Stowe Center school programs inspire students!

As our Salons do with the community, the Stowe Center's school programs inspire students to be civically engaged and work to create change just like Harriet Beecher Stowe. This past April and May, our museum educators led a multi-week after-school program at Batchelder School in Hartford in partnership with Organized Parents Make A Difference (OPMAD). One activity was to create a public service announcement about an issue important to you, and we were excited to see that one student's poster is proudly displayed in OPMAD's meeting room among their many awards and honors. This student wanted to raise awareness on bullying and speaking up for peace.

Are you an educator? A parent? An active citizen? If you'd like your local students to visit the Stowe Center and participate in an educational and inspirational program, or if you would like the Stowe Center to deliver a program at your school, please visit the School Programs page on our website to learn more. To book a program, please email SchoolPrograms@StoweCenter.org. The beginning of the school year is right around the corner and we hope to see your students at the Stowe Center!

Child trafficking in China in the news

There have been many news stories over the past few weeks about human, sex and child trafficking across the United States. Looking beyond our borders, a recent article in The Atlantic, "Kidnapped and Sold: Inside the Dark World of Child Trafficking in China," shares tragic stories of child trafficking in China where babies are being kidnapped from their parents and sold to orphanages.

You can take action by education yourself on important issues. Be sure to read this article and share it with your friends, family and contacts to raise awareness on human trafficking globally.

 Wang Bangyin, a local farmer, holds his rescued son after the pair were reunited at Guiyang Welfare Centre for Children in Guiyang, Guizhou province. (Reuters)

Two community events tonight about mass incarceration and the war on drugs

Looking for something to do tonight? Two free community events in Hartford will focus on mass incarceration and the war on drugs, hearkening back to the issues discussed in our Stowe Prize public program and conversation with 2013 Stowe Prize winner Michelle Alexander. 

Tonight, cities across the country will celebrate the 30th annual National Night Out tonight, an event which raises awareness about police programs and police-community partnerships around issues such as neighborhood watch, drug prevention, and anti-crime initiatives. Tuscan Home Senior housing will host a National Night Out event in Hartford from 4pm-8pm and will feature Giselle Jacobs-Lawson, Community Outreach and Advocacy Specialist for Breaking the Cycle, who will speak on "Breaking the Cycle of Familial Incarceration." Giselle will also be a featured guest at our November 21 Salon at the Stowe Center. 

At 7pm, our neighbors at Asylum Hill Congregational Church will show The House I Live In, a documentary film and winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival's Best Documentary. The film "examines the wreckage caused by the war on drugs" and features Michelle Alexander herself!To learn more, see our Facebook event or visit Asylum Hill Congregational Church. 

Learn more about the war in drugs and mass incarceration with these two events!