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Below is the second weekly issue of the WeCAN newsletter. The formatting of the text is different from the e-mail version, but the content is the same.
This information was updated on March 3 to include some additional actions.
March 1, 2025
“The government is merely a servant — merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong”. – Mark Twain
At the end of this e-mail there is some additional information about WeCAN, links to send us events, and a link to unsubscribe if you want.
Re-starting WeCan
This is the second of what we intend to be weekly updates on what is happening around Windham County and occasionally elsewhere. We have rounded up some things that are happening that you may be interested in learning about or participating in.
March 1 – March 8
Stronger Together, Brattleboro
Our Growing Alliance March
Date: 3/2 at 12:00
Organized by: Brattleboro Area Action
Location: Centre Congregational Church Yard, 193 Main
Families in our area have lost jobs and services due to the illegal, unconstitutional actions of this administration. We gather together to highlight the harm and betrayal coming out of Washington, D.C. These policies affect our town and ALL Americans.
Protest the illegal funding freeze which cut jobs, our children’s education and child care, food assistance and family meals, disaster relief, fire departments and support for our New Americans, our farmers, and our health care while targeting LGBTQIA+ individuals and BIPOC communities.
We’ll march the sidewalks to the Co-op where we’ll hear from locals who have been affected and from elected officials–and a PA system will amplify their words this time! We’ll also talk about the next gathering, a community dinner in the near future.
Contact for more information: : mdmpastels@yahoo.com
Website: https://events.pol-rev.com/events/2c411e1b-c9a4-4858-95bd-ac26170a94e2
State-of-the-Union protest
March 4 – all day
Organized by: various people
Call your Congressional Delegation
Congressional Democrats may be planning to turn up the heat and break protocol at Trump’s State-of-the-Union speech before Congress Tuesday evening.
The idea is to make sure Rep. Becca Balint knows her home town has her back. Let her know that we trust her and will support whatever she does to demonstratively protest at this speech, from wearing a pink outfit to bringing a special guest to a boycott.
The action here is to call the Vermont Congressional Delegation before the speech and register your support.
Rep. Becca Balint, (202) 225-4115
Sen. Peter Welch, (202)-224-4242
Sen. Bernie Sanders (202)-224-5141
Front Line Life Lines:
A benefit concert for Ukraine
Date: March 4 at 7 p.m.
Organized by: Windborne
Location: Latchis Theatre, Brattleboro and live streamed
We hope you can join us next week for this benefit concert fundraising for Blue/Yellow, an organization providing life-saving medical supplies to people on the front lines in Ukraine. Windborne is happy to join Brattleboro area musicians Sammy Davinda, Gershom Mbombo, and Israel Mbombo, as well as the local group West Willow for this joyful and moving evening of music!
Contact for more information : windborne@windbornesingers.com
Join Your Neighbors – Use Your Voice!
Friday, March 7th, 4:00-5:00
Organized by Christine Scypinski
Location: Sidewalk on North side of Western Ave, opposite Vermont Country Deli (436 Western Ave)
If you believe in the Power of Free Speech and Peaceful Protest
If you believe in Remaining a Democracy INSTEAD of having a KING
If you believe in Supporting your Fellow Community Members and ALL Americans impacted by current DC Policies
If you believe in Having an Efficient, Effective government that Respects its Citizens
NOW is the time to voice your concern.
Join Us in Protest of What’s Happening!
Bring Yourself, a Friend, and a Sign, if able, to support your community! Voice your opposition to the threat on OUR Democracy!
Contact for more information: Christine Scypinski, cmscypinski@gmail.com
“Gear Up” Meeting, Part II
Date: March 7 at 6 p.m.
Organized by: Root Social Justice Center
Location: 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro
Thank you for those who showed up to (or showed interest in!) our past two sessions of “How Did We Get Here, and Where Do We Go Now? Our Future in MAGA Country”, otherwise known as “Gear Up Circles” — an educational series provided by Lost River Racial Justice and SURJ National. We held the last two sessions on January 5th and February 2nd, 2025. To read more about SURJ Gear Up and access materials, click here and here.
After taking a little break to assess our goals as a group, we are ready to move forward by offering 5 new working and learning sessions for this circle. We are inviting everyone who has attended to past circles or wants to start attending these circles to come join us for our next five circles, as we will be working closely together to intentionally build forward actionable movement aligned with the liberation initiatives for our local communities
Contact for more information : lostriverrj@gmail.com
Website: https://www.therootsjc.org/
International Women’s Day – Unite & Resist in Keene, NH
Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST
Organized by: womensmarch.com
Location: 1 Central Square, Keene, NH, 03431
On International Women’s Day, we’re gathering at noon at Central Square in downtown Keene to STAND UP for the rights of women and girls, and RESIST fascism, hatred, oligarchy, tyranny, dictatorship, corruption, misogyny, autocracy, gun violence, lies, homophobia, anti-trans nonsense, more lies, and the budget cuts that hurt our children and the most vulnerable among us. Join us to defend our rights, our bodies, and our future. Bring your friends, and bring a sign that highlights what matters most to you at this critical moment.
