ACTIVISM
Erie County PA Activism Comprehensive list of local actions, resources, and groups. all in one easy-to-search place. Updated often! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GQMvq8gAOiFI9niSPC0PkE5tdwzbdwhZS_L_FEsHn88/edit?tab=t.0
Erie County PA Activism Comprehensive list of local actions, resources, and groups. all in one easy-to-search place. Updated often! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GQMvq8gAOiFI9niSPC0PkE5tdwzbdwhZS_L_FEsHn88/edit?tab=t.0
r/EriePaPolitics https://www.reddit.com/r/EriePaPolitics/ "This is for Erie County, Pa (and surrounding counties) to voice your political opinions, see upcoming peaceful protests, & stay informed about local, state and federal government elections!"
ARTS & FESTS
Erie Juneteenth Week long series of events...Annual block party Saturday June 20th at Perry Square starting 11am
Jamestown Juneteenth June 19-21 Check page for updates.
Jamestown Pridefest June 7 Winter Garden Plaza, 313 N Main St, Jamestown, NY "celebrated in conjunction with the Jamestown Farmers Market opening day, featuring local vendors, nonprofits, organizations - and, of course, performances ... proudly presented by Evergreen Health."
NWPA Pride events multiple events, Erie and Meadville.
Chautauqua Cinema scheduled to open June 27, 2026
The Amerimasala July 18 Perry Square Erie PA Parade 11am at 4th & State, Festival at noon Perry Square. Food, music, programming.
Natalie Merchant at Chautauqua Institute Lecture Series on July 29th at 10:45am, Amphitheater & Online $40. Cabinet of Wonder Live! A Free Family Concert with Natalie Merchant & The CHQ Symphony Orchestra Sunday, August 2 at 3pm Amphitheatre. Free (Ticket Required)
Natalie Merchant at Chautauqua Institute Lecture Series on July 29th at 10:45am, Amphitheater & Online $40. Cabinet of Wonder Live! A Free Family Concert with Natalie Merchant & The CHQ Symphony Orchestra Sunday, August 2 at 3pm Amphitheatre. Free (Ticket Required)
Seth Myers at Lucille Ball Comedy Festival August 9 at 5:00 p.m. (Northwest Arena) Jamestown NY NY
Indigo Girls in concert September 10 @ 7:00 PM Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua NY
BIKE & ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Presque Isle Water Taxi and EMTA P.I, Express available for car-free travel to or on Presque Isle during the warm months.
Safe Streets for All Jamestown (WRFA) Audio 42 min
PA Micromobility Fact Sheet (PennDOT) Laws and capabilities of bicycles, e-bikes, segways, motor scooters, motorized pedalcycles, and electric scooters
EMTA Transit Development Plan project website "The project website features project status updates, key findings and data, and information on how you can get involved." EMTA monitoring ridership as gas prices continue to climb (Erie News Now)
BLACK HISTORY
Community members shared stories and memories of family, work, migration, and neighborhood life that were professionally recorded ensuring they are accessible for future generations to come. The premier will feature an exclusive screening and conversation with Pulitzer Prize Winner, Dr. Edda Fields-Black, author of COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War. In a partnership with Erie’s Black Wall Street and Morgan Moody the film producer who worked on the Voices of History projects in Pittsburgh and Scranton. The Voices of History Erie videos will appear on PA Humanities’ website and on their YouTube page."
Marker, complex name honor Erie's known first Underground Railroad conductor (Valerie Myers/Erie Times-News) "A formerly enslaved Erie woman who helped conduct others to freedom was remembered in ceremonies on lower Parade Street on March 27"
The Greyhound Bus and the Secret History of the Great Migration (City Club of Cleveland) 4./8/2026 Video 62 min "The work of Cleveland historian Robert Edwards focuses on the architecture of the Great Migration--the spaces, built environments, and vehicles essential to the experience of the journey north and west. In recent years, Edwards acquired and is restoring a vintage 1947 Greyhound Bus, destined to become an interactive museum experience."
Also see Liz Allen remembering Bettye Walker (scroll to WOMEN category)
COMMUNITY
Town Hall Meeting and Community Gathering Sunday, May 17, 2026 4:30 PM 7:30 PM The 1020 Collective 1020 Holland St. Erie, PA. Hosted by Deonte Cooley and guest speakers and panelists. All welcome.
