From: Chloe Buck Date: November 4, 2024 Subject: HOMES - 11/04 Newsletter
Hi, everyone!
Good morning and happy Monday! With Election Day just around the corner, we know this week might feel a bit overwhelming, especially as the semester really kicks into gear. Remember to check in with yourself and prioritize your mental health—it’s important to make space for community and support during busy times like these. One great way to get involved and stay connected is by joining City Life/Vida Urbana at their weekly tenant organizing meetings. City Life is a 50+ year-old grassroots organization fighting for racial, social, and economic justice through direct action, coalition building, education, and advocacy. They hold meetings every Tuesday (in English) in Jamaica Plain and every Wednesday (in Spanish) in East Boston to build community and inform people about their housing rights. If you'd like to attend a meeting with members of HOMES this week, please fill out the Google form below!
Greater Boston Tenants Union Is Collecting Items for Its Library of Tenant Things! GBTU North local is asking for donations to the Library of Tenant Things, which will be an inventory of tools to lend to tenants as we fight for long-term solutions. They are primarily looking for space heaters, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and air conditioners. Email gbtunorth@gmail.com if you have any of these items or would like to help out!
Build Community With a Movie Night! Join Boston University Students for Palestine tonight at 7:45 pm in CAS224 for a screening of West Beirut. “In 1975, the long slog of civil war has recently begun in Beirut. A high school student named Tarek (Rami Doueiri) is thrilled by all the chaos and upheaval because he no longer needs to go to school. Plus, he finds negotiations between West and East Beirut interesting. Tarek is accompanied by his buddy Omar (Mohamad Chamas) as the two shoot Super 8 films of the tumult around them. The jovial mood takes a tragic turn when Tarek’s parents start fighting over whether or not to flee Beirut.” Find out more about the film here.
Join Your Neighbors for an Election Day Watch Party! Join the Boston University Party for Socialism and Liberation for two parties on what is sure to be the most stressful night of the year. Regardless of the outcome of the election, our fight continues. In Roxbury, there will be an event at the Boston Liberation Center (194 Blue Hill Ave) from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. In Cambridge, there will be an event at Andala Cafe (downstairs, 286 Franklin St.) from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm as well. Space is limited for the Cambridge event, so RSVP here to guarantee your spot.
Get Studious About Housing Justice!Warm Up Boston and the Abolitionist Learning Zone are co-hosting a reading group centered around the theme of an abolitionist approach to housing justice this Wednesday, November 6th at 6:00 pm. The panel will feature organizers from Warm Up Boston and The Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending. Per the event description, "As a primer to the month's speaker panel, we're reading and debriefing together texts on the commodification of housing, abolitionist approaches to housing justice, and the first chapter of Homelessness is a Housing Problem by Gregg Colburn and Clayton Aldern. Scan the QR code [on the flyer] for a PDF. Join our email list for the Zoom link." For more information about getting involved with the Abolitionist Learning Zone, check them out here.
Get Vocal at Liberation Open Mic Night! Join the Boston Liberation Center and the Party for Socialism and Liberation for an open mic night this Friday, November 8th from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm at 194 Blue Hill Ave in Roxbury. This event will feature Guille, who is a "Boston-based spoken word artist and critical scholar. His work addresses ideas of love, oppression, politics, and positionality. All Ages - children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. SPACE LIMITED, ARRIVE EARLY!" Doors open at 7:00 pm.
Help Members of the Community Apply for Temporary Protected Status to Stay in the US Without Fear of Deportation! The BU Immigrants Rights Clinic is working to help staff Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Clinics on November 8th and 15th from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Use this link to sign up to volunteer for one of the clinics! The training will take place on November 7th in the law tower. They will also be hosting a TPS Clinic Workshop in Room 209 from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm to provide more information about TPS and the application process, which is open to all students regardless of whether you can volunteer or not. RSVP here for the workshop and/or clinics! Please reach out to Ivana (wijedasa@bu.edu) or Danna (dplopez@bu.edu) with any questions or concerns.
Hoes 4 Harm Redux! This Saturday, November 9th from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, join the Boston Sex Workers and Allies Collective for a night of food and discussion in Cambridge. Per the event description, "Join us for an evening of mutual aid and knowledge sharing about how sex workers, people who use drugs, and queer folks practice harm reduction. We will be joined by community partners Boston Food Not Bombs, AHOPE, Smoke Works, the Cambridge Department of Public Health, Mutual Aid is Magic, and Pineapple Support. Come learn and connect with us as we share resources, eat a delicious meal, and discuss the role of harm reduction in sex-working and drug-using communities. To register as a virtual participant in the community discussion portion of the event, please click here. We are a sliding-scale event with a range of $0-$50. No one will be refused due to lack of funds. All donations will go to the Boston Sex Workers and Allies Collective. Accessibility notes: We are a masked event. If you forget, masks will be provided! Please take a COVID-19 test before you come to the event. We are a low-scent event. Please avoid wearing any harsh perfumes or fragrances. We are wheelchair accessible and we have an accessible bathroom. The space we will gather in is not a safe consumption site. Please note that this event is 18+."
Nuestra Liberacion-Socialism in Latin America! Mark your calendars for November 15th because the Boston Party for Socialism and Liberation is hosting an event from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Boston Liberation Center. Further details will be announced later, so stay tuned to their Instagram or our weekly newsletters to find out more.
Here are some more upcoming events that might be of interest to you all:
We hope you all have a fantastic week! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to any HOMES board member for help. Stay strong and keep up the good fight!
Have you joined our GroupMe? If not, click here to stay updated on important events and communications.
Sign up for City Life/Vida Urbana’s Action Alert emails!
Stay up-to-date with City Life’s organizing by joining their mailing list here. City Life sends out emails in both English and Spanish with time-critical event information.
Do you know who your landlord is? If not, click here for more information on how to find out.
Want to check your landlord's housing code compliance? Or do you just have some free time on your hands? Check out the following Housing Code Checklist. If you notice any issues, remember you have a right to unionize.
For more information on unionizing (either joining a pre-existing tenants union or building one with your neighbors), check out the Greater Boston Tenants Unionhere.
On Friday, November 8 at 6:00 PM in room 204, the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) and the Health Justice Practicum will host a documentary screening of "Dawnland." We will be serving food and refreshments.
"Dawnland" is a documentary film about the harms of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and indigenous people’s experience of the family regulation and child welfare system in Maine. The film follows the first government-sanctioned truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) in the United States, which investigated the devastating impact of Maine’s child welfare practices on the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribal communities, who collectively make up the Wabanaki people. Hope to see you there!
