Prisoners’ Rights

Giving Tuesday; Bidding Owl Auction; Talking Peace; Speak-out on ECHC

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 10^th – 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 31^st deadline! The program allows individuals whose tickets are older (i.e., issued prior to June 30^th, 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

Annual Fundraiser; ‘Protect the Results’ rally

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 53^rd 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!

Peace, thanks, solidarity, and yes – love!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Thanks; Early Voting; Annual Event; Colored Girls Bike Too (Black only)

Saturday, October 24^th, 2020

This is a critical time, and we know this especially because our website is regularly being hacked. Someone doesn’t want us to do what we need to do, so we want to alert you all since it has affected our posts, including our event calendar. Please note that 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 on our site, feel free to email assistant@wnypeace.org.

We would also like to take this as another opportunity to thank all of you, our members and supporters, for participating in the Women’s March last weekend as well as recognizing the WNYPC as People’s Choice for the Buffalo Spree’s Best Activist Group. We know that this has been a difficult year for so many, and through all of that, we recognize the peoples’ part in this important work and are so grateful for your support.

TODAY IS THE DAY! Early voting begins in New York, so if you haven’t already, now is the time to make your voting plan! All active registered voters are eligible to cast an early voting ballot at any of the thirty-seven (37) designated early voting locations in Erie County or two (2) locations in Niagara County. Election Inspectors now use Electronic Poll Books and Ballot-on-Demand systems to facilitate early voting, so it is as easy as walking right in with your ID! For a full list of locations, dates, hours, and more details about early voting in WNY, visit bit.ly/wnypeace-gotv2020.

If you are voting today, you can join the Souls to the Polls CommUNITY Early Voting March hosted by a variety of groups including 1199SEIU, Open Buffalo, Coalition for Economic Justice, Voice Buffalo, etc. The rally kicks off at 12:30PM at Community Access Services, 3297 Bailey Ave., Buffalo 14215. We will then march to cast our ballots at the Gloria J. Parks Community Center, 3424 Main St.

On Sunday, Colored Girls Bike Too presents their Halloween Family Bike Ride. Please note that all CGBT events are intended for Black women (cis, trans) and/or Black gender nonconforming individuals to create safe-er spaces. If you received an invite are not a Black woman or GNC Black person, please extend this invite to support the cause and invite someone who is! Please see below for more details.

Lastly, the WNY Peace Center’s 53^rd Annual Fundraiser: An Evening with Dr. Cornel West is now just about two weeks away! Visit bit.ly/wnypeace_cornelwest for all of the details and to purchase your tickets! Due to circumstances related to the public health crisis, we are no longer offering the theater broadcast option, so please join us on Zoom! (For those of you who purchased theater tickets, we will be contacting you via email shortly regarding conversion or refund options.) As with our previous annual events, we will offer a basket raffle, auction, and program book – only this year we are going virtual! We are in need of submissions for the auction items and baskets as well as program ads, so please contact assistant@wnypeace.org if you would like to donate! If you would like to submit an ad, visit the event page above.

Peace, thanks, solidarity, and yes – love!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3