Holschuh is a resident of Wantastegok (Brattleboro, Vt.) and an independent historic and cultural researcher. He has served on the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs and is a public liaison and tribal historic preservation officer for the Elnu Abenaki Tribe, members of the contemporary Indigenous community in Vermont. Rich is founder and director of the Atowi Project. His work draws on indigenous history, linguistics, geography, and culture to share beneficial ways of seeing and being in relationship with place.
The Lincoln Land Conservation Trust invites everyone to attend a Zoom meeting with state Sen. Mike Barrett on Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. In “We Got a Climate Bill for Massachusetts. Now What?” he’ll talk about the far-reaching climate bill that became law in Massachusetts this spring, what needs to be done to make sure it is fully implemented, and what concerned citizens in Lincoln can do to help. There will be time for Q&A. Click here to register for the Zoom link.
The LLCT’s mission includes helping Lincolnites learn more about climate change and what they can do about it. This presentation is co-sponsored by the First Parish in Lincoln Green Committee, St. Anne’s Climate Justice Ministry, and Lincoln Mothers Out Front.
At a MetroWest Climate Solutions panel discussion via Zoom on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m., three local residents will share their personal experiences on creating more climate-efficient homes efforts that extend well beyond adding basic insulation and programmable thermostats. Speakers include Bill Churchill of Lincoln, Sarah Maas Scheuplein of Weston, and Roger Wiegand of Wayland. Register at tinyurl.com/Retrofit2021.
MetroWest Climate Solutions is a growing partnership between First Parish in Wayland, First Parish Church in Weston, First Parish in Lincoln, the Congregational Church of Weston, Sustainable Weston Action Group, and other communities and individuals. Our mission is to share strategies for moving towards a low- and no-carbon-based society and economy and to suggest activities that enable individuals to help bring about solutions.
The Lincoln METCO Parent Board will host “Talking to Kids About Stereotypes and Invisibility of Indigenous Native Americans,” the second Diversity and Dialogue event honoring Native American Heritage Month on Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 6–7:30 p.m. Missing information and misinformation about the First Nations people of the Americas has made stereotypes hyper-visible and truths invisible. The journey of un-erasing Indigenous voices and learning what we were not taught or mistaught starts with accurate information. It continues by having conversations with families, friends, community members, and our children. Understanding tribal land acknowledgements is a next step in making Indigenous voices visible. Join Lincoln School teacher Claudia Fox Tree as she confronts “invisibility” and implicit bias, while focusing on how to engage children through books, videos, and conversations. A resource list with books and links to videos and articles will be provided. Click here to join the Zoom meeting (passcode: 994150).
The American Chestnut Foundation’s lead volunteer in Lincoln, Mark Meehl, will discuss the history of this tree and efforts to preserve its genetic diversity in town at a Conservation Department event on Thursday, Jan. 6 at 8 a.m. In this slide talk, he’ll share photos and videos of TACF’s current efforts and goals at the Flint Fields and Umbrello land. After the presentation you’ll hear updates from our Conservation Department and Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. Click here for the Zoom link (meeting ID: 913 6669 9916; passcode: 065122). Email conservation@lincolntown.org with any questions.
The First Parish Lincoln (FPL) Racial Justice Journey continues on Thursday, Jan. 6 from 7–9 p.m. with a Zoom screening of the PBS documentary “The Long Shadow,” which offers a summary of racism in America from its beginnings to recent times. Emmy Award- winning director Frances Causey traces her family’s legacy of plantation-owning in the South and continues into the 20th century. Click here to join the screening via Zoom (meeting ID: 987 9477 5010, passcode: 541766).
Lincoln’s GRALTA Foundation is co-sponsoring “Hope in the Midst of Calamity: A View from Palestine,” an online presentation by Bethlehem University professor and Palestine Museum of Natural History founder Mazin Qumsiyeh, on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. The event is hosted by the Community Church of Boston and co-sponsored by Muslims for Progressive Values and Jewish Voice for Peace. Qumsiyeh, a U.S. citizen, lives in Bethlehem and is an internationally known voice for Palestinian science and rights. He is co-founder of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability. Click here to join the Zoom meeting (meeting ID: 895 5257 5898, password: 246499).
How did Boston’s western suburbs become the largely white and affluent communities they are today? Lily Geismer, Associate Professor of History at Claremont McKenna College, examines the results of post-war federal policies and local suburbanization and their impacts on race and class in residential patterns in Lincoln and surrounding towns. Geismer is author of Don’t Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party and Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality. Elise Lemire, author of Black Walden, writes in the introduction to Don’t Blame Us: “This is local history at its finest, both particular in its questions and far reaching with its answers. I will never see my hometown of Lincoln, Massachusetts, in quite the same way again.”
