Category: Events

CARE (Connecticut Assembly for Reason and Ethics) Conference: April 2

by CT Humanist Society

In October, 2013, members of Connecticut’s secular community held the SANE conference (Secular Assembly for the Northeast) at the University of New Haven. It’s time to do it again.

On Saturday, April 2, the full-day 2016 CARE conference (Connecticut Assembly for Reason and Ethics) will be held at the Mark Twain House and Museum at 351 Farmington Avenue in Hartford. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. and the conference will continue through 5 p.m.

Hemant-Mehta-friendly-atheistThe keynote speaker will be Hemant Mehta, author of several books including “I Sold My Soul on eBay: Viewing Faith Through an Atheist’s Eyes” and “The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide,” and host of the popular Friendly Atheist blog at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/.

Additional speakers include Jason Heap, National Coordinator for the United Coalition of Reason, Amanda Knief, Legal and Public Policy Director at American Atheists, and Wendy Thomas Russell, author of Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious, and host of the Natural Wonderer’s blog at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/naturalwonderers/.

Breakout sessions will cover the diverse topics of interfaith dialog, community building, and political action. This is a great opportunity to visit the Twain House, connect with friends and like-minded people, and learn more about the various secular organizations in the area!
Visit the conference website at http://www.conference.ctcor.org/.

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

by 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.

anita-sarkeesianThe conference will be held at Southern Connecticut State University Friday, April 15th and Saturday, April 16. Conference sessions will juxtapose global, comparative, inter-ectional, 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.

People’s Action for Clean Energy Meeting February 3

by Judi Friedman, PACE

Please join us for a cozy and unusual winter meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3 (Snow date: Feb. 4) at the wonderful home of Nevin and Julie Christensen, 44 West Mountain Rd. in West Simsbury.

Agenda items include:

  • Engaging representative participation of the Muslim
    community;
  • Community shared solar (That’s REAL DEMOCRACY!);
  • Natural gas pipeline expansion through wetlands and
    reservoirs;
  • Report on Simsbury as a potential 100% renewable energy
    town!;
  • Restructuring our utilities  (Acadia report);
  • Spring tour site ideas; and
  • Report on daily radiation monitoring of Connecticut
    nuclear plants.

And we have very good food! Yum!  (Bring something special if you wish !)

For information on the meeting/weather, please call (860) 693-4813.

Stand with Planned Parenthood in New Haven! — Saturdays in New Haven.

by Deb Malatesta, WORD

Women Organized to Resist and Defend (WORD) stands with Planned Parenthood. We recognize the important role that these clinics play in making vital healthcare accessible to those who need it. In many
areas, they are one of the few places that women can receive abortions, trans people can receive inclusive care, and all people have access to cancer screenings and HIV/STI treatment. The importance of this resource is recognized by poor and working people across the country. It is not something new for the right-wing to whip up “pro-life” hysteria and aggression to attack Planned Parenthood. Intimidation and violence against clinics, staff and patients are an all too frequent occurrence.

The summer release of the highly manipulated and dishonest “undercover” video has reinvigorated the violent attacks against clinics. Several clinics were attacked by arsonists, building sites were vandalized and, as is well known, the Colorado Springs clinic was attacked by a terrorist who killed three people. Here in New Haven, the presence and boldness of anti-choice religious fanatics has increased since the Colorado Springs attacks. They have been harassing patients, workers and passersby with angry misogynistic rhetoric.

In the face of these attacks to prevent the right to abortion access, it is imperative that women and men stand up to show their support right now. Right-wing bigots are using fear-mongering tactics to take away women’s right to choose and the right to affordable healthcare. The right-wing seeks to blame the most vulnerable poor population to hide the reality that they would rather take the money for themselves than provide poor women and men with healthcare and resources. Women won the right to choose with a mass movement of women and men in the streets.

WORD stands in solidarity with Planned Parenthood and is fighting back against these attacks! We’re in New Haven every Saturday morning 8-10 a.m. at Planned Parenthood at the corner of Edwards Street and Whitney Avenue. Join us and become a part of the movement to defend women’s rights! Come out on Feb. 6 to defend the right to access healthcare and to choose when to have a child! On Feb. 6, we will have a mass action of Planned Parenthood supporters in New Haven at 9 a.m. For more information, contact http://www.defendwomensrights.org or (203) 787-8232.

Jarvis Tyner to Keynote People’s World African American History Month Celebration Feb. 28

by Joelle Fishman, CT People’s World

“The Struggle for Democracy and Equality Continues: ‘We Charge Genocide Petition 65 Years Later.’” is the theme of this year’s 42nd Annual People’s World African American History Month Celebration. The event to be held on Sunday, February 28 will feature a program highlighting guest speaker Jarvis Tyner, lifelong civil rights activist and national leader of the Communist Party USA.

Tyner is author of the preface to the newly re-published “We Charge Genocide,” the petition delivered to the United Nations in 1951 listing lynchings and other crimes against African Americans. He is also author of the pamphlet “Black Lives Matter,” issued last year.

