Beloved Syracuse Beacon
“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
George Santayana
ARCHIVE ENTRY: July 26, 2017
Action Alerts
This week in our work to transform Syracuse, eliminate poverty, and create equality:
Final Unity Day: Community Engagement
August 04, 2017
When: Friday, August 4th, from 3-7 pm Where: Wilson Park Address: 1117 S McBride, Syracuse, NY
The “Unity Day: Community Engagement” is an event for everyone to learn about Trauma, Gun Violence, and Health and Education. This day is far more than just informative sessions, however. Sponsored by the Snug and Soy Program, the Unity Day event is meant to build friendships between people who value social justice and the well-being of Syracuse.
There will be free food and a DJ Showcase at the event, along with a kickball tournament for some friendly competition. With all the demanding work done by the ACTS Community, a day filled with fun and relaxation is more than deserved. Let’s get out and enjoy the Summer heat while it lasts! For more information call 315-415-0995.
HELP NEEDED: For those who want to undertake an active role in the event, we have an opportunity for you! ACTS has had a table for each of the previous “Unity Day” events this summer, and will reserve a table once again for Friday, August 4th. Volunteers are needed to man this table, and will engage with the grassroots community about the importance of voter registration. Among other things, table volunteers will survey residents from the South Side of Syracuse to discover which issues affect them most. Voter registration forms will be provided, and the goal will be to get more of our neighbors involved in the political discussions of this city. For inquiries or information, email ACTS President Dave Babcock at: dave.babcock21@gmail.com
Hiroshima Day at the Lily Pond
August 06, 2017
When: Sunday, August 6th, 5pm to Dusk Where: Thornden Park Lily Pond Address: Thornden Park Dr, Syracuse, NY
The Syracuse Peace Council will be hosting the annual Hiroshima Day Family Picnic in remembrance of the nuclear attack at Hiroshima as well as working towards a nuclear free world. We will be hosting peace games, crafting, lantern floating and Nia and Salsa classes for kids and adults! Food will be provided by With Love Restaurant, Wegmans and others. Bring a dish to share if you please. Hope to see you there!
Nagasaki Remembrance Day Procession through Syracuse
August 09, 2017
When: Wednesday, August 9, 11:30 am, Where: Hannover Square (start point), Address: Hannover Sq., Syracuse, NY 13202
On Nagasaki Day, members of the Syracuse community will be remembering and dedicating themselves to preventing nuclear terror in a solemn procession downtown. The procession will feature puppets and props symbolic of both the atrocities of nuclear war and our pledge to a nuclear free world. Gather in Hanover Square at 11:30am, the procession will begin at 12pm. You may bring your own signs or borrow some provided.
Present Tense: Selections from "The A-Bomb and Humanity"
August 09, 2017
Various Times and Locations: Click below to view schedule and learn more
"The A-Bomb and Humanity" is a set of 40 panels which depict in photographs and drawings the reality of human suffering created when the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by atomic bombs at the end of World War II. In an effort to promote peace and move public opinion towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, a survivors’ (Hibakusha) organization produced the panels and Japanese consumer co-op unions have shared them throughout Japan and the world. We must work for a nuclear free future if we are to have a future at all.
Weekly Community Events
If you are an ACTS Member Organization and have an upcoming social justice event please email Ryan Ivers at rivers2@oswego.edu
7-26-17
Weekly Stories
Together we came closer to our goals. Let's reflect on the vital work we have done:
ACTS Youth Council Brings Multiculturalism to School Lunches
The ACTS Youth Council presented their new project proposal to the Syracuse City School Board earlier this week. In response to their peer's concerns about school-food variety and nutrition, the Youth Council's project aims to reform the status-quo of midday meals. After surveying 200 students from four district high schools, the Youth Council found that 93.9% of students believed the menu needed change. Apparently, the Syracuse School Board could not agree more. The Board has decided to approve the project for this fall. Syracuse.com wrote an article about the presentation and its successful reception. To read the Syracuse.com article, click below:
First "Alternatives to Violence Project" Training Covered by NCC News
The ACTS Community Violence and Youth (CV&Y) Task Force successfully held its first “Alternatives to Violence Project” training session from July 14-16. Several ACTS Youth Council members were in attendance, along with many others from around the Syracuse community. New House Communication News covered the training with an article and short audio- interview.
The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) was founded by prisoners in 1971. Today, AVP is active in 35 states and 40 nations around the world. ACTS has worked hard to bring this wonderful opportunity to Syracuse. With this training complete, the CV&Y Task Force now looks toward future AVP opportunities.
Mayoral Candidates Respond to Syracuse Lead Crisis
"This city has one of the worst lead paint problems in the nation," writes Chris Baker, fromSyracuse.com
Most still connect "lead crisis" with the catastrophic lead poisoning that occured in Flint, Michigan. However, since the Flint Water Crisis hit national headlines in 2016, the media has been eerily quiet about one of America's growing problems. As Baker's article reminds us, aging utility infrastructure and poor housing standards have sustained a problem that should have been resolved decades ago. In Syracuse, it is not our water, but the paint on the walls of low-income housing that is the lead-poisoning culprit. Many of the affected homes belong to families with young children, who are especially susceptible to malignant effects. Syracuse.com decided to ask each Mayoral Candidate how they would address this serious issue. Click the button below to read more:
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