Thursday, August 18, 2016
New Haven Peoples Center Community Film Screening
DREAM ON
Friday, August 26, 2016 at 7 pm, 37 Howe Street, New Haven
Followed by discussion and refreshments
"We will shock this nation and fight for justice for all...
We will not give up on the heart of our democracy, not now, not ever."
-Rev. William Barber
In an epic road trip, political comedian John Fugelsang retraces the journey of Alexis de Tocqueville, whose study of our young country in 1831 came to define America as a place where anyone could climb the ladder of economic opportunity. Following in the Frenchman's footsteps, Fugelsang speaks with fast-food workers and retirees, prisoners and entrepreneurs, undocumented immigrants and community organizers about their hopes, dreams, and daily struggles. DREAM ON explores whether the optimistic spirit of the American Dream that Tocqueville observed is alive and well in the twenty-first century, or whether George Carlin was right when he famously quipped "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."
Contact:
peoplescenter@pobox.com
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
SAVE the DATE
Saturday,
August 6, 2016
Reception
and Fundraiser
Celebrating
the history of the
New
Haven Peoples Center
In
recognition of the leadership of
AL
MARDER
for
peace, equality and justice
Coogan
Pavilion, Edgewood Park
Enter
from Whalley Ave (near West Rock Ave)
4
pm to 7 pm
Exhibit,
Photos, Remarks, Refreshments
Suggested
donation $25 or what you can afford
Proceeds
to Peoples Center Restoration Fund
New
Haven Peoples Center
37
Howe Street, New Haven CT 06511
e-mail:
peoplescenter@pobox.com
web:
peoplescenter.blogspot.com/
facebook
event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1787677664801872/
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Labor, religious leaders say "get on board the CT Climate Train"
Action
on climate change is a "moral and scientific and political
imperative" said Blumenthal, who hopes the rally will make "an
indisputable statement that the people of America, people of faith,
working men and women know jobs and the environment are not in
contradiction.”
"It is not
often with one legislative issue that millions of jobs are created
and millions of lives are saved," said Murphy. Using fuel cell
production in Connecticut as an example he said, "If we create
the demand for renewable energy, we will create jobs."
Lori Pelletier,
executive secretary treasurer of CT AFL CIO said the 200,000 member
organization is proud to be part of this historic event to raise
awareness for safety, health, job security and environmental
security.
Initiated by the
Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs, the press conference
highlighted mobilization by 13 labor organizations and several
religious organizations. They are part of a large state-wide
coalition of environmental, peace and community groups marching to
insist the United Nations take immediate action on climate change.
Melodie
Peters, president of AFT Connecticut said her members are going with
the safety and future of the children they teach in mind. She thanked
Governor Dannel Malloy and the senators for "advocacy and
tenacity" with Metro North which won additional seats and
discount fares for tickets purchased at www.CTClimateTrain.org.
The Roundtable was
launched two years ago by CT AFL CIO and the Interreligious
Eco-Justice Network to "address urgent concerns about climate
change while creating good paying jobs in the state."
Rev.
Dr. Ian Douglas, Bishop Diocesan, Episcopal Diocese of CT, Rabbi
Joshua Hammerman of Stamford and
Fatma Antar of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford/Berlin
Mosque also spoke at the press conference.
Other union
endorsers include CT Education Association, SEIU State Council, State
Council of Machinists, CSEA/SEIU Local 2100, CT Alliance for Retired
Americans, Council 4 AFCME, CWA Local 1298, Unite Here CT, UAW Region
9A, UE Local 243 and 32 BJ SEIU.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
BOOK TALK with Dr. Gerald Horne
Race to Revolution: The U.S. and
Cuba during Slavery and Jim Crow
New Haven Peoples Center 37 Howe Street
The histories of Cuba and the United
States are tightly intertwined and have been for at least two
centuries. In Race to Revolution, historian Gerald Horne examines
a critical relationship between the two countries by tracing out
the interconnections among slavery, Jim Crow, and revolution.
Slavery was central to the economic and political trajectories of
Cuba and the United States, both in terms of each nation’s
internal political and economic development and in the
interactions between the small Caribbean island and the Colossus
of the North.
Horne draws a direct link between the
black experiences in two very different countries and follows that
connection through changing periods of resistance and
revolutionary upheaval. Black Cubans were crucial to Cuba’s
initial independence, and the relative freedom they achieved
helped bring down Jim Crow in the United States, reinforcing
radical politics within the black communities of both nations.
This in turn helped to create the conditions that gave rise to the
Cuban Revolution which, in 1959, shook the United States to its
core.
Presented
as
a project of People's World Friday Night Film &
Discussion Series Information: ct-pww@pobox.com
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Immigrants'
Rights are Workers Rights!
United
to Win an Economy for the 99%
Celebrate
International Workers Day
Sunday, May 5th at 4 pm, 37 Howe St New Haven
March on Wed May 1st at 5 pm on the New Haven Green. Celebrate on Sun May 5th at the People's World annual rally with a video of the march, May Day Around the World, and a panel of leaders in immigrant worker organizing, jobs pipeline, organizing for environmentally sustainable peacetime jobs in Connecticut, and labor-community neighborhood organizing.
Sunday, May 5th at 4 pm, 37 Howe St New Haven
March on Wed May 1st at 5 pm on the New Haven Green. Celebrate on Sun May 5th at the People's World annual rally with a video of the march, May Day Around the World, and a panel of leaders in immigrant worker organizing, jobs pipeline, organizing for environmentally sustainable peacetime jobs in Connecticut, and labor-community neighborhood organizing.
Panelists
include John Harrity, director, Grow Jobs Connecticut; Scott Marks, New Haven Rising; Mary Reynolds, director of
New Haven Works, and John Jairo Lugo, Unidad Latina en Accion.
Music performances, a home made buffet and a raffle will round out the family day. Tickets are $5 or what you can afford. e-mail: ct-pww@pobox.com or call 203-624-8664. Contributions to the People's World fund drive will be accepted.
Music performances, a home made buffet and a raffle will round out the family day. Tickets are $5 or what you can afford. e-mail: ct-pww@pobox.com or call 203-624-8664. Contributions to the People's World fund drive will be accepted.
Monday, August 27, 2012
The New Haven Peoples Center 75th birthday was a beautiful occasion, the coming together of a wide array of those who care about community and social justice including elected officials, labor and community leaders and grass roots folks of all ages and backgrounds. It was a wonderful day!
Appreciation and congratulations to everyone who contributed and participated in any way as we celebrated what has come before and were inspired to continue the organizing and coalition building of today for a better world for everyone.
Enjoy the group photo (below) of those who were present at that time. Thank you to the courageous veterans who issued a letter (attached) in support of funding to restore the bricks and mortar of this remarkable resource for our state and nation.
-- Peoples Center 75th Anniversary Committee (Photo: Chris Randall http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152046051655015.890348.527850014&type=1)
NEW HAVEN PEOPLES CENTER
37 HOWE STREET, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06511
37 HOWE STREET, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06511
MEDIA RELEASE
August 25, 2012
Information: 203- 387-0370
Veterans Support Funding
for New Haven Peoples Center
A group of veterans called
on Governor Dannell P. Malloy today to restore the request
for funding for restoration of 37 Howe Street, site of the
New Haven Peoples Center.
