The 50+ member organizations of the NYS Community Equity Agenda, representing hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers statewide, made the following statement responding to the Trump Administration’s assault on the Consumer and Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—and...
WESPAC Foundation supports the work of the Anti-Racist Alliance which is the lead group in Westchester that explores the ongoing harm of institutionalized and systemic racism in our country today. We have honest discussions in a mixed group of how white privilege impacts both people of color and white folk in Westchester County in the form of excessive police force, access to quality education, employment and housing and many other areas. We listen to the range of experience that people of color have to endure in a society that continues to disproportionately benefit white people . For more information, visit antiracistalliance.com
The Forgotten Occupation: Jim Crow goes to Haiti
Filmmaker Alain Martin frames the forgotten history of his country’s brutal occupation at the hands of the United States as an epistolary that finds him penning a letter to his deceased grandfather about the subject. He confesses to Brunel Martin, the grandfather in...
A Land for All Presentation at WESPAC
We had a wonderful evening at WESPAC last night with Professor Oren Yiftachel who presented A Land for All. A Land for All is a shared movement of Israelis and Palestinians who believe that the way towards peace, security and stability for all passes through two...
They Called me a Lioness
Librarians and Archivists with Palestine is proud to announce They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri as our pick for the 2025 “One Book, Many Communities” international reading campaign! In this memoir, Ahed...
From Social Workers Against Solitary Confinement
The documentary The Strike will premiere on PBS Independent Lens on Monday, February 3rd (next week!). It will be available for free streaming on the PBS YouTube channel starting on February 3rd, and it will be available on PBS Independent Lens, PBS YouTube, and PBS...
Rev. John Collins has passed away
Dear all, I have received the very sad news from Sheila of the passing of our great and compassionate leader, Rev. John Collins. He passed away peacefully in his sleep last night at the age of 95. The family will be planning a memorial service for him later this...
Take Another Look at Second Look
NYLJ: In the New Year, Take Another Look at Second Look The author writes "For nearly as long as I have been a judge, I have firmly believed in the importance of what I call demystifying the judiciary — that is, helping the public understand what judges do, how they...
Public Statement by The Westchester Coalition for Police Reform in Response to the Death of Robert Brooks
We are deeply disturbed by the recent video showing the horrific beating of Robert Brooks by corrections officers, medical staff, and state employees which caused his death. This violent act is not only unacceptable, but also inhumane and barbaric. Robert Brooks, a...
Better Oversight Needed at Youth Detention Facilities in NYS
Better Oversight Needed at Juvenile Justice Facilities The New York State Office of Children and Family Services is not adequately overseeing juvenile justice facilities outside New York City to ensure they meet State regulations for the health and safety of the youth...
The Children of Gaza
12-year-old Dunia lost her leg in an Israeli airstrike that killed her whole family. We filmed this video with Dunia during the seven-day truce, and yesterday an Israeli tank-fired shell killed her while she was recovering in Naser Hospital in Khan Younis....
WESPAC on Facebook
Friday, October 9th at 6pm at the Barn at Vassar College! RSVPs required at [email protected]. Contributions for the farm collective can be made ahead of time. We can also arrange car pools.The WEBATUCK VALLEY FARM COLLABORATIVE (WVFC), established in 2023, is a regional food sovereignty and farm cooperative development initiative rooted in a larger movement for cultural reclamation, economic & racial justice, and community healing. Rock Steady Farm, Sweet Freedom Farm, and WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village leveraged a ten-year partnership to transform local farming, economic opportunity, and food access. They aim to remove barriers to entry for Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ+ beginning farmers in ways that support the prosperity of our communities and the future of our planet.The current food system is built on exploited labor and land, leaving many hungry and malnourished despite excess and waste. WVFC works with communities within, against, and beyond this broken system to build resilient local economies. Their organizations collaboratively support New York State farmers through land access, training and apprenticeships, shared infrastructure, equipment and product aggregation, advocacy, community events, and employment. They advance land-based liberation by training young land stewards, supporting beginning farmers with land access, growing nutrient-dense and culturally relevant food and medicine, and distributing their harvests to families impacted by food scarcity or state violence.This year, that vision takes physical form. They are renovating two barns—one at Rock Steady which will winterize the barns, expand the cold storage three fold for aggregation, build much larger wash-pack space with new equipment, a retail store and new CSA pick-up, Rock Steady staff space and workplace kitchen, short term housing for all the trainees and facilitators and so much more. The barn at Wildseed will be home to a gorgeous event space, and an added value commercial kitchen. Sweet Freedom Farm will be stewarding grain processes equipment and grain processing space that has been a significant need of small to mid-sized grain producers in the area.This shared processing infrastructure will expand the capacity of over a dozen BIPOC- and LGBTQ+-led farms to wash, store, and process food year-round. It's an investment in a more resilient future where farmers across the region can enter a food system designed for their success.The Elias Foundation is kindly subsidizing the cost of the dinner so that more of the proceeds can support the farmers' fund! @followers
Friday, October 9th at 6pm at the Barn at Vassar College! RSVPs required at [email protected]. Contributions for the farm collective can be made ahead of time. We can also arrange car pools.The WEBATUCK VALLEY FARM COLLABORATIVE (WVFC), established in 2023, is a regional food sovereignty and farm cooperative development initiative rooted in a larger movement for cultural reclamation, economic & racial justice, and community healing. Rock Steady Farm, Sweet Freedom Farm, and WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village leveraged a ten-year partnership to transform local farming, economic opportunity, and food access. They aim to remove barriers to entry for Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ+ beginning farmers in ways that support the prosperity of our communities and the future of our planet.The current food system is built on exploited labor and land, leaving many hungry and malnourished despite excess and waste. WVFC works with communities within, against, and beyond this broken system to build resilient local economies. Their organizations collaboratively support New York State farmers through land access, training and apprenticeships, shared infrastructure, equipment and product aggregation, advocacy, community events, and employment. They advance land-based liberation by training young land stewards, supporting beginning farmers with land access, growing nutrient-dense and culturally relevant food and medicine, and distributing their harvests to families impacted by food scarcity or state violence.
All are welcome and please share widely. We have several new people to WESPAC this summer. This gathering on September 16th would be a lovely introduction to the broader social justice community: @followers