Cardboard sign with "WE DEMAND BELLAVANCE, CAMPBELL, & CORROW BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY" written in silver block letters outlined in black.

Statement of Solidarity with Battery Park Encampment

The Peace & Justice Center staff stand in solidarity with the protest encampment outside the Burlington Police Department. We share the demands of the protesters: Terminate officers Cory Campbell, Jason Bellavance, and Joseph Corrow. These officers have demonstrated violent tendencies, especially toward black men.1 There is no room for this in the world and there is certainly no room for it in Burlington.   The encampment started following a…

Racism Isn’t a Mental Illness and Bigotry Isn’t a Disability

Racism Isn’t a Mental Illness and Bigotry Isn’t a Disability

-Moirha Smith, UVM student and former PJC Intern  Since July was minority mental health month and disablility Pride month, I decided to write about these intersections and how these identities are intersected with police brutality. Racism isn’t a mental illness and bigotry isn’t a disability.  I cannot count how many times I have heard that racists are mentally ill…

Say What You Mean

Say What You Mean

-Kina Thorpe, PJC Educational Program Manager The beautiful thing about language is that it is constantly evolving. Sometimes it is hard to keep track of what words are “in” and what words are “out”. Especially in the world of social justice, we are always creating new terms to be more precise. An example of this…

Defund the Police & Abolish ICE!: Building Solidarity in the Fight Against the Carceral State

Defund the Police & Abolish ICE!: Building Solidarity in the Fight Against the Carceral State

-By Kina Thorpe, Dayna Stimson, and Ashley Smith, Community Voices for Immigrant Rights Video: United in the Fight for Liberation. Message from people inside Mesa Verde Detention Center in solidarity with Black Lives Matter Movement. The Black-led multiracial working-class uprising against police brutality is the most significant social movement in decades and the largest wave…

How has COVID-19 affected BIPOC and Mental Health?

How has COVID-19 affected BIPOC and Mental Health?

-Moirha Smith, PJC Intern This article is about the effects of COVID-19 on students of color and their mental health. Two students are first-generation college students. The pandemic has increased the vulnerability of minorities who are already marginalized. Interviews were conducted by a Black identifying student.   Interview #1 How has the pandemic affected you?…