The Governor removed the
item from the state bonding budget after an opposition group
from outside New Haven, citing their veteran status,
protested the proposed funding on the grounds that
Communists are part of the building. The bonding request
would restore brick work on the 1851 Italianate structure
which is a site on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.
The announcement was made
as the New Haven Peoples Center celebrated its 75th
anniversary with a family backyard cookout and cultural
event including music and children's crafts. After
supporters crowded on the front lawn for a group photograph,
messages of solidarity and support were delivered by elected
officials, labor leaders and community activists.
Public support for the
Peoples Center, an all-volunteer non profit institution, has
continued to increase on the basis of the activities it
hosts of benefit to the community including youth
programming, and providing affordable space for unions and
community groups including immigrant rights, peace and grass
roots organizing.
The Peoples Center has
been dedicated to social, cultural and educational
activities for labor and community since it was founded in
1937 during the Great Depression. It is the site of the
first inter-racial basketball team and first inter-racial
theater group in the City of New Haven. The Peoples Center
opened its doors to the nation's first homeless run daytime
drop-in center in the 1990s. It is now the location of
Unidad Latina en Accion which is organizing immigrant
workers. It is home to youth organizing and the New Elm
City Dream.
The letter
from the veterans reads in part: "We deplore the
manipulation of a few Veterans, for narrow political
purposes, who do not understand that the New Haven Peoples
Center is an historic building, 1851, the active center
since 1937 for organizations campaigning for jobs for
youth and against violence, for immigrant’s rights,
against racial profiling, decent jobs and medical
treatment for Veterans, and for global peace, among
others. We reject the spurious and dangerous “red baiting”
charges used to deny the Peoples Center their legitimate
request."
Signers include veterans
from WW II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the war in
Afghanistan. The letter to the Governor concludes, "We call
for the restoration of the request of the New Haven Peoples
Center for funding. "
The letter follows:
NEW
HAVEN
PEOPLES CENTER
37 HOWE STREET, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06511
37 HOWE STREET, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06511
A PETITION FOR THE BILL OF RIGHTS
IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW HAVEN PEOPLES CENTER
IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW HAVEN PEOPLES CENTER
Governor Dannel P. Malloy
State of Connecticut
State Capitol
Hartford, Connecticut
State of Connecticut
State Capitol
Hartford, Connecticut
August 25, 2012
Honorable Governor Malloy:
We are Veterans who have served in various
branches of the United States Armed Forces. We were
citizen-soldiers deeply committed, then and now, to the
protection of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of
the United States. We support the legitimate request of
the New Haven Peoples Center for State funding for
essential brick and mortar repairs.
We deplore the manipulation of a few Veterans,
for narrow political purposes, who do not understand that
the New Haven Peoples Center is an historic building,
1851, the active center since 1937 for organizations
campaigning for jobs for youth and against violence, for
immigrant’s rights, against racial profiling, decent jobs
and medical treatment for Veterans, and for global peace,
among others.
We reject the spurious and dangerous “red
baiting” charges used to deny the Peoples Center their
legitimate request. As Veterans, we know how the McCarthy
period and the charge of “communism” led to the deaths of
so many of our fellow soldiers and trashed the democratic
rights of our people. We refuse to allow our comrades to
be the instruments of intimidation and neo-fascist
tactics.
We call for the restoration of the request of
the New Haven Peoples Center for funding.
Alfred
L.
Marder, Company M. 14th Infantry Regiment, 71st Division,
Recipient Bronze Star
Fernando
A.
Ayala, U.S. Army Retired, January 1972 to March 1985
Calvin
Bunnell,
USS JFK U.S. Navy, USS FDR U.S. Navy
Anthony
Butler
(E-4), 438th MAC / 527 TAC, McGuire AFB, New Jersey, Okinawa,
Japan
Bill
Collins, Norwalk
Thomas
Connolly,
U.S. Army 2nd 68 Armor Battalion, Germany, 1962-1965
Celestino
Cordova,
U.S. Army Korean War 1951-52
Luis
Acevedo Cortez, U. S. Army Vietnam 1968
Joseph
Dimow,
World War II Veteran, 29th Armored Div.
Francis
E.
Douglass Jr. , USMC
Stephen
E.
D. Fournier, 6916th Security Squadron, U.S. Air Force Security
Service
Craig
S. Gauthier, 82nd Airborne Div. 1962-1966
Winston
Heimer,
Maj (Ret) U.S. Army, Signalcorps
James
D. Linn, Vietnam Veteran
Raymond
Milici,
USATC FA, Fourth U.S. Army
Luis
A. Muniz-Rivera, U.S. Air Force Vietnam 1969
Paul
Neal, U.S. Army, Vietnam 1970
James
Pandaru, U.S. Navy 1962-66; Seabees, 1971-91
Rafael
A.
Reyes, U.S. Army Vietnam 1967
David
W. P. Roy, SrA, USAF, Beale AFB, 100th Refueling Wing
Charles
Ruemmelez,
1st Marine Corp Div. 1966/67, 5th Marines, Head Quarters Company
Roberto
Santos,
U.S. Army Afghanistan 2010
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Progressive Education and Research
Associates, Inc. d/b/a
New Haven Peoples Center
37 Howe Street, New Haven
Connecticut 06511
June 5, 2012
Statement by Progressive Education
and Research Associates, Inc.
regarding the request for state
bonding funds to restore the New Haven
Peoples Center
The withdrawal of
funds from the state bonding budget to restore the
historic New Haven Peoples Center is a blow to
democracy at the expense of the people of this
city.
This 1851 Italianate
building which is a site on the state Freedom
Trail meets all criteria for bonding funds, as was
attested to by the office of the Governor.
However, a group opposed to the multi-racial and
multi-cultural youth, labor, civil rights and
peace programs offered at the Center, sought to
stop the funding by creating a charged political
atmosphere, resorting to McCarthyite-style
anti-communism.
Initial complaints
by Republicans that two officers of the building
are members of the Communist Party USA were
unsuccessful in stopping the funding. Next, a
veterans motorcycle group and other veterans were
recruited to come to New Haven for a protest at
the site of the building. They opposed the funding
on the grounds that the People's World, the
newspaper of the Communist Party, has an office in
the Peoples Center.
Their purpose was to
create an anti-communist media frenzy. They
ignored the fact that the bonding request was to
restore an historic building. They ignored the
many veterans who participate with the Peoples
Center including president Alfred Marder who was
awarded a Bronze Star for heroism during WW II.
They did not have any interest in the youth,
immigrant, cultural and educational activities so
vital to New Haven. They disregarded the wide
array of support by elected officials, labor
leaders, clergy, peace and progressive
organizations representing tens of thousands of
Connecticut residents.
Their press
conference launched a weekend campaign to pressure
members of the Bond Commission to vote no. It is
a shameful and sad day in Connecticut that the
request was pulled by the Governor when nothing
had changed regarding the validity of the project.
