Occasionally we are asked “what is the Greater Newburyport Anti-Racism affinity group?” and “can I join?” We are a small group that has been meeting for years to support, discuss, and learn about systemic racism and intersectional issues generally, as well as mentor others beginning their journeys of anti-racism.
We support and challenge one another in our own education through books, movies, articles, podcasts, workshops, etc., and look at ways to share these ideas and information with the community, with individuals, and with others who wish to begin their own learning pods.
We stand in solidarity with all those working to end racism, inequality, war and imperialism, while also supporting efforts to build power in working class communities of color. Collective and individual liberation for all!
This is our Facebook page,
Anti-Racism Affinity Group of Greater Newburyport
Please feel free to share this email, or give others my email address (mentalchatter@yahoo.com) so they can get on the (blind carbon copy) mailing list.
REIMAGINING COMMUNITY SAFETY: WHY DID VOTERS REJECT PLANS TO REPLACE THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH MICHELLE PHELPS )Wednesday, December 1, 2021 4:30pm-5:45pm (Eastern) Virtual event on ZoomRegister here to receive the Zoom linkAcross the country, grassroots efforts are underway to try to replace police departments with departments of public safety. Although the changes being considered differ across contexts, they have in common an interest in moving away from armed officers who focus on crime to civilian forces that take a holistic approach by focusing on the root causes that bring about concerning and harmful behaviors. In Minneapolis, considerable support seemed to exist for such a change, but a recent ballot initiative fell short of achieving this goal. Why did Minneapolis voters decide against replacing their police department with a new Department of Public Safety? And what does this defeat tell us about the hurdles that exist not only to potentially transformative police reform, but also to our understanding of what public safety is and how best it is achieved? Michelle Phelps, Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota, will join us to share her unique insights about how dynamics rooted in race, class, and space converged to produce unexpected patterns of voting on this important and potentially game-changing issue.  |
Newburyport’s Annual William Lloyd Garrison Lecture featuring Edward CarsonFriday, December 10, 2021 | 7:00 p.m.Old South Presbyterian Church | 29 Federal Street, Newburyport, MA Every year, Newburyport celebrates William Lloyd Garrison’s legacy on his birthday with a lecture from a well-known author, historian, or public speaker about Garrison’s life, and how it is still relevant today. This year the talk is “The Gospel According to William Lloyd Garrison: Anti-Racism and the American Truth” and will be given by Edward Carson, the Dean of Multicultural Education at the Governor’s Academy and a leading organizer and activist in the Greater Boston area. Carson will discuss Garrison’s relevancy in twenty-first century issues like voting rights, Critical Race Theory, and Black political thought. Join us in-person (masks required for attendees) on December 10, 2021 at the Old South Presbyterian Church in Newburyport at 7:00 p.m. For more information and to watch live go to lecture.porthistory.com. No registration required.  https://communitychangeinc.networkforgood.com/events/36133-tell-me-the-truth-exploring-the-heart-of-cross-racial-conversations  Rally to support BlackLivesMatter + all Marginalized and People of ColorSince George Floyd’s murder in 5/20, many people have gathered to support BlackLivesMatter. This murder by police represents a long line of white supremacy, lynching, discrimination, segregation, and carceral punishment of marginalized and people of color in this country. Violent attacks toward Asian people occur regularly. New hate legislation has been passed in many states to ban things such as access to sports or medical care for transgender people. We need to continue being active around combatting racism and hatred. We need to lift up voices working on justice. Please wear a mask if unvaccinated, and bring a sign every 2nd Sat. of the month and demonstrate that this matters to you.Sat, Dec. 11, 2021, 10:30-noon – Market Sq., NewburyportDecember 15 | 7:00 PMBlack Heritage Trail of New England and 3S Artspace present“The Race for STEM,” With Guest Poet: Kyle FlemmingsStudent Poet: Hannah Rubin from Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NHFeaturing Poems by:  Marilyn Nelson – “Arachis Hypogaea”Eve Ewing – “Horror Movie Pitch”Gil-Scott Heron – “Whitey on the Moon”James Monroe Whitfield – “Yes! Strike Again That Sounding String”Marilyn Nelson – “Arachis Hypogaea”Eve Ewing – “Horror Movie Pitch”Gil-Scott Heron – “Whitey on the Moon”James Monroe Whitfield – “Yes! Strike Again That Sounding String”Marilyn Nelson – “Arachis Hypogaea”Eve Ewing – “Horror Movie Pitch”Gil-Scott Heron – “Whitey on the Moon”James Monroe Whitfield – “Yes! Strike Again That Sounding String”Marilyn Nelson Eve Ewing Gil-Scott Heron James Monroe WhitfieldRegister for Virtual Program HerePurchase tickets for in-person program here |
Harriet Tubman and Maryland’s Underground Railroad – Livestream Tour
Join us for an online/virtual tour of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad sites in Maryland. Learn how Harriet successfully escaped from slavery and how she then heroically led others to freedom.
