People’s Health Sanctuary presents: End-of-Life in the Age of Covid
2020-12-04 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/peoples-health-sanctuary-presents-end-of-life-in-the-age-of-covid/
In the midst of unprecedented personal, national and global oppression, suffering and death, how do we process loss to maintain hopeful connections? End-of-Life in the Age of Covid features conversations about our experiences of death, end of life care, and the creation of social and spiritual community during the pandemic. How do we honor the memory and voices of the dying? How can our grief inform and inspire us to create a new world that is inclusive, and responsive to the needs of marginalized populations most hard hit by Covid?

Join us for an initial conversation to process our personal and collective grief and loss.

Moderator: Corinne Carey

Panelists:

Marne Lucas, artist and end of life doulaUrban Grief

BIOS

Corinne Carey is a political & public affairs strategist taking on bold public health initiatives backed by sound evidence & human rights. Carey is the campaign director of Compassion & Choices New York. Compassion & Choices improves care, expands options and empowers everyone to chart their end-of-life journey.

Compassion & Choices’ award-winning video features the groundbreaking filmmaker Hammer urging New York lawmakers to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act. “My cancer is incurable … I will reach a very debilitated state,” she says in the video, in which she notes that she suffered through more than 100 chemo treatments for ovarian cancer over 12 years before entering hospice in late 2018. “I would so much like to be able to manage my own death by choosing the time and the person I’d like to have with me so that I can die in comfort and with compassion and not in pain and morphine-drugged.” Hammer died on March 16, 2019, at age 79 in her Manhattan home without access to this gently dying option. In February, Oscars in Memoriam honored her for her legacy as an experimental filmmaker. Watch the entire award-winning video of Barbara Hammer urging New York lawmakers to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act.

Corinne Carey is a radio producer with Hudson Mohawk Magazine on WOOC 105.3 FM.

Marne LucasMarne is an artist and end of life doula. As a multidisciplinary artist her work investigates social justice related projects such as Bardo ∞ Project, an ongoing exploration of creativity as a form of spiritual end of life care, and video installations using infrared imaging technology to reference surveillance culture and the fragility of human existence. She is in-training at Parker Jewish Institute to be an INELDA certified end-of-life doula, and currently serves as a client board member at URAM, a Harlem United health agency.

Urban Grief

Lisa Good, MSW, is founding the director of Urban Grief, a trauma-informed community-based organization that educates on the effects of violence and supports those affected through outreach and victim advocacy. She is the former director of SNUG (formerly known as Cure Violence) and has over 25 years of human service experience. She is an experienced speaker and trainer, facilitating trauma-informed workshops such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and community events, and faith-based workshops aimed at creating healing spaces and empowering community members through information about trauma, grief, and resilience.

http://lisawgood.com/

Urban Grief is trauma informed and healing centered 501(c)(3) community-based organization. Urban Grief responds to the traumatic impact of community violence, death and loss through community education, crisis response, victim advocacy and grief support. Urban Grief provides relevant and relatable information about trauma, grief, self-care, resiliency, and victim services. UG acknowledges the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), along with chronic exposure to traumatic events, and strives to avoid further re-traumatization.

End-of-Life in the Age of COVID organizing team

Dr. Xavier Coughlin, Kathy High, Corinne Carey, Nancy Weber, Branda Miller

MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE’S HEALTH SANCTUARY

The People’s Health Sanctuary‘s goal is to establish a central space to share health skills, provide basic integrative care and explore ways to build networks of community health. We are celebrating a year of organizing around this project, initiated under the organizing name Health Autonomy Clinic and after listening sessions with our surrounding community, re-named People’s Health Sanctuary. Our goal is to embrace models of open sharing of health knowledge, and empower all of the growing collective of community members to seek their independent health goals, as opposed to the traditional, hierarchical top-down approach of clinical medical practice. Though caring for our elders, our children, or cooking soul-nourishing food for family or friends may not be deemed ‘real’ healthcare, they know that in fact, it’s what holds us together and keeps us sane. Our growing network sharing skills to build a space where creative, joyful health is possible and accessible.

In this current crisis, we are more than even committed to the potential that People’s Health Sanctuary can offer. Everyone it seems is struggling to keep up with the flood of information about the current crisis, the ways those in power are forcing us back to a “normal,” the over-reliance of the economy as a marker of anything lending towards health. And then we have the horrific news from Georgia and Minneapolis, the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, a stark reminder of the crisis behind the crisis. COVID has only exacerbated the social oppression and disparities that mark the “normal” so many of the elites want to return to.

Memorial Altar: “Emerging from Darkness”
2021-01-17 12:00 - 2021-04-01 07:00 | Freedom Square, 35 5th Ave, Troy, NY, 12180, United States
An installation to honor personal, community, national and global loss

We welcome you to visit Freedom Square, at the corner of 101st St. (where 6th Ave. turns into 5th Ave.) in socially distanced and masked groups of 10 or less, any time(s) between 1/17-1/20, to add the names of your beloved dead and/or leave offerings on the Altar in their honor. Please come with your hearts open, make sure to wear your mask and let’s love each other via this community Altar space. This too is a form of resistance and protest!!

Check out this latest television story!

As we continue working to create the more just and equitable world we know is possible, we recognize the deep need to grieve collectively. Join us as we transform Freedom Square to create a community space to express grief, loss, generosity and resilience. This participatory installation began in conjunction with our MLK day event “Rise Up: The Struggle Continues…” and the Nationwide Covid Memorial (1/19/21 at 5:30 pm) for those who have died of Covid, and is being continued because of popular demand. Community participants continue to visit the altar, leave messages, honor loved ones, and share gifts of food (wrapped for safety) and clothing.

The installation includes an Altar for our Ancestors Known and Unknown and for all those who have died longing for justice and freedom. Stop by to Say their Names, Share their/your Stories, Honor your Ancestors/Beloved Dead. Remember to visit in socially distanced and masked groups of 10 or less, to add the names of your beloved dead and/or leave offerings on the Altar in their honor.*

*Altars are sacred spaces formed with intention. A few ideas of what to place on an Altar include:

Prayers & wishes Natural materials (rocks, leaves, flowers, water, dirt from your motherland) Pictures (copies are suggested to minimize loss of original precious mementos) Art, poetry, songs, letters (consider weather-proofing or bring messages and names to write on our flags) Some BIPOC cultures offer food/ fruits/bread/liquor/tobacco

(Please individually wrap offerings for safety. Recognizing the reality/impact of addiction, please leave only small amounts of alcohol.)

We would deeply appreciate support of this community altar!

Contact us if you’d like to volunteer or contribute in any way.

Please recognize that as you come in and out the area of Freedom Square, know that many of our neighbors have and continue to experience over-policing and gun violence and might even feel a sense of shame or dissonance from such a visible community holding space. We ask that each of you respect the right of our neighbors to stop and stare, to ask questions and engage or simply walk by. Regardless, this is a vibrant and beautiful community, so please come with your hearts open, make sure to wear your mask and let us love on each other via this community altar space. This too is a form of resistance and protest! In the honoring is the healing.

*For many of us, these times have been challenging, reminding us of loved ones who are absent and reinforcing experiences of social and economic marginality amidst a culture of consumption. This was particularly true in 2020, a year of unbearable loss amplified by COVID, the state sanctioned killings of Black bodies globally, the climate crisis and most recently, insurrection in our Capitol. Let us make space and honor our right to grieve collectively.

Altar for the Ancestors, original creation by Nancy Weber.

Co-created by the People’s Health Sanctuary program of NATURE Lab, Media Sanctuary.

Co-sponsored by Urban Grief, Troy 4 Black Lives, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Capital District, NAACP, North Central Little League, Team H.E.R.O., Troy Bike Rescue and NATURE Lab’s People’s Health Sanctuary.

Check out this tv story, 2/22/21https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2021/02/21/freedom-square-installation-bringing-community-together

MLK Holiday Labor and Community Celebration: Rise Up! The Struggle Continues...
2021-01-18 11:00 - 13:00 | https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/mlk-holiday-labor-and-community-celebration-rise-up-the-struggle-continues/
The theme of 2021’s twenty-second Capital District MLK Holiday Labor and Community Celebration was “Rise Up! The Struggle Continues…”

The virtual event is over now, but you can watch the video here soon.

We saved the Zoom chat window so you can see it here.

Key speakers were Charles Barron (Assembly member District 60), Dr. Ron Daniels (President, Institute of the Black World 21st Century/IBW21) and Denise Berkley, Executive Vice President CSEA.

Jerry Ford and Shana Davis were the MC’s, with a guest appearance by musician Taina Asili. The event featured local poets D. Colin, Shania Jackson and Erika Diggs. Participants split up into “Break Out” thematic groups for intensive discussion and report backs!

Community – Jerry Ford/ Team H.E.R.O. and Odell Winfield

Labor – Sean Collins and Mark Emanation

Culture- Taína Asili

Systemic Racism – Renee Powell/NAACP

National/ International – Larry Wittner

Environmental Justice – Alexis Goldsmith

Justice Reform – Jamaica Miles/All of Us and Amani Olugbala/ Troy 4 Black Lives +

Youth/Education – Debra Garrett + Steve Fiqueroa/ YouthBuild

Economic Justice – H. Bosch Jr + Joe Paparone/ Poor People’s Campaign

Health Justice – People’s Health Sanctuary with Dr. Xavier Coughlin and Lisa Good/Urban Grief

Would you or your organization like to participate next year? For more information, call Willie Terry at (518) 369-4978 or (518) 272-2390.

MUSICIANS

Taína Asili is a New York-based Puerto Rican singer, filmmaker and activist carrying on the tradition of her ancestors, fusing past and present struggles into one soulful and defiant voice. Her music combines powerful vocals carrying themes of hope and liberation with an energetic fusion of Afro-Latin, reggae and rock.

SPEAKERS

Dr. Ron Daniels is founder and president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW21), a progressive, African-centered, action-oriented resource center dedicated to empowering people of African descent and marginalized communities. As the administrator for the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), IBW21 has emerged as a leading organization within the U.S. and global reparations movements.

COMMUNITY

Assemblymember Charles Barron has been fighting for human rights since 1969, when he joined the Harlem branch of the Black Panther Party as an 18 year-old, A self-described “elected activist,” he currently represents the 60th District in Brooklyn in the New York State Assembly. Formerly, he represented Brooklyn’s 42nd District on the New York City Council from 2001 to 2013.

LABOR

Denise Berkley is Statewide Executive Vice President for the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), one of New York State’s largest worker unions. Her labor activism began in 1979, working as a Mental Health Therapy Aide at the Brooklyn Developmental Center. Two years later she ran for president of her CSEA Local and won. She has worked to ensure working people have the power of a union behind them ever since.