The People's World
is one of many groups who utilize the Peoples
Center along with Unidad Latina en Accion, New Elm
City Dream, Jobs and Unemployed Committee, the
Marsalka reference library, Free 2 Spit, the Peace
Council, many unions including SEIU 32 BJ, AFSCME
Council 4, and many more. As a newspaper, the
People's World should be treated as such without
discrimination against its content.
Giving in to such a
threat opens the door to fear and division and
diminishes our state. All those who believe in
the Constitutional right to freedom of expression
should be outraged at this dangerous development.
If one project or group can be discriminated
against, any project or group can be next.
We call upon all
supporters of the Peoples Center, all democratic
minded people in Connecticut, all those who
appreciate the rich labor and anti-racism history
and contributions of the Peoples Center, all those
who have benefited from participating at the
Peoples Center to come forward and speak out
against this grave injustice.
Together we can
create the necessary counter pressure to restore
the Peoples Center, reflecting its continuity
since 1937 as a labor - community center for
social, educational and cultural activities. From
housing the first inter-racial theater group and
basketball team in New Haven in the 30's and 40's,
to the first homeless run day center in the 90s,
to the youth organizing and immigrant worker
organizing of today.
Messages of support
to Sen. Toni Harp for her unwavering stand in
defense of the funding are appreciated. Messages
urging Governor Malloy to reconsider his decision
are in order. Comments posted on media websites
covering the story are helpful.
###
Excerpts of some
of the testimonials of support for funding
submitted to Gov. Danell Malloy:
New Haven Board
of Aldermen:
"As city officials
we are acutely aware of entities who are committed
to the public good and deserve our support. We can
say without hesitation that this is one of those
agencies. We have very few places like this in our
city and are in desperate need of more. Until we
have more we must support the ones we have.
Without the state bonding funds we risk losing
this facility as well."
Ward 7 Alderman
Doug Hausladen:
"Constituents and
myself very much appreciate the historic
contributions to the good and welfare of the
community and support funding for the Center's
restoration....It makes a tremendously valuable
contribution to the well-being of our community,
and I am therefore committed to help the Peoples
Center continue and grow its work."
Connecticut
AFL-CIO
"This building is of
great historic value as well as a vital resource
for labor and community today....We are aware of
some opposition from some Republicans. We want to
empahsize that Connecticut and New Haven are
greatly enriched by the presence and contributions
of the Peoples Center. Restoring the building is
an excellent investment."
The Amistad
Committee, Inc.
"The Amistad
Committee, as the mandated coordinator of the
official State of Connecticut Freedom Trail
endorses the proposal to fund reapirs to the
historic New Haven Peoples Center, a sit on the
Freedom Trail."
AFSCME Council 4
"Since its founding,
the New Haven Peoples Center has been an anchor of
forward thinking and community engagement....Today
the Peoples Center carries on that tradition and
continues to press for a stronger community, one
free of prejudice and self-destruction. It is both
a piece of our history and a part of our future.
Council 4 AFSCME is a proud supporter of the
Peoples Center. However it is badly in need of
repair. We urge you to fulfill this request. We
cannot afford to lose such a cherished landmark."
UNITE HERE Local
217
"The Peoples Center
recognizes the human rights and dignity of all
working people. It is a place that all our members
can enjoy....The Peoples Center has stood firm for
the rights of immigrant workers and their
families, and in so doing represents the greater
good of the entire community. WE appreciate all
the assistance that can be given to insure the
restoration of this wonderful building so that the
important work taking place there can continue and
grow."
UNITE HERE Unions
at Yale
"The Peoples Center
is well known to our members who hve appreciated
many events and programs held each year featuring
speakers and cultgural programs that have provided
a forum where our members and their families can
share their accomplihments and conerns and enjoy
events with the broader community. The Peoples
Center has been a steadfast friend and ally to the
working families of New Haven and Connecticut. We
are proud to support the Peoples Center as a place
that makes our community strong."
Greater New Haven
Central Labor Council
"This institution
has been pro-active for the needs of working
people for 75 years....The Peoples Center is vital
to our community and beyond that to the state of
Connecticut. Funding the restoration project is a
worthy and important investment for the working
people of Connecticut."
SEIU 32 BJ
"Our union fully
supports the request for bonding funds to restore
the building at 37 Howe Street in New Haven which
houses the New Haven Peoples Center....Restoring
the building is an excellent investment. It will
benefit the historic area in which it is located,
and it will benefit all of those who have used and
continue to enjoy the opportunities it provides."
The youth of the
New Elm City Dream
"Being in the
Peoples' Center helps the youth stay off the
streets and helping the community, and also it is
training us the youth in our community to become
leaders. The Peoples Center helped a lot of the
youth to do much better in school and with some of
their personal issues, such as their behavior and
grades....The building needs repairs and needs a
face lift. If it gets repaired more youth will
come, and the building....can positively affect
young lives for years to come. Also, right now we
are making history by planning a March for Youth
Jobs on June 16, 2012.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Progressive
Education and Research Associates, Inc. d/b/a
New
Haven Peoples Center
37
Howe Street, New Haven Connecticut 06511
April
29, 2012
Statement
by Alfred L. Marder, president of Progressive Education and Research
Associates, Inc.
regarding
the request for state bonding funds to restore the New Haven Peoples
Center
The
New Haven Peoples Center is an historic brick building located at 37
Howe Street. It is admired as a rare example of Italianate
architecture erected in 1851. It has become a necessity to re-point
the bricks and restore the woodwork. As is standard practice for
non-profit institutions in such circumstances, Sen. Toni Harp
submitted a proposal for bonding funds to restore the structure.
The
Peoples Center is not an empty building. It has been a vibrant,
all-volunteer, community and labor center for education, cultural and
social activities since 1937. This year marks the 75th anniversary
of this remarkable institution that has contributed greatly to the
life of New Haven and Connecticut.
Today
it is the home to the youth group New Elm City Dream which has taken
a lead in organizing for jobs and an end to violence in New Haven.
It is the home to Unidad Latina en Accion which initiated the
concept of a New Haven resident ID and is protecting the rights of
immigrant workers to get paid by their employers for the work they
do. It is the home to Free 2 Spit, a monthly poetry venue which has
attracted hundreds of youth and area residents in the last few years.
It is the home to the Greater New Haven Peace Council and many
others. Today's activities at the Peoples Center continue the
tradition started from its inception to open doors for working people
and people in need to gather, educate, organize and socialize.
When
a group of Jewish immigrant workers purchased the building in 1937,
they wanted a place to enjoy their cultural heritage, but they also
wanted a place that could be open to the surrounding community. They
opened their doors to workers seeking to form unions, when few
existed. In an era of deep segregation, the Peoples Center became the
site of the first inter-racial theater group, the Unity Players, and
the first inter-racial basketball team, the New Haven Redwings. Both
groups distinguished themselves with many awards and trophies.
