September Is Here
Equity Matters
Tuesday, September 3rd!
Because of the legacy of slavery there have always been calls for freedom, equal protection, equal rights, civil rights and EQUITY! Centering Black and Brown communities with an eye towards racial justice, Equity Matters holds space for some of the most important pressing issues impacting Black folks in Vermont. Equity Matters.
Fletcher Free Library
First Tuesdays
6:00 PM till 7:30 PM
Remote Option Registration Link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/…/tZwsd…
Schedule
June: Equal Protection
July: Racism a Public Health Emergency
August: Homes and Land
September: Education
October: Youth
November: Criminal and Juvenile Justice
December: Health and Wellness
Session 4:
Education
3 September, 2024
Last year the US Supreme Court ended affirmative action as one of the criteria that could be used for college admissions. We know that this decision undermined the original intent of the 14th Amendment – to provide protection and opportunity for those who were enslaved, and their descendants.
The 14th Amendment was intended to rectify the deep-rooted legacy of slavery and discrimination faced by African Americans in this country. In the wake of the civil war, Its original purpose was to ensure equal protection under the law, regardless of race or ethnicity. However, the implementation of the 14th Amendment has been marked by a history of resistance and rejection, undermining its intent. Instead of serving as a powerful tool for racial justice, it has been distorted and manipulated to advance agendas contrary to its original purpose.
The Supreme Court’s decision to terminate affirmative action not only disregards the persistent racial disparities in education but also threatens the progress made in achieving racial justice and equity across all sectors of society. Its elimination perpetuates systemic inequality and denies equal opportunities for those historically disenfranchised.
Remote Option Registration Link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/…/tZwsd…
Economic Justice Working Group (Policy)
We know that systemic racism is a political and economic divide along racial lines. We understand that the legislature has resolved that racism is a Public Health Emergency and has committed to the “sustained and deep work of eradicating systemic racism throughout the State, actively fighting racist practices, and participating in the creation of more just and equitable systems” yet an Economic Justice bill has languished in the General assembly for the last four years.
Remote Option
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrdemvqjovHtzaZHzKuAVX_9SkQVc-NGKw
Update
The Economic Justice Working Group will meet on the 1st Wednesday of each from 6:00 – 7:00 PM at the Richard Kemp Center. Dates are as follows:
September 4, 2024
October 2, 2024
November 6, 2024
December 4, 2024
Peer Support
Safe Space
In recognition of the unique experiences, challenges, and strengths of Black individuals, our organization is proud to introduce “Safe Space”, an affinity space initiative. This initiative is designed to provide a safe, supportive, and empowering environment where Black individuals can come together to share common experiences, build relationships, foster community, and promote healing.
Goals: Safe Space is built upon the following core goals:
Community Building: To create a sense of belonging and community among Black individuals, allowing them to connect with others who share similar experiences, struggles, and aspirations.
Healing and Empowerment: To provide a platform for individuals to heal from racial trauma, discrimination, and systemic injustices by sharing and processing their experiences, while also empowering one another to take positive action.
Cultural Celebration: To celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Black community, fostering a deeper sense of cultural pride and identity.
1st Thursday/Month – Youth
2nd Thursday/Month – Adults
September 5th and 12th
6:00 – 7:30 PM
Richard Kemp Center
First Friday is designed to provide a comprehensive and impactful experience within a condensed two-hour timeframe, promoting unity, education, and empowerment within the African diaspora.
Wellnesses Working Group
Centering racial justice and equity. Areas of discussion and action include:
Remote access here
When one talks about “Public Safety” absent a discussion on racial justice we deny our racist violent national history and the legacy that remains today. We need a a movement that combines policy advocacy, community engagement and organizing, nonviolent civil disobedience and systems of care and support. We need to change the narrative on “public safety.” We need these conversations to center the safety, health and wellness of Black people. This open and ongoing community dialogue is crucial in building a comprehensive and effective alternative to the existing harmful narrative and failed policy that is crippling our communities, killing our people and making everyone less safe.
Areas of discussion and action:
- Statewide Oversight
- Funding of Peer Networking and her Grassroots Initiatives
- Criminalize Racial Profiling
- Establishing Credible Messengers
- End Cash Bail
- End Qualified Immunity
Community-based, Lived Experience informed Prevention and Recovery
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvdO-urzkuH9xJwYjpOX3ekIaFTlQnMMhD
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
1619 Traveling Exhibit Closing
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
August 03, 2024
Contact:
Kenroy Walker
[email protected]
Vermont Racial Justice Alliance Announces 1619 Traveling Exhibit Closing
(Burlington, VT) — Today the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance (VRJA) is announcing the closing of the 1619 Traveling Exhibit.
The exhibit opened to the public at the Richard Kemp Center on Tuesday, August 13th at 11:00 PM. The exhibit has remained on display at the Richard Kemp Center through First African Landing Day, Viewing times continue from 11:00 PM till 4:00 PM Tuesday, September 3rd through Friday, September 6th. There will be a brief overview of First African Landing Day 2024 and a final opportunity to view the 1619 Traveling Exhibit on September 7th from 6:00 – 7:00 PM.