MCs

Shana Davis has served as the President of the Capital District Chapter Coalition of Black Trade Unionist since 2008 and a board member of the Capital District Area Labor Federation. An employee of the NYS Department Taxation & Finance for more than 30 years, she has been a member of CSEA Tax Local 690 since 1989. She was elected as Treasurer of CSEA Capital Region IV in 2016, CSEA Capital Region IV Executive Vice-President in 2020, and the Chairperson of the CSEA Statewide Constitution & ByLaws Committee.

Deacon Jerry Ford, a husband, father and leader; has seen his share of trauma and adversity. He lost his mother and father at a young age. He was raised by a loving aunt, but found himself in the streets looking for the love he never received from his parents and eventually ended up in prison. After his 3rd prison stint, he saw himself on a path toward life in prison or death. Finding strength in faith, Deacon Ford was able to make a 180 degree turn and now his story of resilience and hope is impacting communities across the nation. He started a nonprofit organization named Team H.E.R.O. standing for Helping Everyone Recognize Opportunities which focuses on youth mentoring, character and leadership development and linking families to resources. He has been recognized both locally and nationally for his service to the community, most notably winning the Maytag Dependable Leader Award.

POETS

D. Colin is a poet, performer, visual artist and educator living in Troy, NY. She is the author of two poetry collections, Dreaming in Kreyol and Said the Swing to the Hoop, curates and hosts the weekly open mic Poetic Vibe, and teaches workshops for schools ahd organizations. D. Colin has been involved with community theater since 2009, writing and acting.

Shania Jackson is a local 4th grade teacher at School 2. She is the daughter of Eddie Jackson (passed) of Holy Serenity COGIC and Doris Jackson of United Ordained Church of Christ.Shania graduated with a Bachelors in Early Childhood/Childhood Education, Concentration Black Studies, Minor in Deaf Studies from SUNY New Paltz in 2018 and will be pursuing her masters shortly.

GROUP MODERATORS

Odell Winfield, a retired Excelsior College faculty member, is the founder and executive director of The A. J. Williams-Myers African Roots Community Center Library at 43 Gill Street in Kingston. It is a resource stocked with books and other learning materials focusing on the roots of African and African-American history and culture.

H. Bosch Jr. is Hudson Mohawk Magazine producer of “The Triple E’s: Education, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment,” and an “Overcoming Adversity Specialist.”

Lisa Good, MSW, is founding the director of Urban Grief, a trauma-informed community-based organization that educates on the effects of violence and supports those affected through outreach and victim advocacy. The former director of SNUG (formerly known as Cure Violence), she has over 25 years of human service experience. She facilitates trauma-informed workshops such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and community events, and faith-based workshops aimed at creating healing spaces and empowering community members through information about trauma, grief, and resilience.

Dr. Xavier Coughlin, MD is works as an ER physician at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield and Samaritan Hospital in Troy. As “People’s Health Sanctuary” Coordinator, Coughlin is excited to build on the generations of strong communities in the Capital Region and to foster health autonomy as a liberatory practice.

Jamaica Miles, co-founder of All of Us, is a seasoned comm. All of Us seeks to break down the subdivisions of Black and Latinx culture to unite and fully empower the greater community.

Debra Garrett is originally from Brooklyn, NY, she is a mother of 4, a former Council member for district 2 in the city of Troy. Debra is currently completing a dual degree in Health Science at Excelsior College. Debra is a member of the Nation Parents Union, and she Co- chairs the Advocacy group for NYS Character Parent Council. She is the founder of Shades of Cocoa, to support parents with education concerns and creating a sisterhood for young black and brown girls.

MORE ABOUT COMMUNITY PARTNERS

The Solidarity Committee of the Capital District

The Greyhound Strikers Solidarity Committee of the Capital District was created by Albany, New York-area labor union activists who supported the autumn 1983 Amalgamated Transit Union strike against Greyhound Bus Lines. After the strike ended, the organization was reconstituted as the Solidarity Committee of the Capital District.

The Solidarity Committee of the Capital District’s mission is “to promote solidarity and understanding of the labor movement, through educating and organizing in times of need.” Its founders envisioned an organization that would organize and support strikes, protest closures of manufacturing plants, aid unemployed workers, lobby for political and economic reform, and organize non-union workers. Their vision continues to guide activities through the present day.

Team H.E.R.O./ The Block Center

We want to empower communities to improve the quality of life for young people and their families. We develop and implement programs to support youth making the transition from childhood to adulthood. We utilize a relationships first model, prioritizing human connections rather than focusing on perceived problems; our strategies are long-term and built around the strengths and needs of people who make up the communities we serve.

Our Programs: The Block Center is a positive youth development program for young people ages 11-17 living in the Troy, NY area. Founded in 2015 in partnership with the Troy Boys and Girls Club, the program connects caring adult mentors with young people for educational groups, character-building activities, field trips, and more.Weekly sessions are held every Tuesday from 6:00-8: 00 PM. Learn more at https://theblockcentertroy.com/

All of Us is a Black-led grassroots community organization fighting for Black Liberation and an end to all forms of racism, oppression and exploitation. We are committed to a strategy that prioritizes the voices of the marginalized in localities across the Greater Capital Region of New York, building toward change within New York State as a whole. All Of Us makes space for conversations that unite people across differences, invests in the leadership development of local communities, especially of its youth, and works in coalition with other groups and organizations.

Urban Grief is trauma informed and healing centered 501(c)(3) community-based organization. Urban Grief responds to the traumatic impact of community violence, death and loss through community education, crisis response, victim advocacy and grief support. Urban Grief provides relevant and relatable information about trauma, grief, self-care, resiliency, and victim services. UG acknowledges the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), along with chronic exposure to traumatic events, and strives to avoid further re-traumatization.

NATURE Lab People’s Health Sanctuary

As part of the Sanctuary for Independent Media’s growing NATURE LAB Urban Environmental Center, a collective of care workers and organizers are working to establish a central space in Troy to share health skills, provide basic integrative care and explore ways to build networks of community health. Though caring for our elders, our children, or cooking soul-nourishing food for family or friends may not be deemed ‘real’ healthcare, we know that in fact, it’s what holds us together and keeps us sane. Let’s bring our skills together to build a space where creative, joyful health is possible and accessible!

Co-sponsored by:

The Solidarity Committee of the Capital DistrictTeam H.E.R.O/ The Block CenterSave the Pine BushCapital District Coalition Against IslamaphobiaUnderground Railroad Education CenterPoor People’s CampaignTroy 4 Black LivesAll of UsWater Justice Lab

Clearing the Air in Coeymans: Community Forum on Clean Air vs. Tire Burning
2021-02-09 19:00 - 20:30 | https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/clearing-the-air-in-coeymans-community-forum-on-clean-air-vs-tire-burning/
Hold this date for the Coeymans Community Clean Air Forum!

Lafarge/Holcim wants to burn millions of tires every year at their Ravena cement plant opposite the Ravena Coeymans Selkirk middle and high schools on Route 9W. In 2019, the Town of Coeymans adopted a Clean Air Law to establish clean air standards for waste burning facilities. The law requires continuous monitoring of 19 serious pollutants, and places other restrictions on burning by any facility. This law defends the public from emissions containing highly toxic dioxins, sulfur, lead particulates, benzene, carbon monoxide, and more.

On November 19, 2020 the new business-backed Town Board held a public hearing on their decision to amend the Town’s Clean Air Law . These amendments would strip the strong pollution protections in the law and pave the way for any business to burn massive amounts of tires and waste. On November 23, the Town Board unanimously passed the amendments after only one public hearing and very little notice to town residents struggling in the middle of a pandemic.

As a result, the Town of Coeymans is now the only town within the County of Albany where hazardous waste and tires can be burned in spite of the Albany County Clean Air Law prohibitions. Since the amendments to the clean air law went into effect immediately, Lafarge/Holcim can now add the burning of tires to the waste it is already burning in the town.

Among the issues to be discussed in this community forum, moderated by WOOC 105.3 FM correspondent Corinne Carey, include:

Overview of LaFarge’s history as a polluterThe Albany County Clean Air Law, Amendments to the Coeymans Clean Air Law, and the Permissive ReferendumHealth threats of burning tires and waste for fuel vs. coal in cement kiln incineratorsLaFarge’s threats of job loss or even closing the plantCoeymans Town Board misrepresentations to votersWhy the DEC and EPA does not protect us, using the Norlite hazardous waste incinerator in Cohoes as an exampleThere will be plenty of time for Q&A

https://youtu.be/NSe7ywRARek

PANELISTS

Attorney Carlo A.C. deOliveira is a Ravena resident. He is actively involved in the community’s Ravena Soccer Club Board and volunteers as a coach during the year and most recently with the Coeymans Clean Air Coalition.

Matt Miller is a Selkirk Resident and Regents and AP Biology teacher in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Schools. He is serving his first term in the Albany County Legislature representing the 36th Legislative District, Committee Assignments: Conservation, Sustainability and Green Initiatives, Health

Jane Williams is the Chair of the National Sierra Club Clean Air Team. She is an environmental policy expert with 30 years of policy and advocacy experience. She has extensive knowledge on incinerators. (Photo: Earth Justice)

Joseph Ritchie is an environmental justice advocate and the Executive Director of Saratoga Sites Against Norlite Emissions. He is a student at Syracuse University studying Environmental Policy.

Moderator Corinne Carey is a political & public affairs strategist taking on bold public health initiatives backed by sound evidence & human rights. She is a regular correspondent for WOOC 105.3 FM.

Sponsored by the Coeymans Clean Air Coalition and the Hudson Mohawk Environmental Action Network.

Black History: Capital Region Youth Rise Up!
2021-02-27 11:00 - 13:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Exploring the minds of youth in the Black History that they are part of and continue to create. Learn from the voices and vision of our younger generations, as they rise up to imagine a more just future!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

This event builds upon last month’s Capital District MLK Holiday Labor and Community Celebration “Rise Up! The Struggle Continues…” event. Join us as youth share Black History “Influencers” with a focus including having a voice, women, film history, LGBTQ and environmental justice.

Presenters include: Erika Diggs, Asad Benbow, Team H.E.R.O., Shades of Cocoa, Angelo Domingo, Water Justice Lab Fellows Shansanique Pollack, Genesis Cooper, Gabriella Espada Asad Benbow and Diamond Owens. Event organizing support from Shana Davis, with Erika Diggs, Willie Terry, Jerry Ford, Debra Garrett, Melissa Bromley and Branda Miller.

Co-sponsored by: TEAM Hero, Water Justice Lab, Troy 4 Black Lives, NAACP, Capital District Chapter Coalition of Black Trade Unionist, The Solidarity Committee of the Capital District and more!

