History

Turning the Curve - Understanding Systemic Racism 06/10/2021

Mark Hughes helps to provide a definition and a history of Systemic Racism.

Positively Vermont: Vermont Quilt Festival 06/07/2021

Host Dennis McMahon previews the 45th annual VERMONT QUILT FESTIVAL opening June 16 with guests Kaitlin Delano, Carrie Zizza and Laura Clements.

For more information: www.vqf.org

Memorial Day Commemoration 2021 05/31/2021

This Memorial Day, the commemoration hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 782 is a little different: While the tradition of honoring and remembering members of the United States military who died serving the country remains unchanged, this year the VFW and City of Burlington also pauses to remember those in the community lost during the pandemic.

The VFW sets up a field of flags to honor each person who passed away from COVID-19 in the City so far, along with two trumpet solos, remarks from the Post Commander, Mayor, and a leader from the Vermont National Guard. The Vermont Guard has stepped forward in such an incredible way throughout this pandemic. The ceremony concludes with taps.

FOCUS: Vermont Legislature Apologizes for ‘Eugenics Survey’ 05/21/2021

Following is a video of our Center for Media and Democracy program which aided in removing the Dorothy Canfield Fisher name from a prestigious Vermont children’s book award. The name has been changed to the Vermont Golden Dome Book Awards.

In this discussion of why Dorothy Canfield Fisher's name should be removed from the Vermont Book Award, evidence is presented that the author had a direct connection with the Vermont Eugenics Survey. Judy Dow, Franco American/ Abenaki educator, artist, and writer, presents a compelling power point on the history of eugenics and documentation on the reasons to change the Dorothy Canfield Fisher book award name. Kim Chase, third generation, Franco American writer and educator, and Kathy Olwell, retired social worker and social activist, talk about how the impact of the Vermont Eugenics Survey is still pertinent and discuss the vital need for acknowledgment, education, and a chance to heal.

Vermont Book Award: vcfa.edu/vermont-book-award/about-vermont-book-award

Ethan Allen Homestead Enrichment Program: Preachers Behaving Badly: Religious Scandal in Early Vermont 05/16/2021

Vermont was home to several religious communities across the spectrum. Join us as Shelby Balik from Metropolitan State University-Denver presents on the Religious communities in early Vermont and some of their documented scandals.

Ethan Allen Homestead Enrichment Program: The Woodland Period in Vermont 04/18/2021

Join us as Jess Robinson, the Vermont State Archaeologist, shares some of the newest findings about the Woodland Period (3,000 - 400 years before the present) with a description of various sites and some of the interesting things found there!

VICII: Spanish-American War & Manifest Destiny Part 2-1898: From Republic to Empire - Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii & Philippines 04/14/2021

This week's session is led by Sandy Baird, Kurt Mehta, Grant Crichfield, and Armando Vilaseca.

Maladies & Medicines: Opioids in the Queen City 04/07/2021

The current opioid epidemic has many connections to the past. Champlain College's eighth annual Local History Event features two historians' research on opium, morphine, and opioid addiction in nineteenth-century Burlington.

Independent scholar Gary G. Shattuck presents the history and context of opioids in the Queen City and the State of Vermont in his talk titled "Behind the Curtain: Examining the Causes of Addiction in Nineteenth-Century Vermont."

Champlain College Special Collections Director Erica Donnis presents "The Vibrant Life and Tragic Death of Lucy Benedict Henderson." A resident of Adams and South Union Streets, Mrs. Henderson (1861-1896) was in many ways an ordinary middle class wife and mother, but she suffered from chronic illness, and eventually, morphine addiction.

Abolish Slavery Vermont Learning Session 04/07/2021

While Vermont is widely known to be the first colony to abolish slavery (in 1777), it was only a partial prohibition, applicable to adults reaching a certain age, “unless bound by the person’s own consent, after arriving to such age, or bound by law for the payment of debts, damages, fines, costs, or the like.” Despite subsequent revisions, the Vermont Constitution continues to contain only a partial prohibition on slavery.

Vermont’s constitution went on to model a similar exception clause in the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Ratified in 1865, this renowned legislation likewise prohibited slavery within the United States “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted[.]”

“In the year 2021, slavery is still allowed, legally, in Vermont’s constitution. We cannot accept this any longer,” said Mark Hughes, Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance. Hughes and racial justice advocates across the state have been working towards a full abolishment of constitutional slavery for years.

In March the Vermont Senate Rules Committee voted in favor (5-0) of PR.2, a proposal to amend the Vermont constitution with language clarifying that slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited. The proposal will go to the Senate floor on April 9th for a vote.

“At 244 years old, the Vermont constitution is the grandfather of all constitutional slavery. So this amendment is far more than symbolic,” said Hughes. “We must finish the work that we started last biennium and bring an end to this crime against humanity in our state and in our nation.”

Hughes characterized the current proposal to amend the Vermont constitution “long overdue “ and called on the legislature to also pass a Joint Resolution calling for the repeal and replacement of the 13th amendment of U.S. Constitution. The learning sessions are being offered by the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance to engage the public on the critical issues that impact the advancement of human rights and dignity in Vermont.

In addition to ending constitutional slavery, the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance’s ACT Legislative Agenda for 2021 includes policies to advance economic development, housing and land ownership, health equity and more for American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS). This agenda includes that reintroduction of an act relating to establishing the task force to study and develop reparation proposals for the Institution of chattel slavery (H.287)

Learn more about the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance and sign up for the #AbolishSlaveryVT learning sessions at www.vtracialjusticealliance.org.

The People's Law School: The 4th Amendment - Understanding Your Rights When Stopped by The Police 04/07/2021

The kick-off of The People's Law School - a series of free, virtual presentations on contemporary legal topics impacting the lives of Vermonters, such as the Fourth Amendment, representing yourself in small claims court, tenant rights, understanding eligibility for benefits, and family law.

The People’s Law School is a partnership of Attorney General T.J. Donovan, the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV), the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, and the Vermont Institute for Community and International Involvement (VICII), and also supported by ACLU of Vermont and The Caroline Fund, which offers a fund for women and their families in emergency situations and free legal advice to anyone seeking guidance.

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WORK OPPORTUNITY: Town Meeting TV Field Producer

Town Meeting TV is hiring one part-time Field Producer to cover Chittenden County municipal meetings and public events to air on its government access TV channels, YouTube channel, and website (www.Ch17.TV). Meetings typically take place during evening hours with some weekend event coverage. Complete Job Description is available upon request.