Vermont-based Bread and Puppet Theater will present its iconic, politically radical puppet circus at Springville Heritage Park on Friday, September 16th.
With roots in the Vietnam anti-war protests, the internationally celebrated theater has been based in Vermont since the early 1970s, and is one of the oldest, nonprofit, political theatre companies in the country.
Bread and Puppet Theater will present their Domestic Resurrection Circus: a bright, raucous melee of short acts governed by a brass band, addressing the heart of the current moment with diverse puppetry styles and spanning many moods, from slapstick to the sublime. Their visually rich shows are political and very spectacular, with puppets often on stilts, wearing huge masks with expressive faces, singing, dancing and playing music.
This is is a bring-your-own-chair, outdoor type of event. There is a suggested donation of between $10-$20, but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. After each show, Bread and Puppet will serve its famous sourdough rye bread with aioli.
September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month.
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.
The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.
Featuring Keynote Speaker, Leah Penniman, Author, Founding Co-Director and Farm Manager of Soul Fire Farm
Leah Penniman (Li*/Ya/She/He) is a Black Kreyol educator, farmer/peyizan, author, and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, NY. Li has over 20 years of experience as a soil steward and food sovereignty activist, having worked at the Food Project, Farm School, Many Hands Organic Farm, Youth Grow and with farmers internationally in Ghana, Haiti, and Mexico.
Leah co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2010 with the mission to reclaim our inherent right to belong to the earth and have agency in the food system as Black and Brown people. As co-Executive Director, Li is part of a team that facilitates powerful food sovereignty programs – including farmer trainings for Black & Brown people, a subsidized farm food distribution program for people living under food apartheid, and domestic and international organizing toward equity in the food system. Her areas of leadership at Soul Fire include farmer training, international solidarity, perennials, writing, speaking, “making it rain,” and anything that involves heavy lifting, sweat, and soil. Li’s book “Farming While Black” is a love song for the earth and her peoples.
Leah holds an MA in Science Education and BA in Environmental Science and International Development from Clark University, and is a Manye (Queen Mother) in Vodun. Leah has been farming since 1996 and teaching since 2002. The work of Leah and Soul Fire Farm has been recognized by the Soros Racial Justice Fellowship, Fulbright Program, Omega Sustainability Leadership Award, Presidential Award for Science Teaching, NYS Health Emerging Innovator Awards, and Andrew Goodman Foundation, among others. Her book, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide is a love song to the land and her people.
Awards
We’re honored to offer the following awards at the Western New York Peace Center’s 55th Annual Dinner:
Families and Survivors of the 5/14 Massacre will receive the Phoenix Award to recognize their tremendous labor of love emerging from the ashes of horrific grief and trauma (copy will also be given to the May 14 Community Collecting Initiative of the Buffalo History Museum and B&EC Public Library System).
Yanenowi Logan, Seneca deer clan, Cornell University Environment & Sustainability student, re-establisher of Seneca Youth Council, will receive the Emerging Leader Award;
Dr. Charley Bowman, scientist & activist, former WNYPC Director and Environmental Justice Taskforce Chair, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tickets & Menu
We are excited to announce that this event will be catered by Sunshine Vegan Eats.
Served buffet-style. All sides are vegan and will be available with either protein choice (baked chicken OR vegan meatloaf): collard greens, mac and “cheese”, string beans, and artisan bread. Dessert will be peach cobbler.
Leah holds an MA in Science Education and BA in Environmental Science and International Development from Clark University, and is a Manye (Queen Mother) in Vodun. Leah has been farming since 1996 and teaching since 2002. The work of Leah and Soul Fire Farm has been recognized by the Soros Racial Justice Fellowship, Fulbright Program, Omega Sustainability Leadership Award, Presidential Award for Science Teaching, NYS Health Emerging Innovator Awards, and Andrew Goodman Foundation, among others. Her book,