The event will be held at 4 p.m. at Troup School, 259 Edgewood Ave. After having filled the Peoples Center to overflow for years, a larger venue was chosen which will allow for more youth performances.
The program will begin with drumming by Brian Jarawa Gray. Troup students will lead in singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Winners of the High School Arts and Writing Competition will present their essays, poems or artwork on the theme “What Lessons from the Reconstruction Era for 2016?”

Students are asked: “Express in artwork, poetry, essay or song: What lessons can we learn from that period as we approach the elections of 2016? How can we overcome divisions and build unity so we can end voter suppression, stop police killings and guarantee a future for everyone filled with jobs and opportunity?” Submissions must be received at 37 Howe Street by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18.

Also on exhibit will be drawings from the Martin Luther King celebration at the Peabody Museum created at the People’s World table on the theme, “What can make our country great for everyone?”
Refreshments will be served.

Donation is $5 or what you can afford.

For more information e-mail to: ct-pww@pobox.com or call (203) 624-4254.

Jewish Voice for Peace Film Series

Shelly Altman, JVPNH

Jewish Voice for Peace New Haven (JVPNH) is presenting a Film Series “From the Jordan River to the Sea: Israel-Palestine in Film,” starting Sunday, Jan. 24 and continuing to Friday April 1. Films will be screened on Sundays at 1 p.m. at the Guilford Free Library, 67 Park St, Guilford and on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at the Whitney Center Cultural Arts Center, 200 Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden. See film details at http://www.jvpnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/JVPNHFF1.pdf.

These films offer a human face to the news we hear about the contentious and often violent relationship between Israelis and Palestinians in the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The films may shatter some myths and open a candid discussion about the reality of the Middle East.

  • The Other Son – Guilford Jan. 24 and Hamden Feb. 12
  • Salt of this Sea – Guilford Feb. 14 and Hamden Feb. 19
  • The Wanted 18 – Guilford Feb. 28 and Hamden March 4
  • Roadmap to Apartheid – Guilford March 6 and Hamden April 1

Last month, JVPNH conducted anti-Islamophobia vigils and lit the menorah in downtown New Haven on the fifth and eighth nights of Chanukah. This was part of an event echoed nationwide by over 15 chapters of JVP. The New Haven Register published an editorial the following week praising our action. See it at http://www.nhregister.com/opinion/20151216/editorial-some-jews-leading-the-charge-against-islamophobia. JVPNH will be continuing its work countering Islamophobia. If you are interested in participating in this work, please contact us at newhaven@jewishvoiceforpeace.org.
You can reach JVP New Haven on the web: http://www.jvpnh.org, by e-mail: newhaven@jewishvoiceforpeace.org, or Facebook: jvpnewhaven, or twitter: @jvpnewhaven.

Screening of Anne Braden: Southern Patriot 2 p.m. Saturday in Milford

New Haven-based Showing Up for Racial Justice is hosting a screening of a documentary about racial justice activist Anne Braden at the Milford Public Library (57 New Haven Ave., Milford, CT 06460) in the Program Room downstairs at 2 p.m. Saturday Jan. 23. There will be snacks and after the movie we will have a brief discussion of the movie.

From the website:

If it was Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King who convinced me to join the struggle, it was Anne Braden who showed me how to do it. — Bob Zellner, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) first white field secretary

 “This film is a must-see.”  — Tim Wise, anti-racism activist and author, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son

 Anne Braden: Southern Patriot is a documentary film exploring the extraordinary life and legacy of this American civil rights leader. After she was charged with sedition for attempting to desegregate a Louisville, Kentucky neighborhood in 1954, Braden used the attacks to turn herself “inside out” and embrace a lifetime of racial justice organizing matched by few whites in American history. Braden was hailed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail as a white southerner whose rejection of her segregationist upbringing was “eloquent and prophetic, ” and named as one of only five southern whites he could count as allies. Labeled a “traitor to her race” and ostracized as a “red” by segregationists and even many in the civil rights movement, she fought for an inclusive movement community and demonstrated that protecting civil liberties was essential to gaining civil rights.

Described as “one of the great figures of our time” by historian Jacquelyn Hall, Braden died in 2006 leaving a remarkable legacy as a grassroots organizer, committed journalist, movement strategist, social chronicler, teacher and mentor to three generations of social justice activists.

In the film Braden recalls 60 years of activism that intersected and linked issues of race with civil liberties, class, gender, sexuality, economic justice, environmentalism, and peace. She delivers a powerful message on the dangers of racism and white supremacy, why it poses such an obstacle to social change, and the necessity of whites organizing with people of color to eliminate it. Braden biographer Catherine Fosl, Angela Y. Davis, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Barbara Ransby, Rev. C.T. Vivian and Cornel West among others add their comments on the far-reaching implications of Braden’s life for activists, students, scholars and anyone interested in building a better world.

