Amherst, Massachusetts NAACP
RACE AMITY WORKSHOP
Sponsored by Citizens for Race Amity Now
Saturday, April 15th, 2017 from 2 to 4 p.m. followed by refreshments and networking.
Cadigan Center on 38 Woodside Ave., Amherst, MA.
The public is invited to our free planning workshop designed to bring together people from western MA. We plan to engage in scheduling meaningful programs and activities to commemorate Race Amity Day. This year we observe Race Amity Day on June 11, 2017 in accordance with the 2015 Massachusetts Race Amity Bill, H-2745, signed into law by Gov. Baker. In the state proclamation citizens are encouraged to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.
Amherst is the first town in western MA to issue a proclamation adopting an annual Race Amity Day. Last year, the US senate unanimously passed resolution 491 that begins legislation toward adopting an annual national Race Amity Day.
The effort to establish a National Race Amity Day, the National Center for Race Amity announced, was in the spirit of celebrating “America’s multicultural, multi-ethnic an
Please RSVP if you can attend. For further information call CRAN at 253-9842.
In Amity, Ray
TICKETS: Suggested donation of $20 for adults, $5 for those under 18. In advance or at the door. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Advance tickets available at: www.riseupandsing.org/events/justice-amherst
TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE, MORE CONCERT INFO & FULL LIST OF SPONSORS:
CONTACTS: For more information about the concert or to schedule an interview with the performers, contact Peter Blood & Annie Patterson at 413-256-8596 or ruasevents@gmail.com
"When Movements Unite for Climate Justice"
Co-sponsored by Amherst NAACP, Climate Action Now & Coming Together
Sun. Feb. 26, 2017
2 to 4 pm
Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst
120. N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA
Jacqueline Patterson, Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program will be coming to Amherst to update us on these issues and engage our community in strategic planning.
|
|
|
American Friends Service MLK Day Mon. Jan 16, 2017: "How We Shall Resist"
AFSC will sponsor a series of events over the course of the day – from the Sojourner Truth Walking Tour and a Children’s Program (run by Dr. Ousmane Power-Greene) – to a series of workshops and trainings in various spaces in downtown Northampton by local activists and activist groups.
9am: Sojourner Truth Walking Tour (with Steve Strimer of the Ruggles Center)
Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue
Park and Pine Streets, Florence
10am: Children’s MLK Jr. Celebration (with Dr. Ousmane Power-Greene)
Jackson Street School
120 Jackson St, Northampton
12 – 5pm: Informational Tabling
+ Come get a schedule and directions to the workshops, get a “Black Lives Matter” or “Good Neighbor” lawn sign, or visit organization’s tables.
Edwards Church
297 Main St, Northampton
1pm – 5pm: Social Justice Workshops
Various locations at Edwards Church, First Churches, the Unitarian Universalist Society, Northampton Friends Meeting
To see the complete schedule of workshops and trainings click on this link
6pm: MLK Sing-a-long Celebration (with Evelyn Harris and more)
First Churches
129 Main Street, Northampton
For complete information about this action click here to link to the AFSC website.
All are invited to participate in the Greenfield location "Women Standing Our Ground" event organized by Cynthia Bleil and Mary MCClintock.
For: Additional details, Directions, Carpooling, Parking, What to Wear/Bring visit the Women Standing Our Ground Facebook link or phone number shown below.
Please spread the word to everyone you know who isn’t able to go to DC or Boston or NYC!
Women Standing Our Ground Rally in Solidarity with Women’s March on Washington
On Saturday, January 21 at 12:30 p.m., women and their allies will gather on the Greenfield Town Common (Court Square) for a rally in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington.
Echoing the message of the Washington March, local speakers, songs, signs, and personal testimony will focus on standing together for women’s and human rights. Intended as a call to action, the rally will provide information about concrete actions participants can take to protect their rights, safety, health, and families.
At 1 p.m., participants in the Greenfield rally will join individuals and groups across the country in observing the One Minute of Silence for Equality. The 1@1 action is a call for women’s equality, women’s rights, and human rights.
Women Standing Our Ground Rally co-organizer Mary McClintock, of Conway, said “Many women I know will travel to Washington for the Women’s March on Washington and many of us can’t be in Washington that day. I am helping create this local rally so we can show solidarity with the national March and add our voices to the call for women’s rights. I encourage all women and our allies to stand up for women’s rights and human rights on January 21st and every day.”
All are invited to attend the rally and are encouraged to dress warmly for an outdoor event and to bring signs that express their vision for women’s rights and human rights, locally, nationally, and globally.
To volunteer to help with organizing or for more information, visit the Rally’s Facebook event page at: https://www.facebook.com/e
or call 877-925-2999.
or call 877-925-2999.
2016-2017 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture
Series
The U.S. in the Age of Mass Incarceration
Overview | Fall Calendar | Spring Preview | K-12 Offerings | Curricular Connections |Transportation and Accessibility | About the Lecture Series | About Kenneth Feinberg | PosterHow is it that the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world? What forces led us here? What alternatives are on the horizon?