Co-sponsored by First Parish Lincoln’s Racial Justice Advocates, Lincoln WIDE (Welcome, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity), an organization of Lincoln residents, and the Lincoln Historical Society. Click here for the Zoom link (meeting ID: 943 6533 7243, passcode: 392036)
“Undesign the Redline” with Braden Crooks will be presented via Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. “Redlining” is a shorthand reference to maps that create racial boundaries that define neighborhoods and are used in discriminatory ways to determine ownership and access to resources and services. How has redlining shaped residential patterns in greater Boston, and how does Boston’s history of redlining continue to impact our lives? An interactive exhibit, “Undesign the Redline” connects the deliberate and systematic racial housing segregation of the 1930s to political and social issues of today. Hosted by the First Parish in Lincoln and co-sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library. Click here for Zoom information.
This richly illustrated online lecture by Jana Milbocker will provides inspiration and tips on designing your garden for winter interest, choosing the best trees, shrubs, and perennials, and grouping them to create arresting vignettes. Free. Click here to register. Sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library.
Caregivers and their babies (two months or older and pre-verbal) are invited to this four-week workshop with Sheryl White. Sheryl will show you how to teach your baby sign language as well as explore benefits and research for caregivers. Each week participants will “bring” props to class to help bring the virtual program to life with signing directly to the babies. Participants are encouraged to sign up for all four sessions, which will take place over Zoom on Fridays from 10:30- 11:15 (other dates are February 18, February 25, and March 11). Email dleopold@minlib.net to register and receive a Zoom invite.
The Lincoln Green Energy Committee (GEC) and the Green Energy Consumers Alliance are hosting an electric vehicle Zoom presentation as part of the GEC’s EV 2022 campaign. There will be a question and answer period at the end of the Zoom. This event will be on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at noon. Click here to register and get the Zoom link. Learn more about EVs on this GEC page or this GECA page.
The Friends of the Lincoln Library present “An Evening with Sybrina Fulton, Mother of Trayvon Martin: Cultivating Justice Toward Racial Equality” via Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. Since the death of her 17-year-old son Trayvon, Fulton has become a role model to many by turning her grief into advocacy. Her book co-authored with Tracy Martin, Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, shares the intimate story of a tragically foreshortened life and the rise of a movement that awoke a nation’s conscience. Her February 24 topics include “We Are All Trayvon” and “From Pain to Purpose: The Time is Now to Own Democracy.” Click here for more information and registration.
Harvard ornithologist Scott Edwards will discuss “Bicycling, Birding and #BLM Across America in a Summer of Chaos” on Wednesday, March 2 at 7 p.m. The talk is part of the “On Belonging in Outdoor Spaces” speaker series on access, inclusion, & connection in nature (spring 2022 funding provided by the Ogden Codman Trust). Discussing his 76-day, 3,800-mile bicycle trek across the U.S. with “Black Lives Matter” signs affixed to his bicycle, Scott will reflect on the people, landscapes, and birds he encountered and convey the challenges, generosity, and hope that inspired and surprised him throughout his journey. Click here to register and receive the meeting link.
The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable presents “Transforming the Culture of ‘Power Over’: Compassionate Accountability” on Tuesday, March 8 at 7 p.m. The virtual event will help participants make key distinctions among safe relationship cycles and the dynamics that occur within relationships based on abusive values of dominance and superiority. It’s presented by the Roundtable’s White Ribbon Group and follows its successful event in March 2021, “A Call to Families: Discussing Healthy Masculinity with Young People.” Speakers will be JAC Patrissi, Jason Patrissi, and Regi Wingo of Growing a New Heart, an organization that aims to facilitate respectful and ethical power relationships and communications in families, workplaces, and communities. Click here to register.
Join us for “Uncovering Soil: An Intro to the World Beneath Our Feet,” the first class of the Healthy Soils workshop series, on Tuesday, March 8 from 7–8 p.m. This Zoom session will give an academic overview of what soil is and how it functions as a carbon sink that can help reverse climate change. Soil ecologist and Lincoln resident Rachel Neurath will share her expertise and enthusiasm for this underappreciated ecosystem. The series continues with in-person classes at Codman Farm every few weeks this spring. Click here to register and get the Zoom link. Healthy Soils is a collaboration among the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, Codman Community Farms, and Mothers Out Front.
Dr. Thea James, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Boston Medical Center/BU School of Medicine, will discuss “Race & Health Equity in Boston: How We Can Achieve Healthy Communities for All” on Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Questions she’ll address include: How did health inequities in Boston arise, and how have they persisted? What are the links with challenges in housing, economic development, and other social issues? How can communities in Greater Boston create effective partnerships to build healthy communities? Hosted by the FPL Racial Justice Advocates and Outreach Committee; cosponsored by the Lincoln Public Library, Lincoln WIDE, and the Lincoln Council on Aging and Human Resources. Click here to register.
Deep racial disparities persist in our society, and research tells us that children begin to notice and assign meaning to skin color by age 2. This makes racial literacy a critical part of preparing our children to lead lives as engaged, equity-minded problem-solvers in the world.
Geared for White or multiracial parents and caregivers, “ABCs of Racism: Fostering Antiracist Conversation and Action with Kids” on Wednesday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. will be led by Wee the People, a Boston-based social justice group, and explores fundamental concepts of systemic racism, the barriers that block us from engaging with kids around race and racism, the social science of race awareness in children, and strategies to start and sustain antiracist and action in school and at home. Sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library. Email dleopold@minlib.net for the Zoom link.