Social Justice

From Rev. Arnold Thomas:

Host Rev. Arnold Thomas meets with Jill Krowinski, State Democratic Speaker of the House, to discuss their respective roles and visions in light of a legislative makeup where Republicans have gained in number.

Watch the conversation with Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale here: https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/meeting-kesha-ram-hinsdale

When African Americans mention “The Talk,” they refer to important conversations their parents or elders had with them concerning how to survive in a racist, hostile, environment, specifically when confronted by the police. I imagine similar conversations occur between parents and children among all People of Color and marginalized communities. However, in a nation that will soon be dominated by people of color, it is crucial that such conversations occur among White families as well concerning how to live peacefully and productively in a multiracial and multicultural country where all prosper. The Talk, Vermont is about the concerns and interests of Black Vermonters, Vermonters of Color, and other marginalized communities that can be shared with all Vermonters and those who wish to live in one of the whitest state in the nation, in the hope that we can truly learn and grow from our interactions with one other, and make Vermont a truly hospitable state in which all may learn and grow.

From the organizers:

Big Tech is shaping how we live, work, and connect. That can be exciting, even empowering. But it is almost always happening in ways we do not fully see or control. The downsides of these technologies and the fine print in the contracts that come with them are often buried.

From data privacy violations to unreliable digital advertising to the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, the stakes have never been higher for Vermont’s consumers, small businesses, and nonprofits.

This town hall series will give you the tools, the context, and the voice to push back and to help shape a future where technology works for all of us.

This statewide series is led by Vermont State Representative Monique Priestley, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), and other allied organizations committed to protecting Vermont communities from Big Tech’s unchecked power.

For more information visit: https://peoplevsbigtech.com/

From the Building Burlington’s Future (BBF):

Recovery touches every part of what makes a community function: public health, safety, economic opportunity, and housing. But too often, we talk about these issues separately instead of seeing how they're interconnected.

Building Burlington's Future and Turning Point Center of Chittenden County are hosting Recovery First in Burlington to bring together community members, people in recovery, family members, and local experts for an honest conversation about recovery pathways and support in Burlington. Moderated by former Mayor Peter Clavelle!

For more information visit: https://www.buildingburlingtonsfuture.org/

From VTIFF:

The Friday, October 24 screening is followed by a panel discussion and Q&A featuring local and regional librarians. Following the screening of Kim A. Snyder's The Librarians, there will be a panel discussion, featuring local/regional librarians grappling with these issues. Those panelists are: Mary Danko, director of the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington. She is currently the past president of the Vermont Library Association (VLA). She has also served on the VLA Intellectual Freedom Committee. Kelly McCagg is director of the Burnham Memorial Library in Colchester. She is a former president of the Vermont Library Association. Kelly received her Master of Library Science from the University at Albany. Amy Olsen is director of the Lanpher Memorial Library in Hyde Park. She is a former president of the Vermont Library Association. She recently received the Sarah C. Hagar Award for outstanding service in the field of librarianship in Vermont.

In these divisive times, school librarians suddenly find themselves on the front lines of the culture wars. In some states, they can face prison sentences for shelving certain books deemed “pornographic” by state legislatures—like, say, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. In Texas, for instance, the Krause List has targeted 850 books focused on race and LGBTQIA+ stories, and triggered sweeping book bans across the U.S. Rather than being trusted arbiters of knowledge, librarians are regularly demonized and cast as the enemy by a well-organized conservative resistance. In the film, we watch librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts, and their own efforts to fight back. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work, they keep pushing for the freedom to read and learn. ~SM

For more information visit: https://vtiff.org/festivals/vtiff2025/