After the National Equality March:

What's Next for the LGBT Civil Rights Movement?

On October 11, 2009, over 150 students and other activists from all 5 Colleges and Western Massachusetts joined over 200,000 others as we marched on Washington, DC to demand FULL EQUALITY for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states NOW.

This was the debut of a new grassroots movement, proof that we can mobilize masses of people with little money, and that there is a new generation of civil rights activists tired of waiting for their rights and ready to struggle to win them!

But one march is not enough. We need you to get involved in building our era's civil rights movement. Join us as we report back from the march, share photos and video, and talk about the next steps. Everyone who supports LGBT equality is more than welcome to attend regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation!

This is our moment, so let's take advantage of it and build this movement until the politicians can no longer afford to ignore us. A couple of excerpts from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" sums it up well:

"Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself...We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed...For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see...that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

WE WILL NOT WAIT; NO MORE DELAYS: GET INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE FOR LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS!

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Nueva Esperanza Annual Dinner

HOLYOKE, Mass. – Oct. 16, 2009

Nueva Esperanza Inc.’s annual dinner, Inspiring Leadership: Opening Gateways to Success, was held at the Yankee Pedlar on Friday October 16, 2009 from 6 – 9 p.m. The celebration had music, food, and presentations of two awards for Emerging Leaders in Holyoke.

Nueva Esperanza is a Holyoke-based community development organization committed to building a safe, healthy and economically viable environment for low and moderate income residents. Through community driven projects that strengthen residents’ well-being and self sufficiency, Nueva Esperanza creates opportunities for housing, economic development, leadership skills, youth training and cultural celebration. The organization’s primary interest of providing affordable housing has expanded widely to include: neighborhood economic development, health and human service programs, development of community leadership, promotion of accessible community education and several youth empowerment programs.

YouthBuild Holyoke, a youth development program that teaches construction skills to high school drop outs, provides leadership development, vocational training and educational opportunities for young people between the ages of 16 and 24. Many students in the Youth Build Holyoke program have left the public school system. The educational aspect of the Youth Build program focuses on the attainment of the General Equivalency Diploma (GED). YouthBuild Holyoke students develop leadership as they create a better living situation for the people of Holyoke. Through the work of construction projects, the creation of murals and other artwork, volunteer work and city clean-ups, the students find a greater sense of ownership, belonging, and pride in their community.

Sponsors of the annual dinner included PeoplesBank, Non-Profit Data Management, Ross Insurance Agency, and Gauthier Insulation. All proceeds from this celebration will allow Nueva Esperanza to continue to provide youth leadership programs, neighborhood based advocacy opportunities and programming to maintain affordable and safe housing opportunities.

For more information, visit www.nuevaesperanzacdc.org