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Also in this issue
PJC Events & Registration Info
PJC Volunteer Orientation including a Fair Trade vs Free Trade Presentation  Saturday, April 23, 3-4pm at the PJC. Join our team!  
RSVP or call 863-2345 x9 .

Alexis Lathem Poetry Reading  Sunday, April 24, 1pm at the PJC. For more info email or call 863-2345 x3. FREE!

World Fair Trade Day Celebration  Saturday, May 7, 10am-2pm at City Hall Park, Burlington. FREE ICE CREAM! Call (802) 863-2345 x2. FREE!

Tuesdays, May 10 & 17, 3:30- 5:30pm, at South Burlington High School. Presented in partnership with the Student Diversity Union at SBHS and PACT of South Burlington. RSVP 863-2345 x6 or e-mail. FREE!

Wednesday, May 11 at 7pm, at ArtsRiot on Pine St, Burlington. Presented in partnership with VT Humanities Council. FREE!

Building Empathy and Addressing Racial Oppression  Wednesdays, May 25, June 1, & 8, 6:30-8:30pm. Brownell Library, Essex Jct. Led by Francine Serwili-Ngunga and Kyle Silliman-Smith. RSVP or call 863-2345 x6. FREE!

Saturday, May 28, 12-5pm, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St. in Montpelier. RSVP 863-2345 x6 or e-mail. FREE

Building Empathy and Addressing Racial Oppression
Tuesdays, September 13, 20, & 27, 6:30-8:30pm, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier.
RSVP or call 863-2345 x6. 
 
Flynn Tix Vouchers
  
Pick up a voucher for these shows at PJC and redeem it at the Flynn for a $2 ticket. For current PJC members and volunteers. For more information on PJC membership, click here .


Monday, April 11. 7:30pm. Profoundly deaf since the age of 12, Evelyn Glennie is master of more than 1,000 percussion instruments from around the world and performed with countless artists ranging from Japan's Kodo drummers to  Björk; an intense and astounding live performer.
 

Thursday, April 14. 7:30pm. Eight incredible dancers mix hip-hop, samba, capoeira, and contemporary in a boldly imaginative show from Rio de Janerio. Companhia Urbana de Dança is alternately mesmerizing and rippling with adrenaline and raw energy.
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Center Hours
Monday-Friday: 10am-6pm
 
Store Hours
Monday-Saturday: 10am-6pm
Sundays 10am-5pm

Hours are subject to change. Call 802-863-2345 x2 to confirm.
 
Location
60 Lake Street, 1C
Burlington Waterfront.
(Next to The Skinny Pancake)
 
If you would like an event listed, please email calendar@pjcvt.org  
March 28, 2016
Bert Thompson Remembrance
By Colleen Deignan, former PJC Staff member

Bert Thompson was one of those people that was undeniably himself.  Bert wore his heart on his sleeve and he was proud of it. He wore Veterans for Peace t-shirts and pins on his hat advertising the causes he was passionate about. He was a passionate activist, which anyone will tell you. People have busy lives and prioritize other obligations over their volunteer work. Bert was an exception to this. Activism was his life. When I worked with him on the Cost of War program with the Peace & Justice Center, he was always available to work out a plan, help set up at an event, or take to the streets in protest.

I had no experience with activism or planning when I started at the PJC, but even with decades of activism experience, Bert always treated me as an equal and valued my ideas. He was patient, always made time for me, and was incredibly reliable. In life, it's good to have a few of these. I'm saddened that Bert is gone, but I consider myself lucky that I had the opportunity to work alongside him and to learn from him.

Avenues Open Criminal Justice Reform in Green Mountains
Suzi Wizowaty, Executive Director

Three good bills--which some legislators and advocates have worked on for years--have finally made real progress this legislative session. These bills passed out of their committees last Friday and will be debated this Wednesday on the House floor--or Thursday, if the debates go too long on Weds. Now is the time to call the Sergeant-at-Arms, (802) 828-2228, and leave a message asking your state rep to support these bills. (The one needing the most support is H.623, as the others are less controversial.)



Here are the details:

H.261, "Ban the box" -- This prohibits employers from asking whether you have a criminal record on an initial application form except in certain circumstances, and if they do ask and you have one, they have to give you a chance to explain.

H.623, "If the risk is low, let them go" -- This says that older inmates who have not yet reached their minimum sentence but are low risk (risk decreases dramatically with age) are eligible for parole. It applies to inmates aged 55-64 who have served served ten years, and inmates 65 and older who have served five years.

H.743, "Fair and impartial policing" -- This says that the Criminal Justice Training Council shall develop a model policy in fair and impartial policing, that police must have training in the policies, and that traffic stop data (already mandated to be collected) must be posted on line in a form the public can analyze.
The full text of the bills is printed in Tuesday's House calendar, available here.

Please call the Sergeant-at-Arms to leave a message for your state rep: (802) 828-2228.

