Winning the Green New Deal 2020
Sunrise Launch Party Jan. 29 in Greenfield

Youth Rise Together and Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution (FCCPR), inspired by the Sunrise Movement, are hosting one of hundreds of Green New Deal launch parties taking place around the country.

Wednesday, January 29
7 PM
12 Federal St., Greenfield
Light refreshments will be available at no cost

Led by teens from Youth Rise Together, this gathering will watch and discuss two brand new short films from the Sunrise Movement about the Green New Deal and how to win it. The discussion will focus on what can be done locally. Young people and people unfamiliar with the Green New Deal are especially invited, but all are welcome.

Interested people who need transportation should write to info@fccpr.us.

Youth Rise Together is a teen activism group based in the Pioneer Valley. Its mission is to empower youth to resist hate and create political and social change.

Franklin County CPR fights for the social, political and economic issues that were central to Bernie Sanders’ campaign platform by organizing at the grassroots, running candidates and pressuring politicians and corporations through direct action.

February General Assembly

FCCPR General Assembly

Sunday February 9th 2:00 to 4:00pm

Guiding Star Grange 401 Chapman St Greenfield

Tentative Agenda

1)     Financial Report and Membership Renewal

2)     Discussion on the Green New Deal – What is it, how will it effect Franklin County, and what can we do to get it enacted.

Please read these documents if you can:

Bernie Sanders’ detailed plan for the Green New Deal

The Green New Deal Resolution introduced by Senator Markey and Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

3)     Vote on endorsing a candidate for President of the United States. This vote will take place at the meeting.

If you haven’t yet renewed your 2020 FCCPR membership, you can do so at the meeting. Only current members can vote.

Hear ‘Extinction Rebellion’ Rep at the General Assembly

Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019, 2-4 p.m.

Guiding Star Grange 401 Chapman St. Greenfield

Agenda

1)   Financial report and Membership renewal

2)   Election of the Coordinating Committee. The following people were nominated. Dave Cohen, Susan Worgaftik, Patti Williams, and Doug Selwyn. You can read their statements here.

3)   Speaker from  Extinction Rebellion . This is one of the most exciting groups fighting climate change. See some of what they have been doing lately all over the world here.

Adrie Rose, Co-Chair of Extinction Rebellion Western Massachusetts, will talk with us about their take on the climate crisis and why they do what
they do.

4)   Report on the Greenfield Elections

5)   The Politics of Palestine in the Current Moment: Joe Levine is a Professor of Philosophy at UMass and an organizer with Western Mass Jewish Voice for Peace (and an FCCPR member). He will talk with us about The Politics of Palestine in the Current Moment. Here is a recent Opinion piece Joe had in the New York Times.

6)   Announcements

Global Climate Strike: From Sweden to the UN, from Boston to Greenfield

September 20, 2019 is a global day of “strikes” to highlight the need for quick and dramatic action to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Led by young people in organizations such as Sunrise and Extinction Rebellion, rallies and other strike activities will be taking place all over the country and around the world, including a very large march and rally in Boston, and our own in Greenfield. This strike will lead to ever-larger actions over the next year to force politicians to confront the realities of global warming. But it all starts Here and Now!

FCCPR is urging all our members to participate in one of two ways:

  1. Go to Boston! There will be one or two buses leaving Greenfield around 8 AM and returning by 5 PM. Sign up here for a spot on the bus.
  2. Attend the rally in Greenfield – Friday, Sept. 20, 5 PM, Greenfield Common. Hosted by FCCPR, Traprock and Greening Greenfield, this action is already endorsed by a couple dozen local organizations and area legislators.

Want to do more?

  • Come to the next planning meeting: Thursday, Sept. 12, 6:30 PM, at the FCCPR office right beneath Greenfield Coffee in downtown Greenfield
  • Donate to the MA Youth Climate Strike here.
  • Share the names of students or teachers in the area who you think would be interested. This information will go to local student organizers.

Please direct questions and other ideas to Bob Armstrong (bobarms@gmail.com) or Ferd Wulkan (ferdwulkan@gmail.com)

Local Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration on August 6

For people and communities concerned with peace, August 6 and 9 are special days, as people around the world remember the first use of atomic bombs, by the US against Japan in 1945. They call for the phase-out and abolition of nuclear weapons, world-wide. The FCCPR Peace Task Force and the Traprock Center for Peace and sponsored an event in at the Unity Park Riverfront in Turners Falls.

FCCPR’s Sheila Gilmour: ‘I’m running for mayor because Greenfield is ready for new leadership’

“Greenfield has an important preliminary election coming up on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Three mayoral candidates will appear on the ballot, but only two will move on to the general election on Nov. 5. My name is Sheila Gilmour and I look forward to earning your vote.”

Source: The Recorder – ‘I’m running for mayor because Greenfield is ready for new leadership’

Time to hit the streets!

FCCPR is co-sponsoring locally Lights for Liberty’s national call to action to protest the kidnapping, child abuse and other atrocities at the border. Friday, July 12, 7-9 p.m. on the Greenfield Common. Bring a light or a cellphone or the candle.app. (Before the 7 p.m. Lights for Liberty vigil on the Greenfield Common, consider joining protesters at 5:30 p.m. at Greenfield Jail and Immigration Detention Center.)

The Recorder – FCCPR endorses Sheila Gilmour for mayor

After considering the candidate responses and comparing them to the recently published Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution (FCCPR) political platform, the Greenfield membership voted to endorse Precinct 6 City Councilor Sheila Gilmour for mayor.

“We were particularly struck by Councilor Gilmour’s plans for reviewing city staffing needs and her interest in working closely with the FRCOG on regional issues,” said David Cohen, FCCPR Greenfield chairman.

Source: The Recorder – Greenfield Notebook: June 17, 2019