The
Peoples Center was also the site of the first campaign to break down
segregation in employment and open bus driver jobs to African
Americans. It was the site of a successful campaign to open an
evening college in New Haven, to allow local youth who were not able
to attend Yale University a path to professional jobs. That college
is now Southern Connecticut State University. For all these reasons
and more, the Peoples Center is a proud site on the Connecticut
Freedom Trail
The
tradition of opening up the building to the needs of the community
has continued through the decades. Some examples include: In the
turbulent 1970's the Peoples Center hosted weekly potluck suppers
where an exchange of information and ideas was popular. In the
1980's the Peoples Center was a center of community support for
clerical workers at Yale who were organizing into Local 34. In the
1990's the Peoples Center opened its doors to the homeless
organization We the People, and became the first homeless run daytime
drop-in center in the country. After 9/11, when immigrants were
being targeted, Unidad Latina en Accion was founded at the Peoples
Center to represent the needs of the immigrant community.
The
Peoples Center is truly a labor of love. The Center operates on a
volunteer basis. The building has been maintained since 1937 by
small contributions. Those who are involved in the Peoples Center
are proud to be a part of such an outstanding institution that
provides a vital service and continues to contribute to the
well-being of the lives of those who live in the New Haven community
and beyond.
Opposition
to approval of bonding funds to restore an historic building carrying
out a vital mission is disturbing. We understand that the request
has been temporarily removed and will be renewed next month. It is
reported that an e-mail letter was distributed, employing
anti-Communist red-baiting and quoting the Yankee Institute. This
diversionary scare tactic has been referred to by some in the media
as a throwback to the ugly witch hunts of the 1950's which set back
democracy in our country for many years. From its inception the
Peoples Center has never employed discriminatory tactics or policies
and gladly opens its doors in keeping with our mission statement for
a better community and a better world.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Labor and Community Spring Offensive! Celebrate International Workers Day
It is very exciting that many unions, community groups and individuals are joining together this spring to organize on behalf of the 99% for the future of our country. The deaths of Trayvon Martin and many others to racial profiling and violence highlight the urgency of economic justice, equality and peace.
As a part of this great effort, the People's World in Connecticut is hosting its annual celebration of International Workers Day on Sunday, May 6 at 4:00 pm at the Peoples Center, 37 Howe Street, New Haven. Please mark your calendar and help make the day a big success.
The program will include a slide show of May Day Around the World and solidarity messages from Connecticut workers resisting corporate greed on strike, in contract negotiations or organizing drives
A
Labor-Community Organizing panel will place experiences in the
on-going struggles for jobs and union rights, ending racial profiling
and attacks on women, ending the wars and taxing the 1% into the
context of the 2012 elections.
Music performances will inspire and unite us. A home made buffet and a raffle will round out the family day. Tickets are $5 or what you can afford. No one will be turned away.
The celebration /rally is a fund raiser toward the annual $10,000 People's World Connecticut fund drive goal to keep the paper's working class news and views going and growing. Donations large and small will be welcomed and appreciated.
Don't miss Sunday, May 6 at 4 pm at 37 Howe Street in New Haven. To reserve tickets or for information e-mail: ct-pww@pobox.com or call 203-624-8664.
Music performances will inspire and unite us. A home made buffet and a raffle will round out the family day. Tickets are $5 or what you can afford. No one will be turned away.
The celebration /rally is a fund raiser toward the annual $10,000 People's World Connecticut fund drive goal to keep the paper's working class news and views going and growing. Donations large and small will be welcomed and appreciated.
Don't miss Sunday, May 6 at 4 pm at 37 Howe Street in New Haven. To reserve tickets or for information e-mail: ct-pww@pobox.com or call 203-624-8664.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Alfred L. Marder 90th Birthday Celebration
HOST COMMITTEE
Hon. Rosa DeLauro, Sen. Toni Harp, Sen. Martin Looney, Rep. Juan Candelaria, Rep. Patricia Dillon, Rep. Toni Edmonds Walker, Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, Rep. Roland Lemar, Ald. Jorge Perez,President, New Haven Board of Aldermen, Ambassador Sylvester Rowe, Mohammed Barrie, Vinie Burrows, Mary Compton, Joelle Fishman, Craig Gauthier, Emanuel Gomez, Hilda Kilpatrick, Henry Lowendorf, Kenneth Marder, Rev. Scott Marks, William Morico, John Olsen, Quentin Snediker, Jarvis Tyner, Andrea van den Heever, Susan Yolen
Dear Friends and Family of Al Marder,
We are excited to invite you to celebrate the 90th birthday of Al Marder and to recognize his many contributions, international and local, toward world peace, justice and equality.
Please join us in this joyous occasion on Sunday, March 18, at 3:00 pm at the New Haven Peoples Center, 37 Howe Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511.
The afternoon will include remarks, greetings, cultural expressions, and refreshments.
Among Al's many projects, there is one he selected for support on this occasion. The New Haven Peoples Center is a site on the African American Freedom Trail in Connecticut. It provides social, cultural and educational opportunities for the community. From his youth, Al has taken part in the activities of the Peoples Center, where today he serves as president.
The Peoples Center, built in 1851, urgently needs costly exterior brick work and energy efficiency updating. Al has been kind enough to allow us this celebration opportunity to raise matching funds toward grant requests to attend to these needs. In lieu of gifts, donations may be made to PERA, 37 Howe Street, New Haven, CT 06511.
If you cannot attend, greetings may be sent to the Peoples Center for inclusion in a special booklet.
Please reply by e-mail to: peoplescenter@pobox.com or call 203-624-8664.
We look forward to seeing you on this special occasion!
Hon. Rosa DeLauro, Sen. Toni Harp, Sen. Martin Looney, Rep. Juan Candelaria, Rep. Patricia Dillon, Rep. Toni Edmonds Walker, Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, Rep. Roland Lemar, Ald. Jorge Perez,President, New Haven Board of Aldermen, Ambassador Sylvester Rowe, Mohammed Barrie, Vinie Burrows, Mary Compton, Joelle Fishman, Craig Gauthier, Emanuel Gomez, Hilda Kilpatrick, Henry Lowendorf, Kenneth Marder, Rev. Scott Marks, William Morico, John Olsen, Quentin Snediker, Jarvis Tyner, Andrea van den Heever, Susan Yolen
Dear Friends and Family of Al Marder,
We are excited to invite you to celebrate the 90th birthday of Al Marder and to recognize his many contributions, international and local, toward world peace, justice and equality.
Please join us in this joyous occasion on Sunday, March 18, at 3:00 pm at the New Haven Peoples Center, 37 Howe Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511.
The afternoon will include remarks, greetings, cultural expressions, and refreshments.
Among Al's many projects, there is one he selected for support on this occasion. The New Haven Peoples Center is a site on the African American Freedom Trail in Connecticut. It provides social, cultural and educational opportunities for the community. From his youth, Al has taken part in the activities of the Peoples Center, where today he serves as president.
The Peoples Center, built in 1851, urgently needs costly exterior brick work and energy efficiency updating. Al has been kind enough to allow us this celebration opportunity to raise matching funds toward grant requests to attend to these needs. In lieu of gifts, donations may be made to PERA, 37 Howe Street, New Haven, CT 06511.
If you cannot attend, greetings may be sent to the Peoples Center for inclusion in a special booklet.
