Keeping our Balance & Making Change #Truth #Love #WomenLead #MLK
Sunday, January 10th, 2021
We know we are all reeling and need to keep going in these troubled times – with our groundedness and balance. While we care for ourselves and one another, we know our work – in the right spirit – is more important than ever to make the changes that are so needed.
This afternoon at 4, please join this week’s Riverside Salem meeting as they’re hosting Christine Eber who’ll discuss her work along the US/Mexico border. This Buffalonian anthropologist has worked with the Weaving for Justice women’s collective in Chiapas for many years. Come for inspiration – all are welcome. Please see meeting details below.
Beginning tomorrow, please join Witness Against Torture for a full line-up of events including a fast, vigils, webinars, and solidarity actions. There will also be a vigil and press conference (with masks and physical distancing) at the Robert H. Jackson Courthouse (Niagara Square) on the need to close Guantánamo. Justice delayed is justice denied! Limited orange jumpsuits and black hoods will be used – see more below and on our website.
We are very sad to announce the passing of Jim Mang: beloved peacemaker, devoted activist, and the WNY Peace Center’s director from 1979-2000. His true commitment to peace and justice was deep and lifelong! Our deep condolences, gratitude, and love to the Mang family and the community. Calling hours (with masks, physical distancing, and capacity rules) are tomorrow, 1/11 from 3-7 PM at Ginnane Funeral Home – see below for details.
We’d like to remind you that the Women’s March WNY/MLK weekend is now less than one week away! Don’t miss this great opportunity to collaborate for our beloved community! #WomenLead – this time on Zoom, not in 65 MPH gale force winds (nor any COVID risks!). With music, poetry, and breakout sessions with local women leaders – see more (including featured speakers and co-sponsors) at bit.ly/wnypeace_WM2021.
Also get your pink WNYPC t-shirt as a membership gift in time for the Women’s March next week! Join at bit.ly/wnypeace_join (and also for our Membership Meeting in 3-weeks on 1/31)! Pick up your shirt during our office hours: M/T/R 2-4 PM or by appointment (email office@wnypeace.org).
Lastly, in these challenging times, please refer to our post-event offerings with Dr. Cornel West for continued inspiration. We are happy to share that we just recently added the full transcript of our 53rd annual event!
Please see details and much more – including special and regularly scheduled events this week – plus campaigns, fundraisers, and more at wnypeace.org, on our Facebook page, Twitter (@wnypeace), and Instagram (@wnypeace)!
Peace, thanks, solidarity, and yes – love!
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS
Find more details and additional special events on our Event Calendar at
SUNDAY, 1/10
4 PM – Riverside Salem: Weaving for Justice w/Christine Eber. On Zoom (Meeting ID: 363 944 0486 and Passcode: 756084).
MONDAY, 1/11
11 AM – WAT Vigil & Press Conference: Close Guantánamo. At Robert H. Jackson U.S. Federal Courthouse (2 Niagara Square, Buffalo). See above for full details.
1 PM – Witness Against Torture Fast for Justice week-long events begin. See full schedule here.
1 PM – Talking Peace with the WNYPC. 1st hour: Clare Grady on Epiphany; Catholic Workers/ Plowshares; Witness Against Torture; Kings Bay Plowshares 7, nuclear weapons (including Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons). 2nd hour: Agnes Williams, Seneca, Indigenous Women’s Initiatives on nuclear waste, West Valley clean-up; United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP); Prior Free & Informed Consent (to land use, etc.); Environmental Justice/ care for Mother Earth; People and the Planet
3 PM – Calling hours for Jim Mang. At Ginnane Funeral Home, 3215 Delaware Ave., Kenmore. Calling hours with masks, physical distancing, capacity limits. Funeral and burial are private.
5PM – “Rights or Rightlessness? The Lives of Men Imprisoned at Guantánamo.” On Zoom – register here. Join the virtual conversation as this month marks 19 years that the prison at Guantanamo Bay has been open. Featuring speakers Mohamedou Ould Slahi, Baher Azmy, and Dr. A. Naomi Paik, with moderators Dr. Maha Hilal and Aliya Hussain.
THURSDAY, 1/14
9:30 AM – Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) 2021 Community Agenda Rollout. On Zoom – register in advance here. Each year, PPG invites their growing network of partners to develop proposals for ways to change local or state policies to advance equality, sustainability, and cultural vibrancy in the Buffalo Niagara region. The partners take a vote, and the top ten proposals become the focus of PPG’s work for the coming year.
SATURDAY, 1/16
2 PM – WNY Women’s March 2021. On Zoom – register in advance here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. This year’s themes include positive goals as the opposite of Dr. King’s triple(/quadruple/quintuple) evils of society: Women in… Universal Solidarity; Peacemaking; Cooperative Economics; Sustainability; Reverence for Life. Interested in being a co-sponsor? Email assistant@wnypeace.org.
