AN INDEPENDENT ARTS AND CULTURE GUIDE
ART BY: Join United American Indians of New England (UAINE) at 53rd National Day of Mourning “We will continue to gather on this hill till corporations and the U.S. military Since 1970, Indigenous people have gathered at noon on Cole’s Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning (NDOM) while the US observes its thanksgiving holiday. Many Native people do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims and other European settlers. The holiday is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture. Participants in NDOM honor Indigenous ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as a protest of the racism and oppression that Native people continue to experience. The NDOM protest was founded in 1970 by Wamsutta Frank James, an Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal member, when then MA Governor Sargent refused to allow Wamsutta to give a speech at a banquet commemorating the 350th landing of the Pilgrims, calling his speech “inflammatory”. The speech that Wamsutta instead delivered in Plymouth was based on historical fact instead of the hollow fiction portrayed in the thanksgiving myth. (The full speech can be read at UAINE.org) Protesters will gather again on Cole’s Hill this year on Thursday November 24th. As Moonanum James, son of Wamsutta Frank James and the late co-leader of UAINE, said to the crowd at the 2019 NDOM:
stop polluting the Earth. Until we dismantle the brutal apparatus of mass incarceration. We will not stop until the oppression of our Two-Spirit siblings is a thing of the past. When the homeless have homes. When children are no longer taken from their parents and locked in cages. When the Palestinians reclaim the homeland and the autonomy Israel has denied them for the past 70 years. When no person goes hungry or is left to die, because they have little or no access to quality health care. When insulin is free. When union busting is a thing of the past. Until then, the struggle will continue.” *Interested in participating? Get on the NDOM Bus, which departs from “The Brewery” in JP at 10 AM on Nov. 24th. Details and Eventbrite reservations can be found at www.facebook bit.ly/NDOM2022. The event can be viewed virtually on the livestream by Sunny Singh of www.hate5six.com.
—Kisha James
Notes From The Crew: Working On Work Culture Happy November, friends! Always glad to be asked to write this here “Notes From The Crew” (NFTC) column because it’s truly the best way to hear directly from us—the volunteers, staff and leadership of Brain Arts Org, Boston Compass Newspaper, and Dorchester Art Project. Last NFTC, we heard from BCN Contributor Stephen about how we are now paying all contributors that help produce the newspaper, and how this is a major milestone for our organization. Surely we will mention it in the press, social media, and our mailing lists eventually, but NFTC readers hear about these big updates first, so kudos to YOU, family. For this month I
wanted to talk a little bit about the work culture here at Brain Arts Org, because it is something that we have been working on (naturally) in our 10 years as a nonprofit and has now actually become a program in itself and prioritized above all other efforts in the past two years. We have learned unequivocally that it is not worth doing our arts advocacy and cultural programs if we can’t ensure the health and wellness of our people first. Now, this is challenging work already (ask an HR head!) but it is especially hard for groups or initiatives that are limited to volunteer and part-time workers. I think some of these grassroots efforts and small businesses often care more about their people than their corporate counterparts do, but sadly, they possess only a fraction of the resources it takes to create and truly protect a healthy work culture.
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LAYOUT DESIGN:
Phoebe Delmonte: p.1, 4, 5 Hannah Blauner: p.2, 3, 7 Adrian Alvarez: p.6, 8 THIS PAPER IS AN ONGOING PROJECT OF BRAIN ARTS ORGANIZATION, INC., A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO, VOLUNTEERING OR OTHERWISE SUPPORTING US: BRAIN-ARTS.ORG
THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY A GRANT FROM THE BOSTON CULTURAL COUNCIL, A LOCAL AGENCY WHICH IS FUNDED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS CULTURAL COUNCIL, AS ADMINSTRATED BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ARTS + CULTURE