CT Center for Nonviolence bus trip to commemorate 50th anniversary of the March on Washington

This August 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech. The Connecticut Center for Nonviolence, which empowers "communities to reconcile conflict through Education and the Arts," is organizing a round trip bus trip between Hartford and Washington from Friday, August 23 to Saturday, August 24 for anyone interested in participating in the commemorative events. The central event of the weekend will be a march from the Martin Luther King Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial, and the "Jobs, Justice & Freedom" rally from 8:00am-4:00pm at the Lincoln Memorial with Martin Luther King, III and Rev. Al Sharpton.

For more information about the bus trip, visit www.ctnonviolence.org. 

To learn more about the March on Washington, Dr. King's speech and this year's commemorative events, we recommend:

• The Smithsonian's recent piece An Oral History of the March on Washington
• The King Center in Atlanta, GA
• 50th Anniversary March on Washington
• MLK Dream 50
• National Action Network 
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Followers of this blog who participate in the 50th anniversary March of Washington are invited to share their experiences and reactions in the "Comments" section below!

Student abolitionist club helps Metropolitan Learning Center earn "Cool School" recognition

Congratulations to our friends at Student Abolitionists Stopping Slavery (SASS), a high school activist club at Metropolitan Learning Center, who helped their school recently earn the WFSB 3 Connecticut "Cool School" recognition. The club's focus is raising awareness and funds to end modern day slavery, and the club has raised thousands of dollars since its inception in 2004. Student are active locally, regionally and nationally, having presented at conferences and meetings from Connecticut, to New York, to Washington, DC, to Illinois, to Africa. Check out their featured news segment below!

The Stowe Center has participated in SASS's annual Abolitionist Fair and club advisor/teacher Wendy Nelson-Kauffman has been a featured guest at various programs and is a great friend of the Center.

We hope you will take a few minutes to visit Student Abolitionists Stopping Slavery's website and learn about their efforts and initiatives. Is there an opportunity to start a similar club in your local high school?

Bravo to SASS for all their hard work to call attention to modern day slavery and for being recognized for their passion and dedication. We look forward to working with you as you enter your 10th year!

WFSB 3 Connecticut

SASS' Mission Statement: 

“We are committed to doing our part in abolishing modern day slavery through educating the public, raising funds, collaborating globally, and advocating for political action.”

HartBeat Ensemble presents "Learning to Fail" August 2-4

Our neighbors at HartBeat Ensemble will be presenting Learning to Fail, a play about institutionalized racism in education, this weekend only! The play was entirely written and performed by participants of their Youth Play Institute and connects with many of the Stowe Center's program themes including racism, diversity and the achievement gap. Learn more about the performance on HartBeat Ensemble's website.

Using hip-hop and spoken word to say what remains unsaid, LEARNING TO FAIL follows two young teachers -one who grew up in  Hartford and one who grew up in the suburbs- as they navigate injustice in their school. 

YPI’s lead teaching artist, Hannah Simms, says, "It has been a joy and an honor to work with these 11 incredible young artists. They bring an incredible diversity of skills and experiences to the table and are deeply committed to understanding the topic. They have faced all challenges with humor and resilience."