Sunday, December 6th, 2020
We want to highlight our upcoming Zoom event: Speak-out on Erie County Holding Center. Join the WNYPC this Thursday, December 10th at 6:30 PM – on International Human Rights Day – for an opportunity to share your lived experience and/or perspective on the Erie County Holding Center, and to hear from authorities. Details to join are below.
– Superintendent – Jail Division, Thomas Diina will be attending, as will Miles Gresham, Esq., and Heron Simmonds, members of the Corrections Specialist Advisory Board.
– Heron, Racial Justice Taskforce Co-Chair, and other WNY Peace Center members, including its Racial Justice Taskforce and Prisoners’ Rights Taskforces, will also be involved. Other officials have also been invited (attendance TBD).
– Please come to tell your story and hear what current plans are. We’ll start with a Community Agreement to ensure we have a productive conversation, in truth and love.
Please also join us for the following preparatory events and activities TOMORROW:
– At 1PM, tune in to Talking Peace on WBNY. We’re thrilled, in the first hour, to have Medea Benjamin on, covering Cabinet appointments (tell Biden not to pick Flourney!), endless war, War Powers Act, sanctions, Cuba, and more; followed second hour by a conversation with community activist Myles Carter discussing the Speak-out, Erie County budget, and the vicious cycle of violence visited on BIPOC communities; please see more below.
– At 5PM, join the Racial Justice and Prisoners’ Rights task forces for a joint meeting on Zoom. We’ll plan for the upcoming Speak-out and explore other criminal justice and racial justice issues and campaigns. All are welcome; please see more below.
We also want to mention the recent NAPL victory. National Fuel was denied an extension of its deadline to complete a new pipeline carrying natural gas from PA to Canada through WNY. They’ve won every lawsuit over the pipeline so far, so this rejection is worth celebrating! Kudos to all those who worked on this, especially the Sierra Club and Diana Strablow. Now we need to be persistent on West Valley – please see more on that below.
Lastly, today is the final day of our Annual Fundraiser auction! We had many wonderful donations from our generous supporters, and there is still time to visit our virtual marketplace (Bidding Owl registration required) – perfect for holiday gift ideas! Includes items from great local businesses: El Buen Amigo, Burning Books, Black Monarchy, and more! Ends tonight at 11:59 PM!
Please also note that our campaigns below have been *updated* to include urgent items related environmental justice, antiwar foreign policy, and policing/criminal justice reform!
Please see details and much more below, 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
Sunday, November 29, 2020
In an era of global crisis, we need new rituals to connect us. Giving Tuesday strives to “build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity, and equity around the globe.” If you are able, we ask for your support this upcoming Giving Tuesday, which will allow us to continue our work building a more peaceful and just world.
- One way to support the WNYPC’s mission is through our annual fundraiser! We had many lovely donations from our generous supporters, and there is still time to visit our virtual marketplace (Bidding Owl registation required) – perfect for holiday gift ideas! Includes items from great local businesses: El Buen Amigo, Burning Books, Black Monarchy, and more! Ends Sunday, 12/6 at 11:59 PM.
We want to highlight an upcoming Zoom event: Speak-out on Erie County Holding Center. Join the WNYPC at 6:30 pm on Thursday, December 10th – Human Rights Day – for an opportunity to share your lived experience and/or perspective on the Erie County Holding Center, and to hear from authorities. Details to join are below.
- Superintendent – Jail Division, Thomas Diina will be attending, as will Miles Gresham, Esq., and Heron Simmonds, members of the Corrections Specialist Advisory Board.
- Heron, Racial Justice Taskforce Co-Chair, and other WNY Peace Center members, including its Racial Justice Taskforce and Prisoners’ Rights Taskforces, will also be involved. Other officials have also been invited (attendance TBD).
- Please come to tell your story and hear what current plans are. We’ll start with a Community Agreement to ensure we have a productive conversation, in truth and love.
We also want to encourage you to take advantage of the City of Buffalo’s Parking Amnesty Program by the December 31st deadline! The program allows individuals whose tickets are older (i.e., issued prior to June 30th, 2019) to pay the original amount owed without late fees and clear their records. Contact pvboffice@city-buffalo.com or 716-851-5182 for more information, and please help the Fair Fines + Fees Coalition spread the word about this very important program!
Please also note that our campaigns below have been *updated* to include urgent items related environmental justice, antiwar foreign policy, and policing/criminal justice reform!
Please see details and much more below, 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
Friday, November 6th, 2020
We want to mention that we are still having some issues with our website, and have a wonderful team working to resolve this as soon as possible. We ask that you please note the upcoming event times listed below are correct, but are not currently accurate on our website calendar. If you have any questions about what you are seeing anywhere on our site, please reach out by emailing assistant@wnypeace.org.
Of course we’ll start by mentioning the election; while results are not yet finalized, we are glad to see the count continues moving along and that things are generally calm and peaceful. Please join us tomorrow for the Protect the Results Rally, 12-1:30pm at Niagara Square with masks and physical distancing. We have seen historic voter turnout, with millions of people voting by mail due to the pandemic. Every eligible vote counts!
The WNY Peace Center’s 53rd Annual Fundraiser: An Evening with Dr. Cornel West is now just three days away! If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, there is still time – visit bit.ly/wnypeace_cornelwest for all of the details! If you are unable to attend, please spread the word, share this email, and/or sponsor a ticket for someone! Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this exciting post-election event will be held entirely on Zoom along with a week-long online auction to benefit the WNYPC. Please see our program below:
- Gnonyoh by Jill Clause, Tuscarora
- Introduction to student groups
- Awards, including Alt-imate Activist to Jillian Hanesworth; Emerging Leaders Award to Jalonda Hill; Lifetime Achievement Awards to Roger Cook and June Licence; and two surprise awards!
- Jillian’s performance of her poem, ‘The Revolution Will Rhyme’
- Keynote by Dr. Cornel West
- Q&A
- Gnonyoh by Jill Clause, Tuscarora
We are so excited for the guidance and wisdom Dr. West will surely bring to us at this critical time. We are ready for whatever comes next and know that we have plenty of work ahead of us!
Please see details and much more below, 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
