Lowell Events and Actions
Show Immigrant Solidarity: Drivers’ License Community Forum
Sunday, September 8th, 1:30-2:45pm, Christ Church United, 1 Bartlett St, Lowell
Warm up for Welcoming Week by attending our community forum where we will hear from local and state leaders of the Driving Families Forward campaign on how this will help make roads safer for everyone, while allowing immigrants the ability to own a standard driver’s license, regardless of immigration status. Co-hosted by Solidarity Lowell, Christ Church United, and other local groups.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/439377206674912/
Flier in English and Spanish here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SolidarityLowell/permalink/749745085479145/
The 2nd Annual Cultural Exchange Potluck Picnic
Saturday, September 15th, 2-5pm, South Common Park, 190 Thorndike St, Lowell
Part of Welcoming Week Lowell. Featuring free food and live entertainment from many different cultures and information about local organizations. Bring the family, special children’s entertainment will be provided! If you can contribute food or anything else please sign up here:https://www.mealtrain.com/potlucks/1g5eo6
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/469092367232832/
SAVE THE DATE: City Council Preliminary Candidate Forum with Solidarity Lowell
Thursday, September 19th, 7-8:30pm, MCC Federal Building, Assembly Room, 50 Kearney Square, Lowell
Join Solidarity Lowell and MCC for our City Council Candidate Forum, moderated by Charlie Smith. Meet the candidates and hear their positions on key issues affecting Lowell today and in the future.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/361161401477603/
Chelms-FED Up Postcarding
Every Tuesday, 9:30-11:30am, The Java Room, 14 Littleton Rd, Chelmsford
Fed up in Chelmsford? Come join us at The Java Room! We will be writing postcards for upcoming municipal elections! Information, addresses, and supplies provided, but feel free to bring your own supplies and info as well. See you there!
For more information, contact Hope at hope@solidaritylowell.com
Thursday Postcarding
Every Thursday, 9-11am, Panera Bread, 2 Cornerstone Square, Westford
Join your postcarding friends from Indivisible Westford Progressive Massachusetts and Solidarity Lowell to write issue-based postcards to our reps and write directly to voters for an upcoming election! Join us every Thursday!
For more information, email hope@solidaritylowell.com
Support for Asylum-Seeker Marius
Marius is the Togolese asylum seeker whom the Merrimack Valley Interfaith Sanctuary Network (MVISN) is sponsoring. With generous support from people like you and MVISN member groups like ours, Marius has retained an immigration lawyer, filed an application for asylum, and successfully moved his case to the Boston immigration courts from El Paso, exponentially increasing his possibility of ultimately winning his case. He will be eligible to apply for a work permit at the beginning of November. Until Marius receives legal authorization to work, our network has committed to financially supporting him with $500/month. Can you chip in towards the $500 we need to meet our commitment to him? Any amount will be gratefully accepted. Consider becoming a “sustaining supporter” by making a recurring monthly donation, no size too small! We are also looking for folks who are interested in helping in an ongoing basis, in any of these three committees: Legal, Fundraising, and Housing. If you’re interested, please emailmvisn@solidaritylowell.com
Donate here: http://www.merrimackvalleyproject.org/donate-1/ (please write “asylum” in the “special notes” part of the donation form)
Join the Affordable Housing Subcommittee
As a result of our recent Strengthening Our Cities workshop series and activities at meetings, Solidarity Lowell is creating a subcommittee that will focus on the topic of affordable housing. If you are interested in joining, sign up using the form below.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/RcDDqskH7bsurq4D9
Join the Elections Subcommittee
The time has come to get our endorsements survey ready for the Lowell City Council and School Committee elections this fall. We’re looking for folks who are interested in helping put together the survey, get it out to those running for office, and compile the results for our members.
