June 14, 2020 ~ Building Brockton Community One Positive Story at a Time
Congratulations to Our Brockton High Artists & Scientists!
Good luck in the ACT-SO National Competition!
Three Brockton High School students won five first-place gold medals in the Brockton Area ACT-SO. Stephanie Amanze won gold in Short Story and gold in Health/Medicine. Stephanie is a freshman at Brockton High School. Chrisla Brignol won gold in Written Poetry and gold in Dance/Traditional. Chrisla is a junior at Brockton High School. Isabelle Staco won gold in Biology. Isabelle is a junior at Brockton High School. First timer, Niaomi Holley, a Brockton resident and 9th Grader at Cardinal Spellman High School won a Silver Medal in Painting.

All gold medal winners will compete in the virtual National ACT-SO competition on July 22-25. The awards will be announced live via Zoom on Saturday, July 25.

The Afro Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics ( ACT-SO) is a youth program administered by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). ACTSO is an enrichment program designed to encourage high academic and cultural achievement among under-served minority high school students.

The Brockton Area Branch NAACP has been a leader in ensuring equal access for all residents in housing, economic opportunity, education, justice, legal support and media diversity since the 1950’s. They promote civic engagement; advocate for civil rights; and support and encourage the revitalization of downtown Brockton. Since the 1990’s, they have sponsored an ACT-SO youth program as a stepping stone to greatness!
Historical Tidbit:

The 1905 RB Grover Fire

On March 20th, 1905, the shoe factory of R.B. Grover & Co., located in the south end of the city of Brockton, was suddenly destroyed by a fire. Along with it the Dalborg Block, the building known as the Old Drake Tavern, four dwelling houses, two storehouses, and a blacksmith shop were also consumed. This was one of the most disastrous fires the city has ever known, the property loss reaching $250,000, and the buildings destroyed covering some four acres of ground.

The Firm of R.B. Grover & Co. was among the best known in the city, the Emerson shoe which they manufactured having gained for them a wide reputation. They employed about four hundred and fifty workmen, and on the morning of the fire, some three hundred and sixty were in the building. The factory, which was a frame structure four stories high, was located on Main Street and extended along Calmar to Denton Street.

52 Weeks Logo & Link Ad in 1 Hive

For $99 / each month, your Logo & Link ad is in 1 Buzz Around town e-newsletter each week. Ad rotates monthly between Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Raynham, West Bridgewater & Whitman.

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Buildings Remain Closed to the Public

City Hall
45 School St
 508-580-7123


Check the city website for important updates

Brockton Public Library
Main Library - 304 Main St. 508-580-7890
East Branch - 54 Kingman St. 508-580-7892
West Branch - 540 Forest Ave. 508-580-7894
BrPL Group page facebook/groups/BrPL ,


Council on Aging 
  10 Father Kenney Way 508-580-7811
Email coa@cobma.us & phone contact only
COA

There are 12 food pantries in Brockton.
PRIZE BOX TRIVIA
Here at the BuzzAround we have a great time giving away prizes!
Congratulations to 
Sara Kelly
who won a
$10 gift certificate to Mama Deb's Food Truck!

Every week:
*Answer the question in the purple trivia box at the bottom of this newsletter.
* The answer is in the Historical Tidbit.
*You'll be entered to win a random drawing.
*Winners and the upcoming prize are announced here each week.

Play our Prize Box Trivia Game
this week and you could win a
$50 gift certificate to Beauty Counter products through Independent Consultant Christine Harkins. The clean revolution www.facebook.com/cleanbeautycorner .

Since its inception, your BuzzAround has built bridges across divides: our focus on the goodness of all humanity. We bridge generational, religious and social divides. Diversity and inclusion within each community are the building blocks of our message as we share stories and events that show, time and again, that empathy and compassion are core to the human experience. In sharing these stories, we can truly see our neighbors, appreciate our similarities and understand where and why we differ.  

Thankfully, our U.S. Constitution allows for freedoms so that we can express ourselves and make the changes necessary to build a fair and just society. We believe our way of life is dependent on all people being served equal justice. It has been proven clear that our criminal justice system is not color blind. There is systemic racism built into the fabric of our institutions at every level, disadvantaging and discriminating against people of color in ways that go beyond individual intent to discriminate, and so we need to educate ourselves and change our systems.

What we are seeing is the public expression of pain and outrage. It is good that Black people know that they are worthy. It is good that we live in a society that allows for freedom of speech and assembly. It is good that people of all colors educate themselves, stand together and have empathy. 
The majority desire to protest peacefully to draw attention, educate, motivate change, stand together and act from a place of power and love. Also, saying Black lives matter is not in opposition to the importance of lives of our law enforcement personnel. BuzzAround promotes & supports goodness in all humanity. While the narrative of violence and destruction is dominating media coverage, in your BuzzAround, you will continue to see good news, including the efforts communities are making toward positive change and the stories of people of all colors, ages, interests and religions doing good. 

If you would like to provide access to education and basic needs locally to those hardest effected: please contribute to Brockton Library Foundation & United Way Brockton Together Fund. If you would like to support legal reforms NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Well Fed Facebook Live Cooking Show
Don't forget to save the date and tune in on Facebook Live June 17th at 6p for the next episode of the Well Fed Cooking Show. We welcome your questions and interaction during the show with Chef Charles Hermann.

