CALENDAR & NEWS ~ December 2021

NEW                            

Strayer strike events details here
Also see Photo at page bottom
Dec 13 - Strikers Speak Out! livestream on FB
Dec 14 - March & Vigil for Labor & Peace
Dec 15 (suggested day) Call Kyle Strayer
Dec 16 - Car Rally: Honk for Harold and Kyle

SCHOOLS                  

Fair school funding trial updates and livestream "The trial is expected to proceed 5 days a week, generally from 9 to 5. It is expected to continue through early 2022. "

STOP the hate - Armstrong County is the name of a FB group and public page focused on anti-bullying support in the Armstrong school district, especially after a trans student was beaten and left with a concussion, and Armstrong students brutally harassed a female hockey team member. 

Op-Ed: PA schools need inspiring, not divisive, curricula Opinion from : Christopher T. Brooks, professor of history at East Stroudsburg University.

PENNCREST board member opposes another conference request in which school board member David Valesky comes right out and says it's "the talk of racism" that's actually bothering him, and promotes more discipline instead. Also PENNCREST votes down CRT ban policy  

JUSTICE                     

Dec 6 - "My Day Will Come" Virtual Screening, Panel discussion, Q&A.  In-depth look into the challenges faced by people seeking asylum in the United States as a result of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Host: Erie International Inst./USCRI

JES Global Summit: The Power of Policy Reform to Address Racial Justice in Erie  Equity Coalition of Erie and Better Together Council’s Racial Justice Policy Initiative invited to panel discussion with the featured speaker, Dr. Camille Busette

Erie police sued in federal court over repeated punching of suspect; excessive force claimed 

ACLU PA: Say No to fake probation reform 

Federal judge tosses Melquan Barnett's bias claim in Erie riot case over fire at Ember + Forge

Who investigates police killings in Pennsylvania, and why there are few checks and balances

PG Investigation: When police shoot in PA, most don't tell FBI

Election results show policing and public safety are top issues for Black voters Looks at elections in CLE Pgh, others

Dunkirk Police Chief Says Videos Have Prompted Threats Toward Officers 

'No one advocating for them': The stories of Ohioans who helped immigrants detained in Youngstown "new anthology book from Ohio Immigration Alliance showcases paintings, poems, essays and short stories from Ohioans who have worked with migrants, including those detained at a Youngstown prison."

ELECTIONS              

 

Freedom to Vote Act Caravan Covers Three Counties  Indivisible We Rise – West Central PA carried their important message through Clarion, Jefferson and  Venango counties. 

Jaime Kinder Meadville mayor and and Gretchen M Myers to Meadville City Council  

Pa. House could vote on broad election law changes as soon as next month

Senate GOP hires firm to review Pennsylvania’s 2020 election

What we know about the firm hired by the GOP to review Pennsylvania’s 2020 election

Putting India Walton's Campaign for Mayor of Buffalo in Context

EARTH                       

Dec 1 - There’s Money on the (Water) Table: An American Rescue Plan Discussion Virtual. ARP funds and clean water infrastructure. "If invested wisely, these funds can address issues ranging from aging infrastructure to polluted runoff and flood mitigation."

PA leaders announce efforts to mitigate environmental racism

Environmental Rights Amendment Passes in New York state "Constitutional Amendment will give every New Yorker a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment"

Pittsburgh to host global climate and energy meeting next year "Pittsburgh will serve as the host city for the 2022 Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and the ministerial for Mission Innovation (MI) next September. Pittsburgh was selected by the federal government ... because of its commitment to innovation and reinventing its industrial past through sustainability, technology, research and development and the City’s prioritization of renewable energies and the ambitious goals being rapidly achieved in the Climate Action Plan."

What is road brine? Townhall discussion in one Ashtabula Co. community. On page 14 

LGBTQ+                     

Dec 8 - Greater Erie Alliance for Equality Year End Celebration Room 33 Speakeasy, 1033 State St, Erie. 6 PM - 9 PM. Appetizers, cash bar, entertainment. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of event. GreaterErieAlliance.com. (866) 229-1974. 

Dec 9 - "Pier Kids" Screening & Discussion Zone Dance Club, 133 W 18th St, Erie. 6 PM - 8 PM. "explores the lives of homeless queer and trans youth of color on Christopher Street Pier in NYC. WQLN is hosting an intimate screening followed by a panel discussion. RSVP

Tea Time with the Jackson Center Interview w/ Steve Roth Executive Director of ORAM (Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration) is guest. "ORAM protects and empowers LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees globally.." The Robert H. Jackson Center   is based in Jamestown NY; their mission is "to advance public awareness and appreciation of the principles of justice and the rule of law as embodied in the achievements and legacy of Robert H. Jackson, U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Chief U.S. Prosecutor at Nuremberg."

GEMISH                     

Nov 27 till mid-2022  - "We Were At The School. We Were There. We Remember"   Exhibition will explore the history of the Thomas School on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, including the personal experiences of surviving students. Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, 82 West Hetzel Street , Salamanca, NY, (716) 945-1760 snim@sni.org senecamuseum.org

Dec 11 - Banned Books Ball  Fundraiser for Erie Regional Library Foundation. Check page for updates related to recent COVID concerns. 

Crawford County Historical Society: A look at two utopian communities in Crawford Co. Phalanx colony (1840s) and Oz (1968)

National Coalition for the Homeless Opening First-Ever Field Office in Cleveland "will work to establish relationships with homeless organizations across the Midwest. "

WORKING PEOPLE

Dec 9 - Brewing Workplace Democracy: Starbucks and the Slow Drip of Starting a Union Virtual Event 10:00am to 11:30am Host: Buffalo Co-Lab. Starbucks workers at three stores in the Buffalo, New York area are currently voting on whether to unionize, with the NLRB expected to count the ballots on December 9, and three more stores have filed for elections.

Gov. Wolf Takes New Action to Help Tipped Workers, Calls on Legislature to Finally Boost Wages, Support Paid Sick Leave 
U.S. Taxpayers Bankrolled General Electric. Then It Moved Its Workforce Overseas

STRAYER STRIKE   

From Ironworkers Rising Facebook page:

"As we head into the snowy, freezing Erie winter, we’re fundraising for food, supplies, and healthcare costs for striking Ironworkers at Erie Strayer Co.[Local 851]

"These workers have been on strike since October 4, 2021 and deserve so much more.

"If you can donate, any amount of money will help us and our families fight one day longer, one day stronger."

For GoFundMe link go to  Ironworkers Rising  Facebook page or Erie Strayer Strike

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Photos: Deb Spilko (top), Ironworkers Rising (Strayer strike), Ken Thomas (downy woodpecker)

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In non-pandemic times, this is a calendar of events for people who believe "a better world is possible." Published monthly.  Focus is local/regional. Not affiliated with any organization All upcoming event listings are nonviolent. Event submissions send to moonkat2014@gmail.com

VISIT BLOG AT https://eriebluegreen.blogspot.com/