Our occasional e-newsletter, usually published once or twice a month, with links to events, articles, videos, websites, & more relating to racism & racial justice.
RACIAL JUSTICE RISING’S ACTIVITIES
Free monthly programs

Saturday, May 5, 2018: 50 People, 40 Questions
FREE! 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 43 Silver Street, Greenfield MA
Discover the similarities and the differences that bind us and separate us.
All present will be included in an active exploration of the things we have
in common and those we don’t, and will be entered in drawings for small prizes during the program.
Info and photos from past RJR programs here
Videos of our programs and more on Racial Justice Rising’s YouTube channel
Vigil for Racial Justice

Do Black Lives Matter To You?
Please join us.
Saturdays 9-10 a.m.
on the Greenfield Common
Sponsored by Racial Justice Rising
and the
Visioning Bear Circle Intertribal Coalition
Our May 12 vigil will be dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, or catastrophe, of the 1948 removal of Palestinians from their native villages and lands.
Racial Justice Rising Supports The Poor People’s Campaign
Click here to learn more about the campaign, including local western MA area organizing.
– Poor People’s Campaign Gears Up for Mother’s Day Launch, by Sarah Anderson at Inequality.
OTHER GROUPS’ EVENTS
Sunday April 22, Boston MA: Walk Against Genocide
Tuesday, April 24, online: Webinar: 50 Years of Resistance, The LGBTQI Community In Struggle
Wednesday, April 25, Northampton MA: Making Positive Change: Exploring Internalized White Supremacy in Predominantly White Communities
Wednesday, April 25, Northampton MA: Poor People’s Campaign: Intro to 1968 and 2018 Movements
April 26-28, Manchester NH: Undoing Racism Workshop
May 3-4, Windsor CT: Anti-Racism Workshop with National Council for Community & Justice
Saturday May 6, Greenfield MA: All Souls Unitarian Church’s annual Antiracism Film Festival. Racial Justice Rising is happy to collaborate with All Souls Church on this year’s film festival. We’ll have an info table there and more. Come say hi!
May 9-12, Ryerson, ON, CA: White Privilege Conference – Global
May 13 – June 22, U.S: Poor People’s Campaign’s 40 Days of Action
Thursday, May 24, Springfield MA: The Blood Is On The Doorstep Racial Justice Rising is pleased to co-sponsor this important film.
June 8-10, Northampton MA: Undoing Racism Workshop with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, organized by UROC of Western MA. For more info: urocofspringfield@gmail.com or 413-222-8793 , or click here to register
June 22-24, Baltimore: 2018 annual meeting of N’COBRA, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America
November 8-10, Detroit MI: Facing Race, A National Conference, from ColorLines
Email us your announcements of racial justice-related events and we will include in our listings if possible
ARTICLES, WEBSITES, & OTHER RESOURCES
Read any good books lately?
– An African American and Latinx History of the United States, by Paul Ortiz, an intersectional history of a shared struggle
– No Ashes In The Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America, by Darnell Moore
– So You Want To Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo
– The War Against All Puerto Ricans, by Nelson A. Denis
Criminal Justice and Injustice
– How America Criminalizes Impoverished People Of Color, by Kenrya Rankin at ColorLines
Economics
– Black-Owned Businesses That Are Great Alternatives To Starbucks! from ShoppeBlack US
– 3 Generations of Data Show How Wealthy (White) Families Stay Wealthy, by Morgan Sherburne at phys.org
– Blacks and Latinos Will be Broke Within A Few Decades, by Josh Hoxie at Forbes
Education/Youth
– College And Grad School Scholarships For Women of Color, from Bauce
– How A Tiny Native American Community’s Trauma Might Affect Education Law, by David Washburn at EdSource
– Government Watchdog Finds Racial Bias In School Discipline, by Erica Green at NY Times
– What Kids Are Really Learning About Slavery, by at Melinda D. Anderson at The Atlantic
Health
– Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are In A Life or Death Crisis by Linda Villarosa at the NY Times
Housing
– Blacks Still Face A Red Line On Housing, from the New York Times
Immigration
– John Oliver Breaks Down How U.S. Withholds Justice from Immigrants, video shared by Colorlines
– Detained Then Violated, by Alice Speri at The Intercept
– US Deports largest Group Of Cambodians Ever, by Kimberly Yam at Huffington Post
Indigenous
– This App Can Tell You The Indigenous History of the Land You Live On, by Chelsea Luger at Yes!
– Coastal California Tribe Gets Their Land Returned, by Debra Utacia Krol at Yes! Magazine
– Shadows In Dawnland: Wabanaki Tribes and State of Maine Hear Truths About Painful Past, byHannah Dunphy at the International Center for Transitional Justice
Reparations
– Congressional candidate discusses reparations, by Dan Canon at Institute of the Black World
– After 200 Years, Nova Scotia Black Communities Offered Hope, by Sherri Borden Colley at CBC
White Supremacy/White Antiracism
– Should I Give Up On White People? by George Yancy at the NY Times
The members of Racial Justice Rising are ordinary people who are troubled by the persistent racism that plagues this country. Believing that the damage caused by racism must be repaired before our society can be whole, we work for just and respectful treatment for all. We share a vision of a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-faith community.
Our mission is to:
- Help build the movement for racial justice by contributing to a deeper understanding of systemic racism and racial justice.
- Engage in restorative activities that help to heal the racial divide and bring justice for people targeted by racism.
While much of our work is focused in our local area, Franklin County, MA, we reach out to and are connected with the broader movements in our region and the nation.
Thank you, readers who send us information for these newsletters! We welcome links to articles, videos, event listings, and other resources.
– We welcome your feedback!
– Please share with others who might be interested.