Ray Anthony Shepard — educator, writer and First Parish in Lincoln member — will speak via Zoom on “How Do We Talk About Race in a Time of Critical Race Theory Pushback?” on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. Following his talk, he’ll participate in a wide-ranging discussion of his work as historian and interpreter of African-American experiences in his award-winning 2017 Now or Never! 54th Massachusetts Infantry’s War to End Slavery and his 2021 poetic retelling for young readers of the story of a woman enslaved by the Washington family in Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge. “I write for readers who understand the universal need for fairness” and “to tell a fuller story of our country’s history,” Ray explains on his web page.
The session will also provide room for reflection on themes related to Ray’s work, as they appear in the film Harriet and in books included in our suggested-reading syllabus: Erica Armstrong Dunbar’s Never Caught: The Washington’s’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge; biographies of Harriet Tubman by Kate Clifford Larson and others; William Still’s The Underground Railroad Records; and fictional recreations of the experience of fugitives from bondage by Colson Whitehead and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
To get the link to this Zoom meeting, go to fplincoln.org/calendar and click on October 21 and Ray’s talk. Hosted by FPL’s Racial Justice Journey Steering Committee.
The town will offer a public flu vaccination clinic on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the newly renovated Brooks School gymnasium for residents age 3 and up. High-dose vaccines will be available for those over age 65. To sign up:
- Click here to register for a time.
- Download and complete the Vaccination Consent Form (one per person) and bring it with you.
- Download the Vaccine Information Statement for your records.
Did you know there’s a correct way to fall? Come learn about fall and injury prevention through this hands-on training with Lt. Ben Juhola from the Lincoln Fire Department. Too many seniors experience falls that can be prevented, so let’s learn best practices to avoid this tragedy. All are welcome. Hosted by the Council on Aging and Human Services. Please call 781-259-8811or email gagnea@lincolntown.org to sign up.
Area-wide hazardous waste collection days will take place at the Minuteman Household Hazardous Product Collection Facility (60 Hartwell Ave., Lexington) from 9 a.m.–2 p.m on the following dates:
- Saturday, July 17
- Saturday, Aug. 21
- Sunday, Sept. 19
- Saturday, Oct. 16
- Saturday, Nov. 6
Open to all residents of Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham, and Watertown. All residents must pre-register online by clicking here. Pick a date, time slot, and estimated amount of waste you plan to bring, and submit. When you go, you’ll need to show your license or a bill as proof of Lincoln residency.
“It’s Not ‘THE Talk,’ It’s an Ongoing Conversation: Talking with Youth about Friendships and Relationships” is the title of an online conversation with Molly Pistrang-Gomes from the REACH Beyond Domestic Violence’s prevention team hosted by the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. She will talk about how to engage youth in age-appropriate discussions about relationships as young people interact with friends, family members, teachers, classmates, teammates, dating partners, coworkers, people online, etc. She’ll explore the importance of discussing and modeling boundaries, holding each other accountable with compassion, combatting gender norms and stereotypes, and practicing healthy communication. To get the link, go to the Roundtable’s website at www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org to register for the program. Email infodvrt@gmail.com with questions.
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 Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) and the Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) are hosting a virtual Trail Use Public Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 7–8:30 p.m. LLCT and LCC have begun a comprehensive review of the multiple uses of Lincoln trails and how best to manage them for the protection of open space and overall public benefit. Trail uses have changed over time, and we are seeking a current community understanding of the appropriate way to use and enjoy our open spaces and trails.
The forum will start with a brief slide show reviewing the goals of Lincoln’s 2017 Open Space and Recreation Plan and a summary of previous and current trail uses, with the goal of developing a trail use vision that is appropriate for Lincoln today. After the presentation, attendees are encouraged to provide feedback and comments. Click here for the Zoom link (meeting ID 927 0523 1109, passcode: 971375). If you’re unable to attend the public forum, please submit any comments you’d like to share regarding the use of Lincoln’s trails to the Conservation Department (conservation@lincolntown.org or 781-259-2612) by November 30.
Click here to sign up for the Covid booster vaccination clinic for seniors on Monday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. in the First Parish Church Auditorium across from Bemis Hall. The clinic for residents 60 and over will offer Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J shots. If you do not have transportation to the clinic, please call 781-259-8811 by Friday and the COA&HS will arrange a ride for you. On the day of the clinic, please wear a short-sleeved shirt, and bring your COVID vaccination card and insurance card, if you have them. For more information or help with registration, please call 781-259-8811.