Website: https://action.womensmarch.com/events/international-women-s-day-unite-resist-in-keene-nh-1
Related Events in the near future
Food, Not Coup!
Date: 3/9/2025 (contact organizer for time)
Organized by: Brattleboro Area Action
It’s important to build community In the face of these chaotic and dangerous times. We are hungry to connect with each other, discuss and make plans for the future. Come feed both that hunger and your appetite—bring a dish to share. In raising and strengthening our options, join here with the Brattleboro voices who marched on 1/18, 2/17 and 3/2.
“We have the power to seek justice for those who can’t.”
Contact for more information: BrattleboroAreaAction@proton.me
Eyes on Freedom
Date: 3/12 at 7:00 p.m.
Organized by: Nelson Legacy Project
Location: Community room Brattleboro Library
The Nelson Legacy project invites you to a listening event “Eyes on Freedom”
This is a one-hour audio documentary about Wally and Juanita Nelson,produced by Carrie and Michael Kline of “Talking Across the Lines”
Eyes on Freedom is an audio tapestry that weaves together voices of people who knew and were influenced by the Nelsons. The audio documentary also includes vintage recordings of the Nelsons themselves.
Two upcoming listening / discussion sessions are planned on March 12 and April 6.
Click here for more information and also click here.
Check out the website https://www.nelsonhomestead.org
Contact for more information: Bob Brady, bobbady@gmail.com
Ready Response Team Workshop
Organized by: Root Social Justice Center
Location: on Zoom
Contact for more information : BTN@therootsjc.org
A Virtual Literary Cocktail Hour
Date: 3/14 at 5 p.m.
Organized by: Windham World Affairs Council
In partnership with the Brattleboro Lit Fest, The Latchis & Everyone’s Books, Brooks Memorial Library, Vermont Independent Media and the Vermont Humanities:
Location: This is a Zoom only event
As we collectively navigate a political landscape as never seen before, the Windham World Affairs Council and their partners will host a weekend of events to examine the forces behind economic inequality, climate disruption, disinformation and an increasingly unstable world order.
The event is free. Register at https://bit.ly/LitCocktail-Invisible for the Zoom link.
Second, a community screening of the companion documentary of the same name will be held at The Latchis Theater on Sunday, March 16th at 5 pm. A live Q & A with filmmaker and author Peter Hutchison will follow the film. Chuck Collins, author and senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, will moderate.
Contact for more information: windhamworldaffairscouncil@gmail.org
Website: https://windhamworldaffairscouncil.org/events/a-literary-cocktail-hour-the-invisible-doctrine-the-secret-history-of-neoliberalism/
and
2nd annual Palestine Film Series
Date: First one on March 23
Location: Latchis Theatre
Southern VT for Palestine & Latchis Arts are presenting the 2nd annual Palestine Film Series at the Latchis on March 23 & 30 and April 6 & 13.
Contact for more information : shanaf@sover.net
Website: https://sovt4palestine.org/
Other Local Efforts
Indivisible Brattleboro
For those looking to get hyper-local, there’s a new Indivisible group in Brattleboro:
Their site says, “Indivisible Brattleboro launched in Jan 2025! We started as a small but mighty group and are slowly building out the infrastructure and culture. Our focus is on creating actionable impact during two-hour in-person monthly meetings. We share the responsibility of leadership, research and execution among all members. Welcome to anyone with a progressive mindset and a willingness to collaborate!”
You can connect with them here: indibrattleboro@gmail.com
50501 Movement Vermont
This is the VERMONT chapter of the 50501 Movement:
50501 Movement: 50 Protests / 50 States / 1 Movement. Join in the fight to uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach. 50501 is a peaceful movement. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated. To join, use this link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/50501movementvermont/
About WeCAN
Website: wecantogether.net
WeCAN now has an active website, although it is still under construction. The home page will be the current newsletter. Older issues are available on the site.
There is a WeCAN FaceBook site. It is an open site and anyone can post there. Here is a link to it.
Submitting Actions
In a effort to make the assembly of the WeCAN email faster and more accurate, we are strongly encouraging folks to use our form to send us news. Click here to open the form.
Rapid Response Text Messages
We are building a text message system to allow up to get the word out quickly for things folks might want to respond to fast — things like ICE raids, for example. If you would like to be on the Rapid Response text distriibution list, use this form, please.
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