“Black Voices for Peace” Inspires Hope

Speaking at a packed Black History Month event, “Black Voices for Peace – Gaza to Connecticut,” CPUSA co-chair Joe Sims recounted the remarkable story of his grandmother Pauline Taylor, paying tribute to her and other stalwart freedom fighters in the struggle for peace, racial and economic equality.

Sims' story culminated an exciting and inspiring standing-room-only program at the New Haven Peoples Center. He called for stepped up efforts on behalf of a ceasefire in Gaza as necessary to expand democracy and defeat the fascist minded MAGA forces in November's election.

The event marked the 50th annual People's World Black History Month celebration, featuring a youth competition, song, drumming, a workers' rights panel and Sims address.

Welcome drumming by Brian Jarawa Gray and friends, paid tribute to Edie Fishman, who passed away just four days earlier at the age of 102, honoring her tireless commitment to the working class struggle.

Emcee Mary Thigpen, Local 34 retiree and an organizer with the Connecticut CPUSA welcomed everyone. The entire crowd joined in with Scotticesa Marks Miller's performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”.

Arts & Writing Competition winners got tremendous applause with a seventh grade class dance performance including Rep Cori Bush's call for ceasefire and peace..

A Workers’ Rights Panel, moderated by Connecticut CPUSA organizer Jahmal Henderson, included Seth Freeman, President, 4C’s SEIU, Pam Reed Johnson, Executive Board, 1199 SEIU, and Stephanie Deceus, Vice President, 1199 SEIU.

Johnson, who works at Oak Hill School in Hartford, highlighted 1199’s courageous statewide strike for improved wages and healthcare benefits last year.

Freeman denounced the devastating budget cuts at Connecticut State Community Colleges causing elimination of cafeteria services, student support and class offerings, disproportionately impacting Black and brown students. He said his union overwhelmingly passed resolutions for a ceasefire and to shift militry funding to human needs out of concern with everyone, not just their own isssues.

Recounting the story of Pauline Taylor, Sims shared the tragic story of her grandmother, beaten to death at age 35 for refusing to carry water, and a strike in Alabama in 1920 attacked by 5,000 troops where poor whites broke the railroad tracks to help the miners escape. Going north during the Great Migration, Taylor supported a steelworkers organizing drive attacked by police in 1937. She toured the country on behalf of peace during the Korean War and supported the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa..

50th Annual People's World Black History Month Event

 

50th Annual People's World Black History Month Event

BLACK VOICES FOR PEACE - GAZA TO CONNECTICUT

Sunday Feb 25 at 4 pm (doors open 3:30)

New Haven Peoples Center 37 Howe Street

RSVP:  https://actionnetwork.org/events/black-voices-for-peace-gaza-to-connecticut

Can't come in person:  Attend the Livestream:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1102390814435094

PROGRAM

Workers Rights Panel

Seth Freeman, President 4C's SEIU

Pam Reed Johnson, Executive Board and Stephanie Deceus, Vice President 1199 SEIU

Moderator: Jahmal Henderson

Special Guest Speaker

Joe Sims, lifelong civil rights and peace activist and organizer

Co-chair CPUSA

Arts and Writing Competition prizes awarded

Drumming by Brian Jarawa Gray and friends

Songs by Scotticesa Marks Miller

Emcee:  Mary Thigpen

The event is hosted by the CT People's World.  Donations

will be accepted for the 100th Anniversary Fund Drive.

For more information leave a message at 203 624 8664 or

reply to this email at ct-pww@pobox.com.

Working Class Demands Resound at the State Capitol

A whirlwind week at the State Capitol brought together an unprecedented collaboration between organizations supporting each other's needs in a quest to win an Equity Agenda for higher public education funding, just cause eviction protections, HUSKY for immigrants, paid sick days and unemployed benefits for striking workers.

Rallies and press conferences, packed hearing rooms and zoom participation marked the week as unions, community and faith groups turned out in numbers and submitted hundreds of testimonies.

On Tuesday afternoon community college and state university students and faculty were joined by Connecticut for All member organizations for a spirited rally before going into the hearing room demanding $250 million in the budget to reverse tuition hikes and fully-fund higher public education.

The Housing Committee began its hearing at 11 am and was still going strong at 11 pm. Dozens of tenants made the case to expand no cause eviction protections to all renters. Legislators were urged to take action against unsafe living conditions and evictions without cause by mega landlords who seek higher rents from the next tenant.

Husky for Immigrants was featured on Wednesday calling for an increase in eligibility from 15 to 18 years old for children to receive HUSKY regardless of immigration status.

Thursday's Labor Committee hearing focused on expanding paid sick days, led by She Leads Justice, and on allowing striking workers to access unemployment benefits after two weeks, led by the CT AFL-CIO.

