Earth Day Celebration at Riverfront
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Vendors, organizations, and musicians gathered at the Riverfront Plaza Sunday afternoon to celebrate Earth Day. Continue reading 'Earth Day Celebration at Riverfront'»
Category: global issues
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Hartford March for Immigration Reform
By Kerri Provost, April 10, 2013 10:44 pm
On the National Day of Action for immigration reform, Hartford joined cities across the United States as people took to the streets downtown during evening rush hour.
The Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA) organized the event, with rallies at both the Old State House and State Capitol, and a march in between.
CIRA is comprised of many organizations including the ACLU of CT, African American Affairs Commission, AFT Connecticut, Apostle Immigrant Services, Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Brazilian Immigrant Center, Center for Latino Progress, Comunidad Inmigrante de East Haven, Connecticut AFL-CIO, Connecticut Center for New Economy, Connecticut Coalition to Stop Indefinite Detention, Connecticut Students for a Dream, Immigration Rights Task Force of the Unitarian Society of New Haven, Immigration Task Force of New York Annual Conference of United Methodist Church, International Institute of Connecticut, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), Junta for Progressive Action, Latino Advocacy Foundation, MECha de Yale, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), New Haven Peoples Center, Oficina Católica de Justicia Social de La Arquidiócesis de Hartford, Seminarians for a Democratic Society, SEIU-32BJ, SEIU-State Council, Somos CT, Unidad Latina en Acción, UNITE HERE, and United Action Connecticut.
8th Annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival
By Kerri Provost, April 8, 2013 12:39 am
Lah Tere and Baba Israel hosted the main concert
Things to know about the 8th Annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival: Continue reading '8th Annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival'»
“Cuban Five” Cartoonist Exhibit
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Cartoonist Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, one of the “Cuban Five,” was given two life terms in the United States for “conspiracy to commit espionage” and other various charges, while gathering information about groups possibly planning terrorism against Cuba.
On Thursday, March 28th the Broad Street Gallery (1283 Broad Street) will host an opening reception for “Humor from My Pen,” an exhibit of this artist’s political cartoons. The opening reception will be from 4:30-7:30pm.
March 30th offers another viewing time, from 1-5pm.
This is free and open to the public.
10+ Years In
By Kerri Provost, March 19, 2013 6:13 am
In 2003, to oppose the United States’ invasion of Iraq meant setting oneself up for anything from ridicule to threats. Having been called a traitor in no uncertain terms, I know this firsthand. Seeing the biased coverage of the anti-war movement was what compelled me to participate in Indymedia, as there was (and is) a great need for reporting on social justice from the perspective — or at least, with empathy — of those not in the dominant culture.
Too often, the stories are still told from those in positions of power. We can see this in the narratives created about the protests of police brutality in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Most mainstream news outlets attached the word “riot” to what had been happening, despite citizen journalists’ video footage showing that the majority of the protests were peaceful, if not in language, at least in action.
A press release does not a story make. Continue reading '10+ Years In'»
Focus on Women, Not Fox News
By Nichole Guerra, March 18, 2013 7:00 am
Now that the initial sting of Fox-CT’s obscene coverage of Women’s Day has subsided, we can all agree that some reflection is in order. After all, the event did mark the 40-year-battle for gender equality in Connecticut.
The obvious takeaways: yes, the progressives’ disdain towards Fox News has been validated. And yes, the footage highlighted that even in a 21st century, blue state like Connecticut, the effects of misogyny and gender discrimination persist at best. Even though Fox was publicly shamed, I can’t help but wonder if they won this round at the end of the day.
Think about it. For those who weren’t able to attend the event, the only newsworthy piece of information revolved around the news outlet’s unfortunate—but unsurprising—distraction from the depth of the issues and their solutions. In Connecticut, full-time working women earn 78% of their male counterparts. The wage gap is even more drastic for African American women and Hispanic women, who earn 59% and 48% of what men earn, respectively (The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, Policy Agenda 2013). Violence against women, whether it’s domestic violence or sexual assault, abounds and causes costly long-term health problems for women everywhere.
But what does this mean for Hartford, where poverty and crime are concentrated more than anywhere else in the state? Continue reading 'Focus on Women, Not Fox News'»
One Billion Rising
Comments Off Down at the Legislative Office Building on February 14th, the One Billion Rising event — speeches and a flash mob — called for an 
end to violence against women. Governor Malloy, stopping here after speaking at the March for Change, said “this is a day of important rallies.”
Malloy drew the connection between anti-bullying initiatives in schools and the efforts taken to curb domestic violence, along with other forms of violence against women.
Among the participants in the One Billion Rising flash mob were students from Miss Porter’s School.
Cathy Malloy, also asked to speak at the event, said, “we want everybody to wake up.”
Last year, over 57,000 individuals were served by domestic violence programs in Connecticut.
This was not only a call to stop domestic violence. It was also a demand to end rape and sexual assault. Continue reading 'One Billion Rising'»
February 2013 Events
By Kerri Provost, January 28, 2013 4:00 pm
For those just tuning in, every month Real Hartford creates a calendar of events happening in the city. This is not intended to be all-inclusive– you’ll note the absence of “Ladies Nite” events. Continue reading 'February 2013 Events'»
Push to Ban Assault Weapons
Comments Off At the last City Council meeting Minority Leader Larry Deutsch introduced a resolution for the City of Hartford to request state legislation to ban all assault weapons, tighten registration policies on all weapons, and also ban fracking. Continue reading 'Push to Ban Assault Weapons'»
Happy New Year!
By Kerri Provost, January 13, 2013 9:52 pm
Today, the Karen celebrate the first day of their New Year — 2752.
The local Karen community prepared a buffet-style breakfast, which lasted for hours before the formal program began in the Center for Contemporary Culture at the Hartford Public Library.
The Asylum Hill neighborhood is where many of the Karen now live. This population, primarily originating from Burma¹ and Thailand, has come to the United States as refugees.
That is only one piece of this ethnic group’s history. During the celebration, there was a “culture show” to provide a glimpse of what life had been like in Burma. The dramatic reenactments showed life in a society of farmers, hunters, and gatherers. Courtship rituals and the typical marriage ceremony, along with a wrist-tying ceremony, were demonstrated. This show gave insight into a cooperative model of education in which children are expected to learn from their peers. Similarly, the values of kindness, helpfulness, and cooperation are seen in how household chores are shared between the sexes.