Please reply by e-mail to: peoplescenter@pobox.com or call 203-624-8664.
We look forward to seeing you on this special occasion!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Happy New Year
With wishes for a healthy and safe year filled with social progress and success as a new generation steps forward to take leadership in our community.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Video Session with Al Marder
You are Invited to a special video session with
Al Marder
President PERA / New Haven Peoples Center
as he tells the history of the Peoples Center and its
outstanding contributions to labor and people's
achievements for equality and peace in our city and
state from his own experiences
Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.
37 Howe Street, New Haven CT 06511
Refreshments will be served
Reply to: 203-624-8664 e-mail: peoplescenter@pobox.com
website: peoplescenter.blogspot.com
Al Marder
President PERA / New Haven Peoples Center
as he tells the history of the Peoples Center and its
outstanding contributions to labor and people's
achievements for equality and peace in our city and
state from his own experiences
Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.
37 Howe Street, New Haven CT 06511
Refreshments will be served
Reply to: 203-624-8664 e-mail: peoplescenter@pobox.com
website: peoplescenter.blogspot.com
Friday, July 29, 2011
Reed Smith, Leader for Social Justice
People's World / July 29, 2011
Reed Smith, vibrant community and faith leader for social justice, died last week at home shortly after his 86th birthday. Before moving to New Haven in 1991, Reed and his family lived in Waterbury, Connecticut and briefly in Chicago, Illinois.
Reed was a staunch supporter of the People's World and the working class movement. Born and raised in Connecticut, he worked as an economist in industry for many years, and then at faith-based community agencies in Waterbury and New Haven.
A life long peace and civil rights activist, he helped form the first integrated housing development in Waterbury in the 1950's. He marched with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. During the Vietnam War he counseled draftees about conscience objection.
Reed helped found a soup kitchen in Waterbury, and continued his crusade against poverty while in New Haven as a candidate for State Representative on the Tax the Rich line. He was a founding member of the Coalition to End Child Poverty in Connecticut, assisting with economic research and advocating for a progressive tax system. As director of Interfaith Cooperative Ministries (ICM), he initiated many programs including an inter-racial dialog and an annual interfaith service on Martin Luther King's birthday.
After helping staff a peace center formed at the time of the 1991 Iraq war, Reed was appointed to the City of New Haven Peace Commission where he served for over a decade. He became a stalwart contributor to the New Haven Peoples Center where he helped organize events for social justice, peace and racial equality, and became a participant with the Alliance for Retired Americans. He was famous for his delicious baked beans and brownies, and for his signature straw hat and knickers.
When she became ill, Reed devoted himself to the well being of wife Marty, whom he married while in the service during WWII. He loved music, sang in choirs and played the piano. He made himself available for countless activities on behalf of workers' rights, human rights, civil rights and peace. He was widely known and loved for his perseverance, optimism, vision and generosity. He will be greatly missed by his large extended family, his comrades in the Alert Seniors Club and everyone whose lives he touched.
A memorial service organized by his family will be held on August 6 at 2 p.m. at St. Paul and St James Church, 67 Olive Street, New Haven.
Reed Smith, vibrant community and faith leader for social justice, died last week at home shortly after his 86th birthday. Before moving to New Haven in 1991, Reed and his family lived in Waterbury, Connecticut and briefly in Chicago, Illinois.
Reed was a staunch supporter of the People's World and the working class movement. Born and raised in Connecticut, he worked as an economist in industry for many years, and then at faith-based community agencies in Waterbury and New Haven.
A life long peace and civil rights activist, he helped form the first integrated housing development in Waterbury in the 1950's. He marched with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. During the Vietnam War he counseled draftees about conscience objection.
Reed helped found a soup kitchen in Waterbury, and continued his crusade against poverty while in New Haven as a candidate for State Representative on the Tax the Rich line. He was a founding member of the Coalition to End Child Poverty in Connecticut, assisting with economic research and advocating for a progressive tax system. As director of Interfaith Cooperative Ministries (ICM), he initiated many programs including an inter-racial dialog and an annual interfaith service on Martin Luther King's birthday.
After helping staff a peace center formed at the time of the 1991 Iraq war, Reed was appointed to the City of New Haven Peace Commission where he served for over a decade. He became a stalwart contributor to the New Haven Peoples Center where he helped organize events for social justice, peace and racial equality, and became a participant with the Alliance for Retired Americans. He was famous for his delicious baked beans and brownies, and for his signature straw hat and knickers.
When she became ill, Reed devoted himself to the well being of wife Marty, whom he married while in the service during WWII. He loved music, sang in choirs and played the piano. He made himself available for countless activities on behalf of workers' rights, human rights, civil rights and peace. He was widely known and loved for his perseverance, optimism, vision and generosity. He will be greatly missed by his large extended family, his comrades in the Alert Seniors Club and everyone whose lives he touched.
A memorial service organized by his family will be held on August 6 at 2 p.m. at St. Paul and St James Church, 67 Olive Street, New Haven.
Monday, April 11, 2011
We are One - Workers Rights are Human Rights
Building on the grass roots "We are One" organizing of labor and community, public and private sector workers, employed and unemployed in solidarity with each other, this years' People's World May Day celebration will honor the public workers in Connecticut, their unions and the services they provide.
The theme, "Workers Rights are Human Rights" highlights the coming together in our state and nation against attacks on public sector workers and all workers in the name of budget deficits. No layoffs of workers or cuts in services would be needed if the super rich were taxed their fair share. Monies used to fund the wars could close all state budget gaps in the country.
Newsmaker awards will be presented on Sunday, May 1 at 4:00 pm at 37 Howe Street, New Haven.to the coalition of state worker unions, SEBAC, for leadership on behalf of the needs of Connecticut's working people; and to Communications Workers CWA Local 1298 for standing up to AT&T in last year's negotiations, and building worker solidarity.
A solidarity recognition will be presented to 1199 health care workers at Spectrum, now on strike for one year.
A panel discussion will address the attempt to turn back all gains, and project how the labor movement and working people can move forward. Videos of the huge rallies in Egypt and Wisconsin for workers rights and in New Haven on March 30 will be shown.
Puerto Rican singer Fernando Ferrer, rap group The UNION, and poet Sabir Abdussabur will perform. A home made buffet will be served. Suggested donation is $5 or what you can afford.
The event caps off a full day of May 1 activities, including an immigrant rights march and May Day program on the Green in New Haven, and a workers' rights rally by the Building Trades in Hartford.
Contributions will be accepted for the 2011 fund drive of the People's World in Connecticut. To receive headlines by e-mail sign up at peoplesworld.org. For event information call 203-624-8664.
The theme, "Workers Rights are Human Rights" highlights the coming together in our state and nation against attacks on public sector workers and all workers in the name of budget deficits. No layoffs of workers or cuts in services would be needed if the super rich were taxed their fair share. Monies used to fund the wars could close all state budget gaps in the country.
Newsmaker awards will be presented on Sunday, May 1 at 4:00 pm at 37 Howe Street, New Haven.to the coalition of state worker unions, SEBAC, for leadership on behalf of the needs of Connecticut's working people; and to Communications Workers CWA Local 1298 for standing up to AT&T in last year's negotiations, and building worker solidarity.
