Actions and programs of interest in March

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March 1, 2021

Find our newsletters anytime at traprock.org
And for (even) more programs these days, see Mass Peace Action's event calendar

We support the call by the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund

to urge Rep. Jim McGovern to become the new sponsor of the Peace Tax Fund Act.

What is the

Peace Tax Fund Act?

It's full name is The Religious Freedom Tax Fund Bill. It would establish a fund in the Federal Treasury to receive the taxes of conscientious objectors. Money from this fund would be allocated annually to any non-military appropriation within the Federal Budget. (More information here.)
Introduced for many years by Rep. John Lewis, the Peace Tax Fund Act protects the First Amendment rights of people of conscience who try to balance their deeply held moral and religious principles opposing war in all forms and paying for it with their income taxes. The Peace Tax Fund Act would allow people to live out their First Amendment rights as conscientious objectors and still maintain their personal integrity as they pay their income taxes. Last year Rep. McGovern co-sponsored the The Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act. Now we urge Rep. Jim McGovern to help carry on John Lewis’ legacy promoting the rights of conscience by becoming the new sponsor of the Peace Tax Fund Act.

Urge Rep. McGovern to sponsor The Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act.
Sign the letter here.

MARCH 1, 6 PM

We know that Black, Indigenous, people of color and working class poor communities are hit the hardest, and that in times of crisis, we are our own first responders. That is why M4BL member organizations and frontline leaders are organizing rapid responses to provide resources and care to the people on the climate frontlines.

Join us, Monday March 1, 2021 as we discuss the winter storms from the perspective of Black people on the ground. We will hear frontline accounts of what is happening in their communities, and we will set the record straight about the root causes of this climate disaster while addressing false accusations and solutions coming from those interested in protecting profits over people. Join us to hear about real solutions to keep you safe and engage in a global movement to address the climate crisis.

Let’s work together to build a US climate movement that centers Black lives. Join us Monday. Click here to register.

THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 6 – 7:30 PM

Disaster Capitalism, Ecofascism, and Ecoauthoritarianism

Panel Discussion with Katia R. Avilés Vázquez, Rajani Bhatia & John Aloysius Zinda

The gravity of climate change and the environmental emergency demands not just attention but concerted action. But what form will that action take? Will states exercise more authority to impose solutions without democratic process? Will corporations seize opportunities to rebuild devastated communities, privatizing land and infrastructure in the process? Will political movements tap climate fears to promote exclusionary immigration policies and enact violent attacks on scapegoats? Historically and today, ecological crisis has produced numerous such cases. The speakers on this panel will explore examples from China, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. that open a wider discussion of the threats to, and continued possibilities for, democratic action on climate change. More info and register for live event here:

This event will be live and recorded on the Feinberg Series website, with a livestream on Facebook and YouTube.

MONDAY, MARCH 8 is INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Suggested reading and videos before the event:

WECAN: Women Earth and Climate Action Network IWD online event
MNA Launches Effort to Combat Racism
Wampanoag Rights vs Extractive Corporations
9to5: The Story of a Movement

Zoom Link to join event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87996078264

Meeting ID: 879 9607 8264

Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe in Resistance

This is the battle for Earth.

See this free 38-minute frontline documentary on the effort to stop fossil fuel expansion
and encourage real energy security.

Predatory industry hijacked the US regulatory system in 2019, placing ancient food systems and a fifth of the world’s freshwater in imminent danger. LN3 features indigenous firebrands Winona Laduke, Tara Houska, and poet-hip hop artist ThomasX, as they lead an alliance to take on Big Oil and their enablers at the institutional level, and on the frontlines. This is the battle for Earth. Directed by Suez Taylor (USA) -- open here

LIFTING THE VEIL
RACISM IN FRANKLIN COUNTY
The first of this three-part program,'sold out' with a full house on zoom.
That February 24 event IS online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve3TfMaLeCE
Presentations on March 11 and March 25, both at 7 p.m., are available

at the link in the flyer below:

10 Years Ago: THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR DISASTER BEGAN

VIGIL IN BRATTLEBORO, THURSDAY, MARCH 11

The Safe and Green Campaign will mark ten years of the radioactive disaster in Fukushima, Japan
with a Vigil: Thursday, March 11, 2021 Pliny Park,
(High & Main Streets, Brattleboro, VT 05301) 4:30-5:30pm

The disaster continues today: the meltdown of three nuclear reactors in Fukushima, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The reactors were Mark 1 boiling water reactors, the same type and age as Vermont Yankee. In 2014, Vermont Yankee shut down; today, its 900 tons of radioactive nuclear waste remains on site, beside the Connecticut River.
At the vigil we will honor the 130,000 nuclear refugees, and the land, air and water contaminated by radiation which to this day cannot be cleaned up. Please join us. This will be a Covid safe event; wear a mask, stay socially distant, and bring a poster if you wish. For information on the current status of Fukushima, read our Voices essay in the Commons: The Catastrophe is Far >From Over and Refugees Escaping the Wind More essays will appear in the Commons between now and the March 11^th vigil.

Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice of Western MA

invite you to a

FILM WATCH AND PANEL DISCUSSION

Monday March 15th, 7:00-8:30pm

"Restoring the Right to Seek Asylum, Update From the Border". responding to the film "To Right the Wrong", with updates about the current situation of asylum seekers at our southern border.

This educational event is also a fundraiser for Project Corazon, Team Brownsville and other groups still providing vital support to asylum seekers at the Matamoros MPP tent camp and along our southern border. Please join us and learn what you can do. See this flyer to access the film and register for the event: https://conta.cc/3u6zubn

Join a virtual series on increasing access to affordable housing in Franklin County.

On March 27, 2021 at 9 am, we kick off the event with a panel who will explore why affordable housing is difficult to find. We will consider how housing became a commodity, how it has been impacted by systemic racism created by government policy and what we can do with or without government help to create more affordable housing. Eight virtual workshops in April and May will dive deeper into specific action areas.

For more information and to register, click HERE!

There is no fee for the keynote or any of the workshops.

The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) has four part-time employment opportunities open now:
"We are looking for just the right candidates to join our crew.
All positions are remote (even in non-pandemic times) with a self-directed work flow and schedule.
Come make a difference in the food system by helping us educate and advocate for organic agriculture in Massachusetts." Contact: https://www.nofamass.org/jobs/