Bios of participants

Genesis Cooper, a student at Lansingburgh High School, is in advanced math and science programs, and has been a high honors student since elementary school. Genesis is in various school clubs, and works to help other organizations in her community.Working in WJL, Genesis hopes to help her community understand more things about their own home that they don’t really know about, like local economics, environmental racism, and local politics.

Genesis Cooper’s main focus is to help and educate those around her by volunteering her time. She helps run the Justice4Dahmeek organization that was started by her father, Massiah Cooper. They go around the city and hold events to educate the community on police brutality and inequality in America. Genesis is a Water Justice Lab fellow at The Sanctuary for Independent Media, a collaboration with Riverkeeper. She has also volunteered her time at the Sanctuary, and has been an Uptown Summer leader for the summers of 2019 and 2020. In 2019, she ran the face painting table at the Spirit of the Suffragettes concert series and community resource fair at Freedom Square. She is thinking about attending Howard University and possibly becoming a teacher. Genesis has interests in many subjects including science and hope to educate the youth on many different topics about the world around them.

Angelo Domingo is a senior student at Lansingburgh High School. He takes multiple advanced classes and has been on high honor roll for all of high school. Angelo participates in various school clubs and other programs outside of school. Angelo is very passionate about social justice and works frequently on projects with The Sanctuary For Independent Media to spread awareness about social issues. Ever since Angelo was in the Uptown Summer youth program in summer of 2018, he’s been passionate about raising issues in social awareness. Angelo made a 3 part radio series on slumlords to raise awareness in his community. He even made a survey to hear personal experiences from the community. His time as an Uptown Summer youth member inspired him to keep pursuing activism and making his voice heard to help improve the lives of others.

Angelo Domingo is currently working with the NYCLU Student Ambassador Program tackling issues for youth including comprehensive sex education and the school to prison pipeline. Angelo Is currently planning on going to college to pursue a degree in musical theater with hopes to minor in a field where he can work on tackling the social issues that he so deeply cares about.

Gabby Espada is a ninth grader at Lansingburgh High School. She is in advanced science and top of her math class as well. Gabby enjoys hands-on activities in science, and she’s a very social and outgoing person. She strives for the best and is an extremely determined teen. Gabby likes having her voice heard and making a change. She does as much as possible in school such as: drama club, soccer, volleyball, track and field, basketball, student council, and tutoring. Gabby is a determined teen ready to take on anything that comes her way.

Gabby Espada is is a Water Justice Lab fellow at The Sanctuary for Independent Media, a collaboration with Riverkeeper. She has been involved in many movements including: Justice for Dahmeek, suicide prevention movements, and Dance for Donations, She’s also worked with kids and animals. Gabby attends the STEP program at R.P.I. and takes architecture and coding there. In Dance for Donations she danced and taught others dances for donations for leukemia. She has experience working with people of all ages.

Diamond Owens is a young poet, and a member of TEAM H.E.R.O.

Shansanique Pollack is currently attending Lansingburgh High School and just graduated 9th grade year with high honors. She is also involved in her school’s advanced programs including advanced science, advanced math, and both Pre AP history and ELA. As a WJL Fellow, Shansanique is excited to deal with science that could also help the community learn more about what’s around them and help educate the community on what it can do to improve.

Throughout her life, Shansanique has always tried to improve the lives around me in any way possible and to help spread useful information. When she’s older Shansanique wants to be able to use her career to help people in any way possible. Shansanique is a Water Justice Lab fellow at The Sanctuary for Independent Media, a collaboration with Riverkeeper. She’s hoping to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology for college and go into computer science, hopefully using computers in new and exciting ways to change communities and people for the better.

Estreja Turner is an Afro/Latino 12th grader of Shaker High School. In 2017 Estreja was a part of the Black Student Union and in 2018-2019 she was a member of the Key Club. Estreja started liturgical dancing at 3 years old. She joined the Art In Motion Dance Academy (AMDA) in 2009 where she participated in Hip-Hop classes for a couple of years in 2011 Estreja moved into other dance genres i.e. Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Musical Theatre and Technique. Estreja has been dancing competitively for a number of years. Estreja has been a Teacher Assistant AMDA for 5 years. Along with dancing Estreja has been an active in the community doing Get Out the Vote campaigns, Literature Drops for the 2010 and 2020 US Census, Black History Month Movie programs with the Capital District Chapter CBTU, a member of the CBTU National & Regional Youth Conferences and Conventions since 2012. Estreja participated in the 2019 & 2020 Capital Region Human Rights Summer Synopsis Program and also volunteers at Life Church Albany working with children. Estreja will be attending college in the fall majoring in Dance and minoring in Psychology. Estreja’s dream is to work with young people to help them learn to use dance as a way of communicating. Estreja feels like often young people do not always know how to articulate their thoughts and emotions and that Dance Therapy is another form of effective communication for children.

Erika Dulcinia Diggs is a writer, actress, and production assistant. Erika has been a producer for the Media Sanctuary for Independent Media for two years now. Before her time at the Sanctuary, she grew up in a small town. Erika is a mixed-race woman who never grew up seeing color, being from an Italian and Caribbean background she was able to see different perspectives. Erika was not truly aware of the harsh injustices that happened to people of color on the daily. She wanted to find a way to help, back in 2019 she stumbled into a young woman who told her she would be a perfect fit for the Sanctuary. Throughout the duration of her time here she learned how to engineer, produce, and edit interviews. Some of her biggest accomplishments are through her social justice work within the community with Homer Bosh Jr. She is a co moderator for this wonderful Black History: Capital Region Youth Rise Up Celebration because with everything that has happened this past year, we still must remember that it is okay to bring light to our influential black leaders who fought for us to have a voice.

Asad Benbow is a 17 year old filmmaker from Troy, NY. He is a student at YouthFx. He mainly creates satires because that is what he is most interested in.

Hi my name is Justin Gilmore ll. I am 15. I’m a sophomore at Troy High School. Some hobbies I have is playing football and playing the keyboard. When I grow up I want to be in the NFL or have a good music career. I’m a member of Team HERO.

My name is Diamond Owens. I am an active member of my community. I am a college student. I am dedicated to bringing my peers and the adults around us together. I’m a member of Team HERO.

My name is Olivia Ford, I’m a 6 year old first grader. I’m very energetic and have a love for soft and cuddly teddy bears and blankets. I love dancing, singing and exploring all types of talents.I once won runner up for lil Miss Uncle Sam(received my first trophy too). I have two big brothers who look after me. I love giving back to my community by volunteering with my parents.

My name is Jeriyah Ford, I’m a 14 year old 9th grader. I enjoy playing basketball,video games music and making tik tok videos.

“Black History Influencers” include:

Black History Environmental Justice Influencers

Leah Thomas is an intersectional environmental activist and eco-communicator based in Southern California. She’s passionate about advocating for and exploring the relationship between social justice and environmentalism. You can follow her work on instagram @GreenGirlLeah.

Dr. Robert Bullard is the Father of Environmental Justice. He has been a leading campaigner against environmental racism, as well as the foremost scholar of the problem, and of the Environmental Justice Movement which sprung up in the United States in the 1980s.

John H. Francis III (born 1946) John Francis is an American environmentalist nicknamed The Planetwalker. John Francis stopped travelling in cars and began walking wherever he went during the 1970s, often travelling vast distances with a backpack and banjo.

Rue Mapp is the Founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, a national not-for-profit organization with offices in Oakland, CA, and Washington, D.C. Rue oversees a carefully selected and trained national volunteer leadership team of nearly 90 men and women who represent 30 states around the US, and shares opportunities to build a broader community and leadership in nature.

Black History Black Women “Influencers”

Congresswoman Cori Bush is a registered nurse, community activist, organizer, single mother, and ordained pastor for the people of St. Louis. Congresswoman Bush is serving her first term as the representative of Missouri’s 1st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. She is the first Black woman and first nurse to represent Missouri; the first woman to represent Missouri’s 1st Congressional District; and the first activist from the movement fighting for Black lives elected to the United States Congress.

Simone Leigh is a celebrated contemporary sculptor. Working in a variety of media that includes ceramic, video, installation, and bronze, her work explores issues of identity and race, beauty, and feminism. Her artworks frequently incorporate materials and forms traditionally associated with African art and the African diaspora, while her performance-related installations often blend historical precedent with personal stories.

Black History Filmmaker Influencers

Raymond Lawrence “Boots” Riley (born April 1, 1971), is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, rapper, and communist activist. He is the lead vocalist of The Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. He made his feature-film directorial debut with Sorry to Bother You (released July 2018), which he also wrote.

Black History LGBTQ Influencers

Gladys Bentley A gender-bending blues performer who became 1920s Harlem royalty.

Bayrad Rusin was an American civil rights activist,a former adviser toMartin Luther King Jr. and a staunch advocate of gay rights,

Marsha P. Johnson was an activist, self-identified drag queen, performer, and survivor. She was a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. Marsha went by “Black Marsha” before settling on Marsha P. Johnson. The “P” stood for “Pay It No Mind,” which is what Marsha would say in response to questions about her gender. Marsha P. Johnson stood at the center of New York City’s gay liberation movement for nearly 25 years. Her body was found in the Hudson River in 1992.

Dying with Dignity in New York
2021-03-19 18:30 - 20:00 | https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/dying-with-dignity-in-new-york/
In the midst of unprecedented personal, national and global oppression, suffering and death, how do we process loss to maintain hopeful connections? The People’s Health Sanctuary has offered a 3-part series, End-of-Life in the Age of Covid featuring conversations about our experiences of death, end of life care, and the creation of social and spiritual community during the pandemic.

As a result of COVID-19, far too many New Yorkers have been forced to confront death, spurring what used to be uncomfortable, avoidable discussions about life and death issues among family and friends. What death looks like, when it comes, is something far too many of us now think about regularly yet many of us remain awkward about discussing.

Advance care planning can help ensure that you get the care that you want at the end of life, but terminally ill New Yorkers don’t have the full range of options that our neighbors in New Jersey and Vermont, and 8 other US jurisdictions have: the right to medical aid in dying. Nearly 20% of people living in the United States have access to this compassionate end-of-life care option, which allows terminally ill, mentally capable adults with six months or less to live to ask their doctor for a prescription they can take to avoid needless suffering and die peacefully on their own terms.

Participants will discuss what it means to have a “good death,” explore what advance care planning means and what tools exist to help put those plans in place, and learn about the option of medical aid in dying.

This event is part of the “End-of-Life in the Age of Covid” series of virtual conversations every 6 weeks presented by People’s Health Sanctuary.

Corinne Carey, Esq. MODERATOR & presenterSenior State Director for New York & New Jersey, Compassion & Choices

Compassion & Choices is the nation’s oldest, largest and most active nonprofit organization committed to improving care and expanding choice at the end of life. The organization works towards a society where people receive state-of-the-art care and a full range of choices for dying in comfort, dignity and control.

