chief of Al-Ittihad, an Arab-language daily newspaper in Israel, and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Israel.

Because of a new Israeli law intended to reduce the number of small parrties in the Knesset, the several Arab parties, with widely diverse ideologies and programs, created a Joint List, a coalition, to be voted on as a block. The election result was that the Joint List became the third largest block in the parliament.
Touma-Sliman was voted the Chair of the Knesset’s Permanent Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, the first Arab chair of a Knesset committee.

In an interview in the Jewish Journal (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=hUslyGicqfs) Touma-Sliman describes herself: “I am not accepted because of my opinions, because I stood up against many of the things the patriarchal laws in our society… To be now in the mainstream of our society … gives us the power as a movement, to address new groups of people, to raise the voice of rights of women from the highest platform to the parliament and in our society.”

Of discrimination against Arabs in Israel proper, Touma-Sliman says that “In our villages and towns since 1948, not one industrial zone was built, no proper public transportation. Even in minimal civil rights we are not getting what we are supposed to get.”

She refers to the Israeli occupation: “We don’t want [Israel] to continue to be occupiers, because occupation is ruining not only those who are occupied, it is ruining also the occupiers themselves.” “Settlements are an international crime… You cannot use your crimes” to bargain.
With the recent peace agreement with Iran over Iran’s nuclear program, there is now increased attention on Israel’s existing nuclear arsenal, attention that the Israeli government constantly tries to deflect. In 2013, Touma-Sliman spoke at a peace conference to create a zone in the Middle East free of nuclear weapons: “If peace groups don’t make the connection that the Israeli government is the source of hostile policy against neighboring countries, and if we don’t speak about nuclear policy and to ask Israel to join international agreements and be under the control and inspection on that matter we are missing the point.”

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear Aida Touma-Sliman, Bethesda Lutheran Church, 450 Whitney Ave., 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17.

Two Renowned Peace Leaders for this Year’s Gandhi Peace Award Oct. 30

by Mary Compton, Promoting Enduring Peace

The 38th presentation of the Gandhi Peace Award by the national organization Promoting Enduring Peace, located in New Haven, will honor two world renowned peace leaders, Kathy Kelly and Tom B.K. Goldtooth. The ceremony will be held at the United Church on the Green in New Haven, on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.

The Gandhi Peace Award recognizes the outstanding contributions to world peace by its recipients.
Tom B. K. Goldtooth is Dine’ and Mdewakanton Dakota. He is the first Native American recipient to receive the Gandhi Peace Award. He is the national director of the Indigenous Environmental Network (www.ienearth.org) at Bemidji, Minnesota, and has been a leader in Native social, economic, and environmental justice issues for over 35 years. He works with Indigenous Peoples and organizations around the world advocating for environmental and climate justice. He is co-producer of the award winning documentary film, “Drumbeat For Mother Earth,” which has received critical acclaim for its exposure of the effects of bio-accumulative chemicals on Indigenous communities. In 2010 he was honored by the Sierra Club and by the NAACP as a “Green Hero of Color.”

Kathy Kelly is nationally known for her outspoken activism protesting the use of drones by the U.S. military. She co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence, a national campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare. She has led protests in Gaza and is an international leader against the war in Iraq. She has served several prison sentences for her non-violent, militant activism against nuclear weapons and war. On April 21st Kelly was released from federal prison after serving a three month sentence for non-violently protesting drone warfare at Whiteman AFB which operates weaponized drones in Afghanistan.

Tickets available at the door: $10; Students-Free

Advance tickets available online at www.pepeace.org

Contact: Mary Compton (203) 230-1312

gandhipeaceaward.org

Listen Here! Classic Short Stories Read Live

by Bennett Graff, New Haven Review

The Institute Library is proud to host the “Listen Here! Short Story” reading series. 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 — a different batch at each reading — and tea are available. $5 suggested admission. Join us every 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Institute Library, 847 Chapel St, New Haven. Our next reading will be October 20. Our theme is “Holding on for Dear Life.” Our stories: “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Please note that the Institute Library is one flight up and unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. For more information, visit us at www.institutelibrary.org.

SCSU Women’s Studies Program Events

by Alisha Martindale, Women’s Studies Program

The Women’s Studies Program of Southern Connecticut State University will host two events this month. They are free and open to all.

“He Hits Me the Normal Amount”: Confronting the Culture of Violence and Impunity in Nicaragua. This will be a presentation by Erendira Vanegas, Coordinator of the Women’s Prevention Program and the New Haven León Sister City Project. This event will be held Wednesday, September 30 from 1- 2 p.m. in Engleman Hall, B206 at 501 Crescent Street, New Haven 06515. Wheelchair Accessible.

