Solidarity Lowell

Lowell Free Citizenship Clinic
2019-10-19 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Interested parties must call MIRA: Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition for pre-screening.
617-350-5480 ext 200

Acton Area's Postcarding Meet-Up
2019-10-19 10:00 - 12:00
10-12, Acton: Come to Indivisible Acton Area’s Postcarding Meet-Up at Bagels Plus (upstairs) in Acton. We will continue our campaign to help the ROE Act get passed as well as helping Get the VOTE out for a variety of elections.

October Encore: Lowell Canalwaters Cleaners
2019-10-19 09:00 - 12:00
We’re squeezing in one last cleanup this year under the Centralville side of the Cox Bridge on Bridge St. Focus again will be on removing trash and invasive plants (some of which are a bit thorny). Hope to see you there.

The Town and The City Festival
2019-10-18
Porter Productions presents the 2nd Annual The Town and The City Festival to be held in Lowell, MA on October 18th and 19th. The festival, which will be held in multiple venues in downtown Lowell, will celebrate the adventurous spirit of Lowell native, Jack Kerouac, in an event which features both locally based and national touring acts. And yes, it is named for the title of his first major published work, The Town and City Festival.
For more information, please join our email list at www.thetownandthecityfestival.com

Westford Climate Action Now Rally
2019-10-17 16:00 - 19:00
Come protest on the Westford Town Common for climate action now! We have 11 years left to take dramatic action to stop the extinction of not only our own species but of one million total species and creating an unlivable future. We must make change now, before it is irreversible!

Stop Rx Greed - Lowell
2019-10-17 11:00 - 12:00
Americans depend on their prescriptions — but from cancer treatments to EpiPens, drug companies’ skyrocketing prices are pushing life-saving treatments out of reach for those who need them. We pay among the highest prescription drug prices in the world so drug companies can make billions. No one should have to choose between buying medicine or buying food for our families. That’s not just wrong — it’s shameful.
AARP has been leading the fight to Stop Rx Greed and lower prescription drug prices across the country, but we can’t do it without your help. AARP Massachusetts is hosting a free Coffee Hour in Lowell where you can learn how to join the fight for lower prescription drug prices. We’ll be at Pollard Memorial Library from 11am to noon with coffee and snacks, so come find out what you can do here in Massachusetts.
Registration, while not required, is encouraged: https://local.aarp.org/aarp-event/aarp-ma-rx-greed-community-conversation-lowell-ma-101719-zxnqhmzmpr6.html?usetown

League of Women Voters Lobby Day
2019-10-17 09:30 - 12:00
Thursday, October 17th, 9:30am, Boston: League of Women Voters Lobby Day: It’s time to take the field and make the League’s voice heard loud and clear at the State House. Our Day on the Hill lobby day: Time to Act, will be Thursday, October 17, in Room 428, with coffee at 9:30 a.m. and the program starting promptly at 10. After the program ends at noon, plan to meet with your own Senator and Representative. Senate President Karen Spilka is our keynote speaker. The program will also focus on legislation in four priority areas: Election Day Registration, the climate crisis, education funding reform and women’s reproductive rights. Want to carpool?? Email Christine at christine@IndivisibleActon.org

Safe Communities Lobby Day
2019-10-16 19:00 - 21:00
Wednesday, October 16th,

10am – 12pm, Boston: Safe Communities Lobby Day
7-9pm, Groton: Citizens Action: Environmental Legislation – What can you do to help save our one small blue planet? Every day, the news reports catastrophic environmental events around the world, and even here at home. Don’t despair, take action! Working with our local legislators, we will develop strategies that each of us can implement to help. Senator Jamie Eldridge and reps from Benson and Harrison’s offices will speak. Click here for more info and to RSVP. Location: Prescott School Community Center – 145 Main Street, Groton.

Indivisible Acton Area's General Meeting
2019-10-15 18:30 - 20:30
Tuesday, October 15th, 6:30-8:30, Acton Memorial Library: Indivisible Acton Area’s General Meeting Guest speaker: Jamie Eldridge will talk about the Safe Communities Act. Then we’ll break out to learn about opportunities to take action!