Corinne Carey joined Compassion & Choices as a Campaign Director in August 2015. She led the successful campaign for New Jersey’s Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act, which took effect on August 1, 2019.

Corinne joined C&C after nearly a decade with the New York Civil Liberties Union where she served as Deputy Legislative Director. At NYCLU, she engaged in advocacy around a wide range of civil liberties issues, concentrating on public health, medical privacy, discrimination, drug law reform, and reproductive rights issues. She led the campaign to pass a 10-point Women’s Equality Agenda as co-chair of the New York State Women’s Equality Coalition. All 10 points, including strengthening equal pay laws and codifying Roe v. Wade into state statute, have become law.

Prior to her tenure at the NYCLU, Corinne was a researcher with the U.S. Program at Human Rights Watch where she focused on access to public housing for people with criminal records, punitive and ineffective sex offender registries, and the treatment of prisoners during Hurricane Katrina.

Corinne holds a masters degree in American Studies from the University at Buffalo, and she graduated summa cum laude and first in her class from SUNY Buffalo School of Law in 1998.

Volunteering as a political & public affairs correspondent for the Hudson Mohawk Magazine, an evening radio show on WOOC 105.3 FM out of the Sanctuary for Independent Media in the capital region, Corinne has produced more than 100 stories that can be heard on WOOC’s podcast. She lives in Troy, New York.

Donna SmithDiversity and Inclusion Advisor and State Director, Compassion & Choices

Donna Smith is an accomplished professional with over twenty years of experience in political consulting, legislative advocacy, public affairs, policy and program management.

Donna has been employed by Compassion and Choices (C&C) for 7 years. She is the Diversity and Inclusion Advisor and State Director for DC and Maryland. In this capacity she directs C&C’s state-based strategy on how to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion principles into the work, helping to ensure build culturally competent programming from the outset. led the campaign to pass end of Death with Dignity legislation in both the District of Columbia (the legislation passed in Feb. 2017) and Maryland.

Donna was the Chief of Policy and Community Programs for eight years at the Maryland Department of Aging. She led a team of program managers that implemented aging statewide programs for the aging and their caregivers. She was also detailed to work on the White House Conference on Aging in as a public relations specialist.

A graduate of Tuskegee University and George Washington Law School, she has one son and resides in Laurel, Md.

Dr. Mary Applegate

Dr. Mary Applegate is highly regarded nationally for her work in public health education and in maternal & infant health. She served as a public health physician and medical director in Women’s Health at the New York State Department of Health (DOH) for 14 years, followed by 15 years at the University at Albany School of Public Health as the Associate Dean for Public Health Practice. Dr. Applegate has been awarded statewide and national leadership awards in the fields of Preventive Medicine and Maternal & Child Health. Her volunteer work with Compassion & Choices takes her to a different part of the life cycle, but still emphasizes her belief in individual’s autonomy during this other universal life transition.

MORE ABOUT PEOPLE’S HEALTH SANCTUARY

People’s Health Sanctuary‘s goal is to establish a central space to share health skills, provide basic integrative care and explore ways to build networks of community health. We are celebrating a year of organizing around this project, initiated under the organizing name Health Autonomy Clinic and after listening sessions with our surrounding community, re-named People’s Health Sanctuary. Our goal is to embrace models of open sharing of health knowledge, and empower all of the growing collective of community members to seek their independent health goals, as opposed to the traditional, hierarchical top-down approach of clinical medical practice. Though caring for our elders, our children, or cooking soul-nourishing food for family or friends may not be deemed ‘real’ healthcare, they know that in fact, it’s what holds us together and keeps us sane. Our growing network sharing skills to build a space where creative, joyful health is possible and accessible.

In this current crisis, we are more than even committed to the potential that People’s Health Sanctuary can offer. Everyone it seems is struggling to keep up with the flood of information about the current crisis, the ways those in power are forcing us back to a “normal,” the over-reliance of the economy as a marker of anything lending towards health. And then we have the horrific news from Georgia and Minneapolis, the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, a stark reminder of the crisis behind the crisis. COVID has only exacerbated the social oppression and disparities that mark the “normal” so many of the elites want to return to.

Community Forum to Address Capital Region Health System Merger
2021-04-30 08:00 - 17:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
This event is over but, thanks to the magic of Sanctuary TV, you can watch the video here.

https://youtu.be/paY_1lDwdu4

The Zoom chat window is here.

In October 2020, the Albany Times Union reported a planned merger between Ellis Medicine in Schenectady and St. Peter’s Health Partners. Mergers between Catholic Health Systems and secular hospitals have raised concern in communities across the country and they have for many years as evidenced by this 1995 article in the New York Times about Leonard and St. Mary’s Hospitals in Troy.

According to the national group MergerWatch, Catholic hospitals follow a set of ethical guidelines that prohibit the provision of certain kinds of patient care, most often, reproductive, LGBTQ+-inclusive, and end-of-life care.

Concerns about the financial stability of Ellis Medicine and its importance to the community reportedly drive the need for a partnership between two of the largest health systems in the region, a solution that is the result of years of planning.

But religious restrictions and forces of healthcare economics threaten to have a disparate impact on residents who already face barriers in our healthcare system. A knowledgeable panel will discuss, answer questions, and hear comments from the community about:

• How religious restrictions will affect (and how religious biases may affect) equitable access to healthcare services• Possible solutions to eliminating gaps in services through other local healthcare providers• Potential community benefits resulting from the partnership.• History of SPHS’s aggressive medical bill collection• Process required for partnership approval by the NYS Department of Health• The importance of memorializing the community’s priorities in the application for certificate of need, including an effective enforcement mechanism• Opportunities for advocacy and continuing dialogue

Speakers:

Michelle Ostrelich is a Schenectady County Legislator and Chair of the Legislature’s Health & Human Services Committee.

Lois Uttley, MPP, is Women’s Health Program Director for Community Catalyst, a national consumer health advocacy organization. She has worked for more than 20 years to protect access

to comprehensive reproductive health services, LGBTQ-inclusive care and end-of-life options when community hospitals propose to merge with nearby Catholic hospitals. She has published research about the growth of large Catholic health systems and, as Founder/Director of the MergerWatch Project, advised community coalitions in 38 states, including several in NYS. Now based in Manhattan, Lois serves on the steering committee of the statewide Health Care for All New York coalition and coordinators the work of Community Voices for Health System Accountability. Formerly a Capital District resident, she served as Vice President of Family Planning Advocates of NYS, Director of Public Affairs for the NYS Department of Health and an award-winning reporter and editor covering New York State government for the Albany Times Union.

Arthur Butler is the executive director of the Schenectady County Human Rights Commission. Butler helped found the Capital District African American Coalition on AIDS, serving as their executive director for 17 years. He also worked for Hunger Solutions New York and as the national project coordinator of the Framework for Dialogue – USA.

Nikita Hardy, MPA, is the Affirmative Action Manager for Schenectady County She is a well-respected, highly recommended political strategist and community engager with over 14 years of progressive experience, including having held dynamic roles within legislative, state and local government. She recently has taken on several endeavors to further causes impacting marginalized communities. Most notably her passion for birth justice and breastfeeding advocacy led her to organize the Capital Region Black Breastfeeding Empowerment Network, as well as her committed research on Maternal Mortality of Black Women in America. She is an advocate, an educator, a public speaker, full-spectrum Doula and policy enthusiast.

Dr. Debbie Stulberg is a long-time colleague in the work trying to protect reproductive health care from Catholic health restrictions. She was a family medicine resident at West Suburban Hospital in Illinois when it was taken over by the Catholic Resurrection Health System. Since then, she has become one of the nation’s leading researchers on the impact of religious restrictions on patients and doctors.

Glenn Northern leads and implements Catholics for Choice US activities, including advocacy, outreach, policymaker education, legislative analysis and collegial relationships. He directs CFC’s Catholics in Public Life project, a nonpartisan public education initiative that helps Catholic policy makers in the US clearly articulate prochoice positions grounded in progressive Catholicism and sound public policy. He oversees CFC’s strategic relationships with pro-choice Catholics, policymakers, reproductive health providers, religious and secular activists and collegial organizations to inform and influence debates on sexual and reproductive health and rights, social justice and religious liberty. Before joining CFC, Mr. Northern led constituency building and advocacy efforts at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. He holds a degree in political science and women’s studies from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

This People’s Health Sanctuary event is sponsored by The Schenectady Coalition for Healthcare Access. The Schenectady Coalition for Healthcare Access was formed to educate the administrations and the public about the risks of losses to our community from Ellis’ partnership with SPHP. In addition to education, members of the Coalition seek to advocate equitable access to evidence-based, inclusive, and comprehensive patient-centered care, including comprehensive reproductive care, infertility care, LGBTQ+-inclusive care, gender affirming care and end-of-life care within our local community. www.schdy.org

Community partners include:Local Care Midwifery, PLLCNew York Civil Liberties UnionRosemarie Pérez Jaquith, Niskayuna Town Board MemberProClergy.comProgressive Schenectady

Community Investment, Not Community Police
2021-05-02 19:00 - 20:30 | https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/community-investment-not-community-police/
This event is past – but you can watch the town hall on YouTube or below!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu9Iec89vTc

Did you know the City of Troy is voting next Thursday to expand the police force by six additional officers?

Join a coalition of groups from Troy in a Town Hall on Sunday, May 2, 2021 as we discuss recent actions by the City of Troy around policing. This gathering is being convened at the last minute as the City Council Finance Committee pushes forward to hire an additional SIX police officers to the Troy Police Department. The proposal passed in this Committee with a 5-2 vote and the full City Council vote will take place on Thursday, May 6, 2021.

Co-sponsored by Troy Coalition of Black Leaders, NAACP Troy Branch, YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, The Justice Center of Rensselaer County, Equality for Troy, and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

Register

Speakers

Jerry Ford (Troy Coalition of Black Leaders)

Renee Powell (NAACP Troy Branch)

Willie Terry (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists)

Diamond Owens (Community Youth)

Starletta Smith (Police Reform & Reinvention Collaborative)

Tasheca Medina (Equality for Troy)

Jessica Ashley (The Justice Center for Rensselaer County)

Deanna Ultimo Swenson (North Central resident)

Background

Recently, the City of Troy, like most municipalities across the State of New York, held a series of discussions on the topic of policing. Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 203, issued in June of 2020, required municipalities with police forces to examine the policies and procedures of their police department and make recommendations for future changes to address police violence, biased policing, and systemic racism. The measure stated its intention was to provide transparency and build trust, urging localities to hold listening sessions and meetings with community members.

