The SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence is excited to announce their annual fundraising event, “Herstory: The Cost of Nonviolence,” which will once again be live and in-person. This year’s speaker is Cariol Horne.A reception will follow.
Cariol is a former Buffalo police officer who was the inspiration for the Duty-to-Intervene law passed by the City of Buffalo in 2020. Known as “Cariol’s Law” it requires officers to step in if another officer is thought to be using excessive force on a suspect.
In her presentation, Cariol will tell her story of the incident where she acted to protect an arrestee from a fellow police officer Her intervention resulted in termination from the Buffalo Police Department and a loss of benefits just months before she was eligible for retirement. She will share the long journey of seeking justice for herself and for those she has vowed to serve and protect.
Like Sister Karen’s life, Cariol’s personal story is a testament to the power of one person to create a more just and peaceful community. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a compelling and captivating presentation!
Tickets are $25 each and are available by calling 716.893.0808, on the website at www.sisterkarencenter.org, or at the door.
Featuring Jillian Hanesworth, Buffalo’s Poet Laureate and author of The Revolution Will Rhyme; with Shaina Merchant, WNYPC Office Manager and poetry afficianado; Deidra EmEl, WNYPC Executive Director and arts instigator; and Vicki Ross, WNYPC Community Coordinator.
Discussion:
values we bring
Poetry and Activism
Poetry and Healing – for individuals; for the community
The origins of The Revolution Will Rhyme, with remarks by Dr. Cornel West
plans and hopes for the future
ways people can make, promote, and get involved in poetry
The show is taped for just under an hour by Think Twice Radio: Home of the Future (thanks to Richard Wicka, our wonderful producer). The Zoom recording, livestreamed on Facebook during the taping, will air on WBNY 91.3FM on the following Monday at 1pm EST. After airing, you can also find the video archived on the WNY Peace Center YouTube channel.
In honor of Women’s History Month, The Western New York Peace Center would like to recognize a strong woman, who continues to spread her traditions and culture to all with peace, strength and resilience. Louise Herne McDonald, Bear Clan mother, aka Mama Bear, is the woman we would like to acknowledge this month. Some of us had the honor of meeting her at the International Women’s Day Talking Circle, which was held at The Niagara Arts & Cultural Center. Mama Bear is a light and a force, she is the true definition of what it means to be a strong woman. Mama bear is from Tribal Nation Kanien’keha:ka which translates to People of the Flint. As stated in an article by Spirit Aligned she is “a condoled Mohawk Bear Clan Mother, she pulls the threads of ancient matrilineal knowledge from Sky Woman’s origins to the present. Louise activates ceremony as a way of being and knowing over the life course—truly as a pathway away from violence, abuse, and illness to health”.
To read more about the Haudenosaunee Creation Story, Sky Woman please go here.
Mama Bear speaks about matriarchy and how her culture has always been heavily based upon strong female leaders. Women have always been important in the Native American cultures, when electing leaders, and when it came to living situations, it was dependent on the women. Everyone has a voice, and all people in their society are equally important and necessary to each other. The role of the Clan Mother has been passed down for generations. She envisions a world where women are equals, where women are empowered, and where women are leaders.
In an interview with Women’s Media Center she stated “it’s unfortunate that the patriarchal European male mind could not comprehend the worth of women, and the brilliance of women, and they chose to ignore them; and I think that’s what’s eating away at the world: patriarchy. And, you know, I wouldn’t venture to say that it’s men in general, it’s the mentality that puts the privileged white male at the forefront of our decision making to the detriment of the rest of our society”. The full interview can be found here. If European men looked at the Native American model when they originally migrated to America, things may have been different. Instead they changed everything, suppressed women, and disrupted society. Women eventually fought back, with the help of Indigenous people as the inspiration of the Women’s movement.
Mama bear cares so deeply about this Earth, and her people. In her role “she has taken on responsibilities for her people, leading her to efforts of healing, restoring, and finding voice. Louise tells us that her people are evolving the story of trauma and loss to a new story of strength that is grounded in cultural resiliency” (Spirit Aligned). She gives so much to her community, and continues to educate the rest of the world. She is a strong, resilient woman, who deserves recognition during Women’s History Month.