If you’re interested, please email lynne@solidaritylowell.com
Local Events and Actions
GoLowell Kickoff
Wednesday, September 11th, 6-8pm, 375 Merrimack St, Lowell
Join us to kickoff the #GoLowell plan! GoLowell wants to hear how you get around the City today and what we can do to make it safer and easier. Translation services and childcare will be provided.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/576788286189672/
City Council Candidating
Thursday, September 12th, 5:30-8:30pm, Lowell Senior Center, 276 Broadway St, Lowell
Join Coalition for a Better Acre and Lowell Votes for a chance to meet city council candidates in a fun, friendly environment. Candidates will move from table to table, just like with “speed dating”. You’ll be able to ask your questions so you can decide who to vote for in the preliminary on September 24th. Spanish and Khmer interpreters, food, drinks, and child care will be available.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/2531916983535847/
Celebrating Immigrants Through Music
Friday, September 13th, 8-9:30pm, Donahue Family Academic Arts Center, 240 Central St, Lowell
As part of Welcoming Week, a variety of music will be performed from Cambodia, Africa and Brazil as well as works by immigrant composers Igor Stravinsky, Max Lifchitz, Jaime León Ferro and Tan Dun who settled in the United States from Russia, Mexico, Colombia and China respectively. MCC faculty members Orlando Cela, flute; Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, piano; Marcus Santos, pandero; and Anna Ward, soprano will be joined by Sovann Khon, tro sau and the African Fellowship Choir and drummers of Eliot Church.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/892562237784963/
Volunteer for JFON, Helping Lawyers Give Immigrants Free Legal Advice
It is hard to believe that the Lawrence – Lowell JFON Clinics have been in operation for almost one year. Thanks to the tremendous response from so many volunteers, the new clinics have taken off at both sites. Whether you support a Hospitality Team or work as an Intake Volunteer or Interpreter, the success of JFON depends greatly on your commitment to this mission. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child and it takes volunteers to run a JFON clinic. The clinics have been fully scheduled through December 2019 (see attached schedule). At the same time, there is a need to secure additional volunteers and to determine if any of the current volunteers would like to take on a new role. As we look to the fall and 2020, the following needs exist: Clinic Managers, Intake Volunteers, Interpreters, Phone Intake Coordinator, and Fundraising.
If interested, email David Troughton at dtroughton@comcast.net
State- and National-Level Events and Actions
Shame on Marty Walsh: A Response to Police Violence
Saturday, September 7th, 2pm, Boston City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Sq, Boston
On Saturday August 23rd, Mayor Marty Walsh handed the alt-right a permit to march down the streets of Boston in a “Straight Pride Parade”. He also gave police forces from all over the state— as well as the F.B.I. and National Guard— the green-light to attack peaceful LGBTQ+ counter-protesters. Bearing “Blue Lives Matter” flags, they targeted medics, marshals, and press in a calculated attempt to protect the white nationalists, who called for the forced removal of immigrants, a return to sexual “normalcy”, and Trumps re-election, among other things. This Saturday, meet us to demand: the charges against the counter-protestors are dropped, the resignation of Captain John Danilecki of the Boston Police Department, the resignation of Judge Thomas Horgan, and an end to the militarization of Black and Brown communities.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/740955619691226/
Gender Marker X Bill Hearing
Tuesday, September 10th, 10:30am-1:30pm, Massachusetts State House, Gardner Auditorium, 24 Beacon St, Boston
Please attend this hearing to support adding a third gender option (X instead of just M or F) to Massachusetts IDs, and speak if you can! Can’t attend? Submit written testimony to TreAndreValentine@masstpc.org. Please also contact your representatives to ask them to report the bill favorably out of committee!
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/377546892922804/
Defund Hate Walk from Boston to Concord
Wednesday, September 11th, 9am-4pm, Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston
Like Paul Revere and William Dawes, we will be going from Boston to Concord to spread the word to #DefundHate and #CloseTheCamps. We will be walking along Massachusetts Avenue carrying prominent signs to draw attention to the issue. This event is just some concerned citizens taking a walk. Join us for the entire walk (15 miles) or part of the walk (we will provide a route and anticipated times to interested people). Combine your need for exercise with your love of resisting – Resistercize!
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1977777682322360/