Mayor Madden did not announce the creation or intentions of the Police Reform & Reinvention Collaborative until the end of January 2021. There were nine highly controlled meetings held in February with very little open community participation—the city made little effort to inform residents about the meeting or how to get involved.

Once the report was drafted, in early March, Black leaders throughout the city expressed their dismay and loss of trust in the city about this process. This included all four Black PRRC committee members (Starletta Smith, Executive Director, YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, Inc. and Renée Powell, President of the NAACP, Troy, NY Branch, Pastor Justin Relf of Rhema Revealed Ministries, and Stacey Howard of Troy’s Police Objective Review Board). They released a statement decrying the report and saying that they felt “tokenized throughout this process.”

So why this, why now?

As critiques of policing grow across the country and calls for reallocating funds to expand or create new entities to respond to mental health calls, domestic disputes, traffic stops, and more, Troy is swiftly pushing forward to increase the police budget and add more police to the force. Again, with very little time for dialogue and discussion with community members and community leaders.

While the City of Troy, Mayor Madden, and the Troy City Council avoid input from community members, we are making space for dialogue and discussion. We know that with more investment in social services and community support, communities can better look out for each other and construct the means through which to survive and thrive.In what ways can we call for structural investment to address the history of deliberate marginalization and segregation? How can we invest in our under-funded, under-served, structurally marginalized Black and brown communities?

While Mayor Patrick Madden told the Times Union, “People want police officers out in the neighborhood. They want police officers to know them. They want to know their police officers.” Given the lack of space for open dialogue and discussion, we don’t know who the Mayor is referring to.

We are convening to address the lack of dialogue, alternatives to policing, alternatives to more police and a bigger police budget as an answer, and calls to invest in our neighborhoods and communities!

Join us. Listen. Share your thoughts.

What should Troy be investing in?

Why increase an already large police budget?

The problems of policing in Troy.

What are alternatives to hiring “community” police officers?

Local leaders will discuss their opinions and visions for Troy

What are strategies for moving forward?

You can listen to Renée Powell and Starletta Smith share more about their experience on the City of Troy’s Police Reform & Reinvention Collaborative committee with Hudson Mohawk Magazine producer, Elizabeth Press:

https://soundcloud.com/mediasanctuary/troy-prrc-members-dismayed-with-prrc-report

Witness to the Future: 25th Anniversary Screening
2021-05-05 00:00 - 23:59 | https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/witness-to-the-future-25th-anniversary-screening/
Witness to the Future still

Twenty-five years after its release, Witness to the Future’s focus on so-called “ordinary” citizens turned environmental activists has more relevance than ever before! Here’s an interview with producer Branda Miller on the WOOC Hudson Mohawk Magazine as part of the build-up to this event.

It’s time to watch this video again!

https://vimeo.com/537986521

Then, watch the Q&A with WTTF filmmaker Branda Miller and co-producer Robin Oppenheimer speaking with interviewer Corinne Carey of WOOC 105.3 FM’s Hudson Mohawk Magazine before this 25th anniversary screening.

https://youtu.be/bKfawOa-BxM

Branda Miller’s “Witness to the Future” is an experimental documentary video project about individuals who have been transformed from so called “ordinary” citizens into activists who struggle for environmental and social change.

“Witness to the Future” seeks connections that unite people of all cultures, communities, races, and economic classes as they struggle for environmental and social change. Represented are people from three regions of the U.S.: the “downwinders” of Hanford, WA, including Native Americans; “whistleblowers” and white-collar workers from the nuclear reservation; rural African American, poor, and working-class communities in “Cancer Alley,” LA; and Latino and Hmong farmworkers and mothers in the San Joaquin Valley, CA.

Reviews of “Witness to the Future“

The Economist

“Environmentalist may be leery of some modern technologies, such as genetic engineering and nuclear power. Yet one new technology promises to make their movement much more powerful. This CD-ROM demonstrates how recent advances in computing and the internet can be used for dramatic political effect. The enemies of the greens – the firms and governments that greens accuse of neglecting nature – aught to watch out.”

MacWorld

“If you seek thought-provoking material for an environmentally inclined friend, look no further.“

I.D. Magazine

“It will change the way you think about [Image] consumerism and the industrial infrastructure that supports it.“

WorldFest International Film and Video Festival

Gold Award – Interactive Educational / Adult CategorySilver Award – Ecology / Environment / Conservation Category

Dr. Nicholas J. Smith-Sebasto

“When I experienced Witness to the Future, I was left literally NUMB. My initial impression was one of complete shock. Branda has created something that appears to be truly revolutionary. Those interested in the Environmental must be made aware of her production and more important, must be trained in how to use it.” (National Association of Environmental Educators)

Pacifica Network & Democracy Now!Segment about “Witness to the Future,” December 29, 1997

About the Filmmaker

Branda Miller is a media artist and educator, dedicated to art, ecology and community interdisciplinary arts. She is the Arts and Education Coordinator at The Sanctuary for Independent Media, where she has developed numerous media literacy/community arts/youth media and creative place-making projects. She is a Professor of Media Arts at Rensselaer, teaching courses in documentary, art, community and technology, and independent art production. Miller is an Emmy award-winning editor who worked in the media industry of L.A. and N.Y.C., and whose media art works have been screened, exhibited and broadcast nationally and internationally. Branda Miller has three decades of experience in participatory design and praxis, and a history of transdisciplinary collaborations created to stimulate cultural animation, build community, and create dialogue around freedom of expression and environmental justice.

About the Producer

Robin Oppenheimer is a Seattle-based internationally recognized media arts historian, curator, educator, and scholar who has worked in the field since 1980. She was Executive Director of media arts centers in Atlanta (IMAGE Film/Video 1984-89) and Seattle (911 Media Arts 1989-95). Earning a PhD in Interactive Arts and Technology at Simon Fraser University in 2011, she was a Lecturer at the University of Washington Bothell (2008-2015) and adjunct faculty at Cornish College of the Arts (2014-16). Recent projects include working as a media arts historian/writer for Google’s Artist and Machine Intelligence group in Seattle https://ami.withgoogle.com/ . Her areas of research include media arts histories, with an emphasis on 1960s collaborative art & technology projects (light shows, E.A.T.), participatory media, and media activism.

CCG Plant Swap Party!
2021-05-22 11:00 - 13:00 | Collard City Growers, 3337 6th Avenue, Troy, New York, 12180, United States
Join us (socially distanced, of course!) to actively learn about garden propagation and division! The fruits of our labor will fill the beds of Collard City Growers and swap plants with attendees!

This is an event for the community and gardeners to get together and exchange seedlings for the season. Stop by to pick up some seedlings that you might want for your garden, drop off any extra flats that you don’t have room for, or just come on over to hangout and say hi 🙂 Azure and Christian are generously providing Shiso, Bronze Fennel, Absinth, Wormwood, Wild Strawberries, Anise Hyssop, Bee Balm, Garlic Chives, Elderberry, Lovage, Rhubarb, Willow cuttings, Borage, Irises, Day Lilies, and lots more. And remember, all plants that you give and take are FREE!

Photo by Felicity Jones

We hope everyone will enjoy the plants we have to offer and are excited to see what others have to share. Please be sure to still wear a face mask and follow safe social distancing. Looking forward to seeing you there!

And if you haven’t listened to it already, check out an interview with Christian Grigoraskos and Azure Keahi talking about the history of Collard City Growers, the purpose of the space, and advertising the Plant Swap.

https://soundcloud.com/mediasanctuary/collard-city-growers-plant-swap

Blitz of the L-Lot: Permaculture in North Central!
2021-05-28 17:00 - 19:00 | Collard City Growers, 3337 6th Avenue, Troy, New York, 12180, United States
Join us!

We have a semi annual Blitz of the L lot, which is at the South End of the alley on Glen Street and is one of CCG Garden Mentor Christian Grigoraskos’ favorite places on the Sanctuary campus. With a bit of care each year, we have been ushering this once abandoned space into a beautiful and productive Food Forest, a very unique sort that is largely been dictated by what is already there and has come in naturally. Includes Plant Identification! Please bring gloves if you have them!

A message from Christian:

May you live in Wild times, with Wild Spaces.

Ecology capitalizes on disturbance (dissed-urbance) and when humans intervene with guided observance a paradise is born…so join us for our biannual Blitz of a patch of land We call the L lot because of its L shape and because of the deep Love we have for all our Botanical allies that inhabit it. Each growing season we give just a little bit more support to the plants we want to see grow while utilizing the surrounding biomass of support species that grow rampant in our climate offering their bodies to the cycle of soil life.

In this workshop we will cover many permaculture principles and practices such as:

Paying attention

Plant identification

Succession planning

Chop and drop mulching

Pollarding and other radical pruning methods

Picking up trash

Staring at bees coming and going from their entrance

Imagining the possibilities based on our observations

Garlic Planting Party
2021-10-11 15:00 - 18:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Collard City Growers will be hosting a Garlic Planting Party to honor Indigenous People’s Day and prepare for next year’s growing season. The garlic planted is generously donated by Dara Silbermann of 2nd Street Farm and from our own Branda Miller’s Garden.

We will also be fundraising for Collard City Growers by selling some jellies and jams made from various fruits of the garden. We sincerely appreciate any small monitory donation to help us purchase necessary items to keep the garden healthy and productive in coming years.

Pick up for your own:

Homemade grape jellies

Dried herbs

Potted plants

Fresh veggies from the garden

Stop in for planting, stay to enjoy the fruits of our fall labor. This in person event will take place at the Collar City Grower Garden at 3337 6th Ave in North Troy 12181

Tony Cokes in Conversation
2021-10-29 15:00 - 17:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Please join us for an online presentation with American artist Tony Cokes.

Through a rigorous analysis of images and language, Tony Cokes dissects the often-obscured power dynamics at work in the cultural and political representation of histories of Blackness, class, and the war on terror.

This event is a collaboration between EMPAC and the iEAR Presents series with support from RPI’s ARTS department and School of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, and from the New York State Council for the Arts/ NYSCA, with The Sanctuary for Independent Media as Community Co-sponsor.

The talk will be followed by a Q&A with the artist.

Hear the Hudson Mohawk Magazine interview with Tony Cokes

MediaSanctuary · Tony Cokes Contradicts Cultural Associations with Sound

Tony Cokes’ distinctive artworks and installations center on videos that foreground textual statements, often overlaid onto colorful monochromatic backgrounds with pop, punk, and electronic music soundtracks. Quoting language from across the political spectrum—from philosophical statements to news, art criticism, advertising, and song lyrics—Cokes mixes linguistic, visual, and sonic oppositions in a pared back approach that refuses the easy desire for a spectacular image. Shot through with wry humor and the aesthetics and upbeat music of popular culture, the videos project unstable meanings that deconstruct how we receive and read images.