The Council on Aging & Human Services is offering s free legal clinic for residents 60 and older (adult children welcome to come along) on Monday, Dec. 6 from 2–4 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Call 781-259-8811 to sign up for a 30-minute consultation with elder law attorney Sasha Golden to answer your questions about estate planning, guardianship, or probate issues.
On Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 9–11 a.m., the regional group MAGIC the (Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination) will host the second part of a two-part series on racial justice and municipal governance. This event is open to the public. Register in advance for this meeting using this link. The workshop for MAGIC communities with Dr. Raul Fernandez focuses on examining municipal policies related to housing, transportation, governance, and finance through a racial justice lens. Participants will learn how racial justice intersects with these issues and will develop a firm understanding of their responsibility as municipal leaders to center communities of color in their policymaking.
“Navigating White Supremacy Culture in the Outdoors and Institutions” will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. via Zoom when Mardi Fuller will take us on a journey through her life of adventures as a Black outdoorswoman who has grown in her liberation-focused identity. She’ll discuss barriers marginalized people face in accessing the outdoors and how exclusion, a form of oppression, is detrimental to all people. Her writing and accomplishments have appeared in Outside magazine, the BBC, Melanin Basecamp, and NRDC.org.
This event is the next in the fall “On Belonging in Outdoor Spaces” speaker series sponsored by the Walden Woods Project, Mass Audubon, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Farrington Nature Linc, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, and The Food Project. Learn more and register at www.onbelongingoutdoors.org.
On Friday, Dec. 10 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., the Council on Aging & Human Services will host an open house for everyone at Bemis Hall featuring Ken Hurd playing the Bemis piano, cookies and refreshments, and surprise crafts. Also on hand will be Town Administrator Tim Higgins, Select Board Member Jennifer Glass, Town Nurse Trish McGean, and the COA&HS staff.
Mary Crowe of Care Dimensions Hospice House will discuss the impact holidays have on grief, practical suggestions for coping, and ways the holidays can heal on Monday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. Click here to register online by December 10 for this meeting via Zoom.
Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the amount of trash produced in the U.S. increases by an estimated 25%, according to the EPA. That’s about one million extra tons of garbage each week. Join MetroWest Climate Solutions on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. for a Zoom event on “Greening the Holidays.” Lauren Fernandez, Zero Waste Policy Analyst at the Conservation Law Foundation, and Janice Paré, Environmental Analyst at the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection, will discuss ways to trim the trimmings while preserving the festive spirit of the holiday season. David O’Leary, Magic 106.7 Morning Magic host and voiceover talent, will serve as emcee. To register, visit tinyurl.com/greeningholidays.
MCS is a local partnership of organizations and congregations including First Parish in Lincoln, First Parish in Wayland, First Parish Church in Weston, the Congregational Church of Weston, Sustainable Weston Action Group (SWAG) and a growing list of communities and individuals.
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)
Climate Action Day, featuring “Ms. G,” the Official Groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, returns as a virtual event at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary with a new focus on climate science and weather on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 10 a.m. on Facebook Live (@massaudubondrumlinfarm). Climate Action Day 2022 will include a livestream view of Ms. G’s weather “forecast,” along with insights into how New England wildlife survive the winter and information about how the changing climate impacts their habitat.
This year’s virtual gathering will be co-hosted by Mass Audubon President David O’Neill and Renata Pomponi, Senior Regional Director. “Our warming planet is the most pressing environmental threat of our time,” O’Neill said. “A huge focus of our work, from the programs run at our wildlife sanctuaries, to our land conservation and restoration priorities, and our advocacy on Beacon Hill, is on addressing climate change.
“If I Had Known Then What I Know Now” will be presented via Zoom by the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. Loved ones of domestic violence survivors will talk about the signs they missed, the knowledge they lacked, and what they’ve leaned that helps the better recognize signs of abuse in relationships today. Click here to register.
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.
Registration is now open for a screening of “Kiss the Ground” followed by a speaker panel on Tuesday, Feb. 15 (film starting at 6 p.m., speakers at 7 p.m.). The 2020 documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson looks at a “new, old approach” to farming called regenerative agriculture. The speakers will be:
- Ryland Englehart, co-founder of Kiss the Ground
- Mohammad Hannan, owner of Hanna Agro Farms in Lincoln
- Rachel Neurath, soil microbial ecologist
- Pete Lowy, manager of Codman Community farms
The film is sponsored by the new Healthy Soils/Livable Future working group that includes members of Codman Community Farms, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust, and Mothers Out Front. Healthy Soils Series workshops will be combination in-person (at Codman Farm) and online in March, April, and May (details TBA). Click here to register for the February 15 event (“Kiss the Ground” can be viewed for free any time from February 12–15). Click here for other Codman Community Farms events.