Partnership for the Public Good

The Investigative Post speaks with our Executive Director Andrea Ó Súilleabháin on the City of Buffalo's Housing Courts' concerning transition of judges and the state of the Housing Court Advisory Council. “Those who have pushed for the council’s reinstatement are hoping it will remain a priority to the next judge who will oversee the Eighth Judicial District. Andrea Ó Súilleabháin, executive director at Partnership for the Public Good, told Investigative Post she hoped the new administrative judge would “keep moving forward” with appointments to the council. 'Hopefully the new administrative judge will know this was required in the law,' she said. ...Many of our partners that work on the front lines of housing have seen that housing systems and Housing Court in Buffalo are not always solving problems in the way that they could, and so really, that’s where we hope this council would come in and be an important space for discussion." Partnership for the Public Good has 380+ partner organizations seeking to advance equality, sustainability, and cultural vibrancy in Buffalo Niagara. Our partners range from large social and health and legal service agencies, neighborhood groups, arts organizations, small businesses, housing and environmental justice organizations. To read more visit: https://lnkd.in/gViNGNe8

This April, Partnership for the Public Good is launching our 1st annual day-long summit, Advocacy in Action. This summit offers an opportunity for local residents and aspiring community advocates to learn civic, advocacy, and public policy skills so they can be part of making change in Buffalo Niagara. Held Saturday, April 26th 9:30AM to 4:30PM at Buffalo State University, the summit highlights PPG’s core training curriculum on topics like Public Policy 101, City and County Government, Working with the Media, Tips for Meeting with Elected Officials, Community Coalition Building, and more, in parallel sessions throughout the day. The summit will also feature a “Winning Change in Buffalo” panel, where experienced advocates will share the journeys to win their campaigns. This summit is free and open to the public, with advance registration. Registration now live! Register here: https://lnkd.in/e8BwM8nh

🏠 Did you know that the city is required to inspect all investor-owned single and double rental units? 🧐 Did you know the council will be talking about a proposal to raise permit prices? 💰 ⬆️ Learn about this and more in our council meeting summary https://bit.ly/4j5Ug3V

🚨Community Responders Listening Session🚨 Community Responders are a new type of civilian, unarmed first responder for health and social needs. A pilot program is coming to Buffalo. We want to hear from you! Learn more and share your thoughts on a community responder program for Cold Springs/Masten Park neighborhoods. Learn more about the Community Responders Coalition and register at their Link Tree, here: https://lnkd.in/eib7NFRx

‼️ During the 2023-24 school year, there were over 7,000 suspensions for Buffalo Public Schools. Currently, students are suspended for extended periods of times up to weeks and months at rates higher than across any other school district in New York State. For the second year in a row Community Agenda priority # 4 urges the Buffalo Board of Education to to adopt the New York State Education Department’s recommendations on student suspensions as district policy. 🎒 For more information on Buffalo Public School suspensions, visit the BPS dashboard for suspension data: https://lnkd.in/gVuAHzb9 There are three public meetings this month to review the BPS Code of Conduct and its implementation on March 26th in person at Stanley Makowski E.C.C. #99 1095 Jefferson Avenue Buffalo, NY 14208 5pm-7pm as well as two virtual meetings on March 24th 5-7pm and April 1st 10am-12pm. https://lnkd.in/g3_SjMMt

What do we stand to lose by avoiding hard conversations and not reflecting on their external impact or relevance? This week on the Public Good, Dr. Rinaldo Walcott, Chair of the Africana and American Studies Departments at the University at Buffalo joins us to discuss the role of Black Studies and the history of Black people as a critical tool in confronting crisis and organizing for a better collective future. Dr. Walcott leads UB’s Humanities Institute Annual Conference 2025: Black Studies and the Crises of Our Times, this week on March 12th-14th, free and open to the public. Tune in to the podcast to hear a preview of discussions from the conference and register and join! Full Episode: https://lnkd.in/gNw3rihn Event Registration: https://lnkd.in/gauydRpz

For those who may not know I am privileged to host a weekly podcast, The Public Good for my amazing organization Partnership for the Public Good. There, I am able to invoke conversations and connection points for modern societal issues and elevate those working daily to grapple with oppressive forces while concurrently visioning alternative solutions for a better future. This week, along with Dr. Rinaldo Walcott of the Africana and American Studies department at the University at Buffalo, we discussed the role of Black Studies and our current point of crisis. Black people have forged ahead for hundreds of years despite the ever-present systems of oppression and control. How can our collective struggle and visioning as a community in all of its iterations throughout history inform a way forward even now? Lately I’ve been reflective on survival and persistence at the worst of times. I’ve been rereading The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison as well as watching The Great Migration series on WNED/PBS by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. How does our part inform our present? I implore others to reflect on this notion. My Podcast Episode: https://lnkd.in/gts-tppN The Great Migration Documentary: https://lnkd.in/gmWYdAYA

What does it mean to be in a ever-present state of crisis? Many across the political spectrum denote this point in history as a confluence of crises points. This week on the Public Good, Dr. Rinaldo Walcott, Chair of the Africana and American Studies Departments at the University at Buffalo joins us to discuss the role of Black Studies and the history of Black people as a critical tool in confronting crisis and organizing for a better collective future. Dr. Walcott leads UB's Humanities Institute Annual Conference 2025: Black Studies and the Crises of Our Times, this week on March 12th-14th, free and open to the public. "Black Studies and the Crises of Our Times responds broadly to the impact of the field since its formal establishment over 50 years ago. This multi-day conference, organized by the Department of Africana and American Studies in conjunction with the Humanities Institute, will articulate why we need Black Studies more than ever for both its national critique and its global articulations of political community." Tune in to the podcast to hear a preview of discussions from the conference and register and join! Episode: https://lnkd.in/gNw3rihn Event Registration: https://lnkd.in/gauydRpz

This April, Partnership for the Public Good is launching our 1st annual day-long summit, Advocacy in Action. Held on a Saturday, the summit offers an opportunity for local residents and aspiring community advocates to take part in PPG’s core training curriculum on topics like Public Policy 101, City and County Government, Working with the Media, Tips for Meeting with Elected Officials, Community Coalition Building, and more, in parallel sessions throughout the day. The summit will also feature a “Winning Change in Buffalo” panel, where experienced advocates will share the journeys to win their campaigns. This summit is free and open to the public, with advance registration. Look forward to further details and registration soon!

Did you know that the city has issued 23,000 tickets for drivers passing school bus stop-arms? 🛑 💸 🚨 Do you know who our new BPD commissioner will likely be? 👮♀️ 🚔 Learn about this and more in our council summary! https://bit.ly/43mmAdn