ROCLA-LASC: Honduras & US Imperialism Today

Jennifer Atlee – worked in Central America since 1984 in the areas of human rights, trauma and recovery and U.S.  policy with Witness for Peace, the Guatemalan Church in Exile, and Nicaraguan Ministry of Social Welfare, AFSC (Quakers), and the Quixote Center. She is the Coordinator of the Nicaragua – United States Friendship Office of the Americas and helped to develop the Honduras Accompaniment Project. She is the author of Red Thread; A Spiritual Journal of Accompaniment, Trauma and Healing, which chronicles her experiences in the war zones of Nicaragua during the U.S. sponsored contra war.

Tom Loudon – worked in Central America for over thirty in the areas of human rights, sustainable development and international policy. He worked with Witness for Peace, the Bloque Inter-Comunitario, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC-Quakers), the Quixote Center, the Alliance For Responsible Trade and served on the Commission of Truth in Honduras following the 2009 coup. Tom has recently retired from the Migrant Workers program for the state of Michigan. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Nicaragua – United States Friendship Office.

Join the ROCLA mailing list to receive Zoom meeting details to join the presentation on April 6, 2022 at 7:00PM!

AAPF: Her Dream Deferred

At the end of each March, in honor of Women’s History Month and the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent, AAPF hosts #HerDreamDeferred, a weeklong series of activities focused on elevating the crisis facing Black women and girls.

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AAPF has hosted Her Dream Deferred to amplify the voices and narratives of Black women and girls. The week long programming challenges the narrative by hosting dialogues that not only speak to the harms that women and girls of color face but also the tools to dismantle those structural barriers that plague them in their homes, schools, and communities.

Monday, March 28th: the first event— a community screening of the documentary ON THESE GROUNDS and a talkback with the film’s producers, participants, and youth activists? We’ll start the screening at 5pm ET, and the talkback will begin immediately after, at 6pm ET. The talkback discussion will feature Vivian Anderson (documentary participant and founder of Every Black Girl), Niya Kenny (documentary participant and member of Every Black Girl), Shandrea Murphy-Washington (AAPF) and Alexa Harmon-Thomas (Represent Justice). The conversation will provide an opportunity for us to center Black women’s voices as they share their responses to the documentary and their own personal testimonies of police violence, punishment and pushout in schools. Register Here And check out the schedule for the rest of the week: Schedule and Registration

Tuesday, March 29 Aftershock This event, co-sponsored by the National Birth Equity Collaborative, features a film screening of Aftershock followed by a talk-back with filmmakers Tonya Lewis Lee and Paula Eiselet, as well as documentary participants Omari Maynard, Shawnee Benton Gibson, and Bruce McIntyer. Screening: 6:30 pm ET Talkback: 8:00 pm ET Register Here Wednesday, March 30 A Labor of Love: Cultivating Restorative Spaces for Women Activists, Healers, & Caregivers Her Dream Deferred’s A Labor of Love event we will cultivate a ritual space for Black women to reflect on a praxis of love and healing. This event will feature conversations with wellness practitioners, followed by breakout rooms that invite participants to practice stillness, lead healing conversations, and teach journaling as a means of self care. Event: 8:00 pm ET This event will feature the following guests/facilitators: Chloe Louvouezo, author and podcastor of Life I Swear | co-founder of Open Door Concept Shawna Murray-Browne, LCSW-C, Principal Consultant at Kindred Wellness LLC, Author of Return to Presence, Mind-Body Medicine Practitioner Imani Samuels, founder of HURU Isis Rae Goulbourne, Intuitive Business Coach Dr. Leslie Nwoke, Physician and Emotional Intelligence Speaker Anana Harris Parris, founder and CEO of the Self Care Agency, LLC Register Here Friday, April 1 In Our Mother’s Garden This event features a film screening of In Our Mother’s Garden, followed by a live interview with filmmaker Shantrelle P. Lewis. Screening: 4:30 pm ET Talkback: 6:00 pm ET Register Here We look forward to seeing you all week long at Her Dream Deferred

Women’s March WNY 2022

All members of the WNY community are invited for solidarity, healing, inspiration, and shared learning and perspectives. This event is organized/presented by the WNY Peace Center and hosted by Riverside Salem UCC/DC.

The community will meet at Lafayette Avenue & Niagara Street at 12:45 PM, then at 1 PM march together to Broderick Park (foot of Ferry) for the event. We will have a family area, guest speakers and performers, and a comfortable environment for all to stand in solidarity.