Commentary and Call to Action: Closure of the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Irvine, PA (from Allegheny Outfitters)
Benevolent Beers: Groundwork Erie May, 14 Erie Ale Works 416 W. 12th St. Erie PA. Every sale rung in between 5:00pm and 8:00pm will provide a donation to this group.
2026 Virtual PA Lobby Day for a Clean Energy Future May 28 8:30 am - 5:30pm "co-sponsored by Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Clean Air Action, Evergreen Action, KEEA, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA, POWER, Solar United Neighbors, Sierra Club PA, Vote Solar, PennFuture, Conservation Voters of PA, PennPIRG, Third Act PA, Young Involved Philly, Pennsylvania Bipartisan Climate Initiative, with additional groups TBA."
CHQ: Sylvia Earle Friday, July 3rd 2026 @ 10:45 am |$40 Amphitheatre and Online
ELECTIONS
April 30, 2026 Board of Elections Special Meeting (Erie County PA) Video 46:31 min. Also available: captions and transcript. Several speakers in public comments and County COuncilmembers Jim Wertz and Rock Copeland made indepth made statements about the removal of Jim Wertz May 5 Regular meeting of Erie County Council Regarding removal of Jim Wertz, many public comments plus statements by Councilmember Wertz and Rock Copeland.
Rep. Neguse (D-CO) exchange with Mike Kelly over non-binding resolution celebrating a bill that passed last year (r/Pennsylvania) Kelly's opponent and everyone else really need to share this clip
Know Your Election Day voting rights (ACLU od PA)
Gibson Park Market in North East Gibson Park, North East PA Starts June 13
Little Italy Farmers Market 331 W. 18th St, Erie PA Starts in June 3pm-8pm
Wild Field Urban Farm Plant Shop 633 E. 7th Erie PA Fri-Sat May 9-May 30 9am-2pm Also select plants at Herb & Honey Bakery starting May 2.
Annual CommUnity Seedling Swap/Sale Sunday, May 17 11:00 AM 2:00 PM The 1020 Collective 1020 Holland St. Erie, PA,
FLOCK
FOOD
Farmers Markets and Locally Grown
🍅Region
🍅Erie County
LEAF Open Market Saturdays | 10AM-2PM W. 8th street side of Frontier Park. Starts June 13Gibson Park Market in North East Gibson Park, North East PA Starts June 13
Little Italy Farmers Market 331 W. 18th St, Erie PA Starts in June 3pm-8pm
Pay-What-You Can Farmer's Market Various locations and schedules, check page. Volunteers and donations appreciated. builderie.org/hope/pwyc
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ALSO: check out
🍅Edinboro Market 211 Mill, Edinboro PA
🍅Erie Co-op 1341 W. 26th Erie PA
🍅Wild Urban Farm 633 E. 7th Erie PA
🍅Edinboro Market 211 Mill, Edinboro PA
🍅Erie Co-op 1341 W. 26th Erie PA
🍅Wild Urban Farm 633 E. 7th Erie PA
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Plants Wild Field Urban Farm Plant Shop 633 E. 7th Erie PA Fri-Sat May 9-May 30 9am-2pm Also select plants at Herb & Honey Bakery starting May 2.
Annual CommUnity Seedling Swap/Sale Sunday, May 17 11:00 AM 2:00 PM The 1020 Collective 1020 Holland St. Erie, PA,
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CaféTaste & See Courthouse Cafe is now open, happily filling a place the previous administration left empty for who knows what reason. Cafe is open to the public.
Care Supply Kit Drive at Purrista Purrista Cat Cafe is at 30 W. 8th Erie PA "Purrista will be hosting a care kit supply drive starting May 1 - June 24th in the cafe. We are asking for donations to assemble kits to help unhoused people in our local community meet their daily needs." See link for details.
What to know about Erie's new zoning rules for development, ADUs (Kevin Flowers/Erie Times-News) "ADUs are smaller, independent residential units located on the same lot as a stand-alone/detached single-family home. A small backyard guest house would be an example"
IMMIGRANTS
Donate to the Erie Legal Retainer Fund "Benedictines for Peace has established an Erie Legal Retainer Fund gives ICE detainees from the Erie region hope and connection. Your gift will help to ensure that detained immigrants in Northwestern PA receive quick access to legal representation, regardless of their status. The fund will offset costs associated with initial consultations, retaining representation, filing habeas corpus petitions, and other efforts to protect their rights. (This fund cannot pay for bonds.) 100% of the fund goes toward legal expenses."