LEJA meeting and potluck
2019-10-15 18:00 - 19:30
Lowell Education Justice Alliance Tuesday, October 15 from 6-7:30 –
United Teachers of Lowell, 169 Merrimack st, 4th floor
Every third Tuesday

Support Data Equity Now! - Show up for All Communities in MA
2019-10-15 10:00 - 18:00
Data Equity Bill (H.2681) Hearing
Tues, Oct 15, 10:30 AM (start time)
State House – Gardner Auditorium
There is opposition expected. Every person is needed to show up and support the bill, even if you can only make it during your lunch break or after work!
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Currently, when demographic data is collected, they are combined to produce statistics as a single summary of an entire racial group (i.e. Black, Latinx, Asian, White).
However, all ethnic subgroups of each race has different histories, background, needs, and challenges. Without accurate data broken down by detailed sub-ethnic groups, critical needs of some communities in the areas, such as language, economic status, education, health, could be left unmet.
With increasing diversity in the Commonwealth, it is important to accurately document, measure and report data that informs public efforts to address social, economic, or educational inequalities which persist but may be invisible in data analyzed only through broad racial categories.
H.2681 suggests that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts standardize state forms to collect optional race and ethnicity data to more closely resemble the way the federal Census breaks down demographic data. This allows for more comprehensive research, analysis, and provision of services to all of our Commonwealth’s diverse communities.
This would highlight and uplift data representing communities in our Commonwealth including but not limited to Vietnamese, Cambodian, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Haitian, Cape Verdean, Ethiopian, Somalian, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Dominicans, and Colombians.

Lowell Progressive Candidate Celebration
2019-10-14 18:00 - 21:00
Join Solidarity Lowell in celebrating our recently endorsed candidates for City Council and School Committee!
After completing our candidate surveys and participating in our forum (for City Council candidates), Solidarity Lowell is proud to have endorsed the following for City Council:
Juan Castañeda
Ty Chum
John Drinkwater
Harry Kortikere
Vesna Nuon
And the following School Committee candidates:
Sherri Barboza
Hilary Clark
Jackie Doherty
Ben Opara
We hope you’ll join us at Warp and Weft, 197 Market St in Lowell, on October 14th from 6-9pm to meet these candidates and hear where they stand on important issues.

Indigenous Resistance and Resilience in 1670s Lowell Tour
2019-10-14 13:00 - 14:30
In 1892 and 1893, America was busy celebrating the 400th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the Americas, and Lowell was teeming with parades, sermons, and lectures delivered in his honor. Two hundred years before the great industrial city of Lowell sprung up, in the 1670s, the Penacook people were actively challenging the invasion of their homeland in the Merrimack Valley by land-hungry English settlers. This 90 minute walking tour explores how Indigenous people living in greater Lowell in the 1670s confronted and resisted colonialism through combat, and through their command of the Algonquian and English language. The walk will also discuss how nineteenth century Lowellians selectively remembered and celebrated their past, and what implications that has for our understanding of Lowell’s past.
This free walk begins at the Visitor Center (246 Market Street) at 1 p.m. on Monday, October 14th. Free parking is available at 304 Dutton Street. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.

Vigil: Standing up for Migrant Children Seeking Justice and Humanity
2019-10-13 15:30 - 17:30
Sunday, October 13, 3:30 p – 5:30 pm, First Parish Lawn, 20 Lexington Road, Concord: Vigil: Standing up for Migrant Children Seeking Justice and Humanity. Singing, speaking, education and crafts to raise awareness on the plight of migrant children on our southern border. We hope to have first-hand accounts from medical professionals who have visited the border.

Musical Protest against Detention with HONK!
2019-10-13 08:30 - 10:00
(Español abajo)
Join Resist the Raids, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and bands from the Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands to show musical solidarity with our friends, family and neighbors who are locked up in Suffolk County House of Correction and the ICE immigrant detention center. Bring your drums, horns, pots and pans to break the silence around incarceration, raids and deportations. We want our folks home where they belong! Honk! down the walls!
Meet up at the corner of Southampton St. and Bradston St. in Boston.
https://goo.gl/maps/AR3UkRxwn9G2
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¡Únete a Resiste las Redadas y unas bandas de “Honk!,” un festival de bandas de activistas para un acto de solidaridad musical con nuestras amistades, familiares y vecinxs entre rejas de la cárcel de South Bay y el centro de detención de inmigrantes (ICE). Lleva tus tambores, trompas y caserolas para romper el silencio del encarcelamiento, las redadas y las deportaciones. ¡Queremos a nuestra gente en casa donde pertecen. ¡Hagamos una bulla contra los muros!
Vamos a encontrarnos en la esquina de Southampton St. y Bradston St.
https://goo.gl/maps/AR3UkRxwn9G2

Financial Literacy Dinner
2019-10-12 17:00 - 19:00

Ben Butler Walking Tour
2019-10-12 13:00 - 14:30
Lowell’s Benjamin Butler was a pivotal figure in American history. Best known as a controversial general in the American Civil War, Butler’s story has many other chapters with layers upon layers of complexity. A former governor of Massachusetts and multi-term member of Congress, Butler was one of the foremost lawyers of his time. He owned mills but was also an advocate for the rights of workers. His 1861 decision to treat escaped slaves as “contraband of war” led to the Emancipation Proclamation. As a member of the House of Representatives in 1868, he was the lead prosecutor in the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson.
The lessons of Butler’s life and legacy are more relevant today than ever before. To learn more about this fascinating figure and to visit places central to his life, please join this free walking tour led by Bob Forrant and Richard Howe on Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 1pm, departing from Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center at 246 Market Street.

