Protecting and improving the community for the people who live and work here

The Black Farmers and Urban Growers Conference! 

October 17th – 19th 2014 – Detroit

The Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference is a gathering to enhance the critical relationship between food and health in the Black community by empowering growers, chefs, eaters and activists.

The 2014 conference will be held October 17th – 19th at Western International High School in Detroit, Michigan.
1500 Scotten, Detroit, MI 48209

Many thanks to Janet Wong and the hard working and generous Deutsche Bank staff volunteers who cleaned, mulched, buried the chicken compost, swept, raked and picked up trash in the Garden on Thursday September 18th. They

It was a great day hosting other Climate Activists. Thank you everyone.

10:45-12:15pm People’s Movement Assemblies and the U.S. Social Forum

– Angela Vogel, Walda Katz-Fishman, Alfredo Lopez, Rob Robinson. The US Social Forum (USSF) is a movement building process. A space to come up with the peoples’ solutions to the economic and ecological crisis.

12:30-2pm    Climate Justice in the Workplace

“Balkan marching tunes, Brazilian sambas and klezmer dirges…“The Internationale,” “The Smash-a-Bank Polka,” and “Which Side Are You On?” A political project that supports groups working for social justice – such as: Make the Road by Walking and Picture the Homeless. – Mathew Plummer, 99 Pickets

4pm HUB: White Anti-Racist (Climate) Activists

Race is always used to divide social movements. A racially-segregated movement will not win. This Hub is a space for us white anti-racist activists to network, share our lessons and support one another in doing this work.

4pm HUB: Great March for Climate Action

People walking across the country, from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., to raise awareness and inspire action on the climate crisis.

Climate Change March -Workshops Here!

M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden (gate at Rivington between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets in the Sara Roosevelt Park)

Today Saturday Sept. 20

All welcome!

10:45-12:15pm People’s Movement Assemblies and the U.S. Social Forum

– Angela Vogel, Walda Katz-Fishman, Alfredo Lopez, Rob Robinson. The US Social Forum (USSF) is a movement building process. It is a space to come up with the peoples’ solutions to the ?economic and ecological crisis.

12:30-2pm    Climate Justice in the Workplace

“Balkan marching tunes, Brazilian sambas and klezmer dirges…“The Internationale,” “The Smash-a-Bank Polka,” and “Which Side Are You On?” A political project that supports groups working for social justice – such as: Make the Road by Walking and Picture the Homeless. – Mathew Plummer, 99 Pickets

4pm HUB: White Anti-Racist (Climate) Activists

Race is always used to divide social movements. A racially-segregated movement will not win. This Hub is a space for us white anti-racist activists to network, share our lessons and support one another in doing this work.

4pm HUB: Great March for Climate Action

People walking across the country, from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., to raise awareness and inspire action on the climate crisis.

Climate Change Workshops:

K will host LUNGS ( LES United Neighborhood Gardens) workshops on the patio on Saturday September 20 as follows:

10:45-12:15pm People’s Movement Assemblies and the U.S. Social Forum as Tools for Transformation   – Angela Vogel, Walda Katz-Fishman, Alfredo Lopez, Rob Robinson| US Social Forum

12:30-2pm Climate Justice in the Workplace – Mathew Plummer, 99 Pickets

 4pm HUBs

HUB: White Anti-Racist (Climate) Activists

The current climate movement is racially-segregated. Most large climate and environmental organizations are primarily white and get most of the funding. The environmental justice movement is primarily people of color and gets little funding. However,the effects of climate change will primarily fall on communities of color. All of this is morally unacceptable and politically ineffective. Race is always used to divide social movements. A racially-segregated movement simply will not win. Besides, the people most effected by a problem should have the largest voice in solving it. To succeed, many of us believe our movement should follow the lead of communities of color. This Hub is a space for us white anti-racist activists to network, share our lessons and support one another in doing this work. Please help us demonstrate and enlarge the community of white anti-racist activists to eliminating racism in the climate/sustainability movement.

HUB: Great March for Climate Action: a community of people walking across the country, from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., to raise awareness and inspire action on the climate crisis. As we walk across the nation we collaborate with frontline communities, activist organizations, and individuals from all walks of life to address local environmental and climate concerns. Every day on the march we learn lessons from the earth and from the people we meet, many of whom are directly impacted by climate change and have already begun implementing solutions. Our hope is to amplify their voices to evoke systematic change.

Hi all,

From the M’Finda Kalunga Garden!

M’Finda Kalunga Garden has posted a new item, ‘People’s Climate March‘

Please join us for the People’s Climate March this Sunday, September 21. Gardeners and interested folks will assemble in the garden at 9:30am to have coffee and make posters. Then we’ll go as a group to the assembly point for the march.

Feel free to print flyers and posters that you can find on the website and post them in your building and and around your neighborhood.

LESReady:

The Citizen Preparedness Training is scheduled for September 17th at 6:00 PM at PS. 15. Please distribute the information to your constituents this will be a SPANISH SPEAKING TRAINING WITH A FREE TO GO BAG at the end.

(There are only 107 registered, there is space for 300 )

LESReady:

We would love for you to join us on Monday, September 15th at 10:00 AM at Nazareth Housing located at 137 E. 2nd Street (it’s a white school building) between Avenue A and 1st. (Closer to avenue A) in the Lower Level.

Coffee & food will be provided….

From Vanishing New York:

Hua Mei Bird Garden

“Stumbling upon the scene is a bit surreal. It reminds you that surprises can still happen in New York City, where so much surprise is vanishing. ”

photo: Lee Elson

From Senator Daniel Squadron met with Parks groups at the BRC. Here is his follow up note (we’ve posted his City Council Testimony elsewhere on this site):

Thank you for joining our #ParksEquity forum on Wednesday evening. The conversation was substantive and important. Our shared values will continue to inform my conversations with the City to address the parks equity crisis. It was an impressive, committed, and diverse group. There were representatives from parks, large and small, in each of the five boroughs, but there were a lot of shared themes:

• There is a need for greater consistency, and a need-based system, in allocating dollars to our parks.
• The parks system must be unified and treated as a single network. Every park, including the largest conservancies, has an obligation to the entire system, in terms of expertise, education, and dollars.
• The political voice of neighborhood parks, large and small, must be a more valued component in parks equity discussions, and parks issues overall.

In addition, a number of you asked that I share the values/goals that were discussed at the January meeting. At that time, a group including the largest conservancies and the citywide advocates proposed that these five items should frame any solution to the equity crisis facing our parks.

1. All neighborhoods deserve good parks; nicer parks cannot be reserved for wealthier neighborhoods.
2. There needs to be a stronger, more urgent push for increased funding to operate parks.
3. Outside support should be augmented and better distributed.
4. Community engagement strategies and best practices should be shared.
5. The parks system, as a single unified network, should be strengthened.

I’ve also included testimony (attached) that I gave at two City Council hearings this spring.

We’ll be in touch soon on next steps. In the interim, please don’t hesitate to contact me with your thoughts or questions.

Thank you again,

Daniel

—

Daniel Squadron

NY State Senator

26th District