April 30th, 2020
This is a special edition of the Weekly Update to remind you about the WNYPC 2020 Annual Membership Meeting on Saturday! We invite you all to gather virtually to review the past year, look forward to this upcoming critically important year, elect new board members, and more!
– All are welcome, though only members can vote. If you’re unsure whether your membership is current, call 716-332-3904 or email office@wnypeace.org. You can re-up your membership AND have the funds matched by donating to our GoFundMe Charity Match campaign.
– To join us on Zoom, use Meeting ID 921 863 476 with password 077319. If you’re calling in, first dial 1-646-558-8656.
Meet our amazing selection of 2020 WNYPC Board Candidates! (You can find additional details – including their vision statements – on our website here.)
– Oladipupo Daniel AJIROBA, Action Corps/Network rep and community worker, originally from Nigeria
– Valentino Dixon, artist, community activist, philosopher, and recipient of the WNY Peace Center’s 2019 Emerging Leaders’ Award, exonerated after 27 years of unjust incarceration
– Rosanna Granada, Chemical Engineer, researcher, activist, and artist
– Cariol Horne, former police officer and peace activist
– Kelly Ann Kowalski, Network of Religious Communities’ Food for All Director and food activist
– Franchelle Parker, Executive Director, Open Buffalo; and community leader
Also be sure to tune in to next week’s Talking Peace on WBNY featuring board candidate Franchelle Parker. And take special note of the May 9th event featuring great heroes, the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, before their May 28-29 sentencing. Together, they will speak with a panel of other amazing activists featuring WNYPC Annual Dinner Keynote Speakers Medea Benjamin (2019) and Dr. Cornel West (2020!).
Please see details and much more below, including special events this week, regularly scheduled events, campaigns, fundraisers, and more at wnypeace.org, on our Facebook page, Twitter (@wnypeace), and Instagram (@wnypeace)! *** And lastly, a reminder to pace yourselves – do only what you can without engaging in digital overload. No one call do it all. Let us know what kind of help you might need from the WNYPC; please feel free to reach out!
Peace, thanks, solidarity and yes – love.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
April 21st, 2020
This is a time of year with many holy days – Passover, Easter, and the start of Ramadan on Friday. It is a time to focus on reverence for life, fostering new life. Despite everything, this season is still going on, including our lives. In that spirit, we highlight the Helping Hands opportunities below:
– The WNYPC 2020 Annual Membership Meeting is now less than two weeks away! On Saturday, May 2nd, join our Zoom Meeting to gather virtually to review the past year, look forward to this upcoming critically important year, elect new board members, and more! All are welcome, though only members can vote. If you’re not sure whether your membership is current, call 716-332-3904 or email office@wnypeace.org. (You can also re-up your membership on our website’s home page or under the Get Involved drop-down menu.) To join, use Meeting ID 921 863 476 with password 077319. If you’re calling in, first dial 1-646-558-8656.
– From Wednesday, April 22nd (the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!) through Friday, April 24th, activists, performers, thought leaders, and artists will come together for an empowering, inspiring, and communal three day livestream mobilization, Earth Day Live. The fights against the coronavirus and the climate crisis go hand-in-hand, and as we work to flatten the curve of this pandemic, we must strive toward the longer-term goal of building a society rooted in sustainability and justice. Strike, divest, and vote for our future.
– The online World Conference to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Resist and Reverse the Climate Crisis, and for Social and Economic Justice will convene this Saturday from 9-11am EST. Register here – 1,000 people can join directly. Livestream to be posted at worldconference2020.org. The conference will be recorded. In the context of suffering and changes being wrought by the pandemic, the two-hour world conference will focus on the continuing urgent need to abolish nuclear weapons and its relationship to stanching the climate emergency and challenging injustices which have left so many people marginalized and vulnerable.
– A reminder that voting by mail and electoral integrity are more important than ever! The federal government must set aside money to cover mailing and ensure fair, safe, and accessible voting is available to all. We shouldn’t have to choose between voting and our health! We also always need a paper trail! Check out this call to action in NYS, and find more information about the push for vote-by-mail here. We also suggest watching this informative documentary film, Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections – free on HBO only in April!
*** Please remember to pace yourselves – do only what you can without engaging in digital overload. No one call do it all! *** Please pick and choose from more below, including special events this week, regularly scheduled events, campaigns, fundraisers, and more at wnypeace.org, on our Facebook page, Twitter (@wnypeace), and Instagram (@wnypeace)! And let us know what kind of help you might need from the WNYPC – please reach out!
Peace, thanks, solidarity and yes – love.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
16 April 2020
Over this past month we have seen that despite our physical distancing efforts, there is a lot of work still to be done. There seems to be more happening than ever, and to prevent us each from becoming digitally overwhelmed, we are offering this neatly organized list of Helping Hands opportunities. Please pick and choose from these wisely – self-care is so important, especially right now – and we need to remember to keep our balance.
LOCAL OPPORTUNITIES
– The Immigrant & Refugee Justice (IRJ or “urge”) taskforce is, as of TODAY, beginning a weekly digital rally (#IRJtoRally) as well as rebooting their physically distant vigils at the local ICE field office (more below) to show support for immigrant and refugee communities. Also, don’t forget the IRJ monthly taskforce meeting TONIGHT where they will announce a new book club, #IRJtoRead! If interested, you can find more information on our website, the IRJ FB group, and Linktree – please share!
– BPS students are returning from spring break, and COVID-19 food service resumed as of yesterday. Breakfast and lunch meals are provided to children every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at various BPS locations, and they need help delivering food to those families who cannot make it to the schools. (You can find specific schedule details here.) If you are interested in helping out, please call 716-816-7100 (menu 7) and keep in mind that all safety precautions are in place to keep you and the recipients safe.
NATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
– As we are seeing, voting by mail is more important than ever! The federal government needs to set aside money for this to cover mailing costs and ensure that fair, safe, and accessible voting is available to all. We should not have to choose between voting and our health! Check out this call to action in NYS, and find more information about the push for vote-by-mail here. We also suggest watching this informative documentary film, Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections – free on HBO only in April – here!
– On a similar note, we need to continue supporting the United States Postal Service! This pandemic could deal a fatal blow to this constitutionally mandated service. Some great tips on how you can help here, including stocking up on cute stamps straight from usps.com!
INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
– On the world front, the Secretary General of the UN proposed a global ceasefire during the coronavirus pandemic; several dozen nations have expressed support, and several have ceased firing. Wars seem to have paused in Yemen (questionable), Colombia, and Cameroon. Please join us and others in urging all governments to commit to and abide by the global ceasefire.
– Lastly, we are pleased to announce that free registration is open for the Online World Conference 2020 to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Resist & Reverse Climate Change, and for Economic & Social Justice. We encourage you to register and participate; find more information below.
Please see much more below, including special events this week, regularly scheduled events, 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