Would you like to support the ministry of Teen Challenge Massachusetts and the skills we help our residents build?

Click Here to Donate: tcmassachusetts.org/donate
Opening Day!

Brockton Farmers Market on Friday, July 10, 2020; 45 School St, Brockton

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www.facebook.com
If you want to volunteer to help the Brockton Farmers Market: Fill Out this Volunteer Form
We have mulch, stone, loam, feed & grain and we're open for many other essential items for your home and garden!
Please call with your order and drive up.

 1000 Plymouth St (Rt 104) Bridgewater 
(508) 697-0357

If Staying Home Doesn't Sound Good to You...
Family and Community Resources, Inc. is here to help . If you, or someone you love, are worried about continuing to be quarantined in a home where you do not feel safe, call our 24 Hour Hotline 508-583-6498.  Multi-lingual advocates provide the following free, confidential services to survivors and their children including: a 24-Hour Crisis Line, Safety Planning and Crisis Intervention, Transitional Housing Support, Individual & Group Support, Mental Health Counseling and Support for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence.
To learn more, call us at 508-583-6498 or go online to  fcr-ma.org  for more information about our programs and services.
You can also call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)   thehotline.org , and SafeLink 24/7 Crisis Hotline: (877) 785-2020 or (877) 521-2601 (TTY).
Food 4 Vets
Wed, June 17th
10a – 12p
COA / The Center at Sachem Rock
355 Plymouth St., EB
The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation is proud to partner with the Cape Cod Military Support Foundation, Big Nick’s Ride for the Fallen, and local Veteran and Military Family supporters as we provide 14 Day Meal Kits for East Bridgewater area Veterans and Military Families in need. Each Meal Kit contains non-perishable food items that will provide two weeks worth of healthy meals.

For additional information please visit www.massmilitarysupportfoundation.org .

1. Pre-Registration is required and can be done easily by clicking Food4Vets form
2. Arrive in Parking Lot at 355 Plymouth St EB
3. Stay INSIDE vehicle
4. Open Trunk
5. 14 Day Meal Kit will be placed inside trunk by a Volunteer with PPE
6. Drive away

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE!
To find out about the event go here: Facebook event page .
Tori's College Fund organized by Tori Jackson

Hello friends and family as many of you know our boy Tori Jackson is going to college this 2020. Not just any college but Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Home to such great alumni such as MLK Jr., Spike Lee, and Samuel Jackson. With such...

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www.gofundme.com
Contest Winner: Rhonique Brown, Brockton

On my block there's a red house, green house, a blue one and burgundy one. On my block there's Maria, Noah, and Yolanda. Maria's house is the first one on the street. When I walk past red and a fence of shrubs, there's the faint sound of amicable ...

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buzzaround.info
Winner - Popular Vote: Gianna Messia ~ Brockton "City of ...

Brockton. The "City of Champions". A place that I have called home for the past 16 years of my life. And to be honest it was hard choosing to write about only one good thing in Brockton. For as long as I can remember, Brockton has offered kids...

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Snapshots From Around Brockton: Democracy-in-action and a community coming together to grieve, process and empower!
Brockton is a city of champions!!!

Photo credits: Tommy Shot It
& J. Rose
Video Credit: The Brockton Channels
WEEKLY TRIVIA GAME

Have fun with us and bee entered to win a
$50 gift certificate to Beauty Counter products through Independent Consultant Christine Harkins. The clean revolution www.facebook.com/cleanbeautycorner .


Historical Tidbit Question
What popular shoe was Grover & Co. responsible for making?


Email us your answer at: 


Please include your name, phone number with your answer.


By entering, you give us permission to print your name in next week's Buzz Around.

 
On June 17, 2020 we will randomly pick a winner from the correct answers.
The Buzz Around is brought to you this week by: Jen Bellody, Janice O'Brien, Sasha Rockwell, Jacquelyn Rose & Gregory Venezia
This year has been very challenging for all of us humans. We like familiarity & comfort. We have had to learn so many new ways of relating to our world: get educated,grow, change... get educated, grow, change, to live together in community.
Here it is time to educate and change again: With that in mind, I watched this video (which really breaks down the white experience in an easily understandable way), reflected, and put together my personal statement.

"I am white. It took me a long time to understand that this is more than ' bad people' doing 'bad things' because I was raised with white privilege. Now I see race. I try not to be color blind because that diminishes the experiences of others. Everyone has different experiences walking through this world. 

That’s my beginning, as I dive deeper into my own background I embrace my Portuguese heritage and how immigrants continue to be labeled as trouble and stupid. I embrace my Catholic heritage and know from the first colonies through 1940’s and beyond anti-Catholicism is deeply rooted in American culture. Because of this it's easier for me to empathize, and know we, as a country, have a lot to fix.

Since the beginning of our country we have created a justice (and housing and educational) system which harasses and intimidates and creates barriers to success for people of color. 
My first step was to educate myself, and so I share this 20 min video. It was super helpful & understandable.
~ Jacquie 
Copyright 2020 Buzz Around Brockton.  You have our permission to share and copy this issue in its entirety or as much as you like. If you take it in part, please give credit: ("Buzz Around Brockton 6/14/20")

Disclaimer: At the Buzz Around, we promote community and family. links to town committees and non-profit groups provide a way of sharing local information. Individual groups are responsible for how they represent themselves on their websites and in their promotional materials.
The Buzz Around does not claim to support any particular view.