Whistle kit assembly night Hosted by Purrista Cat Cafe on Wednesday, May 27 @5:30 - 7:00 pm. Purrista is at 30 W 8th Street Erie, PA. 814-520-8494
"You Are Not Alone: Community Witness for Immigrants, Migrants and Refugees" Friday June 12 at 12:15 PM at the Federal Courthouse. The prayer leader for June 12 is the Mission and Social Witness Committee of the Presbytery of Lake Erie. The witness is held second Friday of each month. Organized by Benedictines for Peace and NETWORK: Erie County Advocates for Catholic Social Justice. The witness focuses on prayer, solidarity, and advocating for human dignity against deportation and family separation. Information: ErieNetworkAdvocates@gmail.com
Ancestors' wisdom, trauma is in my DNA, an immigrant story | Opinion by Margarita Dangel (Erie Times News) No paywall
World Refugee Day 2026 Jun 26 6-9pm Perry Square Erie PA Details TBA Partnership between Erie Downtown Partnership, Erie Arts & Culture, City of Erie Government, Erie Art Museum, Catholic Charities-CCCAS-Erie, the MCRC - Multicultural Community Resource Center, expERIEnce Children's Museum, and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
Erie and Pittsburgh immigrant rights advocates complete 100 mile march to Moshannon detention center (Erie News Now)
JUSTICE
Bryan Stevenson on Courage at Severance Music Center 11001 Euclid Ave Cleveland, OH 7pm May 18 In person or live online followed by a moderated Q&A"acclaimed civil rights leader, bestselling author of Just Mercy, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative."
Second Chances for Juvenile Lifers in the Prison Population May 28 | 6:00 PM Speaker: Theodore W. Johnson, M.S.Location: ECAT: Erie Center for Arts and Technology – 650 East Ave., Ada Lawrence Community Room, Erie, PA FREE register online
Bryan Stevenson on Courage at Severance Music Center 11001 Euclid Ave Cleveland, OH 7pm May 18 In person or live online followed by a moderated Q&A"acclaimed civil rights leader, bestselling author of Just Mercy, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative."
Second Chances for Juvenile Lifers in the Prison Population May 28 | 6:00 PM Speaker: Theodore W. Johnson, M.S.Location: ECAT: Erie Center for Arts and Technology – 650 East Ave., Ada Lawrence Community Room, Erie, PA FREE register online
Summary of public comments and County Council Council response on disbanding Erie County Re-entry Services and Support Alliance (ECRSSA) (by Alana Sabol / Erie Reader). Link to 4//21 meeting +++. May 5 meeting additional public comments on ECRSSA disbanding.+++
Scott Forster sworn in as Jamestown’s new Police Chief. (Supportive commentary by Jamestown Justice Coalition)
Following an investigation and resignations, what’s next for Pa.’s Human Relations Commission? (Penn Capital-Star)
Heavy-Handed Probation and Parole in PA Prevents People from Moving Forward (Bucks County) PA "has the highest incarceration rate in the Northeast and the nation’s second highest percentage of persons on probation and parole."
LGBTQ+
LGBTQ+
Erie's transgender community finds joy, unity amid ongoing challenges (Nick Sorensen/Erie Times-News) "While dealing with a growing number of legislative bills targeting transgender individuals, Erie's trans community took time March 31 to celebrate having their voices heard in the community."
READS
Latinoland is CHQ 2026 Book Read. Online and in-person. Also,the author Marie Arana will speak at Chautauqua’s Hall of Philosophy at 2:00 p.m., Friday, July 17. Hosts Chautauqua Inst. and YWCA Jamestown.
Jamestown Justice Coalition is starting a book club Online and in-person, FB group is private. "an affinity group for anyone who would like to further explore the mission of the JJC through literature. Books will center around themes of justice, civics, economics, community, diversity, and resistance."
War and the Humanities: A Reading Group June 16 at 6:30pm. Edinboro Branch Library Edinboro PA. "Registration is required for this free program. After registering, stop by the Edinboro Branch Library to pick up your copy of the book."