African Entrepreneur Market
2019-10-12 11:00 - 15:00
We have over a dozen entrepreneurs showcasing their businesses, selling products, and providing information about their organizations.
African Community Center Of Lowell
Arbonne International Inc.
B.E.A.D.S
DKim honey Products
Evill Eye By Maria
Flavor Noire
GoodieKrunch
Humble Home Care Services LLC
Kenya Autism Alliance Corporation
Rosebud Staffing Inc.
Styled by Ola
Taylor Made Communications
The Leap Network, LLC
Vibes hair salon and beauty supply
VisualMag
There will also be a panel featuring three entrepreneurs at the various stages of starting:
HamdAllah Modupe Olona, Founder & CEO of GoodieKrunch
Oye Akintan, Co-founder of Flavor Noire
Carmala Karuri, Owner of Vibe Hair Salon

CBA's 37th Annual Meeting
2019-10-10 17:30 - 20:00
Come join us for our 37th Annual Meeting to celebrate our success and elect new board members!

Immigrant Rights Committee monthly Planning Meeting
2019-10-07 18:30 - 20:00
(Art by Kadir Nelson, So Together, 2016)
Now that Welcoming Week and the Cultural Exchange Poltuck are behind us, we’ll get back to looking at other goals for immigrant rights in Lowell.
Proposed agenda:
– Debrief of potluck event.
– Moving forward with reviewing current status and possible future actions relating to immigrant rights
– more detailed agenda TBD
Bring guests, all are welcome.

Your Lowell Your Vote - Panel Discussion
2019-10-07 18:00 - 20:00
Please join us for a panel discussion featuring experts on each of the two new election system options appearing on the November 5th Municipal Election ballot.
Moderator
Lisa Handley, Ph.D. is a leading expert in voter data analysis and voting patterns, and has published widely in this area. She has advised numerous jurisdictions, both domestically and internationally, on electoral systems and surrounding challenges. Her clients include the U.S. Department of Justice, multiple state and local jurisdictions, and redistricting commissions. She is currently president of Maryland-based Frontier International Electoral Consulting.
Panelists
Howard Fain, Deputy Director of Policy and Research with Voter Choice Massachusetts, a non-profit organization that advocates for the expanded use of Ranked Choice Voting. Mr. Fain has been with Voter Choice MA since its founding in 2016. He was previously co-founder of FairVote, and served on its Board of Directors between 1992-1998. Mr. Fain is a proponent of the Ranked Choice Voting electoral system.
Tanya Ford, Executive Director of the Cambridge Election Commission for the City of Cambridge. Ms. Ford has been with the City of Cambridge for nine years. She was previously Deputy Village Clerk and Village Clerk in Hempstead, New York for approximately eleven years, where she was also responsible for conducting elections. Cambridge’s electoral system is Ranked Choice Voting.
Michael Gallagher, J.D., is a founding partner of Gallagher & Cavanaugh LLP, a Lowell-based law firm. He has received numerous accolades for the practice of law. He has also previously served on the Lowell School Committee and on the board of multiple local committees and organizations. He has recently been recognized as a community leader who is a proponent of the Hybrid (mixture of at-large and district seats) electoral system.
Niko Vangjeli, Assistant City Clerk for the City of Worcester. Mr. Vangjeli was appointed as Worcester’s Election Administrator in June 2014. As Assistant City Clerk , he provides operational and administrative support to the Board of Election Commissioners and is the primary election and voter registration official. Worcester’s electoral system is a Hybrid mixture of at-large and district seats

Mill City Grows' 8th Annual Harvest Festival
2019-09-28 11:00 - 15:00
Celebrate the most bountiful season at Mill City Grows’ 8th Annual Harvest Festival! This FREE family-friendly event showcases our community’s growers and farmers, and brings attendees closer to the harvest season through live food and gardening demos, hands-on craft activities, tours of Mill City Grows’ beautiful North Common Community Garden, local food vendors, and more!
> Share Your Gardening and Cooking Passion!
Do you have a gardening, cooking, or urban sustainability skill that you’d like to share with your community? Come join this year’s Harvest Festival as a Demonstration Presenter! 15-30 minute slots are available from 11:30am-1:30pm. Topics can range from growing specific crops, prepping your garden for winter, irrigation techniques, urban gardening, cooking demos, garden art, and beyond! Click here to share your presentation details for consideration: https://forms.gle/bncjsiHCBHzkp9fo7
> Join the Harvest Festival Volunteer Team!
Lead a craft activity, help with garden tours, greet event guests, and more! Be a part of the Harvest Fest fun and support Lowell’s local food movement by joining Mill City Grows’ Volunteer Team! For volunteer registration and more information, please visit www.millcitygrows.org or email volunteer@millcitygrows.org.
Thank you to our 2019 Annual Event Sponsors:
– Nancy L Donahue
– Whole Foods Market
– Bank of America
– Microdesk
– Target
– Bill Reedy and Darren End
– Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
– Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union
– Align Credit Union
– Circle Health
– Princeton Properties-Apartments in MA, NH and ME
– Enterprise Bank
– Plenus Group / Boston Chowda Company
Thank you to our 2019 Harvest Festival Sponsors:
– Eastern Bank
– Tufts Health Plan
– Wegmans
– Middlesex Community College
– Riverside Glass
– Market Basket
– Votze Butler Associates, Inc.
– UMass Lowell

