From: Housing, Organizing, & Movement Empowerment Society
Date: November 25, 2024
Subject: HOMES - 11/25 Newsletter


Hi, everyone!


Good morning, and happy Monday! As always, 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. Let us know if you have any concerns over transportation, and we can help. If you'd like to attend a meeting with members of HOMES this week, please fill out the Google form below!

Weekly Sign Up for City Life/Vida Urbana Meetings

Sword & Shield Housing Justice Coalition Meeting!
BU HOMES is hosting one final event before we take a short break for the winter holidays next Friday, December 6th from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm in room 204! Join the City Life/Vida Urbana organizers, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau students and faculty, and peers at BU to discuss the housing justice movement and opportunities to get involved. Food will be provided! Sword & Shield is a pro-housing coalition of organizers, law students, and law faculty in the greater Boston area that meets biweekly to discuss the state of the movement, brainstorm new ideas, and build community. Today's meeting will be co-facilitated by BU Law Professor Naomi Mann and an organizer with City Life/Vida Urbana. Find out more here!

Block the MIT Ban!
"We scholars, journalists, and people of conscience stand in full solidarity with Written Revolution chief editor Prahlad Lyengar and Linguistics Professor Michel DeGraff as they face targeted attacks, bans, and unjust punitive action from MIT. Please sign our petition at blocktheban.org. If you are a journalist interested in connecting with us please email eyesonmit@gmail.com." Find out more here.

Get Crafty with Boston Industrial Workers! 
Join Warm Up Boston and Boston Industrial Workers of the World for a Fall Craft Fair to support community organizing, not corporations, this Black Friday! The event will take place on Friday, November 29th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Lucy Parsons Center (358 Center St, JP). Masks will be required and provided. More information can be found here.

Solve the Housing Crisis by Abolishing Rent!
"Join authors Tracy Rosenthal and Leonardo Vilchis on December 15th at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern for an online book event celebrating Abolish Rent, hosted by ATUN. Register at bit.ly/ATUN-abolish-rent." Find out more here.

"How do we solve the housing crisis? Two of LATU’s co-founders wrote a book to answer that question, grounded in the expertise of LATU members who are organizing to take back control over their housing, their neighborhoods, and their lives. It’s the first book-length engagement with the resurgent tenant movement, and hopes to offer unions across the country a springboard to deepen our commitment to transforming our housing system and to reflect on tactics that will bring us closer to that goal. As we face new challenges in rising real estate consolidation under rising fascism, this event will be an opportunity for ATUN members to think deeply together about overcoming our fear, growing tenant power, organizing buildings, and claiming the territory of our cities."

Boston: We Fight Back!
On Inauguration Day, January 20th, join the Boston Party for Socialism and Liberation at 1:00 pm in Boston Common (Parkman Bandstand) to "demand a future that centers the needs of the people over the interests of the wealthy elite! Raise your voice for workers’ rights, immigrant rights, and environmental justice. We demand an end to the genocide in Gaza, the U.S. war machine, and the rule of billionaires!" More information can be found here.

Here are some more upcoming events that might be of interest to you all:

We hope you all have a good week! Stay strong, and keep up the good fight!

In solidarity,

BU HOMES
Boston University School of Law
Greg Bowe, Co-President
Danna Lopez-Flores, Co-President
Angel Yi, Treasurer
Chloe Buck, Secretary
Zoie Valencia, Community Liaison
Thomas Hontz, Education & Training Lead
Will Kleisner, Substantive Law Specialist
Eliza Thorpe, Outreach Chair
Looking for the Progressive Equivalent of FedSoc?
BU Law has its very own chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG). "The National Lawyers Guild is a progressive public interest association of lawyers, law students, paralegals, jailhouse lawyers, law collective members, and other activist legal workers, in the United States." In particular, the "Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild works to change the structure of our political and economic system. We seek to unite the legal community with organizers and activists in the service of the people, to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests." To get involved with the BU chapter, click here or reach out to Eliza Thorpe.

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!

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 Union here.

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.

Show Solidarity with Palestine Through Fundraising Outside the GSU Every Friday From 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm! They will be selling keffiyehs for $25 and stickers for $3 (or 3 for $8)! 12:10 pm - 2:00 pm every Friday, there will also be a lovely henna artist who has volunteered her services in exchange for donations! Come support and bring your friends!! All the proceeds are donated to mutual aid in Gaza. More information can be found here.

Sword and Shield Housing Justice Coalition Meeting on Friday, 06 December 2024 At 3:00 PM. No image description provided

EVENT

Sword & Shield Housing Justice Coalition Meeting

clock Friday, December 6, 2024
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
CalendarAdd to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

*****UPDATE*****
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances involving COVID, we have to cancel today's Sword and Shield meeting. We will still be gathering in the same room to enjoy the snacks that we got for the event (we have a lot!) and you are welcome to join. If you want to learn more about BU HOMES or City Life/Vida Urbana, we would also be happy to tell you all about it and how to get involved.

Look out for a rescheduled event next semester!

************************************************************************************

Join the City Life/Vida Urbana organizers, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau students and faculty, and peers at BU to discuss the housing justice movement and opportunities to get involved. Sword & Shield is a pro-housing coalition of organizers, law students, and law faculty in the greater Boston area that meets biweekly to discuss the state of the movement, brainstorm new ideas, and build community. Today's meeting is co-hosted by BU Law Professor Naomi Mann and an organizer with City Life/Vida Urbana.
REGISTER