Drawing on the latest research, this exhibit tells the story of the Africans’ home in Angola, how they came to be enslaved aboard a Spanish slave ship San Juan Bautista, the terrible 10,000 nautical mile voyage that brought them to Virginia, and their lives on the farms and plantations in the new colony. “This is the 6th consecutive year that the 1619 Traveling Exhibit has been to Vermont. We’re grateful to the Hampton History Museum for their collaboration”, said Rev Mark Hughes, Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance.
The 1619 Traveling Exhibit compliments First African Landing Day which was inspired by the creation of the 400 Year African American History Commission and the 1619 Project. First African Landing Day was established by the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance to recognize and highlight the resilience and contributions of African-Americans since 1619; to acknowledge the impact that slavery and laws that enforced racial discrimination had [have] on the United States; and to educate the public about the arrival of Africans in the United States. The 2024 theme was “Stay The Course.”
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About the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance:
Through Black leadership the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance addresses the root causes and impact of systemic racism with a data-driven approach that includes solutions ranging from platforms and initiatives; outreach and education; community engagement and support; and, cultural empowerment programming.
The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance’s work spans a broad range of activities to ensure the accomplishment of the mission: To secure sustainable power, ensure agency, and provide security for American Descendants of Slavery, while embracing our history and preserving their culture.
About the 400 Years African American History Commission:
The 400 Years of African American History Commission is a federally appointed committee, operating independently as established by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and administered by the National Park Service. The 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act, signed into law January 8, 2018, established this 15-member commission to coordinate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in the English colonies on August 20, 1619, when 20 enslaved Africans were brought to Point Comfort in the English colony of Virginia (now part of Fort Monroe National Monument).
The 400 Years of African-American History Commission (the “Commission”) is developing and facilitate activities throughout the United States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619, recognizing and highlighting the resilience and contributions of African Americans from that seminal moment forward, while simultaneously acknowledging the painful impact of slavery, racial discrimination, and racism on our Nation.
About the 1619 Project:
The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.
Equal Protection Constitutional Amendment Discussion
Today, most don’t know it but the Equal protection clause of the 14th amendment was created to protect the formerly enslaved. It would go on to serve as the foundation of all civil rights laws of the the land. The challenge is that the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) since “14” has existed have almost never interpreted the Equal Protection Clause in a manner that has allowed this nation to live up to our national aspirations of justice for all.
It is because of SCOTUS’s development and institutionalization of “color-blind” principled equal protection “basic analysis” doctrine that civil rights laws have become obsolete and ineffective, affirmative action has been completely walked back, policy efforts to address disparate outcomes are being stymied and DEI programs and initiatives are actively being dismantled. There are ongoing unprecedented reversals and/or significant alterations of civil rights protections previously safeguarded by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
We have initiated a Vermont equal protection constitutional amendment. Though we know that it will be decided in the courts, this constitutional amendment could lay the groundwork in creating a state legal approach to equal protection which assists Vermont in its ability to create survivable policies that correct disparate outcomes caused by systemic racism and other forms of oppression. This constitutional amendment could assist Vermont in providing broader civil rights protections in the face of national threats. These protections could even be expanded to some who are currently less protected and prevent harmful classification-based algorithms.
We will continue to train and organize around equal protection over the Summer and into the fall. Next Biennium the constitutional amendment is required to pass the Senate and House again before such tine as it heads to the ballot. Please attend the training and organizing sessions as you see them announced. Equal Protection is the cornerstone of civil rights and justice in the United States. How Vermont responds to equal protection will make the difference in the lives of our children and our children’s children.
Note:
We’ll meet at the Richard Kemp Center for a planning and organizing meting. This meeting will be hybrid. Here is the link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82212516970?pwd=Rt5039jKa26KIr3YkodM29eaOL1L9b.1
Update
The Equal Protection Working Group will meet on the 4h Thursday of each from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at the Richard Kemp Center. Dates are as follows:
September 26, 2024
October 24, 2024
November 28, 2024
December 26, 2024
Equal Protection
“Yet, the very premise of the cases that foreclose federal remedies constitutes a clear call to state courts to step into the breach. With the federal focus of our double protections weakened, our liberties cannot survive if the states betray the trust the Court has put in them. And if that trust is, for the Court, strong enough to override the risk that some states may not live up to it, how much more strongly should we trust state courts whose manifest purpose is to expand constitutional protections. With federal scrutiny diminished, state courts must respond by increasing their own.”
The honorable William J. Brennan Jr,
Associate Justice SCOTUS, 1956-1990
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Our mission is to secure sustainable power, ensure agency, and provide security for Vermont’s American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS), while embracing their history and preserving their culture.
Vermont Racial Justice Alliance will restart our partner meeti