In 2013 my wife and I had plans to return to Vermont from our home in Rwanda so she could give birth to our first child. As a human rights researcher and investigator, I had one more trip to conduct in the Central African Republic.
On Friday, Oct.19, Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivors Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg and Alex Wind visited Burlington as part of their March for Our Lives tour. They spoke at the First Unitarian Universalist Society, which was packed with people, sitting on the ground in the back and pulling chairs up as well.
The Student Awareness Curriculum & Training (ACT) committee revolves around the principle of preventing sexual violence through a cultural shift at Champlain Valley Union High School. The formation of Student ACT began with the two founding members, Chiara Antonioli and Walter Braun, reaching out to trusted faculty about both the prevalence of this issue and the change they wanted to see within the school. From there, a select 14 students were brought together to create the Student ACT Committee.
On Monday, Dec.11, 2017, the Social Justice Ministry of Charlotte Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) joined at least nine other faith communities in Vermont in hosting vigils called #endgunviolence. These vigils were held on or around the 5th anniversary of the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, with the awareness that since Newtown there have been many more mass shootings in the United States.