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WOMEN’S MONTH: WOMEN’S MARCH, & MORE!

Community /

WOMEN’S MONTH:  WOMEN’S MARCH, & MORE! The WNY Peace Center (WNYPC) is working – together with others – on our mission of Peace Through Justice at home and abroad. The organization started in 1967 as a part of Rev. Dr. King’s Clergy & Laity Concerned (about Vietnam), under the umbrella of the progressive church Riverside Salem UCC/DC. Riverside Salem (3449 West River Rd, Grand Island; gatherings Sundays 4 PM) continues to partner with the WNYPC and strives for the Creation of Justice and a Just Peace. The WNYPC is busy working for the common good. In May, for example, we have: —The Women’s March 2022: Solidarity, Victory, and Healing! On Sunday, May 15, 1 PM—3 PM. With Executive Director Deidra Emil and Gender Justice Taskforce Chair Talia Rodriguez, the March will come down Niagara Street from Lafayette and gather at Broderick Park (foot of Ferry) for the main event; with speakers, music, a family area, and a comfortable environment for all to stand in solidarity, celebrate Victorious Women’s Month, and experience some community healing – so desperately needed! [Your group can still become a Cosponsor (signing on to associate and promote) or a Friend (partnering to offer attendees a WM-promoted discount). Contact assistant@wnypeace.org or visit bit.ly/WMwny2022.] —35-year-anniversary fundraising party for the Chiapas Dental Project, Monday, May 23, 7-9 PM; at Hallwalls (341 Delaware Ave, Buffalo). Please help us continue this long-term project sponsored by WNYPC’s Latin American Solidarity Committee and celebrate Dr. Tom Potts’s 35 years of making it happen!! With music provided by La Marimba. Free Will Offering ($20 suggested). The monthly LASC Peace Coffeehouses special session is held at the Canisius College Science Hall lobby on the 4th Monday of the month.  —PeaceJam Buffalo – for children eight and up; Thursdays 3 PM-5 PM thru May 19, at the Merriweather Library (Jefferson & E Utica, Buffalo). Youth-led adult-assisted Inspiration, Education, & Action! Nobel Peace Laureates studied include Guatemala’s Rigoberta Menchu, Argentina’s Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Costa Rica’s Oscar Arias, and others worldwide. The youth have selected Ending Racism & Hate as their Global Call to Action (service learning) project and will present it at the Women’s March. —Talking Peace with the WNYPC is live-streamed on Facebook every Weds (2 shows: 7:15 PM; and 8:30 PM) while being taped at Think Twice Radio; then audio-broadcast on Buff State’s WBNY 91.3FM every Monday 1-3 PM. Episodes are kept on the WNYPC’s YouTube Channel. The WNY Peace Center also holds vigils, workshops, Camp Peaceprints (with the Sr. Karen Center), and special events and campaigns, independently collaborating with local, regional, and national groups. Every month is a busy month. We try to Be the Change, working for the “Unarmed Truth and Unconditional Love” that will have “the final word,” per Rev. Dr. King. We pursue the #MoralIntegrity and #UniversalSolidarity that our beloved brother Dr. Cornel West emulated at our 2020 Annual Event. Join us!! Wnypeace.org For #PeopleAndPlanet, Juntos – Si, se puede!!  Read More From This Writer All Post Food Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Peace People WOMEN’S MONTH: WOMEN’S MARCH, & MORE! May 16, 2022/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT UKRAINE April 16, 2022/No Comments WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT UKRAINE Hola, Nuestro Amigos! – Every time you check out today’s news, you likely hear Read More MOMENTO JUSTO: El Pueblo de CUBA March 16, 2022/No Comments MOMENTO JUSTO: El Pueblo de CUBA Many of you will already know the strength, hard work, and communal spirit of Read More Load More End of Content.

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MOMENTO JUSTO: El Pueblo de CUBA