A solidarity recognition will be presented to 1199 health care workers at Spectrum, now on strike for one year.
A panel discussion will address the attempt to turn back all gains, and project how the labor movement and working people can move forward. Videos of the huge rallies in Egypt and Wisconsin for workers rights and in New Haven on March 30 will be shown.
Puerto Rican singer Fernando Ferrer, rap group The UNION, and poet Sabir Abdussabur will perform. A home made buffet will be served. Suggested donation is $5 or what you can afford.
The event caps off a full day of May 1 activities, including an immigrant rights march and May Day program on the Green in New Haven, and a workers' rights rally by the Building Trades in Hartford.
Contributions will be accepted for the 2011 fund drive of the People's World in Connecticut. To receive headlines by e-mail sign up at peoplesworld.org. For event information call 203-624-8664.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
A New Generation of Dreamers
People’s World 37th Annual African American History Month Celebration
A New Generation of Dreamers
Freedom Rides Yesterday - Freedom Rides Today
NEW HAVEN Sunday, February 27 at 4:00 PM at 37 Howe St
...
Our 37th Annual African American History Month Celebration takes place 50 years after the Freedom Rides by young people who traveled from the North to desegregate the South. They were beaten and jailed but they did not turn back. Their courage helped win passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts. Today we face new challenges of racism and violence and a new movement for equality and social justice is coming forward. "A New Generation of Dreamers. Freedom Rides Yesterday - Freedom Rides Today" is the theme of this year's celebration hosted by the People's World.
A panel discussion will feature Lula White, a retired New Haven teacher, who participated in the Freedom Rides from Chicago while attending college; New Haven high school student Kendra Streater and Hartford high school student Vyctoria Viera, immigrant rights activist and union leader.Ricardo Heriquez and State Representative Gary Holder-Winfield.
Prizes and recognition certificates will be awarded to participants in the high school arts and writing competition, "How can we build on The Dream for ourselves and the next generation?"
Drumming will be performed by Brian Jarawa Gray.
Children's posters drawn on Martin Luther King's birthday at the Peabody Museum will be on exhibit.
The program will conclude with a light buffet.
Tickets are $5 or what you can afford.
This event marks the opening of the 2011 People's World fund drive in Connecticut. Your contribution toward the $2,000 goal for this event and your free subscription to the daily on-line format at peoplesworld.org will be an excellent way to keep up to date with the latest developments and opinions in the struggle for equality,
worker's rights and democratic rights, peace and social change.
A New Generation of Dreamers
Freedom Rides Yesterday - Freedom Rides Today
NEW HAVEN Sunday, February 27 at 4:00 PM at 37 Howe St
...
Our 37th Annual African American History Month Celebration takes place 50 years after the Freedom Rides by young people who traveled from the North to desegregate the South. They were beaten and jailed but they did not turn back. Their courage helped win passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts. Today we face new challenges of racism and violence and a new movement for equality and social justice is coming forward. "A New Generation of Dreamers. Freedom Rides Yesterday - Freedom Rides Today" is the theme of this year's celebration hosted by the People's World.
A panel discussion will feature Lula White, a retired New Haven teacher, who participated in the Freedom Rides from Chicago while attending college; New Haven high school student Kendra Streater and Hartford high school student Vyctoria Viera, immigrant rights activist and union leader.Ricardo Heriquez and State Representative Gary Holder-Winfield.
Prizes and recognition certificates will be awarded to participants in the high school arts and writing competition, "How can we build on The Dream for ourselves and the next generation?"
Drumming will be performed by Brian Jarawa Gray.
Children's posters drawn on Martin Luther King's birthday at the Peabody Museum will be on exhibit.
The program will conclude with a light buffet.
Tickets are $5 or what you can afford.
This event marks the opening of the 2011 People's World fund drive in Connecticut. Your contribution toward the $2,000 goal for this event and your free subscription to the daily on-line format at peoplesworld.org will be an excellent way to keep up to date with the latest developments and opinions in the struggle for equality,
worker's rights and democratic rights, peace and social change.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Film Showing - Rockwell Kent, American Artist
Why was America's leading illustrator and artist erased from public view?
See the documentary by Frederick Lewis
ROCKWELL KENT, American Artist
Followed by
Recollections of the times, by Al Marder
SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 2011 -- 2PM-6PM
(Film is 3 hours with intermission, followed by discussion)
NEW HAVEN PEOPLE’S CENTER, 37 HOWE STREET
Light Refreshments
Free
Who was Rockwell Kent?
During the 1930s and ‘40s, Rockwell Kent was one of America’s most famous personalities. The foremost illustrator of his day, Kent was also a prolific oil painter whose work is in the collections of major museums. His haunting landscapes were inspired by his adventurous sojourns to Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. He was also a best-selling author and a social activist. Because of his leadership for peace and civil rights, Kent, like Paul Robeson, was forbidden to travel. Their landmark passport cases against the federal government gave all U.S. citizens the right to travel, but like Robeson, Rockwell Kent was effectively blacklisted and his name largely erased from American culture.
See the documentary by Frederick Lewis
ROCKWELL KENT, American Artist
Followed by
Recollections of the times, by Al Marder
SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 2011 -- 2PM-6PM
(Film is 3 hours with intermission, followed by discussion)
NEW HAVEN PEOPLE’S CENTER, 37 HOWE STREET
Light Refreshments
Free
Who was Rockwell Kent?
During the 1930s and ‘40s, Rockwell Kent was one of America’s most famous personalities. The foremost illustrator of his day, Kent was also a prolific oil painter whose work is in the collections of major museums. His haunting landscapes were inspired by his adventurous sojourns to Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. He was also a best-selling author and a social activist. Because of his leadership for peace and civil rights, Kent, like Paul Robeson, was forbidden to travel. Their landmark passport cases against the federal government gave all U.S. citizens the right to travel, but like Robeson, Rockwell Kent was effectively blacklisted and his name largely erased from American culture.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Peoples Center Holiday Party
New Haven Peoples Center
Holiday Party
& Recognition to Celestino Cordova
Sunday, December 19 from 1 pm to 3 pm
37 Howe Street, New Haven
You are invited to the New Haven Peoples Center holiday party and recognition of Celestino Cordova for a lifetime of public service and leadership to improve the quality of life in the Puerto Rican community and for all people.
To reply, please leave a message at 203-624-8664 if you will attend
and if you can bring a food item to share.
Holiday Party
& Recognition to Celestino Cordova
Sunday, December 19 from 1 pm to 3 pm
37 Howe Street, New Haven
You are invited to the New Haven Peoples Center holiday party and recognition of Celestino Cordova for a lifetime of public service and leadership to improve the quality of life in the Puerto Rican community and for all people.
To reply, please leave a message at 203-624-8664 if you will attend
and if you can bring a food item to share.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
A Gathering of Old Men / Free 2 Spit
FREE 2 SPIT - A GATHERING OF OLD MEN Featuring: ANALYSIS & PROFESSOR ARTURO
Hosted by Baub Bidon on Friday, December 3rd from 7 to 10 pm at the Peoples
Center, 37 Howe St, New Haven CT. Open mic and double feature!