REPRODUCTIVE
PA Medicaid abortion ban struck down (WHYY) Abortions are legal in PA (PA Dept of Health) Question and answer format. PA enters legal battle to keep access to abortion pill by mail (WESA)
SCHOOLS & YOUTH
Student Walkouts: What Are Students' Rights and How Can Schools Respond? (ACLU-Pennsylvania) "Here’s some guidance on the legality of different types of school responses to student walkouts:"
ACLU Students' Rights Handbook (ACLU Pennsylvania) "If you are a public school student in Pennsylvania, you have rights. This booklet tells you about those rights, when you can use them, and when school officials and police can limit them"
ACLU Students' Rights Handbook (ACLU Pennsylvania) "If you are a public school student in Pennsylvania, you have rights. This booklet tells you about those rights, when you can use them, and when school officials and police can limit them"
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Summer stuffYMCA Summer Day Camp (locations throughout Erie County)
Summer of Reading in the City of Erie
Cathedral of St Paul awarded grant funds to support LGBTQ+ inclusivity and safe space (Erie News Now) Radiant Faith Ministry "in partnership with Compton’s Table, creates a gathering space for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies, fostering community and inclusive experiences within the church."
Hildegard of Bingen, Herbs, and the Greening Power: Women's Bodies and Balance with the Natural World Presented by Dr. Minji Lee from Montclair State University May 30 1-3PM Erie Art Museum 20 East 5th St. Erie, PA "This lecture draws on Dr. Minji Lee’s recent publication, The Medieval Womb: Hildegard of Bingen's Views on the Female Reproductive Body. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), was a German Benedictine nun..." Registration preferred.
Mysticism & Resistance Summer Book Club Monthly on Wednesdays at 6-7pm June 3; July 1; August 12 at Werner Books, 3608 Liberty St, Erie PA. Hosted by Erie Spiritual Coalition
SPIRIT
At CHQ: The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde Sunday, June 28 @ 11:00 am Amphitheater & Online The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde serves as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. In this role, she serves as spiritual leader for the congregations and Episcopal schools in the DC and four Maryland counties that comprise the Episcopal Diocese of Washington Yolanda Pierce July 2 @2pm at Hall of Philosophy & Online "Yolanda Pierce is a scholar, writer, womanist theologian and accomplished administrator in higher education...Pierce’s newest book is The Wounds Are the Witness: Black Faith Weaving Memory into Justice and Healing, which explores how Black faith traditions hold memory, confront injustice and cultivate healing."
WOMEN
Liz allen
Chautauqua Instiution's Week One: June 27–July 4, 2026 Theme: Icons and Instigators: Women Who Change the World.https://www.goerie.com/
sojourner expressions
WORKING PEOPLE
May Day Worker Cooperative Workshop Kicks Off Research Team Speaker Series (By Emerson Bannon Cutri / Portside ) "On Friday, May 1st, the Erie Research Team held a workshop on cooperatives and worker ownership in downtown Erie. Around 40 people packed the room at St. Paul’s Cathedral on W. 7th St, affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The headline speaker was Autumn Vogel, an experienced cooperative developer and progressive member of Meadville City Council. Cooperatives are businesses run by members on set of principles including democracy and shared ownership. For example, in a worker cooperative the business is co-owned equally by the workers, and in a housing cooperative it is owned by its residents.
sojourner expressions
WORKING PEOPLE
May Day Worker Cooperative Workshop Kicks Off Research Team Speaker Series (By Emerson Bannon Cutri / Portside ) "On Friday, May 1st, the Erie Research Team held a workshop on cooperatives and worker ownership in downtown Erie. Around 40 people packed the room at St. Paul’s Cathedral on W. 7th St, affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The headline speaker was Autumn Vogel, an experienced cooperative developer and progressive member of Meadville City Council. Cooperatives are businesses run by members on set of principles including democracy and shared ownership. For example, in a worker cooperative the business is co-owned equally by the workers, and in a housing cooperative it is owned by its residents.
The Erie Research Team is a volunteer-run policy and research group, which works with local grassroots organizations and progressive public officials, and is the publisher of Portside. This was the inaugural event of their Speaker Series, giving an alternative perspective to the traditional events held by other organizations in Erie."
MARLENE
In Memoriam: Sister Marlene Bertke OSB who passed March 21, 2026 at the age of 94. You can read her community's prayer, remembrance, and celebration of "a lifetime of cultivating peace, justice, and mouthwatering tomatoes" at
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