Community, Peace /

MOMENTO JUSTO: El Pueblo de CUBA Many of you will already know the strength, hard work, and communal spirit of the Cuban People. You’ll know of U.S. brutal economic sanctions against Cuba. You may also know that Cuba is the only country the US government requires its citizens to get a license to travel.  You are likely to know that despite the vengeful tack the US has maintained against Cuba after the revolution in 1958, the Cuban people have been at the forefront of medical advances and have generously helped countries around the globe deal with health emergencies, which led to nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize. You may know about IFCO/Pastors for Peace, and the opportunity to visit Cuba this summer July 16-30, which includes orientation. IFCO is a multi-issue national ecumenical agency, founded in 1967 — the same year as the WNY Peace Center, and (like the WNYPC) by progressive church leaders and activists.  One of IFCO’s most vibrant efforts is its support of the People of Cuba. Indeed, the group has organized 31 Friend shipment Caravans to Cuba – with Caravanistas bringing medical, technical, and other tools and resources. Each trip is a lesson in solidarity, including the fact that all traveling in the “Caravan” is committing civil disobedience by not getting a license to travel there, despite the US government’s requiring the same. I was one of those Caravanistas in the 30th Friend shipment Caravan in 2019. It was a wonderful eye-opening, inspiring experience.  Our group was diverse in every way – age, race/ethnicity, gender(s), and more. What we had in common was a sincere interest in learning and sharing: about Cuba; the compassion and collective action of the Cuban people; and the deep suffering the US extreme sanctions/effective blockade has caused. When we arrived in Cuba, President Miguel Diez-Canel invited us to meet with him! His humility and generous spirit were impressive. We went on (as front-page news) to meet with countless individuals and groups eager to thank us (for our solidarity and civil disobedience), and to convey to us the harsh toll the US sanctions take on them and their efforts to care for all. At a school for children with autism, the parallel bars there resembled those used by my sister (a paraplegic) in the late 1950s/60s – and probably dated back to that time.  The frank, expansive adventure included a wide array of experiences – interfaith, the arts, housing, museums, government, street fairs – a broad expanse that, for me, included a peak experience at the sacred Ceiba tree! The trip was tremendously uplifting and illuminating! Don’t miss the opportunity! Apply by April 1. The trip starts in Miami with orientation 7/16-18, leaving 7/19, and returning 7/30, all for $1800. Fundraising help may be available as well.  Info: IFCOnews.org or victoryross9@gmail.com. Read More From This Writer All Post Food Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Peace People MOMENTO JUSTO: El Pueblo de CUBA March 16, 2022/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More WNY Peace Center – Interfaith Peace NetworkUN MOMENTO JUSTO POR LA PAZ February 16, 2022/No Comments WNY Peace Center – Interfaith Peace Network UN MOMENTO JUSTO POR LA PAZ Feliz Cumpleaños, TPNW! – Happy Birthday, Treaty Read More

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LATINO TRANSPARENCY IN 2022: ACCOUNTABILITY

Community /

This year in 2022, let’s open our eyes and be more alert and observant of the way our community functions and is treated by the political community.  Be responsible as a citizen. Since you pay taxes, find out who are the politicians or elected officials that represent the community you live in. Get to know your community leaders and observe how they are doing. Are they legitimate community leaders or “self-proclaimed leaders produced by politicians always looking for easy votes, winning elections without opening their eyes, or accountable to anyone except the few who help in the manipulation and delivery of the community votes? (Empty promises). Let’s start the new year with a commitment to get our house in order – socially, economically, and politically. Let’s get closer to our local organizations, like Hispanic United of Buffalo, PRLC, Father Belle, PRACA, Hispanic Heritage Council, Hispanic Women’s League, El Buen Amigo, El Batey Puerto Rican Center, Pushing Latinos Forward, etc.  Visit them, introduce yourself, ask questions, and request to see the budget, how they operate, what are the salaries of their top personal el, and who’s on their board of directors?  Ask about their mission and purpose in the community. Ask about employees, what they do, and how they get their jobs. What money are they getting from the city, state, and federal government? How is that money spent or utilized?  You need to pay attention to your community. Did you know there are plans for a “Hispanic Heritage Center” planned for Niagara Street, sponsored by the Hispanic Heritage Council? Ask them about who’s involved, and what they have in mind.  Have they talked to you or your neighbors about it, what community people are involved in? Who’s putting up or funding the project? Who’s handling the construction contracts? Who’s getting the jobs? These are all legitimate questions for you to ask, it’s the responsibility of the people, of a community to care.  Join and support some of them, especially if you like what you see and learn. White communities will tell you, “Homie don’t play that.” They demand to be kept informed of what is happening in their communities. We need to do the same.  Unfortunately, the reason why black and Latino communities are always behind the 8 ball is that we don’t ask questions, and we don’t care. Change that in 2022, let’s make our community better, for our children, family, and community.  Let’s meet and talk to our leaders, let us build a better community.  In 2022, work on Transparency.    Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books Business Community Education Entertainment Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics LATINO COLLEGE STUDENTS FACE INEQUALITY AND CULTURAL ISOLATION AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK at BUFFALO March 25, 2023/No Comments LACK OF COLLEGE SERVICES FOR LATINO STUDENTS: This is in response to a story by UB Spectrum reporter, Kayla Estrada, Read More “GETTING VERY LITTLE FOR THE WHOLE,  BUT GETTING A LOT FOR THE FEW” WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2023 January 25, 2023/No Comments While I might appear to be biased and selective, I strongly feel the four people in the photo are the Read More The Isaías González-Soto Branch Library (formerly Niagara Branch) is a member of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System December 25, 2022/No Comments When the Hispanic Heritage Council (HHC) moved to rename the Niagara Branch Library several years ago, with the support of Read More Load More End of Content.

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