Sat, December 18, 2021
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST
Marblehead Racial Justice Team: Conversations on Race and White Privilege
“How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time”
Marblehead Racial Justice Team and Abbott Library
We’re Back in the Library and on Zoom.
Monday, December 20 from 7:00-8:30
Zoom Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/…/tZMkcOmhrD0vG9GgYBt…
Living while black can be dangerous. Looking at headlines in the news demonstrates the narrative of racial injustice. We’ll look at ways daily activities like eating, walking or generally “living while Black” people of color are often considered threatening to white people turn to police to ensure personal comfort.
We’ll take time to consider where the power is and discover the ways we can change the narrative. There is a structure to systematic racism. By changing our actions, we can change the stories of trauma into stories of healing for us all.
Please come prepared to share personal stories of injustice that you’ve seen or experienced and suggestions for change.
These ongoing conversations are a safe and welcoming place in which we explore our own privilege and biases, our questions, and continue to learn and grow by hearing each other’s stories so that we can best make a difference. It is a place for listening, conversation, and engagement.
This program will be hybrid, offered in person and on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/…/tZMkcOmhrD0vG9GgYBt…
NOTE: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting). Please add to your calendar.
The film “Bounty” by the Upstander Project is currently screening for free,
A live screening and Q&A of this short but powerful film will be held on
Thu, January 20, 2022
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
Synopsis — We are citizens of the Penobscot Nation. For this film, we bring our families to Boston to read our ancestors’ death warrant. This abhorrent proclamation, made in 1755 by the colonial government, paid settlers handsomely to murder Penobscot people. It declared our people enemies and offered different prices for the scalps of children, women, and men. Bounty proclamations like this, some even paid in stolen land, persisted for more than two centuries across what is now the United States.
EVENT SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
7:00 PM – 7:20 PM: Film Introduction
7:21 PM – 7:30 PM: BOUNTY film
7:31 PM – 8:30 PM: Film Team Q&A
January 20 | 7:00 PM
“Emphatic Affirmations,” With Guest Poet
Sonya Sanchez
Student Poet: Kaylee Chen, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH
Featuring Poems By:
Cordelia Ray – “Self-Mastery”
Al Young – “A Dance for Ma Rainey”
Tracy K. Smith – “Declaration”
Effie Lee Newsome – “The Bronze Legacy”
Register for virtual program here
Cordelia Ray Al Young Tracy K. Smith Effie Lee Newsome
Register for virtual program here
Register for virtual program here
Purchase tickets for in-person program here
This is an interesting interview with Ibram Kendi by Brene Brown, that allowed me to understand his book differently than I did from reading it. Worth the time if you have an hour.
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-ibram-x-kendi-on-how-to-be-an-antiracist/
How Systemic Racism Works, James Mulholland
The Feelings of a Black Girl, https://notetomywhiteself.wordpress.com/2021/11/09/the-feelings-of-a-black-girl/
