Bookstore Night Advances Progressive Politics in Buffalo, New York — Weave News

Highlighting local social justice issues

At community tables, local organizations advertised active campaigns on current issues, signing up members to support them.

At the PUSH-Buffalo table, for example, block party attendees could learn more about the Proactive Rental Inspections Act (PRI), which aims to reduce lead poisoning in children. The law was passed in 2020, but the City of Buffalo has not implemented it. With the help of Partnership for the Public Good, PUSH-Buffalo and more than 30 other partners filed a lawsuit class action for “failing to implement its proactive rental inspection program.”

Dunk the field

But the fight for social justice doesn’t have to be a bed of roses. Burning Books made sure it was fun, too. The dunk tank was a perfect example. For several hours, local kids and their parents threw balls at a target that plunged dedicated volunteers, dressed in Supreme Court justice robes and curly white wigs, into a 3- to 6-foot pool of water. The mock judges held signs depicting perceived social injustices that had been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Kids could be seen throwing out racism, sexism, and other systems, structures, and laws that have targeted vulnerable groups in society.