“This documentary, in short, is amazing. Aside from the technical success of the film is the fact that Braden herself was an extraordinary human being.” – Leigh Kolb, Bitch Flicks

“A gem of a film, accented with freedom fighters who speak firsthand about carving a path through a traumatized, violent, racist South, to make way for one of the largest and most effective nonviolent movements for social change the world has ever seen.” – folksinger and peace & justice activist Joan Baez

20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy of Environmental and Social Justice Jan. 16 & 170

by Josue Irizarry, Events Coordinator

The Yale Peabody Museum will open its doors for a FREE, two-day festival in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his efforts to ensure environmental and social justice among all people. The Yale Peabody Museum, 170 Whitney Ave., will host its 20th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy of Environmental and Social Justice on Sunday, Jan. 17, noon to 4 p.m., and Monday, Jan. 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In his tireless efforts to work toward equality for, and harmony between, all people, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. strove to raise awareness about public health concerns and urban environmental issues that disproportionately affect communities. In recognition of the progress that has been achieved in these areas, and with optimism for the future, we will celebrate with music, dance, children’s storytelling, teen summit, a community open mic and our annual poetry slams.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, from noon to 2:30 p.m., join us for our 7th annual Teen Summit event celebrating the legacy of Dr. King. In this interactive workshop, teens from all over Connecticut will come together to participate with the dynamic motivational speaker, Hashim Garrett of Breaking the Cycle of Violence Through Forgiveness in an effort to promote social and environmental justice.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, from 3 to 4 p.m., Mayor Toni Harp will address some of the challenges to our community on issues of education, racism, violence, gun control, and will share with us her vision for New Haven.

An important component of this celebration is our Zannette Lewis Environmental and Social Justice Community Open Mic and Poetry Slam, on Monday, Jan. 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Community Open Mic is an exciting aspect of our festival that gives people a unique opportunity to honor the spoken word legacy of Dr. King by sharing original poetry. The Poetry Slam includes well-known poets from around the United States.

For more information visit http://www.peabody.yale.edu/events.

Dec. 10 Rally for Peace in New Haven: UN Human Rights Day

by Mary Compton, Greater New Haven Peace Council

The International Coordinating Committee of the Peace and Planet Conference, held in New York recently, called for public expressions on Dec. 10, United Nations Human Rights Day.

Many U.S. Peace organizations nationally have agreed to organize public expressions on Dec. 10, heralding the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights to create a peaceful world.

The Greater New Haven Peace Council and the City of New Haven Peace Commission have initiated a call for peace and will sponsor a public meeting on Thursday, Dec. 10 at noon, at the Amistad Statue in front of the New Haven City Hall. Speakers from a broad range of community organizations have been invited.

We call on all our friends who cherish peace to join us, to engage in creative peaceful, militant actions in our communities calling for ceasefires, an end to these wars, and peaceful inclusive negotiations including Syrian government. No U.S. troops to Syria. The human right to peace must be honored. Families, villagers and citizens have the right not to be violated by war. The enormous and irreplaceable resources spent on war are far better spent to address desperate human needs.

The surging dangers to world peace, including sending U.S. troops to engage in Syria, have created a crisis that with the slightest misstep can lead to World War 3. The bombings in France by terrorists are a blowback to the policies of accelerated aggression in the Middle East. The continued relations with the funders and sponsors of the various terrorist groups by the CIA and U.S. so-called allies, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have created a situation where U.S. weapons are fueling the terrorists and millions are fleeing for safety from the bombs for which the U.S. has a responsibility.

We must raise our voices for peace, against war! Insist on diplomacy and negotiations to end the wars in Syria, including the governments of Iran, Russia and Syria. Let us demand the Human Right to Peace.

At the Main Public Library, 133 Elm St.

Monday, Dec. 7, 6 – 7 p.m.
A Child’s Christmas In Wales. A special holiday treat! A dramatic reading with actor Colin Lane and musician Becca Zaretzky, who performed at the library two years ago to a standing-room-only crowd. Originally written for radio, Dylan Thomas’ poem is told from the viewpoint of a young child and celebrates Christmases past, portraying a nostalgic and simpler time. Info: Marie Jarry (203) 946-8129.

Thursday, Dec. 10, 6 – 7 p.m.
New Haven Guitar Quartet. a newly-formed ensemble of guitarists from Yale University dedicated to exploring the expressive possibilities of the guitar quartet. Members Daniel Corr, Katrin Endrikat, John Kossler and Trevor Babb perform both original and transcribed works, ranging from the Renaissance to the Contemporary. Info: Ashley Sklar (203) 946-8835.

Monday, Dec. 21, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Dignity Music Concert Series: A Program of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Albrechtsberger. Ravenna Michalsen, a cellist and active participant in the CT musical scene, received a Mayor’s Community Arts Grant for the Dignity Music concert series which brings classical music to homeless shelters, breakfast programs, soup kitchens and other New Haven venues. Bethany Wilder joins her for this concert on viola and cello. Info: Ashley Sklar (203) 946-8835.

For a complete schedule, go online to http://calendar.nhfpl.org/cal/main/showMainEnd.rdo.

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