P.S. If your rep is on the General, Housing and Military Affairs Committee, or on Corrections or Judiciary,  please thank him/her for supporting the bills already!
Fair Trade Conference Coming to Burlington
While you may be aware that Burlington (and the PJC) will be celebrating  World Fair Trade Day in City Hall Park on May 7th, there's another big Fair Trade event going on this Spring that you may not have heard about!

From April 26th through the 28th, Burlington will be playing host to the  Fair Trade Federation's 2016 Annual Conference !

Held at the Hilton Burlington on Battery Street, the Conference will include the Federation's second annual Food and Farm Symposium as well as providing attendees with tools for building the Fair Trade movement.

The  Peace & Justice Center is proud (and excited) to see that the Fair Trade Federation has recognized Burlington as "an up-and-coming hub for social, economic, and environmental justice organizing."

Click here for more information about the Fair Trade Federation and the upcoming conference!
Other Community Events
Tuesday, March 29 
  • 7:30-8:30pm An Indigenous People's History at the Fleming Musuem, Burlington. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is a longtime feminist, native rights, antiwar and antiracist activist. She is a teacher and author of five books. Her most recent book, published in 2015 by Beacon Press is "An Indigenous People's History of the United States." Winner of the 2015 American Book Award and the *2015 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature, it is the first published history of the United States told from the perspective of the indigenous people of North America. Click here for more information or call (802) 656-0750.
    NOTE: THIS DATE HAS BEEN CORRECTED SINCE OUR PREVIOUS
    E-NEWS. APOLOGIES FOR ANY CONFUSION.
Wednesday, March 30
  • 5:30-7:30pm Mass Incarceration at ArtsRiot, 400 Pine St, Burlington. Join Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform for the evening to learn about mass incarceration in Vermont. Who is being incarcerated and why? How does the criminal justice system's reliance on incarceration affect our community? Click here for more info.
  • 6:15-7:45pm Women's Rights and Hijab Try on Night, Burlington College, 341 North St. Room 54, Burlington. Please come join me this event to learn more about the meaning of Hijab and women's rights in Islam. Click here for further information.
Thursday, March 31
  • 7-9pm Life of the Party: Pride Benefit at the Vermont Comedy Club, 101 Main Street, Burlington. Join the Pride Center of VT for two hilarious improv shows at the Vermont Comedy Club featuring special guest DeAnne Smith. The Pride Center will receive a portion of all ticket sales from both improv shows. Click here for further info. 
Friday, April 1
  • 7-9pm "Merchants of Doubt" Film Showing at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 21 Fairground Rd, Springfield. See this important film that shines a spotlight on those who have been spreading doubt about climate change & other issues. For more info e-mail Alison Roth.
Sunday, April 3
  • Noon-1pm Vets for Peace live call-in TV show  on VCAM, Channel 15, Burlington.
Monday, April 4
  • 8am-3pm 2016 Diversity Conference Presented by the Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Center at Catamount Country Club, 1400 Mountain View Rd, Williston. The Conference will explore the challenges and possibilities that are faced in the workplace today. We will also seek to explore the leadership roles that are exercised as we try to empower ourselves and our communities of color. The speakers will include public intellectuals and scholars who are able to address diversity and inclusion. Click here for further information and registration or call (802) 865-5202
  • 6:15-8pm Burlington Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Committee Meeting at Miller Center, 130 Gosse Court, Burlington. For further information call (802) 865-7272. 
  • 6:30-8:30pm Save Open Space Burlington at Peace & Justice Center, 60 Lake Street #1C, Burlington. Community group working to protect the land around Burlington College. For more information click here
Tuesday, April 5
  • 6-8:30pm Peace & Justice Center Board of Directors' Meeting at PJC, 60 Lake Street, Burlington.
Wednesday, April 6  
  • 5:15-6:15pm (weekly) Mindfulness with Movement  at Friends-Burlington Friends, 173 N Prospect, Burlington. An hour of guided practice including gentle movement, sitting meditation, and discussion Suggested donation $5-$10.
Sunday, April 10
  • 1:30-2:30pm Children in Nonviolence Movements for Peace at ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, 1 College Street, Burlington. Nonviolence education, whether for kids or adults, is an essential building block for peace building. This program includes singing together, showing and discussing how young people can be, and have been, leaders in social justice movements. Click here for further information.
Monday, April 11
  • 6-8pm Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel Meeting at Peace & Justice Center, 60 Lake Street, Burlington. VTJP works to support the survival of the Palestinian people and to end the illegal, immoral, and brutal Israeli occupation through education, advocacy, and action. For more information, e-mail vtjp@vtjp.org. All are welcome to attend!
Peace & Justice Store
 

Peace & Justice Center
(802) 863-2345 | info@pjcvt.org | http://www.pjcvt.org
60 Lake St Ste 1C
Burlington, VT 05401