It is co-sponsored by The Women’s Studies Program, The Department of World Languages and Literatures & The Multicultural Center. (203) 392-6133.

“Title IX and Campus Anti-Sexual Violence Movement”: An evening with Simona Sharoni, Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at State University of New York and Heather Turcotte, Professor of Political Science and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut. Thursday, October 15, 5 p.m. in Engleman Hall, B 121A&B, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven. Wheelchair Accessible.

Reception to follow. Sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program and SCSU Women’s Center. (203) 392-6133.

Standing Up for Women’s Health and Women’s Lives Sept. 30

by Megan Fountain, NH León Sister City Project

Join us for a conversation with Erendira Vanegas, who is visiting from León, Nicaragua, and Gretchen Raffa, advocacy director at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. This is a critical time to stand up for women’s health and women’s lives. In 2008, Nicaragua made abortion a crime punishable by jail, even in the case of rape or of risk to a woman’s life.

In 2015, Connecticut marks the 50th anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court decision that legalized birth control after Planned Parenthood director Estelle Griswold was jailed for providing birth control. Yet women’s lives are at risk now more than ever because of attacks on women’s health, like the recent vote to defund Planned Parenthood.

Join New Haven León Sister City Project and Planned Parenthood to hear the untold stories of an international movement and find out how you can get involved locally and internationally!

For more info, contact Megan at (203) 479-2959 or [email protected].

Rise Again Sing-Along Concert October 16

rise-againby Kim Stoner, PEP

In October Annie Patterson and Peter Blood, the creators of Rise Up Singing, the world’s most popular and most beloved songbook, are releasing their long awaited sequel Rise Again. Join us at the sing-along concert and celebration of the release of Rise Again at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 16, at the Unitarian Society of New Haven, 700 Hartford Turnpike in Hamden.

Since 1988 millions of adults and children have sung and played from Rise Up Singing, a pillar of American musical history, containing the words and chords to 1,200 songs from Beatles to ballads, from Bob Dylan to Broadway, from campfire favorites to gospel & Hebrew folk songs. Rise Again, the long-awaited sequel, includes the words and chords to 1,200 entirely different songs — including new songs written since 1988 (but only the great ones!) and new genres only lightly covered in Rise Up Singing, such as Motown, blues, jazz & swing, and country.

In addition to Annie and Peter, the concert will feature Charlie King, dean of New England folk music, sister duo and family favorite The Nields, and the great Sally Rogers, all of whom have songs in Rise Again. Families are encouraged to attend with special ticket pricing for youngsters.

This historic event is sponsored by CT Folk and is a benefit for Promoting Enduring Peace (PEPeace.org), whose motto is “Peace On Earth — Peace With Earth.”

Advance tickets may be purchased online starting at $20 ($10 for under 18), a significant discount from the price at the door. Copies of Rise Again can be purchased along with tickets in advance or at the event. Order books and advance tickets at riseupandsing.org/events/rise-again-new-haven.

Japanese Trade Unionists To Visit New Haven, Join May Day Rally And Take A New Haven Labor History Tour

by Peter Knowlton, President, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, Northeast Region

A delegation of union members from Zenroren, a pro-gressive independent labor federation from Japan, will be visiting New Haven April 29 to May 1 at the invitation of the UE (United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, Northeast Region). Over 30 Zenroren members will be hosted by Mayor Toni Harp at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 30. They will be traveling to Gateway Community College later that day for presentations, touring the Sargent Lock Company (now Assa Abloy), and participating in other activities. They will join Connecticut trade union and community activists on May 1 for an annual May Day rally and march celebrating International Workers’ Day.

trade-unionists

Members of UE and Zenroren

On the morning of Friday, May 1, the delegation will enjoy a labor history tour organized by the Greater New Haven Labor History Association with Joe Taylor, Aaron Goode and the UE. They will visit numerous sites including the Seamless Rubber Company, the railroad yards, the Amistad memorial, the Oyster beds near River Street in Fair Haven, the site of the old Olin-Winchester plant on Division Street, as well other venues in New Haven, possibly including the Troup Magnet School lobby, where there is a New Haven labor history mural. There will be a reception after the tour at 1:30 p.m. at the Council Teachers Building, 267 Chapel Street, for the Zenroren members, where the delegates will be able to view the Labor History Association’s new traveling exhibit, “Our Community at Winchester: An Elm City Story” and hear a brief presentation about it by the LHA Archivist/ Director and exhibit curator, Joan Cavanagh.

The Zenroren trade unionists are participating in an NGO conference and march, April 24-26, in New York City to coincide with the UN’s 5-year Review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. They will discuss their efforts to abolish nuclear weapons and to retain Article 9 in Japan’s Constitution which prevents Japan from ever again becoming a militarized state. It is under attack by the current Japanese government.