SUNDAY, 1/17
2 PM – #HALTSolitary Meeting. On Zoom (Meeting ID: 841 0697 4623 and Passcode: HALTnow)
MONDAY, 1/18 – MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY
5:30 PM – The Buffalo 5’s Prayer Vigil 2021. At 143 Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14203-1629 (outside WUFO – no need to exit vehicle) and broadcast on Legendary Mix 1080 AM WUFO/96.5 FM. The Buffalo 5 are down to their best/final chance to gain a reversal of their wrongful 1977 murder indictment and conviction. Numerous local clergy have invited to lead the community in prayer that the 1/20 court appearance of the Buffalo 5 results in their Motion To Vacate Indictment Number 41-413 being upheld – and then on the path to a thorough exoneration.
TUESDAY, 1/19
6 PM – Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ-Buffalo) Special General Meeting. On Zoom – register here. Explore what white supremacist groups are organizing here in WNY, tactics they are using, their connections to recent national events, and how SURJ is going to need you in their future work. Members both new and already committed are equally welcome at this meeting.
FRIDAY, 1/22
SAVE THE DATE: Entry Into Force Day for TPNW. On this day, the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will enter into force. To mark the day that nuclear weapons become illegal under international law, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) campaigners and other anti-nuclear activists around the world will be hosting a huge range of actions and activities. Find one near you (or online in your time zone) here.
MONDAY, 1/25
2 PM – “World Says No to War on Yemen” Global Day of Action. Stop the War Coalition webinar with various internationally known artists, musicians, members of French and UK parliaments, and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The WNYPC is also working with the Lackawanna Yemeni community to possibly hold a local event – TBD. #YemenCantWait
SUNDAY, 1/31
2 PM – WNYPC Membership Meeting. On Zoom – meeting details TBA.
UPCOMING REGULARLY SCHEDULED EVENTS
Find more details and additional weekly/monthly events on our website at
wnypeace.org/wp/regularly-scheduled-events
MONDAYS
1pm – Talking Peace (WNYPC radio show). On WBNY 91.3 FM or streaming online at wbny.buffalostate.edu. Insights on peace and justice with the WNYPC. At the moment, the show is being pre-recorded by Think Twice Radio: The Home of the Future!
WEDNESDAYS
3pm – Weekly Vigil and March Against the Death Penalty. From the Robert L. Jackson Courthouse to the ECHC. Please bring your own signs.
4pm – Prisoners’ Rights weekly vigil: No More ECHC Deaths! at the Erie County Holding Center. Please bring your own signs.
THURSDAYS
5pm – Immigrant & Refugee Justice (IRJ) weekly vigil: End Ice Terror! Outside the Delaware North Building. Please bring your own signs.
FRIDAYS
2pm – Environmental Justice weekly vigil: No Nuclear Waste over the Peace Bridge! At Front Park. Signs on hand.
SATURDAYS
12 pm – Women in Black weekly vigil. At Elmwood & Bidwell. Signs on hand.
UPDATED: CAMPAIGNS BY ISSUE AREA
Find more details and additional campaigns and fundraisers at
wnypeace.org/wp/current-campaign
wnypeace.org/wp/organizing-in-wny
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
– Call MN Governor Tim Walz at 651-201-3400 to urge him and other officials (e.g., Congressman Keith Ellison) to stop Line 3. Visit the Water Protectors website for information on needed donations and coming out to put your body on the line to protect Mother Earth, the waters, and the creation. Donations (physical items and/or monetary) also gratefully received at Burning Books (420 Connecticut St, Buffalo, 14213 – open daily, 11am – 7pm) or to Nekanehsakt’s PayPal. #DefendTheSacred #WaterIsLife
– Join the West Valley Action Network and support the full cleanup of one of WNY’s most dangerous radioactive pollution problems. Help protect our drinking water, environmental, and community! Join in proactively protecting our region from the long-lasting, deadly nuclear and hazardous waste at the West Valley site. Please also contact all of your legislators – local, state, and federal – to urge full covered cleanup with extensive monitoring!
POLICING CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
– Please support the Cariol Horne Whistleblower Fund!
– Contact ECDA John Flynn’s office (by phone: 716-858-2424 and by web: https://www2.erie.gov/da/) urging him to:
- drop all charges against Willie Henley! If you are able, please also contribute to Willie’s lawyer fee funds at gofundme.com/f/willie-henley-lawyer-fee
- re-visit the Buffalo 5 case (indictment no. 41-413)! Three of the original Buffalo 5 remain living and are seeking a complete exoneration and clearing of their names. Please also see the change.org petition and GoFundMe.com campaign.
- give Deyanna Davis more freedom while she’s in house arrest! Visit linktr.ee/deyannadavis for a petition, fundraiser, and more information.
– Buffalo needs LEAD now! We recently saw a clear example of how the current way police respond to community members with mental health issues fails our community. This entire situation could have been avoided with Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), a program that offers an alternative to arrest or hospitalization: diverting individuals into intensive management so their underlying needs are addressed. Learn more about LEAD here and SHARE WIDELY!
– Support the demand that the police budget is reallocated to invest in traffic calming infrastructure and take BPD out of traffic enforcement all together. Please fill out the questionnaire shared by Fair Fines + Fees to participate in a budgetary process that aims to make positive changes to the City’s budget. NEW! You can also share your ideas and priorities for changing the Buffalo Police Department through this survey by Free the People WNY.
#UNITEtheStruggles | #OneLove | #WeShallOvercome | #SiSePuede