Social Justice Calendar of Western Massachusetts

Loading Events

Events for February 23, 2021

Events Search and Views Navigation

Event Views Navigation

10:00 am

The Nuclear Disarmament Agenda: Movements Preparing the Way to the NPT Review

February 23 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am

We’re a long way from August and the scheduled NPT Review Conference. However, the international Peace & Planet planning group has begun preparations. To help develop our August messaging and to get a clearer picture of the international nuclear arms race/disarmament landscape, we’ve scheduled a webinar for 10 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Confirmed speakers include Ariel Denis of ICAN/IPB, Emad Kiyaei (Iran) and Sharon Dolev (Israel) of the Middle East Treaty Project, Oleg Bodrov of the Public Council of the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland (Russia), and Tong Zhou (China).

Find out more »

6:30 pm

Injustice in the Air: Climate, Race, and Health Justice in Western Massachusetts

February 23 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

(En español abajo)
Black History Month this year comes at a time when Black communities are facing the ever present threats of climate injustice, racism, and attacks on their health due to white supremacy and corporate greed. The COVID-19 pandemic brings these threats to the forefront and calls on us to take action together against the climate crisis, racism, and health injustice.
On Tuesday, February 23rd, join Mass JwJ for a discussion on the fight for climate, racial, and health justice in Western Massachusetts and what we can do to protect our communities. We’ll learn how these topics connect broadly, and more specifically how they directly connect to work Mass JWJ is doing in the Western Massachusetts region around air pollution and hospital cuts in Springfield, a majority BIPOC community.
Please register at this link: http://bitly.ws/bHGE
After registering, you’ll receive an email with information on how to join the event!
--------------
Injusticia en el aire: Justicia climática, racial y sanitaria en el Massachusetts del Oeste
El Mes de la Historia Negra de este año llega en un tiempo en que las comunidades negras enfrentan las amenazas siempre presentes de la injusticia climática, el racismo y los ataques a su salud debido a la supremacía blanca y la codicia corporativa. La pandemia de COVID-19 trae estas amenazas a un primer plano y nos pide que trabajemos juntos contra la crisis climática, el racismo y la injusticia sanitaria.
El martes 23 de febrero, únanse a Mass JwJ para una charla sobre la lucha por la justicia climática, racial y sanitaria en el Massachusetts del Oeste y lo que podemos hacer para proteger nuestras comunidades. Aprenderemos cómo estos temas se conectan ampliamente y, más específicamente, cómo se conectan directamente con el trabajo que Mass JWJ está haciendo en el Massachusetts del Oeste relacionado a la polución del aire y los recortes hospitalarios en Springfield, una comunidad que consiste mayoritariamente de residentes BIPOC.
Regístrense en este enlace: http://bitly.ws/bHGE
Después de registrarse, usted recibirá un correo electrónico con información sobre cómo unirse al evento

Find out more »

Injustice in the Air: Climate, Race, and Health Justice in Western Massachusetts

February 23 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

(En español abajo) Black History Month this year comes at a time when Black communities are facing the ever present threats of climate injustice, racism, and attacks on their health due to white supremacy and corporate greed. The COVID-19 pandemic brings these threats to the forefront and calls on us to take action together against […]

Find out more »

8:00 pm

Nuclear Weapons Nowadays: What You Can Know and Do

February 23 @ 8:00 pm - February 27 @ 3:00 pm

This FREE 4-session course is informative and fascinating!

Sign up now to take it during February and March beginning TUE, February 23 thru March 16th or SAT, the 27th thru March 20thth (your choice). We use Zoom video, so people everywhere take our course.

Please share this opportunity with your friends.

The Cold War ended three decades ago, but nuclear weapons remain a threat to the world. Many recent and current actions by the U.S. government have sharply increased the danger of nuclear war in the “new cold war,” so now the “Doomsday Clock” is the closest to midnight it has ever been, since it was devised in 1953. Also, the U.S. is spending more on nuclear weapons than ever before – even more than at the peak of the Cold War!

However, most Americans do not want to think about nuclear weapons. This course provides necessary information for people who are new to the issue – and people whose knowledge is out-of-date. Much has changed recently, and dangers are increasing in several ways, but politicians and mainstream news media are failing to inform the public about what people need to know.

This 4-session course presents the serious information in a supportive environment and also lifts up some positive ways people can solve the problems. We go far beyond “doom and gloom” to actually empower people to support the solutions.

Four well informed people designed this course and trade off during the sessions so you’ll enjoy a mix of voices and areas of expertise. We designed this course of four two-hour sessions to help people regardless of how much they have known about nuclear weapons. This course is being offered with the support of Antioch University.

Topics include:

the evolution of science that led to nuclear weapons
how nuclear weapons – and the policies for using them – have changed over the years
new dangers since the 2016 election
impacts of nuclear weapons testing on innocent people
decades of grassroots organizing to stop the arms race and abolish nuclear weapons
international efforts to make nuclear weapons illegal, including the very exciting treaty which will soon come into force
our own feelings and values related to nuclear weapons
the power of nonviolent resistance
Nuclear weapons are frightening, but ordinary people can learn what they need to know and can take smart actions to reduce the dangers. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by hard, scary realities, this course helps people learn and also empower themselves to support the positive efforts that are happening at the global, national and local levels.

The course is presented by four well-informed persons from the Olympia WA area:

Glen Anderson is chair of the Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (OCANW)
Mark Fleming is the secretary of the Rachel Corrie Chapter #109 of the Veterans for Peace in Olympia
James Manista is a peace activist who recently faced federal charges for resisting the Trident nuclear submarine
Joanne Dufour has experience with disarmament issues including nuclear weapons, international humanitarian law, et. al.
We are volunteers who offer this course for FREE.

Here is how to sign up:

The presenters are offering the same course twice a week during January 2021, so you may choose whichever one is better for you. If you have a scheduling conflict in any week, you may catch that session on that week’s other day.

Choose either:

Tuesdays: Eastern Time 8:00 (sharp) to 10:00 pm February 23 thru March 16th . (If you’re in another time zone, please adjust for your local time.)
Saturdays: Eastern Time 1:00 (sharp) to 3:00 p.m. February 27th thru March 20th. (If you’re in another time zone, please adjust for your local time.)

Send Joanne Dufour an e-mail to jdufourhc@msn.com with this subject line: OCANW course on Nuclear Weapons. Or you may phone Joanne at (206) 550-1841.

Please provide your name, email address, home mailing address, and phone number. Specify whether you want Tuesdays or Saturdays.

She will e-mail you the access for the Zoom video link so you can join our course.

Also, we will e-mail each participant a number of readings and videosr We that flesh out the topics of each of the four class sessions. These are not mandatory (like school assignments were), but we do encourage participants to read at least some of the readings and watch at least some of the videos, because they do provide important information and insights.

We hope you will join us!

Find out more »
+ Export Events

To submit an event via email, email
If you have any suggestions, questions, or problems with this calendar, please email us or call us at (413) 584-8975