White Supremacy Culture –  What It Is And What To Do About It

Racism often refers to acts of overt, intentional prejudice and a social order that debases people of color while glorifying whiteness. But white supremacy is a systemic and structural phenomenon woven throughout our culture—rather than just the work of racist individuals who intentionally and maliciously discriminate. Our institutions and social practices themselves prop up white advantage and protect white communities, while making communities of color vulnerable to exploitation, domination, and violence.

What actions are needed to repair ourselves in order to identify and dismantle white supremacy culture? This discussion will incorporate the pre-session resources listed below. Click on the link or copy the URL into your search bar to have a look. General discussion will follow Mary’s presentation. Please take part.


VFW $12 Pot Roast Meal to Go Saturday April 17th from 4pm-6:30pm Public Welcome

Pot roast to-go meal Saturday April 17th from 4 pm – 6:30 pm. Meal will be pot roast, mashed potato, brown sugar carrots, roll, gravy and red raspberry pie for $12 each.

No need to get out of your vehicle. Just drive up to the glass doors on the hall side, tell us your name and the number of meals ordered, and we will bring everything to you. When you call to reserve your meals, let us know name, time of pick-up and amount of meals needed.


Brattleboro Dog and Wolf-Hybrid Licenses Are Due April 1

Brattleboro dog and wolf-hybrid licenses are due on or before April 1. Vermont dogs and wolf-hybrids 6 months of age and older must be licensed on or before April 1.  For dogs not previously licensed in Brattleboro, a new dog license application form is available on the www.brattleboro.orgwebsite; go to Departments; Town Clerk; on the right-hand side bar is a section on Dogs.  From that page on the right side bar look at Licensing a New Dog.   Licenses being renewed may be processed in the Town Clerk’s office (by using the drop box in the Municipal Center parking lot), through the mail or online at www.brattleboro.org.  


Last Week for Curbside Orders from the Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market!

And then there was 1…just 1 more chance to order for curbside pick up from the15th season of the Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market – a season unlike any others!

Go to our online store, open now through Thursday morning at 9AM! Place an order for your weekly provisions like beets, carrots, greens, garlic, eggs, meat, cheese and bread, special treats, handmade soaps along with lovely handcrafted gifts. There’s also seeds for your gardens, preserves, teas, syrups, tinctures and more!


Rock the Boat by Sandglass Theater featured in this week’s Winter Sunshine Series

This week’s virtual Winter Sunshine Series features “Rock the Boat” by Sandglass Theater. It is a puppet show for young audiences that explores themes of migration, refugees, inclusion and respectful curiosity. It aims to get young audiences thinking about relocation, displacement and the interconnectedness of racial, climate and social justice. The production addresses attitudes about acceptance of those who come from other countries and cultures, and provides a narrative in which there is room for everyone in an inclusive society.


Plant Trees with 350Vermont this Spring!

Rewild Brattleboro
Planting trees, sowing justice, growing community

350VT’s statewide Rewild Vermont project builds on synergies between food justice, climate action, and ecological restoration, and we’re excited to dig in locally! Fill out this google form to reserve trees to be planted this spring, either as an individual or as an organization.


Nursing Home Selectivity

Nursing homes are the kind of places that care for the sickest and most vulnerable among us. That is certainly true and, for the most part, these facilities do an excellent job of caring, comforting and maximizing the potential of their residents.

But there is one area of nursing home policy that has always bothered me and when I talk to people about it they are surprised unless they have had experience with the rules around admission and discharge.

Nursing homes interview patients before admission to make sure they can provide the proper care for a potential resident. That is a standard process and it protects both the patient and the facility. There are times when admission is not appropriate and when that happens families end up in a state of chaos.


Pot Roast Meal To Go at the Brattleboro VFW April 17th! Public Welcome

Thank you to everyone that came out and supported the VFW for our turkey to go meal that we had March 13th. It was a great success, and we appreciate all the people that ordered from us!

It’s a bit early, but mark your calendar for our next meal and let us do the cooking for you. Saturday April 17th we are offering a pot roast to go meal with pick up times from 4pm – 6:30pm.


Growing Old Is Not For Sissies

As we age our bodies, with few exceptions, start wearing out. Every creature lives and dies and in between those two ends they age. Some of us are able to accept aging better than others but no matter our outlook, we all have to deal with bodily changes that annoy and pain us.

As parts wear out such as knees and hips it can become a matter of choosing the right time to replace them now that we have the technology and expertise available to us. Most people that choose to have new knees and hips are happy with the outcome and they are able to get on with their lives much easier with less pain and greater mobility. Those are the relatively easy aging body parts to deal with.


Brattleboro VFW Turkey To Go Dinner $12 – Open to the Public – Call by March 12th

It’s back! $12 Brattleboro VFW turkey to-go meal on Saturday March 13th. Turkey, gravy, mashed potato, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce and your choice of blueberry pie or chocolate cake with homemade peanut butter frosting. You will have to call in your meal orders by Friday March 12th and let us know time for pick up, number of meals needed, number to call back, and choice of dessert.

Pick up times are between 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm. Public is welcome. Drive up to the glass doors, pay for your meals and we will bring them out to your car. No need to even get out of your vehicle. Orders must be in by Friday March 12th. Call 802-257-0438 and leave a message. You will receive a confirmation call in return.


No Hope For Reform

As the pandemic unfolded it became clear how dysfunctional the American health care system is. There was even talk among a wide range of people about the urgency for the need for systemic reform. Sadly, when legislators talk that way nothing usually happens. They recognize the problem, say something must be done and then move on to the next pressing issue. Anyone remember gun control?

This has been the case both nationally and on a state level. The Biden administration has done a few things that will tinker with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to undo some of the damage that the previous administration did and make insurance a little more affordable for some people, but it is unlikely they will make any bold moves when it comes to health care reform.


Ten Years Since Fukushima

March 11 2021 marks ten years since Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, destroying 85,000 homes and businesses. By 2021 the country could have rebuilt but for a disaster that continues today: the meltdown of three nuclear reactors in Fukushima, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The reactors were Mark 1 boiling water reactors, the same type and age as Vermont Yankee. Vermonters witnessed horrific stories coming from refugees in the Fukushima evacuation zone and beyond, reactors exploding and radioactivity filling the air, land, water and groundwater. All these tragedies continue in Japan today. In 2014, Vermont Yankee shut down; today, its 900 tons of nuclear waste remains on site, beside the Connecticut River.