The Buffalodown, Vol. 2, Issue 38
Stories & Events for Social Connection
By Seamus Gallivan
- Who’s looking for change-making work?
- Musings on Music: Tyler Bagwell takes to Debs Hall
- Featured Events: 28 this week, always encouraging submissions!
- Links to the Deep End: I-Post, India Walton, LittleSis, Tableblazers
Thank you for your attention!
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Last week we began with news of scores of city jobs already posted by the incoming Ryan administration, already a sign of changing times in city hall; the transition team for Mayor-Elect Ryan has reported since that more than 1,000 people have applied in less than two weeks.
Meanwhile, the Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) is hiring a Lead Poisoning Prevention Task Force Coordinator to help make Buffalo homes safer and healthier for everyone. This role leads community organizing, outreach, and policy efforts through the Get Ahead of Lead campaign and the Erie County Lead Safe Task Force.
Learn more about the lead campaign below, and reach out if you’re looking for change-making work in Buffalo – I’d be happy to forward the jobs board with scores of openings sent regularly to alumni of Open Buffalo’s Emerging Leaders program.
As for upcoming events with Investigative Post – our next event will be Geoff Kelly and Jim Heaney interviewing Mayor-elect Sean Ryan on Friday, December 12th, at 7pm in the Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave., as part of their Second Fridays free event including an exhibition opening, live music and all-ages art-making. More details to come, please stay tuned!
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Musings on Music
Tyler Bagwell takes to Debs Hall
How many fights for justice have been won with help of a folk singer’s tune?
How many stories have been brought to light to the sound of a folk singer’s croon?
How many folk singers here in Buffalo have a show coming up soon?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.
Tyler Bagwell embodies the ethos of a folk singer – a heart for everyday people, a historian seeking their stories, and a steadfast commitment to sharing them through song. He’s become a favorite at Eugene V. Debs Hall, a social club in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood of which I’m a proud founding member, whose purpose is “to honor Buffalo and United States labor movement history; to promote solidarity amongst the working class, who built America; to demonstrate localism, mutual aid, and economic cooperation as a basis for urban regeneration; to keep alive the vision for a more fair, humane, and democratic nation as championed by Eugene Victor Debs, we associate together.
Naturally, Tyler and Debs Hall associate regularly – catch him there this Friday, and ask about his newsletter – delivered by U.S. mail, of course.
Shout out to Nickel City B-Sides for this video – check their channel for many more!
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Events in the Week Ahead
Thanks to all who’ve submitted their events! Welcoming submissions with a flyer and link to seamus@reconnecter.org
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Links to the Deep End
Deeper dives into subjects that matter for social connection
- For a wide range of local investigative journalism in your inbox, I recommend subscribing to newsletters from Investigative Post; their latest includes cases of mistreatment at the Batavia ICE facility and a Bills custodian detained after her first shift despite legal resident status and no criminal history.
- The Buffalo News human interest columnist Dan Higgins checked in on India Walton after the NYC mayoral victory of fellow Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, as the two campaigned for each other. One way the story could’ve been more enjoyable – Higgins reached out to me for comment and I immediately replied, haven’t heard back from him since. The nerve!
- Researcher Rob Galbraith of the Buffalo-based Public Accountability Initiative, aka LittleSis, reports that New York Governer Kathy Hochul stalls climate action amid multi-million dollar lobbying effort by fossil fuel industry.
- Closing on a lighter note, a bit of an apology – this past Sunday, ESPN debuted a story on the origin of Bills fans smashing through tables, and if you look closely enough, you’ll see me in a Jim Kelly jersey already regretting my encouragement of arguably the first viral table smash. My best friends and tailgate teammates Mark and Jeff Shepard are featured in the first segment. Over the decade since, I’ve been low-key ashamed at being an active witness to the dawn of this madness, though it’s been good for laughs along the way.
- And since that aired – Chris Ring, owner of After Dark Entertainment and the Rec Room as well as a Day One supporter of Reconnecter, posted a video of a table smash at the 2008 Winter Classic including Every Time I Die singer Keith Buckley that precedes all of those featured by ESPN – the lamentable legend keeps growing, ha…
Thank YOU for reading this far and being part of it all – extra thanks to everyone supporting this work with a membership at www.reconnecter.org!
Please share with friends to sign up for next week’s Buffalodown, and reach out with any feedback, all ideas welcome!
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