In the novel "A Gathering of Old Men," by celebrated Louisianan author Ernest J. Gaines, elders from the black community rally together to protect their own in the face of prevalent racism. It is in that spirit of coming together that we call all folk to another powerful poetic installment of Free 2 Spit!
Hosted by Baub Bidon on Friday, December 3rd from 7 to 10 pm at the Peoples
Center, 37 Howe St, New Haven CT. Open mic and double feature!
In the novel "A Gathering of Old Men," by celebrated Louisianan author Ernest J. Gaines, elders from the black community rally together to protect their own in the face of prevalent racism. It is in that spirit of coming together that we call all folk to another powerful poetic installment of Free 2 Spit!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Potluck Supper at the Peoples Center
Friday, September 24, 2010
5:30 p.m. 37 Howe Street
Please come to a potluck supper initiated by a group
of Yale undergraduate students who would like to
collaborate with the Peoples Center.
Share a meal, get acquainted, exchange ideas and
information.
Bring a main dish, salad, veggies, or dessert if you can
Bread and beverages provided.
RSVP to this e-mail or leave a message at (203) 624-8664
5:30 p.m. 37 Howe Street
Please come to a potluck supper initiated by a group
of Yale undergraduate students who would like to
collaborate with the Peoples Center.
Share a meal, get acquainted, exchange ideas and
information.
Bring a main dish, salad, veggies, or dessert if you can
Bread and beverages provided.
RSVP to this e-mail or leave a message at (203) 624-8664
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sign up Now - Oct 2 - One Nation Working Togrther
Organizing has begun for the historic march on Washington on Oct 2 - One Nation Working Together, which brings together labor, civil rights, faith based, youth, peace and many others who have been part of the grand coalition for progressive change in our country. This initiative comes on the eve of the mid-term elections, at a critical time when the need for job creation is at the top of the agenda. Leave a message at the Peoples Center if you would like to reserve a seat on the buses which will leave late Friday night and return late Saturday night. The call to the rally is below. The One Nation website is: http://www.onenationworkingtogether.org/main.aspx)
"WE BELIEVE everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream — a secure job, a safe home, and a quality education.
ONE NATION seeks to transcend our superficial differences and bring
us together in a common quest for equal opportunity and justice for all.
ONE NATION IS ABOUT REORDERING OUR NATION'S PRIORITIES TO INVEST IN OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE — OUR PEOPLE.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream — a secure job, a safe home, and a quality education — but banksters and corporate lobbyists have made off with trillions of public dollars while small businesses can’t get loans and cities are laying off teachers, police, and firefighters.
In this time of economic crisis, it is easy for fear-mongerers to pit groups against each other and to find convenient scapegoats for the problems that plague us.
ONE NATION seeks to transcend our superficial differences and bring us together in a common quest for equal opportunity and justice for all."
"WE BELIEVE everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream — a secure job, a safe home, and a quality education.
ONE NATION seeks to transcend our superficial differences and bring
us together in a common quest for equal opportunity and justice for all.
ONE NATION IS ABOUT REORDERING OUR NATION'S PRIORITIES TO INVEST IN OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE — OUR PEOPLE.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve the American Dream — a secure job, a safe home, and a quality education — but banksters and corporate lobbyists have made off with trillions of public dollars while small businesses can’t get loans and cities are laying off teachers, police, and firefighters.
In this time of economic crisis, it is easy for fear-mongerers to pit groups against each other and to find convenient scapegoats for the problems that plague us.
ONE NATION seeks to transcend our superficial differences and bring us together in a common quest for equal opportunity and justice for all."
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tax Abatement Committee Hearing
The turnout for the Peoples Center at the Tax Abatement Committee hearing was awsome, and the testimonies were so moving and inspiring. Pushes us forward to do even better. At the end the committee voted unanimously to recommend to the full Board of Aldermen that our tax bill be forgiven (erased). Will keep you up to date for the next steps of this journey. Thanks and congrats to all.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Celebrate the 75th Birthday of Social Security
Presentation by CT Alliance for Retired Americans
-- What are the threats to Social Security's future?
-- How can we save, improve and expand Social Security?
Special Guest Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
Birthday cake and ice cream
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Time: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Place: New Haven Peoples Center
37 Howe Street, New Haven, CT
(203) 624-8664
e-mail: peoplescenter@pobox.com
-- What are the threats to Social Security's future?
-- How can we save, improve and expand Social Security?
Special Guest Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
Birthday cake and ice cream
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Time: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Place: New Haven Peoples Center
37 Howe Street, New Haven, CT
(203) 624-8664
e-mail: peoplescenter@pobox.com
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Join the Solidarity Caravan!
Support District 1199 Nursing Home workers, on strike since April 15.
Now in the fourth month of their strike, almost 400 nursing, dietary and housekeeping workers are standing strong against Spectrum Healthcare, a local company that is trying to bust their union. The workers demand a fair contract (like 40 other homes have agreed to), safe workplaces and quality care for residents. You can help them win their fight. Join the Caravan on July 24 and sign up for other activities!
Saturday, July 24 from 9 am to 1 pm
Leave from the Peoples Center, 37 Howe Street
Go to Ansonia (Hilltop Health Center and
Derby (Birmingham Care Center)
How to help:
Ride with us! Sign up at mailbox@seiu1199.org
Donate material aid: Bring non-perishable food items
Contribute: to 1199 Strike and Defense Fund
77 Huyshope Ave, Hartford 06106
Now in the fourth month of their strike, almost 400 nursing, dietary and housekeeping workers are standing strong against Spectrum Healthcare, a local company that is trying to bust their union. The workers demand a fair contract (like 40 other homes have agreed to), safe workplaces and quality care for residents. You can help them win their fight. Join the Caravan on July 24 and sign up for other activities!
Saturday, July 24 from 9 am to 1 pm
Leave from the Peoples Center, 37 Howe Street
Go to Ansonia (Hilltop Health Center and
Derby (Birmingham Care Center)
How to help:
Ride with us! Sign up at mailbox@seiu1199.org
Donate material aid: Bring non-perishable food items
Contribute: to 1199 Strike and Defense Fund
77 Huyshope Ave, Hartford 06106
Public Hearing - Save Our Peoples Center - No Taxes
The Tax Assessor of the City of New Haven has changed previous policy and is charging property taxes to the Peoples Center. The Peoples Center is an all-volunteer, non-profit building whose mission is to provide social, cultural and educational opportunities to the community. It is owned by Progressive Education and Research Associates, Inc. The Assessor says taxes are being charged because other groups are located in the building. Housing grassroots and community groups is what the Peoples Center is for. This ruling jeopardizes the Peoples Center's future. The Peoples Center is a unique place that makes a big contribution to our city. Everyone should be concerned.
Come and show support at the Board of Aldermen hearing
Monday, July 26 at City Hall
Come early at 6:00 pm and bring friends
"No taxes on the Peoples Center"
Have you enjoyed activities at the Peoples Center?