All of these issues are part of the Equity Agenda of the 60 member Connecticut for All coalition, which calls for taxing wealth and circumventing the spending cap to meet the needs of multi racial working class families.

“As the wealthiest state in the country, Connecticut should be a shining example for the nation–a place where every family has what we need to live a good life.  But we have a state where hundreds of thousands of working people are struggling to raise families here, even while a handful of wealthy corporations and wealthy residents are getting even wealthier.,” said CFA.

“But it doesn’t have to be that way. Together we have the resources to create a state where every single kid has what they need to get the best start in life.  A place where everyone has good healthcare to lead healthy lives, a good job to support their families, and a safe place to call home. “

Equity Agenda Offers New Vision for Connecticut

 

A strong message demanding funds for higher education and other people's needs reverberated through the State Capitol as the Equity Agenda of the Connecticut for All Coalition was unveiled on the day before the legislative session opened.

 

The 60 member coalition of labor, faith and community groups preempted Governor Lamont's State of the State address with their own State of the People, calling for easing the spending cap and raising more revenue by taxing wealth to meet peoples' needs.

Senator Gary Winfield and State Representative Jillian Gilchrest joined advocates from across Connecticut to deliver the message along with testimonies depicting daily hardships faced by working class people alongside a huge surplus, claiming Connecticut is not in good fiscal health.

New Haven Federation of Teachers president Leslie Blatteau emphasized, “Our focus is to work together to strengthen our multi- racial working class coalition across the state. We are here to present our lived experience and remind elected officials that “Two Connecticuts” is no longer acceptable.

“We have over 1,300 paraeducator vacancies across Connecticut and our higher education system is facing hundreds of millions of dollars in deficit,” said Victoria Ceylan, a Danbury Paraeducator, “As a para working since 2014, I still don’t make $18 per hour and my coworkers who have been paras for over 20 years are barely making $20/hour. Governor Lamont, are you going to let a silly thing like the fiscal guardrails prevent us from spending the billions we have in surplus on critical investments like paras and higher education?”

“Let’s remind ourselves of our joint vision of the mission of our public higher education system,” said Oskar Harmon, a UConn Economics Professor, “It is a tool to lift up entire communities, to address racial and economic disparities and to set us up for a strong and stable economy.  It is an economic engine of growth.”

In addition, the Equity Agenda would raise new revenues with a 5% surtax on capital gains, dividends and taxable interest for individuals earning $500,000 and joint filers earning $1 million or more and robustly fund public institutes of higher education to enhance instructional quality and expand affordable access to post-secondary education.

“Every Connecticut resident deserves access to an affordable college education that provides them with the skills to succeed, regardless of their income level and location,” says Connecticut for All.”

Climate March Kicks off Legislative Session

A march of 200 winter soldiers wound their way through downtown Hartford on February 2. The winter cold bit at their noses. Some had signs declaring a climate emergency, others wore Palestinian scarves. 

The March to Keep Connecticut's Climate Promise, endorsed by 28 organizations, called upon state leaders to “keep their climate promise and honor everybody's right to a safe, healthy and sustainable Connecticut.” Initiators included the Sierra Club, CCAG, Third Act, the Global Council for Science and the Environment,  and 350.org. 

 

A specific focus was climate justice, acknowledging that challenged communities are impacted more severely than others.

Marchers stopped at Eversource, DEEP, Travelers, and the state capitol. Letters were dropped off demanding an Environmental Rights Amendment (ERA) in the State constitution.

The march was one of several actions as the Legislature convenes On Feb 10 the 60 member Connecticut for All coalition unveiled its equity agenda challenging “guardrails” limiting needed funds for public education and other services.

 

The talk at the climate march brought one point out clearly. No movement can win alone, especially with the fascist threat to our country. A coalition of green groups is not enough. It takes an alliance. The Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs is one such alliance. 

 

SEIU/CSEA union members, Black Lives Matter, Ct Peace Council, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association were sprinkled along the march.  Leading the march were students from Suffield High.

 

One peace activist said wars and the gigantic military budgets feeding them exist, in large part, to maintain a fossil fuel economy, stressing the imperative that climate activists oppose the climate-bashing militarized economy. Many military invasions have been about oil.

 

NAUGATUCK: SOUTHWOOD APTS

 

In mid-January, one multiracial neighborhood in Naugatuck found out that climate change involved more than Arctic melting. 

 

Two streams that curse under the main artery of Rubber Ave. flooded. It cut the road in two. On one side toward town were ambulance services and fire stations. On the other side was Southwood Apts. where hundreds of people live. 

 

If those services were needed that night, it would have taken extra time to reach the Apts. Time, as emergency workers will tell you, is crucial to save lives. Climate change was very much here and now.

 

You can help by supporting H.B. 5004 declaring a climate emergency and no interstate pipelines for fossil fuels.