Upcoming Community Meetings Across the State
Lorenzo Jones leads BLOC training at Katal’s Middletown office on June 15, 2024
Join us this Saturday, August 10, for our Greater Hartford Community Meeting!
This will be a hybrid meeting (in person and online) from 11 a.m. to noon. Join us virtually or at our Bloomfield office at 693 Bloomfield Ave., Suite 205. Register here!
We’re holding this meeting to increase community organizing and local power for people to make system changes in Greater Hartford. The agenda for this Saturday includes a discussion of essentials for increasing farming knowledge, enhancing urban agriculture capacity, and developing public education materials and experiences for our community.
Next week, we’ll have two community meetings. First, on Wednesday, August 14, at 6 p.m., join us for the Middletown Community Meeting, which will be hybrid. You can attend in person at 425 Main Street or virtually. We aim to increase civic engagement, provide a space for discussing community issues, and build leadership and organizing capacity in Middletown. Register here.
Then on Saturday, August 17, we will have our first Bridgeport Community Meeting from 11 a.m. to noon. Since the city council meeting on July 1, the residents of Success Village have been working diligently on housing issues. We encourage all Bridgeport-area residents to attend and share your input. The event will be held at the Black Rock Branch Library, 2705 Fairfield Ave., or you can join virtually by registering here.
Saturday 8/24: Next Building Leadership and Organizing Capacity (BLOC) Training Session
We’re excited to announce the second BLOC community organizing training session of the summer, on Saturday, August 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. The free training will take place at our Middletown office, with an option to join via video. Register here.
This training will cover essential topics including setting up a business, the “Six Rules for Community Organizing,” and conducting effective one-on-one meetings.
Please note that registration is required. For any questions, contact Lorenzo Jones at lorenzo@katalcenter.org
Bimonthly Cultivating Justice Meetings
Riley holds a duckling at Lovie’s Farm on August 3, 2024
At our last Cultivating Justice meeting on August 1, Rob Rowe and Brittney Gilmore led a great conversation on fall growing and the process for getting a farm number with the the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Join our next virtual monthly meeting on Thursday, October 3, at 6:30 p.m.!
Wondering how to get a farm number or what might grow well in the next six weeks or so? Check out our notes from the meeting! We’re looking for folks to join our Growing Power Planning Committee and plan our annual conference with us.
To get involved with Cultivating Justice, contact Diana Martinez at diana@katalcenter.org.
Supporting Lovie’s Farm
The Katal team working at Lovie’s Farm on August 6, 2024.
On Tuesday, August 6, Katal’s New York and Connecticut staff and interns came together at Lovie’s Farm! We talked about the intersections of carceral systems and food systems as we checked on Lovie’s bees, goats, chickens, and ducks. The farm’s owner, Matt Mitchell, spoke with us about his journey to Black farm ownership and the continued battle for access to farm land for BIPOC folks in Connecticut.
Diana Martinez inspects a beehive at Lovie’s Farm on August 6, 2024.
Katal Quotes of the Week
“The function of freedom is to free someone else.” — Toni Morrison
“We are the ones we have been waiting for.” ― June Jordan
Please support our work
We can’t do this without you. Please support our work to build leadership and organizing capacity in Connecticut, New York, and beyond.
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Email: info@katalcenter.org
Phone: 646.875.8822
