Eesha Williams's Blog, page 53
February 17, 2020
Antibalas to Play Greenfield
The Afropop band Antibalas will play at the Hawks and Reed night club in Greenfield on March 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance or $36 at the door. The band's current tour includes stops in Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, New York City, and Europe. One of the best known Afropop performers is Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, who lived from 1938 until 1997. His music is for dancing. Kuti's lyrics often criticized the dictator of Nigeria.
February 14, 2020
CJ Chenier Concert is Feb. 14
CJ Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band will play at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on February 14 at 7 p.m. CJ Chenier was born in 1957. According to his web site, he spent his childhood in the tough tenement housing projects of Port Arthur, Texas.
Chenier played with Ringo Starr on Paul Simon's album Rhythm of the Saints. Chenier performed with Simon on a concert tour. A video of CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band performing live is at:
Stop & Shop Kills Thousands of Trees
On February 13 in Northampton, about 25 people attended a march, with rallies before and after. They were protesting Stop & Shop’s involvement in the destruction of the Amazon rain forest. Details are available via the web site of one of the groups that organized the march: www.xrWesternMass.org. Workers at the River Valley food co-op in Northampton are union members. The below photo shows the second rally. To enlarge the photo click on it, then scroll down and click “see full size image....
February 7, 2020
Activists Take to the Streets
In Springfield on February 5 there was a rally to protest the U.S. senate's acquittal of Trump. The rally was outside city hall. “We had about 50 people, which was great considering we just posted the event less than 48 hours before,” organizer Jackie Neiman told the Valley Post. The organizers have a web site at www.RiseUpWesternMass.com.
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On February 13 at Mount Holyoke College there be a climate rally. It will be outside Blanchard Hall at 12:20 p.m. A campus map is at:
January 31, 2020
Land Saved
An all-volunteer group has protected thousands of acres near Brattleboro in recent years. “We just got a state grant for $116,000,” Carolyn Mayo-Brown told the Valley Post on January 31. She is a member of the Putney Mountain Association and is leading the group's effort to save land in Dummerston, Vermont. Dummerston borders Brattleboro. “With private donations and the grant we now have about $160,000.” The group needs another $40,000 or so to buy 55 acres in Dummerston. Mayo-Brown said she...
January 25, 2020
Holyoke Rally
On January 25 at 11 a.m. in Holyoke there will be a climate rally. The rally on the steps of city hall calls on Holyoke-based ISO New England to stop using the public's money to burn coal to generate electricity. Last year, ISO New England had $547 million in assets, according to its tax filings. More information about the rally is available from organizer Elizabeth Caretti Ramírez by phone at (215) 355-2145 or by e-mail at caretti.ramirez@gmail.com.
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January 18, 2020
Photos: Women's March
About 500 people took part in the Springfield Women's March on January 18. The organizers have a web site at www.PioneerValleyWomensMarch.org. The most frequently seen signs opposed Trump's policies and supported peace, justice, and environmental protection. To enlarge a photo, click on it, then scroll down and click "see full size image." Then you can click on the photo to zoom in more. photos by Eesha Williams
