WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AMHERST

There is a lot going on in Amherst this fall. Here is a listing of some select events.

Saturday November 16. Jones Library Book and Bake Sale. 9 AM – 3 PM.
Jones Library. NEW books, DVDs, CDs at bargain prices, sponsored by the Friends of the Jones Libraries. Bake Sale features local recipes from “The Well Read Cook” cookbook. Jones Library totes and Tshirts make great gifts

Saturday November 16. A Celebration of the Amherst Community History Mural.  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM @ Amherst West Cemetery Downtown A Celebration of the Amherst Community History Mural & Artist David Fichter Light Refreshments & Cider Amherst Area Gospel Choir Performance The Amherst Downtown BID cordially invites you to join us as we Honor the Amherst Community History Mural Completion in West Cemetery . The artist will be present The mural was redone when the buildings were demolished to make way for One East Pleasant development. David Fichter worked over the summer and early fall to recreate the mural with a few new additions. The original mural was commissioned by the Amherst Historical Commission who wanted to bring attention to the historic West Cemetery. The event will feature donuts and cider donated by Atkins Family Farms – (Howard Atkins is featured on the mural as the orchardist on the ladder).

Monday, November 18. Forum on Housing and Economic Development. 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM @ Amherst Survival Center. Guest Speaker Housing Choice Program Director Chris Kluchman will explain the linkages between housing and economic development.

Tuesday November 19.  Book Discussion: Democracy in Chains. https://www.umass.edu/history/event/book-discussion-group-democracy-chains-0Jones Library, Woodbury Room.  7-8 PM.  Join the Jones Library’s Civics and Democracy Series, the UMass Amherst History Department and the Center for Popular Economics for a community discussion of “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America” by award-winning historian Nancy MacLean.  Democracy in Chains is an explosive exposé of the little-known thinker behind the radical right’s relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, stop action on climate change, and alter the Constitution. A finalist for the National Book Award, it has been described by Publishers Weekly as “a thoroughly researched and gripping narrative… [and] a feat of American intellectual and political history.” Booklist called it “perhaps the best explanation to date of the roots of the political divide that threatens to irrevocably alter American government.”

The conversation will be facilitated by economist and educator Francisco Perez of the Center for Popular Economics.  Copies of the book are available at the Jones Library, through the CWMars Library System and at your friendly neighborhood bookseller.

Tuesday, November 19. 7-9 PM. Discussion- Amplifying Hate: White Supremacy and Social Media/ Tuesday,.  Bangs Community Center. Karuna Center for Peacebuilding and Critical Connections are co-convening the discussion series “Understanding the Many Dimensions of White Identity: Politics, Power, and Prejudice,” to explore the history, prevalence, and resurgence of political action based in white identity. This series will examine how white identity has the power to shape violent movements, as well as the root causes, fears, and prejudices that allow white supremacist ideology to exist in its less visible dimensions. Speakers will analyze the manifestation of white supremacist ideology in recent elections and voting patterns, and the pervasiveness of hate speech in social media—while discussing means to address these trends, including by understanding our communities’ own role in either perpetuating or countering harmful systems and ideologies. People of all racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds are encouraged and welcomed to attend. Each event will also allow ample opportunity for discussion and dialogue with speakers and among attendees. This series is made possible through the generous support of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.  On November 19 join Dr. Whitney Phillips (Syracuse University), who will discuss how white supremacist groups have used social media platforms to incite violence against communities of color and the challenges inherent in curbing online hate speech. ​

Thursday, November 21st at 7:00pm. Talk. Amherst Books.
Jim Boyce will talk about his two new books, The Case for Carbon Dividends, & Economics for People & the Planet: Inequality in the Era of Climate Change.   Boyce, is a senior fellow at the Political Economy Research Institute & Professor Emeritus of Economics, UMass, Amherst.   His previous books include Economics, the Environment, & Our Common Wealth, Reclaiming Nature, Natural Assets, & The Political Economy of the Environment. 

Monday November 25. Public Forum on Amherst Public Schools. Town Room, Town Hall. 6:00 PM.

Monday, December 2. State of the Town Address. 6 PM. Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium.

Monday, Dec 2. Talk. Can We Build a Social Media That’s Good for Society? Ethan Zuckerman. 4 PM. UMass Integrative Learning Center 3rd Floor Communications Hub. Ethan Zuckerman, director of the MIT Center for Civic Media and associate professor of the practice at the MIT Media Lab, will talk about what it would mean to build social media expressly designed to strengthen democratic society.

Tuesday, December 3. Public Listening Sessions on Planned Capital Projects.
Tuesday, December 3rd at 3:30 p.m. at Bangs Center Large Activity Room
Tuesday, December 3rd at 7:00 p.m. at Crocker Farm Elementary School, Cafeteria

Tuesday December 3. UMass Jazz Ensemble Concert. 7:30 PM. Bowker Auditorium. The Department of Music and Dance presents a concert by Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Jeffery W. Holmes.

Wednesday. December 4. Talk: The Teacher’s Strike Wave. Eric Blanc
5:00 PM. Goodell Hall, Bernie Dallas Room. Eric Blanc is the author of the book “Red State Revolt: The Teachers’ Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics” (Verso, 2019).

Monday, December 9. Public Listening Sessions on Planned Capital Projects
Monday, December 9th at 3:00 p.m. at Fort River Elementary School, Cafeteria
Monday, December 9th at 6:00 p.m. at Wildwood Elementary School, Cafeteria