Tony Cokes makes video, installation, print, sound, and other works that reframe appropriated texts to reflect upon capitalism, subjectivity, knowledge, and pleasure. Cokes deploys sound as a crucial, intertextual element, complicating minimal visuals. He has shown works internationally at venues including Tate Modern, and CCA Goldsmiths, London; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Museum of Modern Art, and Whitney Museum, New York; ZKM, Karlsruhe; REDCAT, and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona; Schinkel Pavillion, Berlin; ICA, Philadelphia; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; MMK Frankfurt; and La Cinémathèque Française. Cokes has screened works in festivals including the Berlin Biennale X; RuhrTriennale 2019, Essen; Rotterdam International Film Festival; Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/Madrid; and the Oberhausen Short Film Festival. He is a Professor in the Department of Modern Culture and Media at Brown University, Providence,RI. His work is represented by Greene Naftali, New York, Hannah Hoffman, Los Angeles, and Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York.

Funding has been provided by the Electronic Film and Media area of the New York Council on the Arts.

EMPAC

https://empac.rpi.edu/

"Not Going Quietly" w/ filmmaker Nicholas Bruckman and panel discussion
2021-11-12 19:00 - 22:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Join us for a virtual film screening of “Not Going Quietly” with filmmaker Nicholas Bruckman, followed by a panel discussion.

The event begins with a quick introduction by filmmaker Nicholas Bruckman, then we will screen Not Going Quietly. Following the film, a personal message by Ady Barkan and brief Q&A with Nicholas will lead into a discussion led by People’s Health Sanctuary moderators Aileen Javier and Corinne Carey with panelists: Tracey Corder, ACRE (Action Center on Race and the Economy); Ursula Rozum, Campaign for NY Health; Julia Solow, Hand in Hand (The Network of Domestic Employers); Scott Desnoyers, health care activist.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO DOCUMENTATION

On December 18, 2017, approximately 70 protesters against the GOP Tax Bill were arrested while staging a ‘die-in’ in the rotunda of the Rayburn House office building. One of the arrestees was health care activist Ady Barkan, who is living with ALS. Barkan said the GOP tax bill’s cuts to Medicaid will put his and 13 million other American’s life at risk. (Photo by Michael Nigro)

A rising star in progressive politics and a new father, 32-year-old Ady Barkan’s life is upended when he is diagnosed with ALS. But after a confrontation with powerful Senator Jeff Flake on an airplane goes viral, catapulting him to national fame, Ady and a motley crew of activists ignite a once-in-a-generation political movement called “Be a Hero.” Together, they barnstorm across the country and empower people to confront their elected officials with emotional, personal stories to demand healthcare justice, and Ady holds groundbreaking interviews with Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. Through his journey, Ady discovers that collective action and speaking truth to power offers hope for his family and millions of others.

View Democracy Now! clip of “Not Going Quietly”: Paralyzed with ALS, Ady Barkan Continues Fighting for Medicare for All

This event is a collaboration between the iEAR Presents series with support from RPI’s ARTS department and School of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, and from the New York State Council for the Arts/ NYSCA, with The Sanctuary for Independent Media and People’s Health Sanctuary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Gt4iHvdtA

https://www.notgoingquietlyfilm.com

Nicholas Bruckman produced the feature film VALLEY OF SAINTS, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit award. The film was released on Netflix and was a New York Times Critics Pick.

He previously directed the feature documentary LA AMERICANA, which won the best documentary prize at the NY and LA Latino Film Festivals. The film broadcast worldwide on networks including PBS, National Geographic, and Al Jazeera.

Nicholas Bruckman is the director of NOT GOING QUIETLY, his latest film about 32-year-old Ady Barkan’s life.

Nicholas’ work has received support from foundations including the Fledgling Fund, Cinereach, NYSCA, NYFA, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He is the founder and CEO of People’s Television, a New York and D.C.-based branded & original content company.

PANEL

Tracey Corder, Campaign Director – Policing and Incarceration, ACRE (Action Center on Race and the Economy)

Tracey is a Deputy Campaign Director for ACRE ‘s Policing work. She comes to this work after serving as a social worker, electoral campaign organizer and political strategist.

Her most recent position as Director of Federal Action and Racial Justice at Center for Popular Democracy worked to advance direct action as a tactic to advocate for progressive legislation on housing, immigration, voting rights, climate and policing.

Tracey serves on the Advisory Board of Be A Hero, the Steering Committee of Black Womxn For and is a trainer for the Birddog Nation.

Ursula Rozum, Co-Director, Campaign for NY Health

Ursula Rozum, a Syracuse native, is an organizer building people power to win healthcare for all with Campaign for New York Health. In 2012, she was the Green party candidate for Congress. She likes bicycles and growing vegetables.Busy-bee organizer in Syracuse, NY.

The pandemic is exposing the weaknesses of the current healthcare system and why we must create a system that guarantees care for everybody. The New York Health Act (A5248a/S3577a) will provide comprehensive, universal health coverage — including long-term care — for every resident of New York.

Scott Desnoyer, healthcare activist

Scott Desnoyers says his son died because of $20 and Amy Sterling Casil was charged $50,000 after her baby died – they are among many Americans sharing their stories about the health system.

Daniel was 29 when he died. He killed himself after failing to get his medication refilled because he missed a $20 premium he was not aware of.

“I promised his siblings and him at the funeral in front of everyone that I was going to make our lawmakers look me in the eye and see the consequences of their decisions,” shares his father, Scott Desnoyers. a loving father who lost his son and became a Medicare-for-All activist.

Julia Solow, Lead NY Caring Majority Organizer at Hand-in-Hand: The Network of Domestic Employers

Julia’s passion for organizing comes from a long legacy of organizing in her family, personal experiences of struggle and amazing mentors along her journey. She first got involved in movement work when social work professors in college introduced her to immigrant rights leaders fighting for the DREAM Act in 2010. Since then, Julia has been organizing in solidarity with working class people of color-led movements and power organizations on efforts to address gentrification, living wages for farm workers and drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants in New York State, among others. Prior to her work at Hand-In-Hand, she has had the privilege of working at AFL-CIO National Headquarters in DC, Community Voices Heard in New York and as an Americorps VISTA in Cleveland, Ohio. Julia has a Masters in Social Work from CUNY Hunter College. She is bilingual in English and Spanish

Aileen Javier, co-moderator

Aileen Javier is a Community Health Worker/ Outreach Educator/Family Advocate. She is passionate about fomenting community health by supporting and empowering people to successfully navigate the local social and health care system. She worked as a Community Outreach / Family Advocate in Massachusetts. At the Sanctuary Aileen collaborates in the NATURE Lab’s newest initiative: Health Autonomy Clinic and she is working on radio production for WOOC 105.3 FM publishing pieces on local health resources. Aside from the radio production, she helps plan and organize events and distribute flyers, she is ready to help in any way that she can. In the near future she will do community outreach for the HAC.

She enjoys dancing, buying from local businesses and farms, meditation, yoga, hiking and living a healthy lifestyle. She loves talking and meeting new people. She is part of the People Power at the Sanctuary because she believes in the Sanctuary’s Mission “We use art and participatory action to promote social and environmental justice and freedom of creative expression.”

– From Aileen: The Sanctuary For Independent Media is My Tribe and my Second Family. I am honored to be part of such a Great Organization! I Love You Guys! See what Aileen has done with the Sanctuary

Corinne Carey, co-moderator

Corinne Carey is a political & public affairs strategist taking on bold public health initiatives backed by sound evidence & human rights. Carey is the campaign director of Compassion & Choices New York. Compassion & Choices improves care, expands options and empowers everyone to chart their end-of-life journey.

Compassion & Choices’ award-winning video features the groundbreaking filmmaker Hammer urging New York lawmakers to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act. “My cancer is incurable … I will reach a very debilitated state,” she says in the video, in which she notes that she suffered through more than 100 chemo treatments for ovarian cancer over 12 years before entering hospice in late 2018. “I would so much like to be able to manage my own death by choosing the time and the person I’d like to have with me so that I can die in comfort and with compassion and not in pain and morphine-drugged.” Hammer died on March 16, 2019, at age 79 in her Manhattan home without access to this gently dying option. In February, Oscars in Memoriam honored her for her legacy as an experimental filmmaker. Watch the entire award-winning video of Barbara Hammer urging New York lawmakers to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act.

Corinne Carey is a radio producer with Hudson Mohawk Magazine on WOOC 105.3 FM.

CO-SPONSORS

Be A Hero Fund

Be A Hero takes on the impossible fights. Big money. Special interests. Powerful politicians. We’ve taken them all on– and won.

The Be A Hero team is led by Ady and co-Executive Director Jamila Headley. Together with a group of committed organizers, Ady and Jamila are fighting for a more just health care system in the United States.

Four months after the birth of his son Carl, Ady Barkan was diagnosed with ALS. Confronting his own mortality, Ady decided to spend his remaining time fighting to transform America’s health care system so that it guarantees all of us the care and dignity we deserve and lifting up stories of incredible heroism in the face of injustice.

Jamila is an impact-focused leader and an accomplished advocate for healthcare, racial, and disability justice. She thrives at the intersections of strategy and implementation, building organizations and movements at the global and local levels, and caring for the individuals in them.

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the brokenness of our healthcare system, and the time is ripe for transformational change. But in order to win, we must build a powerful movement and we can’t do it without you. Join our fight today!

NY Health: Healthcare for Every New Yorker

The New York Health Act [A.6058/S.5474] will provide comprehensive health care for every New Yorker. You and your healthcare provider of choice will work to keep you healthy—New York Health pays the bill. You will never have to fear going without coverage again—especially in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

Over the last year, tens of thousands of New Yorkers died, lost income, fell behind on rent, and struggled to pay medical bills. Meanwhile, private health insurance corporations made record profits. The COVID-19 pandemic puts everyone at risk, but Black, brown, and low-income New Yorkers carry the greatest burden of exposure, with disproportionately more serving as essential workers and disproportionately fewer having access to healthcare.

We need a legislative agenda of compassionate care to heal from this pandemic. That’s why we partnered with allies in the housing justice and decarceration movements to release the Compassionate New York Agenda. This is a road map to saving lives and billions of dollars by providing guaranteed healthcare, stopping unjust evictions, and reducing the number of people behind bars and harmed by the criminal and immigration systems. We reject the austerity agenda, and call for a movement based on compassion and care to drive the legislative agenda in New York.

Join us in building the movement to win universal, guaranteed healthcare — and more. Check out ways to get involved in passing the New York Health Act!