Public Hearing for We The People Act
2019-09-24 11:00 - 17:00
All hands on deck!
A committee hearing has been scheduled for the We The People Act S.2163/H.3208 which would bring about the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution on Campaign Finance Reform.
We need YOUR help to push the legislation forward in the State House and then over the finish line!
ATTEND the hearing to show your support! Bring your friends and family along to pack the Gardner Auditorium. Any amount of time you can spare will make a difference. Carpooling is available!
SEND written testimony to rickycanavanwagner@gmail.com if you can’t go or contact him for all other inquiries.
RSVP today!

Lowell National Voter Registration Day 2019
2019-09-23 09:00 - 21:00
We’ll be celebrating National Voter Registration Day with tabling, fun, and stickers all across the city, all day! Just let us know if you can help.

TeamTram Service Day - Merrimack River Clean Up
2019-09-22 09:00 - 11:00
Please join Rep. Nguyen for a service event to help clean up the Merrimack River! We are teaming up with the Merrimack River Watershed Council to benefit the community. You don’t need to bring anything special except your friends and family. We will update this description to provide more specific information about where to meet up.
Please let us know if you plan to join us!

2019 Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race
2019-09-21 09:00 - 16:00
Human-powered, all-terrain sculptures making their way over cobblestones, through a mud pit, and navigating the Merrimack River. Come see all the shenanigans of the costumed teams and the banana marshals. Free for all!!
Join us immediately after the finish for the LKSR Official Afterparty @ Warp and Weft!

African Community Celebration
2019-09-20 17:30 - 21:00
In the Lowell CHC tradition of celebrating our community’s cultural heritage and diversity, this September we will highlight the rich traditions of Africa. Expect festive food, music and fun celebrating Lowell’s vibrant African communities. The celebration will benefit our WrapAround Fund, which pays for vital services not covered by insurance. Tickets only $35 if you register before September 12th!

Celebration of Welcoming Flags
2019-09-20 17:00 - 19:00
Meet the artists behind the beautiful welcoming flags at a reception in the Garden adjacent to Arts League of Lowell. Over 20 handmade artist flags on display, with refreshments. Celebrate the artistic welcome to the newest Lowellians.

Massachusetts Climate Strike
2019-09-20 09:00 - 15:00
On September 20th, 2019, millions of people will strike around the world to demand action on the climate crisis. Join thousands in Boston at City Hall Plaza as we kick off a week of climate actions! This event is youth led and community supported.
#StrikeWithUs #StrikeWithUsBoston #ClimateStrike #ClimateStrikeMA
Our most up to date information and public resources can be found on our website: https://strikewithus.org/boston/
DONATE: bit.ly/strike-donate
**PUBLIC RESOURCES**
Misc Materials:
Flyers/Graphics | bit.ly/flyers_920
Strike One Pager | bit.ly/bos-strike
No Major Assignment Pledge | bit.ly/teacher_pledge
Sports Exemption Pledge | bit.ly/coach_pledge
Toolkits:
Student Ambassador | bit.ly/ambassador-toolkit
Teacher Support | bit.ly/bos-teacher-toolkit
Social Media Guidelines | bit.ly/strike-social
Google Forms:
Student Ambassador | bit.ly/school_outreach
Teacher Support | bit.ly/strike-teacher
Strike Leadership Team | bit.ly/bos-climate-form
Op Ed Guide:
Climate Strike Op Ed Guide (created in collaboration with Sunrise Movement Boston) | bit.ly/strike-op-ed
Please contact @ClimateStrikeMA or mass@youthclimatestrikeus.org with questions.

City Council Preliminary Candidate Forum with Solidarity Lowell
2019-09-19 19:00 - 20:30
Join Solidarity Lowell and MCC for our City Council Candidate Forum.
Moderator: Charlie Smith
Meet the candidates, hear their positions on key issues affecting Lowell today and in the future.
Location: Assembly Room, MCC Federal Building, on Merrimack St.