-- Research Library
-- First Friday Cafe / Free 2 Spit poetry
-- Immigrant workers' center
-- Crisis Information / Action Center
-- Union solidarity
-- Meetings of peace, youth, tenants and many others
-- Family and social gatherings
-- Film showings and concerts
-- Celebrations of African American History Month
-- Census information
-- Student activities
-- Art and historical exhibits
37 Howe Street, New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 624-8664
website: peoplescenter.blogspot.com/ email: peoplescenter@pobox.com
A site on the CT African American Freedom Trail
Come and show support at the Board of Aldermen hearing
Monday, July 26 at City Hall
Come early at 6:00 pm and bring friends
"No taxes on the Peoples Center"
Have you enjoyed activities at the Peoples Center?
-- Research Library
-- First Friday Cafe / Free 2 Spit poetry
-- Immigrant workers' center
-- Crisis Information / Action Center
-- Union solidarity
-- Meetings of peace, youth, tenants and many others
-- Family and social gatherings
-- Film showings and concerts
-- Celebrations of African American History Month
-- Census information
-- Student activities
-- Art and historical exhibits
37 Howe Street, New Haven, CT 06511 (203) 624-8664
website: peoplescenter.blogspot.com/ email: peoplescenter@pobox.com
A site on the CT African American Freedom Trail
Monday, July 12, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Ruth Emerson, Civil Rights Leader
Judges and lawyers, professors and educators, family and friends all spoke fondly of Ruth Calvin Emerson at the celebration of her life held at the New Haven Peoples Center on June 26. Ruth's enthusiastic and principled ways came through in many stories and remembrances from her youth to her last days at Hamden Health Care and Hospice where she passed away on April 25, 2010.
Together with husband Thomas Emerson, a Yale Law School professor and Constitutional scholar, Ruth devoted her life to the defense of civil liberties and support of the movement for civil rights and workers' rights. She served on the board of the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation (now Defending Dissent) and many civil rights organizations.
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on March 8, 1921 Ruth was one of five Girl Scouts to represent the United States in an international meeting in Switzerland in 1938. She graduated from Oberlin College, and served in the Women's Army Corps, Signal Corps from 1944-1946, stationed in Fort Myer, Virginia and Fort Dix, New Jersey. She then attended Yale Law School, one of only six women in her class of 160 to graduate in 1950.
Ruth began work as an attorney at the National Labor Relations Board in 1950. During the McCarthy period purges of progressives, she resisted pressure to resign pending completion of a Loyalty Board investigation. The Loyalty Board exonerated her in 1953 and Ruth resigned shortly thereafter.
Ruth returned to Connecticut where she practiced law briefly and then became a teacher. She was an early practitioner of Words in Color, an innovative method of teaching reading developed by Dr. Caleb Gattegno. She taught in New York City, at the High School in the Community in New Haven and as a tutor. Ruth believed in subordinating teaching to learning and the active involvement and awareness of the student. She was a strong advocate for children and for working families.
Al Marder, president of the Peoples Center, recalled Ruth's famous whistle on many picket lines and emphasized the significance of Ruth's memorial being held at the center. Acknowledging those present from the Law School, he said, "Yale would surely have opened its doors, but it is most appropriate that Ruth, who was committed to the working class, should be celebrated here in a working class center."
Ruth was married to Thomas Emerson for 31 years until his death in 1991. He was a preeminent First Amendment scholar who combined scholarship with Supreme Court litigation in defense of civil rights, and participated in the defense of Communists during the 1950's. Marder spoke of Tom Emerson's involvement in the first court ruling declaring the Smith Act unconstitutional. "With his involvement, we in Connecticut were the first in the country to be exonerated," he said to applause, recalling the arrests of hundreds of working class and civil rights activists for their leadership in the Communist Party in the 1950s.
Speaking in appreciation of Ruth, a professor emeritus said that he made sure that Tom Emerson's portrait was hung in the most important classroom at the Yale Law School to give a message to the students.
Ruth was well known for her brief and powerful letters to the editor of the New Haven Register and was an ardent supporter of the People's World. In 2006 she co-founded, with Sherman Malone and others, the Connecticut non-profit, Haiti Marycare to support two pre-schools and a rural health care clinic in Haiti.
-- Joelle Fishman
Together with husband Thomas Emerson, a Yale Law School professor and Constitutional scholar, Ruth devoted her life to the defense of civil liberties and support of the movement for civil rights and workers' rights. She served on the board of the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation (now Defending Dissent) and many civil rights organizations.
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on March 8, 1921 Ruth was one of five Girl Scouts to represent the United States in an international meeting in Switzerland in 1938. She graduated from Oberlin College, and served in the Women's Army Corps, Signal Corps from 1944-1946, stationed in Fort Myer, Virginia and Fort Dix, New Jersey. She then attended Yale Law School, one of only six women in her class of 160 to graduate in 1950.
Ruth began work as an attorney at the National Labor Relations Board in 1950. During the McCarthy period purges of progressives, she resisted pressure to resign pending completion of a Loyalty Board investigation. The Loyalty Board exonerated her in 1953 and Ruth resigned shortly thereafter.
Ruth returned to Connecticut where she practiced law briefly and then became a teacher. She was an early practitioner of Words in Color, an innovative method of teaching reading developed by Dr. Caleb Gattegno. She taught in New York City, at the High School in the Community in New Haven and as a tutor. Ruth believed in subordinating teaching to learning and the active involvement and awareness of the student. She was a strong advocate for children and for working families.
Al Marder, president of the Peoples Center, recalled Ruth's famous whistle on many picket lines and emphasized the significance of Ruth's memorial being held at the center. Acknowledging those present from the Law School, he said, "Yale would surely have opened its doors, but it is most appropriate that Ruth, who was committed to the working class, should be celebrated here in a working class center."
Ruth was married to Thomas Emerson for 31 years until his death in 1991. He was a preeminent First Amendment scholar who combined scholarship with Supreme Court litigation in defense of civil rights, and participated in the defense of Communists during the 1950's. Marder spoke of Tom Emerson's involvement in the first court ruling declaring the Smith Act unconstitutional. "With his involvement, we in Connecticut were the first in the country to be exonerated," he said to applause, recalling the arrests of hundreds of working class and civil rights activists for their leadership in the Communist Party in the 1950s.
Speaking in appreciation of Ruth, a professor emeritus said that he made sure that Tom Emerson's portrait was hung in the most important classroom at the Yale Law School to give a message to the students.
Ruth was well known for her brief and powerful letters to the editor of the New Haven Register and was an ardent supporter of the People's World. In 2006 she co-founded, with Sherman Malone and others, the Connecticut non-profit, Haiti Marycare to support two pre-schools and a rural health care clinic in Haiti.
-- Joelle Fishman
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Celebration of the Life of Ruth Emerson
Family and friends invite you to the Memorial Service for Ruth Calvin Emerson to be held on Saturday June 26, 2010 at 2:00 pm at the New Haven People's Center, 37 Howe Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 (Phone 203-624-8664) Ruth passed away on April 25, 2010. Her staunch and enthusiastic commitment to a more just and peaceful world is a wonderful example for all time.
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