Parking: There will be some lot and street parking available around the meeting point. If you plan to park at Broderick Park, please do so by 12:30 PM as it will be closed off to vehicles after that for the event.

If you are able, please wear a shade of blue to the event; a color that represents peace and healing, as well as connects us to the mission of the Afghan Peace Volunteers: “a human family to live without wars, to share our resources and to take care of our earth under the same blue sky.”

Program

Opening Ceremonies

• Welcome: Deidra EmEl, WNYPC Executive Director
• Gnonyoh: Jill Yagwoneest Clause, Tuscarora
• Land Acknowledgement: Sarah Kirschner, WNYPC MSW Intern
• Underground Railroad Acknowledgement: Ras Jomo

Speakers & Performances (Please check in with a WNYPC Volunteer.)

• Talia Rodriguez, J.D., WNYPC Gender Justice Task Force Chair, WNYPC Board Member, WM Planning Committee
• Valerie Malia, Senior Legislative Assistant, Office of Councilman David Rivera
• Leslie Logan, Seneca Mothers of the Nation
• Angel Krempa, Starbucks Workers United
• Gamileh Jamil, Yemeni-American
• Dayatra Hassan, Open Buffalo Emerging Leader 2017, Ujima Theatre
• Kareema Morris, Bury the Violence, former WNYPC Board Member, WM Planning Committee
• Gail Wells, Freedom Gardens
• Lukia Costello, Ukranian-American
• Dawn Wells-Clyburn, PUSH Buffalo
• Vonetta (Halima) Rhodes: poetry performance
• Betty Jean Grant, former Erie County Legislator, former WNYPC Board Member
• Diana Lynne Patton, We Exist Coalition
• Kim Smith, VOCAL Legislative Director (and first woman councilperson in Rochester)
• Shaina Merchant: Tae Kwon Do performance
• Shyana Broughton, Doula, Our Mommie Village
• Cariol Horne, Cariol’s Law
• Rev. Denise Glenn, VOICE Buffalo director
• Vicki Ross, WNYPC Board Co-Chair, WNYPC Community Coordinator

Special thanks to Ras Muata, DJ and sound system!

Closing

• Remarks: Deidra EmEl, WNYPC Executive Director
• Strong Woman Song & Healing Ceremony at the water: Jill Yagwoneest Clause, Tuscarora

Stop by our Welcome table to become a WNYPC Member ($20 minimum) and receive your Peace Pin for Social Justice made by Stitch Buffalo artisans as a special membership gift to wear in solidarity at the March! (If you donate online or by mail, please email office@wnypeace.org to arrange pickup of your pin!)

If your organization or business would like to support (i.e., affirms our principles and goals, and will publicize) the event, please complete our supporter interest form at https://forms.gle/wEsTYu5x2ysD59Ln9.

• 2022 co-sponsors (organizations) currently include: Bury the Violence, Citizen Action of WNY, Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ Buffalo), Confident Girl Mentoring Program, Healthcare Education Project, Indigenous Women’s Initiatives, Latinaherstory, Nekanęhsakt: Friends of Ękwehęwę, Partnership for the Public Good, Spark Filmmakers Collaborative, Stitch Buffalo, Vocal of WNY, VOICE Buffalo, We are Women Warriors, We Exist Coalition, Western New York Drilling Defense.
• 2022 friends (businesses/ faith-based institutions/ public servants/ political campaigns/ etc.) currently include: Buffalo Teachers Federation, Cabrera for Public Schools, Hector the Photographer, BPS West District Board of Education Member Jennifer Mecozzi, Justice & Witness Team of Pilgrim St. Luke’s United Church of Christ Councilman David Rivera’s Office (Niagara District), Union of Black Episcopalians, Young Democratic Socialists of America at UB.

If you are interested in being a volunteer at the event, please complete our volunteer interest form at https://forms.gle/qZV98GKz3i8KVktr9.

Please share our 2022 Women’s March flyers!

Questions? Call the office at 716-332-3904, text our Google Voice at ‪(716) 253-1486‬, or email womensmarch@wnypeace.org.

Mission: The Women’s March of Buffalo/WNY, opposed to all forms of oppression, seeks to increase equity and equality for women and all oppressed people by ensuring structural and systemic changes in our local government, local businesses and organizations, and within society at large in order to guarantee a women’s right to health, safety and freedom from violence. We seek this regardless of racial, economic, or citizenship status; and value the dignity and humanity of women of color, women with disabilities, and LGBT/queer and gender non-conforming people, and everyone’s equal place in the movement and in society.