Light Coming Out of Darkness: Holiday Interfaith Justice and Peace Circle at Freedom Square
2021-12-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Freedom Square, 35 5th Ave, Troy, NY, 12180, United States
View the gallery of photos from this event

Join us on Saturday in a circle of light. Together we will light candles and look to the future. Bring your wishes for light, justice and peace, as we reflect on current times and come together with sacred intention, embracing all religions and beliefs.

This community event is organized with co-sponsors Team H.E.R.O., Troy Central Little League, NATURE Lab and People’s Health Sanctuary…

Feel free to bring decorations for our community tree and altar, messages and memories.

All are welcome! Please wear a mask

Check out a past Holiday Interfaith Justice and Peace Community Celebration at Freedom Square with the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B-bjr7-RqA

H Bosh Jr., Uncle Mac & Jerry Ford Share Holiday Memories with the Sanctuary

MLK Celebration 2022: "Labor and Community United for Social Justice"
2022-01-17 14:00 - 16:30 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
We invite you to join the virtual Martin L. King Celebration “Labor and Community United for Social Justice.” Over the past years, dynamic MLK programs have been led, in person at the Sanctuary and virtually, by community organizers and organizations! This trend with the focus of organizing labor and community united in Troy will continue in 2022!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXZgMItm2lM&feature=youtu.be

Organizations leading and participating in this event include: NAACP Troy Branch, Team HERO, Troy Coalition of Black Leaders, Coalition of Black Trade Unions, United Ordained Church-North Central, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Equality for Troy, Troy Sanctuary Campaign, NYCLU, Troy DSA, Solidarity Committee of the Capital District, Collectiveffort, Troy Area Labor Council, 5th Avenue AME Zion, Civil Service Employees Association, New York State Public Employees Federation, Capital Region Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Shades of Cocoa, One Troy, Justice Center of Rensselaer County, Capital Region Poor People’s Campaign, and People’s Health Sanctuary.

Featuring:

Troy Community/ Labor Organization speakers

Roundtable discussion: Candidates of Color, Rensselaer County, 2021

Archival videos and live poetry

Calls to Action!

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
– MLK Jr., 1957

Event MC: Deacon Jerry Ford (Team HERO; Vice President, NAACP Troy Branch)

Multiple speakers representing diverse community organizations in Troy will respond to MLK’s Call for Alliances for Inter-sectional Justice, around the key issues: Racial Justice and Civil Rights, Labor Justice and Community Organizing, Health Justice/Environmental Justice/Economic Justice and The Next Generation.

Speakers include:

Terry Melvin (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists)

Willie Terry (Coalition of Black Trade Unionists)

Renée Powell (NAACP Troy Branch #2182-B)

Reverend Hunter (5th Avenue AME Zion Church)

Rev. Charles Burkes (United Ordained Church)

Adam Pelletier (Troy Area Labor Council)

Debra Garrett (Shades of Cocoa)

Aileen Javier (People’s Health Sanctuary at The Sanctuary for Independent Media)

Jess Bennett (Friends of the Mohicantuck)

Dan Lyles (Collectiveffort)

David Banks (Troy DSA)

Noreen Mckee (Justice Center of Rensselaer County)

Siobhan Burke (Troy Sanctuary Campaign)

Roundtable featuring Candidates of Color who ran for public office in Troy in 2021:

Gwen Wright (Candidate for Rensselaer County Executive)

D. Colin (Candidate for City Council – District 1)

Steven Figueroa (Candidate for City Council – District 2)

Kiani Conley Wilson (Candidate for City Council – District 5)

Marketa Edwards (Candidate for City Council – District 6)

Shawntell Mills-Sanchez (Candidate for Rensselaer County Legislature, District 4)

discussion moderated by Daquetta Jones

Poetry by:

D. Colin

Ian Macks

Special thanks to event organizers Renée Powell, Adam Pelletier and Willie Terry!

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Reverend Terrance Melvin

Rev. Terrence L. Melvin holds the second highest office in the New York State labor movement – Secretary-Treasurer of the 2.5 million members, New York State AFL-CIO. In May 2012, at the 41st International Convention of the CBTU, Mr. Melvin was elected unanimously as the organization’s new president, succeeding William (Bill) Lucy, who had held the position since he co-founded CBTU in 1972. Mr. Melvin has focused on developing lasting ties between labor, religious organizations and community partners. In December 2008, he spearheaded the development of the NYS AFL-CIO Community Outreach Department which he oversees the day to day operations.Amongst his various Labor and community roles, Mr. Melvin is a man of devout faith and spiritual belief. He is an ordained Baptist Minister. He serves as Associate Minister and Assistant to the Pastor at Second Baptist Church, Lackawanna, New York.

EVENT MC:

Deacon Jerry Ford

Deacon Jerry Ford, a husband, father and leader; has seen his share of trauma and adversity. He lost his mother and father at a young age. He was raised by a loving aunt, but found himself in the streets looking for the love he never received from his parents and eventually ended up in prison. After his 3rd prison stint, he saw himself on a path toward life in prison or death. Finding strength in faith, Deacon Ford was able to make a 180 degree turn and now his story of resilience and hope is impacting communities across the nation. He currently serves as the Vice President of the NAACP Troy Branch. He also started a nonprofit organization named Team H.E.R.O about 10 years ago. H.E.R.O. standing for Helping Everyone Recognize Opportunities which focuses on youth mentoring, character and leadership development and linking families to resources. He has been recognized both locally and nationally for his service to the community, most notably winning the Maytag Dependable Leader Award. This award is only given to 11 individuals across the nation.

Listen to Hudson Mohawk Magazine’s interview with Deacon Jerry Ford:

MediaSanctuary · Jerry Ford talking about Troy NY MLK2022 Commemeration

MORE INFO ABOUT PRESENTERS: (in progress)

Daquetta Jones

Daquetta Jones is the former Deputy Commissioner for Administration with the New York State Department of Civil Service and Executive Director of the YWCA of the Greater Capital District. Throughout her life’s work she has proven herself to be a change agent and activist for Black Liberation, Human Rights, Womxn’s Rights, and Racial Justice and Equality. Daquetta has earned and received numerous accolades and honors including: Albany Business Review’s Women Who Mean Business Award, was named as one of the 40 Under 40, the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society Change Maker Award, and many others. Daqetta will be moderating the roundtable discussion featuring Candidates of Color who ran for public office in Troy and Rensselaer County in 2021.

Gwen Wright

Gwen Wright has spent most of her career in public service. She recently retired as the executive director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV), a position she held for years. She was with the agency for over 27 years. Prior to joining OPDV, Ms. Wright was the executive director of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence a statewide non-profit domestic violence advocacy organization.

Ms. Wright has served on many non-profit boards of directors throughout her career. Currently, she is on the board of directors of Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood and the Center for Women and Government in Civil Society. She is past president of both In Our Own Voices and the Pride Center of the Capital Region. She is the mother of three adult children and has four wonderful grandchildren. She has been a resident of Schodack since 2001.

Listen to Hudson Mohawk Magazine’s interview with Gwen Wright:

MediaSanctuary · MLK Celebration 2022: Candidate Gwen Wright

Marketa Edwards

Marketa Edwards is a community activist that wants to give a voice to the voiceless. She is the Executive Director of the Community Rising Project. The Community Rising Project is dedicated to the advancement of Boys and Men of Color who have been directly impacted by trauma and their involvement in the criminal justice system. Marketa is a Mother, Grandmother, and community organizer who ran for City Council in Troy in 2021.arketa Edwards

Shawntell Mills-Sanchez

Shawntell came to the Capital Region in 1994 to attend the University of Albany. Upon graduation, Shawntell remained in the Capital Region where she has worked in the human services sector for over 20 years. She started her career at Albany County Department for Children, Youth and Families. She moved on to continue her focus on child welfare policy & practice in a non-profit organization. Like many working women with expertise in her field, Shawntell pursued career advancement and experienced challenges along the way. She obtained a master’s degree in education and started her own small business by combining her knowledge of information technology and child welfare programs. She now provides her expertise & services to the NYS Office of Children and Family Services as a consultant.

D. Colin

Originally from Bridgeport, CT, D. Colin is a poet, actor, and visual artist living in Troy, NY. As a multidisciplinary artist, she aims to inspire, empower and educate through poetry, paint and performance and is passionate about cultivating space for stories, healing and community. She is the author of Dreaming in Kreyol and Said the Swing to the Hoop. She is also a Cave Canem, VONA and New York State Writers Institute fellow with degrees in English and Africana Studies. D. Colin is a board member of The Sanctuary for Independent Media.

Listen to Hudson Mohawk Magazine’s interview with D. Colin:

MediaSanctuary · MLK Celebration 2022: Artist D. Colin

Ian Macks, poet

Ian Macks is a 28-year old poet from Troy, New York. His long-awaited debut full-length collection, Identity Crisis, is due to be announced this spring on recto y verso editions, inc. His poetry has recently been chosen for publication in Hypersaturation Magazine and BigCityLit literary journal. You can get at him and read his work on Instagram @imacks22

Listen to Hudson Mohawk Magazine’s interview with Ian Macks:

MediaSanctuary · MLK Celebration 2022: Poet Ian Macks

Renee Powell, President of the NAACP Troy Branch

Renee is president of the NAACP Troy Branch since 2019. The 21st century goal of the NAACP is to build Black political power to end structural racism to put end to race-based discrimination.

Adam Pelletier, MLK 22 Celebration Organizer

Adam Pelletier is the President of the Troy Area Labor Council (AFL-CIO), which represents approximately 10,000 working people in Troy and Rensselaer County. He has been involved in labor union and social issue advocacy and organizing in the Capital District for the last 10 years. He has been known to upset people in positions of power. Adam is a graduate of Clarkson University and veteran with prior active service in the United States Marine. He is also a member of the Troy Democratic Socialists of America and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3343.

Listen to Hudson Mohawk Magazine’s interview with Adam Pelletier:

MediaSanctuary · Interview With Adam Pellitier MLK2022 B

Willie Terry, Coalition of Black Trade Unions, Troy Area Labor Council, MLK 22 Celebration Organizer

Listen to Hudson Mohawk Magazine’s interview with Willie Terry:

MediaSanctuary · Willie Terry Wants More Education Around MLK’s Legacy and Labor

Rev. Charles Burkes, United Ordained Church-North Central

Rev. Burkes is currently the Pastor of United Ordained Church-North Central Troy. He is the former Director for the Albany County Veterans Services Bureau where he was responsible for serving veterans in the 17 cities and towns in Albany County. His duties included assisting veterans, their spouses, and their dependents navigate the process while seeking eligibility for VA benefits and returning to civilian life. In 2014, Rev. Burkes was also nominated and confirmed to the Citizen’s Policy and Complaint Review Council. Rev. Burkers is a graduate of the Sage Colleges and is a Vietnam era Veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps from 1974-1978.

