As of October 2023, Watertown Community for Black Lives (WCBL) is no longer an active working group of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & Environment (WCPJE). The leaders and organizers of WCBL made this decision in recognition that their own energies, and those of the WCBL membership, are currently directed elsewhere.
Watertown RACE REELS will be continuing under other sponsorship – watch for new screenings in 2024. For information or to volunteer, email info@watertownracereels.com.
Planning for future Watertown/Belmont JUNETEENTH celebrations is also ongoing. For information or to volunteer, email Tiffany York at trosewhite@gmail.com or Téo Evans at ephiteo.volunteer@outlook.com. After 2024, once the nascent Watertown Human Rights Commission is up and running, we’re hopeful they may find this event a good fit with their charge.
Vigils for Black lives will no longer be happening regularly under WCBL coordination. The WCBL banner and some signs in support of Black lives and racial justice will be stored for some time. If you’d like to use them, please contact the WCPJE Steering Committee (steering@watertowncitizens.org).
Although the WCBL Facebook group, web page, and announcement list will be retired, the WCBL discussion list will remain available indefinitely. We encourage subscribers to continue to use this list to amplify messages from other local groups with related or intersecting missions, as well as to share articles and information and discuss ideas, concerns, and actions related to racial justice and equity, particularly in Watertown, MA, including in the schools and local government.
Anyone who would like a new subscription to the WCBL discussion list can:
• Visit the WCBL Discussion List at https://groups.google.com/g/wcbl-discussion
• Click on the button that says “Ask to join group”. If you don’t see that button, follow the link “For access, try contacting the group’s owners and managers“
You can also email a request to ot@wcbl.org, and one of the admins should be able to subscribe you within a few days.
The members of the WCBL Leadership Circle and Operations Team want to thank everyone who has contributed their time, energy, and heart to campaigning against violence and systemic racism in our local community. Acknowledging that systemic racism is still alive in our town, we hope that all of us will continue to find ways to disrupt those systems, call them out when they arise and find ways to shift them. While this organization is coming to an end, there is still much to do, since as we know,* this is not a one-and-done project!