(Reprinted with permission. First published in the GNH Labor History Association April-May 2015 newsletter)

May Day on the New Haven Green Saturday May 2 from noon to 5 pm.

by May Day Celebration Committee

mayday-poster-jpg-small-iiCome celebrate May Day, International Workers’ Day, Saturday, May 2 from noon to 5 p.m. on the New Haven Green. Raindate: Sunday May 3.

This is the 29th 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,” “N-Finity Muzik” and “The Foresters.”

For more information visit us at maydaynewhaven.org or call (203) 843-3069.

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.

Rally on the New Haven Green, Friday, May 1, 4:30 p.m. at Temple and Chapel

5:30 P.M. March Immigration Reform, Safe Jobs with Fair Wages Worldwide, and Peace!
For more information, please contact the Connecticut AFL-CIO at 860-571-6191 or the calendar on www.ctaflcio.org

Endorsed by: CT AFL-CIO, CT Immigrant Rights Alliance, Columbia Action Coalition, GNH Central Labor Council, Junta for Progressive Action, Mexico Solidarity Committee, NH Peace Council, NH Peoples Center, New Haven Rising, SEIU 32 BJ, Unidad Latina en Accion-ULA, UE Northeast Region, UE Locals 243, 222, UNITE/HERE at Yale.

Workers of the World Uniting for Respect, Dignity & Peace

by Joelle Fishman, CT People’s World

The People’s World in Connecticut is hosting its annual celebration of International Workers’ Day on Sunday, May 3 at 4:00 pm at the King-Davis Labor Center, 77 Huyshope Ave, Hartford.

A panel discussion, “Workers of the World Uniting for Respect, Dignity & Peace,” will highlight growing unity and resistance to global corporate attacks on the civil rights, human rights and lives of workers, youth and families. Alberto Bernardez (SEIU 32 BJ) will tell of attempts to destroy the teachers’ union in Honduras. Marie Lausch (UE) will speak on the peace campaign by the union federation Zenroren in Japan. John Harrity (IAM) will address the threat to jobs, environment and democracy posed by fast track for TPP. A representative of the “Fight for $15 and a union” will tell the demands of fast food and other low wage workers for living wages and a voice on the job. Juan and Becky Brito will perform Chilean songs.

A home made buffet and a raffle will round out the afternoon. Tickets are $5 or what you can afford. No one will be turned away. The event is a fund raiser toward the annual $10,000 People’s World Connecticut fund drive goal. Donations large and small will be welcomed and appreciated.

A carpool will leave from the New Haven Peoples Center at 2:30 pm. Call in advance to arrange for a space or to offer to drive. (203) 624-8664.

Zero Energy House Tour May 2

by Judi Friedman, People’s Action for Clean Energy

A Killingly, Connecticut zero energy house will be open to the public on Saturday, May 2. Tours and seminars will be held at noon and 2:30 p.m. The 2,600-square-foot Net Zero Energy Challenge winner has 12-inch thick walls; solar panels; air source heating and cooling pumps; a heat pump water heater; an ICF foundation; triple glazed windows; ceiling and sub slab insulation; and constant fresh air ventilation.

Other energy-saving features in this ideal retirement home include lighting from LED and compact fluorescent bulbs and energy-efficient appliances (Energy Star). The house has French drains (no gutters, no ice dams) and a permeable driveway. Electric cars will be on display. The tour/seminar is sponsored by People’s Action for Clean Energy (PACE), the only all-volunteer nonprofit public health organization in Connecticut devoted solely to clean energy education.

Additional information will be available on ethanol fireplaces; combination solar hot water for a radiant floor and a solar heated pool; surplus energy for electric cars; affordable retirement homes and minisplit  heat pumps.

Reservations will be accepted in order of receipt for the May 2 tour, which will be held rain or shine. The non-refundable tickets are $15.00 per person. To order tickets, go online to 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 ticketholder’s name, phone number, address, email address and choice of time. For ticket information, call (860) 623-5487. For tour information, call (860) 693-4813.

Film screening and discussion “Pay 2 Play: Democracy’s High Stakes”

New Haven Free Public Library

pay2playThursday, April 30, 5:30-8 p.m., the NH Free Public Library, 133 Elm St., will show Pay2Play, a documentary film that explores America’s pay to play political system and some of the history that has brought us to where we are today. The film weaves together the stories of a dramatic election in Ohio; the secret history of the game Monopoly; and people taking action to fix the system.

Professor Steve Tomsczak, Social Work Department at SCSU, will lead a discussion following the film.

For more info about the film and to view the trailer go to: http://www.pay2play.tv/.

This program cosponsored with Common Cause CT.

Please join us for some great civic engagement!

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