Reverend Hunter, 5th Avenue AME Zion

Rev. Xavier Hunter is the pastor of the Fifth Avenue A.M.E. Zion Church in Troy, NY. Finishing his first year here in the Troy Community he has hit the ground running in leading the church and becoming a part of the Troy and Capital area community. Pastor Hunter is a native of Buffalo, NY and has become a unique orator who is able to convey the truth of God’s word clearly, compellingly and in a way that makes the word come alive to his congregation. An out of the box thinker, teacher, and preacher, who believes in out of the box worship and praise! Combining his business experience and leadership with God’s direction, his ministry has grown and most importantly helped grow the kingdom of God. Rev. Hunter is currently finishing his Master’s of Divinity at Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, NY.

Aileen Javier, People’s Health Sanctuary

Aileen Javier is a Community Health Worker/ Outreach Educator/Family Advocate. She is passionate about fomenting community health by supporting and empowering people to successfully navigate the local social and health care system.Previously, Aileen has worked as a Community Outreach / Family Advocate in Massachusetts. She is part of the People Power at the Sanctuary because she believes in the Sanctuary’s Mission: “We use art and participatory action to promote social and environmental justice and freedom of creative expression.”

David Banks, Troy DSA

David A. Banks is the chair of Troy DSA’s defund police working group and a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Geography and Planning department at University at Albany, SUNY where he is the director of the Globalization Studies program. He is also a proud delegate to the Troy Area Labor Council, and the Officer for Contingents of the Albany chapter of United University Professions (UUP).

Debra Garrett, Community Organizer

Debra Garrett holds an A.A.S. in Medical Administration and B.S. in Health Science She currently works at the NYS Comptroller’s office and at TRIP as a community capacity builder. Ms. Garrett has also held positions with CEO and St. Peter’s Partners in the past. She currently serves on boards for the Troy Drug Free Coalition, the Ark After School and the Oakwood Community Center. Ms. Garrett volunteers in many local organizations throughout Troy including School 2 and Troy Prep. She previously served on the Troy City Council for District 2 and loved helping the community. Ms. Garrett founded, Shades of Cocoa, a group empowering black and brown young girls. She also created the Parent Speak Advocate organization to support parents with school policy. Ms. Garrett resides in Troy with her husband, LT, and their four children who all attend Troy Prep.

Hear Hudson Mohawk Magazine’s interview with Shades of Cocoa

MediaSanctuary · Shades of Cocoa

Dan Lyles, Collectiveffort

Dr. Dan Lyles is the VP of Operations and Research at Collectiveffort is has been a faculty member at Rensselaer Polytechnic institute for 5 years. He is a Sociologist of Scientific Knowledge and Institutions and received his degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic in 2016. At RPI, he focuses on raising engineering students awareness of the unique opportunities they have to use engineering knowledge and skills to change the world for the better. At Collectiveffort, he focuses on cooperative governance, project management and using the immense power of shared resources to develop community resources and assets. He is pursuing his introductory Professional Project Management certificate in 2022. In his spare time, he likes to organize community organizations and foundations.

Noreen McKee, Board Member, League of Women Voters and the Justice Center of Rensselaer County

As a board member of the League of Women Voters and the Justice Center of Rensselaer County, Noreen McKee has fought successfully to bring early voting into the heart of downtown Troy to provide equitable access to early voting for minorities and low income voters. She is also on the board of directors of Unity House and a member of its advocacy committee, which is “dedicated to giving voice to the voiceless by shining the spotlight on the injustices suffered by the poor and the racial inequality that fuels poverty.

Listen to Hudson Mohawk Magazine’s interview with Noreen McKee:

MediaSanctuary · Is Democracy Dying in Rensselaer County? with Noreen McKee

More interviews by Hudson Mohawk Magazine:

MediaSanctuary · “The Strategy Comes Out of Struggle” Says Leon Van Dyke of The Brothers

MediaSanctuary · PEF Union and MLK Civil Rights talk with Wayne Spence

MediaSanctuary · Labor Organizing Around MLK Day

MORE INFO ABOUT CO-SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS (in progress)

NAACP Troy Branch #2182-B

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, Moorfield Storey and Ida B. Wells.

The NAACP’s mission in the 21st century is “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination”. National NAACP initiatives include political lobbying, publicity efforts and litigation strategies developed by its legal team. The group enlarged its mission in the late 20th century by considering issues such as police misconduct, the status of black foreign refugees and questions of economic development. Its name, retained in accordance with tradition, uses the once common term colored people, referring to those with some African ancestry. Contact: TroyNYNAACP@gmail.com.

You can view our MLK Holiday Labor and Community Celebration from 2021 below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCmiBi__ehw

Direct Air Capture: False Climate Solution?
2022-03-10 19:00 - 20:30 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Join us for a virtual town hall and learn about Direct Air Capture.

REGISTER

This virtual event will begin with an overview of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act (A8597/S8171), now pending in the NYS Assembly and Senate. Presentations by our speakers, June Sekera (policy scholar), Visiting Scholar at the New School University, New York, and a Senior Research Fellow at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center; and Jim Walsh Policy Director for Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Action, will be followed by a Q&A. We’ll then end with a Call to Action!

Activists charge that the Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act (A8597/S8171), now pending in the NYS Assembly and Senate, would generously subsidize the Direct Air Capture technology that they characterize as a false “greenwashing” solution. Comments from environmental experts opposing this bill:

“Let’s be clear that any government support for carbon capture or direct air capture is a FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDY.“
-Stanford University professor Mark Jacobson, PhD

Carbon Engineering pilot plant in Squamish, B.C. featuring Direct Air Capture technology that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere.
CC image by Stephen Hui, Pembina Institute

DIRECT AIR CAPTURE (DAC) is a costly mechanical-chemical method of carbon capture and storage that critics charge is unproven, dangerous and energy-intensive. They say DAC would likely require a massive build-out of pipelines to transport CO2 and that it is an unwise public investment that diverts resources and attention from real solutions.

Speakers

June Sekera is a Visiting Scholar at the New School University, New York, and a Senior Research Fellow at Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center. Her review article, “Assessing Carbon Capture: Public Policy, Science and Societal Need” was published in Biophysical Economics and Sustainability (October 2020).

Food and Water Watch Policy Director, Jim Walsh oversees campaigns to ban fracking, end water privatization, and push back on fossil fuel industry-backed false solutions to the climate crisis. Jim works with Food & Water Watch’s policy experts and national allies to develop and implement campaigns to mobilize the public and educate decision makers on strategies that support the development of a better food system, a safe and livable climate and support safe and clean public water for all.

The moderator for the event is Barbara Heinzen, PhD, Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena Coeymans

Co-Sponsors

Thank you to our co-sponsors: Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena Coeymans, Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls, Beyond Plastics, People of Albany United for Safe Energy, Food & Water Watch, Green Education and Legal Fund, and NATURE Lab and People’s Health Sanctuary with The Sanctuary for Independent Media.

CCG Tree Day: Pruning Workshop with More Trees Arborists
2022-04-02 12:00 - 14:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Join the arborists of the More Trees Arborist Collective for a workshop in the urban forest. Learn to identify common opportunist species of urban trees, discuss different techniques and objectives of pruning, when to remove trees, when to plant trees and help the crew manage the Sanctuary’s fledgling reforestation projects.

Meet at Freedom Square

Hudson Mohawk Magazine interviewed Christian Grigoraskos

More Tree Arborists

More Trees Arborist Collective is a worker-owned cooperative of ISA-Certified Arborists and support crew who work to provide environmentally conscious tree care for residential, municipal, and commercial clients throughout the Hudson Mohawk Region. We identify, assess, and mitigate tree risk while encouraging the preservation and planting.

Plant & Tree Swap
2022-05-07 12:00 - 14:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Join us for a plant & tree swap at Collard City Growers garden, 3337 6th Ave. in North Central Troy!

what: an opportunity to share plant abundance!

how: bring your extra seedlings / saplings and trade with someone else for something new – perennials, annuals, house plants, anything goes!

why: a nice excuse to hang out in the garden with other families, meet some new plants and people, and celebrate Andrew Lynn’s birthday!

This is an event for the community and gardeners to get together and exchange seedlings for the season. Stop by to pick up some seedlings that you might want for your garden, drop off any extra flats that you don’t have room for, or just come on over to hangout and say hi 🙂

And remember, all plants that you give and take are FREE!

In a nutshell – we’d love to see you whether you have plants or not, so come say hi! Wear a mask and practice social distancing whenever possible. If it rains, we can gather in the hoop house.As always, there’s lots of work to do, so if you’re in the mood for garden chores – we got you covered! me ke hau ʻoli,azure’ – christian – ember – thasos

If you want to brush up on the vibe of this project – you can listen to us kūkākūkā on WOOC last year.

https://soundcloud.com/mediasanctuary/collard-city-growers-plant-swap

5th Anniversary of Hudson Mohawk Magazine on Sanctuary Radio
2022-09-11 16:00 - 18:00 | The Sanctuary, 3361 6th Ave, Troy, 12180, United States
Join us in a community gathering to commemorate 5 years of Hudson Mohawk Magazine, our locally-produced radio news hour, which launched on September 11, 2017 with the conscious goal of creating a community radio platform to nurture diverse voices in the Capital Region in response to increasing assaults on our civil liberties. This program is the product of many volunteer hours, so let’s unite to honor all who have invested ideas, skills, time, creativity, and heart into Hudson Mohawk Magazine with light snacks and refreshments, radio activities, and community.

Baccus Pizza, O’Malley’s Oven, Rareform Brewery will be providing some snacks and beverages.

***Please note that for everyone’s safety, we are following Covid protocols that include requirements that all attendees show proof of vaccination or a recent test for entry, and wear a mask. We will notify ticket holders if the protocols change.

In this time of escalating threats to our freedoms and the collapse of corporate journalism, meet our producers and recognize the essential role they play as independent grassroots journalists in a democratic society! We commemorate this anniversary not with flag waving and homogenized messages, but by celebrating the people-power and tools dedicated to creating independent media as the essence of freedom.

September 11, 2017 was the day HMM launched. Volunteer journalists joined together, dedicated to tell the stories that corporate media leaves untold. This date was chosen for its legacy of assaults on civil liberties and commemorates the September 11, 1973 military coup in Chile, which ended civilian rule in the government of Salvador Allende and transformed a beacon of democracy into a dictatorship, and the trauma of September 11, 2001 and the aftermath of restricted freedoms in the name of security.

Listen: 5 Years of HMM with Steve Pierce

Listen: The First Full Episode of HMM

We will also be memorializing our producer Meghan Marohn with an altar in collaboration with Nancy Weber. Listen here for a collection of memories and stories about Meghan by people impacted by her, produced by EP.
