Despite the snowstorm that hit Vermont last night, it really is April! And that means Caribbean Carnival is just around the corner. This year, Black Student Union (BSU), Caribbean House and Vermont Students Towards Environmental Protection (VSTEP) are collaborating to make Caribbean House's annual Carnival event a fundraiser for Three Little Flowers, a nonprofit that provides financial, educational and technical assistance to the San Twa Ti Fle primary school in Haiti. San Twa Ti Fle focuses on empowering young students to learn in their home language, Haitian Creole, and the school was severely impacted by Hurricane Matthew, an environmental disaster with immense environmental justice implications. Carnival will take place on April 21st, and thus will be a culminating event for Earth Week; the intersection of social and environmental justice issues that characterize the challenges faced by the San Twa Ti Fle school are exactly the kind of problems that must be centered in the modern environmental movement. The unprecedented partnership between BSU and VSTEP is a step towards collaboration amongst environmental and racial justice groups on campus. Between professional DJ's, costumes, food from the Jamaican Supreme Food Truck, and a student dance performance, Caribbean Carnival 2017 is sure to be a night to be remembered. The event will take place on Friday, April 21st, from 9pm-2am at the North End Studios in Downtown Burlington. All proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to support Three Little Flowers. Additionally, we will be hosting an online auction of prints from Carib Ibis, "small, proud, black-owned business locating in Washington, DC metropolitan area, specializing in unique art prints, apparel and jewelry inspired by the colorful, culturally-rich African-Diaspora" (Carib Ibis 2017, website). L/L Hall Council has generously donated $500 to purchase prints of paintings from Carib Ibis, which we will be auctioning online for the month of April. The auction will be live at 11:00 PM tonight (April 1st). Again, all proceeds will go directly to Three Little Flowers. Please help spread the word! |