The 2016-2017 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series will explore the ways that state violence, mass incarceration, and mass criminalization have transformed the U.S. economy, culture and society. More than a dozen panels, performances, gallery exhibitions, and lectures by the nation's leading scholars, artists and activists will explore a wide range of topics, from police brutality, immigration detention, and carceral feminism to the consequences of incarceration for women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals. The series will culminate in the opening of the national traveling exhibition States of Incarceration: A National Dialogue of Local Stories.
This Feinberg Series aims to offer meaningful events that consider the carceral state in historical perspective and that will support and amplify ongoing work by community groups and activists, enriching undergraduate and graduate education at UMass and surrounding educational institutions. Taken together, these powerful events will explore the many ways in which the carceral state impacts our lives and our world in deep and far-reaching ways.
All events are FREE and open to the public.
Link here for Fall 2016-2017 Calendar of Events
Offerings for K-12 Teachers and Students
K-12 Educators! Please join us for an associated professional development series led by award-winning social justice educator Dr. Antonio Nieves Martinez (UMass Amherst). This free series,Teaching in the Age of Mass Incarceration, will support educators across content areas in exploring these issues in their classrooms. PDPs and graduate credit available (additional fees may apply for graduate credit). This series is offered with the Collaborative for Educational Services. More info here.
Additionally, financial support is available for school field trips to series events and exhibits. Contact outreach@history.umass.edu for more information.
Need Voter Information?
The League of Women Voters website can help
Vote 411
Enter your address to find your polling place anywhere in the country, build your ballot with The League's online voters' guide and much more! With The League of Women's voters' guide you can see the races on your ballot, compare candidates' positions side-by-side, and print out a "ballot" indicating your preferences as a reminder and take it with you to the polls on Election Day. Check their resources for military and overseas voters!
Vote 411
Enter your address to find your polling place anywhere in the country, build your ballot with The League's online voters' guide and much more! With The League of Women's voters' guide you can see the races on your ballot, compare candidates' positions side-by-side, and print out a "ballot" indicating your preferences as a reminder and take it with you to the polls on Election Day. Check their resources for military and overseas voters!
Join us for your
*Candidates Night Forum*
Monday, Aug., 8 2016, 6:30 to 9:00pm
Town Room, 2nd floor
Amherst Town Hall
This community organized forum will be
Submit your questions and topics to:
*Candidates Night Forum*
Monday, Aug., 8 2016, 6:30 to 9:00pm
Town Room, 2nd floor
Amherst Town Hall
Candidates for State Representative 3rd District Hampshire County
This community organized forum will be
co-moderated by Manuel Frau-Ramos, co-founder/editor of El Sol Latino newspaper, & Carlie Tartakov and Jacqueline Smith-Crooks, hosts of WHMP's "Black In The Valley" radio show. This is our community's opportunity to learn more about the candidates for the upcoming state and local elections.
Primary election Thurs., September 8th; General election Tues., November 8th.
You will have the opportunity to meet and ask questions of the candidates for State Representative for our district.
You will also get to meet and ask questions of the candidates running for Hampshire County Sheriff.
Candidates for Hampshire County Sheriff
Bring your questions and concerns to those who seek to represent you.
Submit your questions and topics to:
amherstnaacp@gmail.com by Friday, Aug 5th.
Put "Candidate Questions" in the subject field.
This event is co-sponsored by
5 K Walk For Justice, September 19, 2015
 |
| Photo by Rene Theberge |
The Amherst Area NAACP and
the New England Area Conference NAACP
5K Walk For Justice
5K Walk For Justice
In Amherst our walk will begin at 10:00 am from Haigis Mall, UMass. We will conclude at Sweetser Park Amherst Center, across from the police station and the Black Sheep Deli.
We have organized a "Cane Brigade" for those unable to complete the walk. Cane Brigade members will begin arriving at Sweetser Park between 10:30 and 11:00 am.
Remember to wear comfortable clothing, comfortable walking shoes. Be sure to carry your water with you during the walk.
The Goal & Purpose is
To develop a multi-racial, multi-age group of thousands of people who will participate in some leg of the Relay to demand legislative changes. A significant and diverse participant group will send a powerful message to the different legislative bodies that a broad cross-section of citizens is demanding change. The desired legislative changes, include:
1. Cultural competency of police forces, and at all command levels
2. Independent or special prosecutors when police are subject to prosecution for serious crimes, including assault, excessive force and killings
3. Requirement for police body cameras
4. Other policies and practices which may lead to better and more effective policing and the elimination of race based policing and discrimination against the disabled.
The Relay will endeavor to gain the sponsorship and active support of significant numbers of civil rights organizations, religious groups, community groups and unions. To be effective, the Relay must appeal to youngsters, college students, young workers, and older people -- in short, people of all ages.
Organization co-sponsors
The Relay will endeavor to gain the sponsorship and active support of significant numbers of civil rights organizations, religious groups, community groups and unions. To be effective, the Relay must appeal to youngsters, college students, young workers, and older people -- in short, people of all ages.
Make Checks payable to:
Amherst Area NAACP
Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box175
Amherst, MA 01004
Julian Bond, Former N.A.A.C.P. Chairman and Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 75
 |
| Julian Bond at the N.A.A.C.P.’s annual convention in 2007. Credit Paul Sancya/Associated Press |
The NAACP, New England Area Conference mourns the passing of
JULIAN BOND
Mr. Bond passed away yesterday, Saturday, August 15, 2015 at the age of 75. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NAACP, serving for 12 years in that capacity. He served with distinction, marked by both vigor and calm respected leadership. He remained on the Board after stepping down as its chairman in 2010. Mr. Bond’s entire adult life had been regarded as a giant in the fight for equal rights and human rights. Beginning in college, he led student protest to desegregate public facilities while a student at Morehouse College.. He was one of the student leaders who formed the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC). He stood in ardent opposition to the Vietnam War and participated in many opposition demonstrations throughout the country.
He served in the Georgia Legislature for 20 years, 6 in the senate and 12 in the house. However, when originally elected, the house refused to seat him because of his opposition to the Vietnam War. He filed suit and the Supreme Court unanimously ordered that he be seated, saying that the legislature had denied him freedom of speech.
He became a founder, along with Morris Dees, of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He was its president from 1971 to 1979 and remained on its board of directors.
Julian bonds leadership, guidance and direction will be missed by the NACP, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the civil rights and human rights movements.
NAACP National
Our Lives, Our Votes, Our Jobs, and Our Schools Matter
For more information go to the National NAACP website or sign-up to get updates
From August 1 to September 16, America’s Journey for Justice–an historic 860-mile march from Selma, Alabama, to Washington, D.C.–will mobilize activists and advance a focused national advocacy agenda that protects the right of every American to a fair criminal justice system, uncorrupted and unfettered access to the ballot box, sustainable jobs with a living wage, and equitable public education.
Issue Focus by State:
Alabama - Economic Inequality
Georgia - Education Reform
South Carolina - Criminal Justice Reform
North Carolina - Voting Rights
Virginia - Youth Rally
Washington, D.C. - Full legislative agenda
For more information go to the National NAACP website or sign-up to get updates
OUR LIVES, OUR VOTES, OUR JOBS, OUR SCHOOLS MATTER
New England Area Conference (NEAC)
Unity Walk for Justice,
*Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015*
If for any reason the "America's Journey for Justice" walk is beyond the reach of you or your Branch members you will want to know about the New England Area Conference (NEAC) Unity Walk for Justice, *Saturday Sept 19, 2015*.
This 3 mile walk will be organized by your own Branch members to take place in your own community in conjunction/cooperation with other social justice/civil rights groups you identify in your community. It is NEAC's plan to synchronize this walk so that all NEAC Branches will be begin at the same time, 10:00am, on Sat. Sept. 19, 2015. If you live outside of the EDT zone you can coordinate your Branch's walk to sync with the East Coast or schedule to begin at 10:00am your local time (that might look like the "Wave" as seen in crowds☺).
Contact your local area NAACP Branch if you'd like to help move a walk like this forward in your community.
For those living in the New England states stay tuned for more information over the next few days and weeks ahead about the NEAC Unity Walk for Justice.
In Solidarity with Million Moms March Sat. May 9, 2015
Amherst Town Common, Noon to 1:30pm
For background information go to:
On Saturday, May 9th Million Moms March for Justice 10 AM -2 PM in DC. See the Call to action.
Since many in our community would like to go but won't be able to those who'd like to can stand in solidarity:
Saturday, May 9th
Amherst Town Common
Noon to 1:30pm
Bring your own signs and sign-up to speak when you arrive on the Amherst Town Common.
For background information go to:
Mothers for Justice United. Founded by Maria Hamilton after the murder of her son Dontre by a Milwaukee police officer on April 30, 2014, we are a group of mothers whose children were taken from us by police and racist vigilante violence. Together we fight for justice for our children and for our communities.
Please join as we take our fight to Washington this Mother's Day Weekend, May 9, 2015, in our Million Moms March.
Please join as we take our fight to Washington this Mother's Day Weekend, May 9, 2015, in our Million Moms March.
150th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution
"Lincoln" takes place during the final months of the life of President Abraham Lincoln and recounts the pivotal historical events of that era, including the passage of the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery, the ending of the Civil War, and Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865.
“Lincoln,” received 12 Academy Award nominations in 2013, including Best Performance by a Lead Actor (Daniel Day Lewis), Best Performance by a Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), Best Performance by a Supporting Actress (Sally Field) and Achievement in Directing (Steven Spielberg).The screening will be preceded by remarks from local Amherst historian Dr. Robert H. Romer, the author of Slavery in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts.
This program is free and open to the public.
|
|
|
Excitement is spreading!!
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)