Open Buffalo celebrates our 3rd Annual Sankofa Event!
On November 20, Youth Action held a youth-led Q&A with four panelists from the community and the City of Buffalo.
OB Youth Action teams up with Project Mona’s House to address crisis of missing children in Buffalo.
Join us on Saturday, October 2 for our first annual "Freedom Summer" Leadership & Civic Engagement Symposium!
Open Buffalo seeks videography/video editing services for the creation of a short series of racial equity training videos.
Heather Kuhn, a student at UB School of Law, reflects on her recent human rights internship with Open Buffalo.
Open Buffalo has declared the Summer of 2021 a Freedom Summer! This Freedom Summer pays homage to the ancestors, organizers, freedom fighters and organizations who created the first Freedom Summer in 1964.
The Color Run, hosted by Open Buffalo’s Youth Action on Saturday, July 31, was an engaging, fun-filled event for the community.
June is the month to celebrate all the obstacles that were overcome by the LGBTQ+ community and for allies to show their support and acknowledge that our differences are what bring us closer together as people.
Let us teach the ignorant the truth and importance of this day, as we walk, shout and rejoice our Independence Day. Fist up!
Sponsoring Councilmember Ulysees O. Wingo Sr. joins Open Buffalo and other concerned community stakeholders in calling on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring critical voting rights legislation for a vote in the U.S. Senate.
Average citizens stopped by Jefferson and Utica to share their experiences and explain how their lives could be changed by the passage of bills like Clean Slate and the For the People Act.
The Open Buffalo Freedom Summer Fellowship is an intensive leadership development program designed to: empower residents in Western New York with knowledge of the history of the original Freedom Summer; register and engage with voters; and work on winning the For the People Act on the national level.
On Saturday, May 8, Open Buffalo’s Youth Action (YA) hosted a “Save our Children” Community Town Hall. The YA leaders wanted to raise awareness around the narrative that labels missing children of color as “runaways” and how amber alerts are racialized.
Youth leaders call on public officials and community members to do better for missing persons and their families.
On Saturday, May 1, Open Buffalo hosted a “Know Your Rights” Cookout at Martin Luther King Jr. Park for the community to celebrate the passing of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) and learn what work still needs to be done!
We are now accepting applications for the 2021 cohort of Open Buffalo Emerging Leaders.
Recently Enacted Marijuana Reforms Represent Significant Racial Equity Advancement for the People of New York State.
In the aftermath of this week's shooting rampage that took eight innocent lives in the Atlanta area -- yet another national tragedy authored by a hate-filled man with a gun -- Open Buffalo mourns and stands in solidarity with all those impacted directly or from afar.
On February 16th, 2021, Open Buffalo along with the Emerging Leaders class of 2020 launched the Community Restoration Project to push for equitable cannabis legalization, "clean slate" criminal justice legislation, and progressive tax reforms.
DEADLINE: Friday, February 5, 2021
Welcome to the application for the Open Buffalo Justice Fellowship Program.
We are delighted that you are interested in being a part of our change-maker family! The Justice Fellowship Program is an intensive leadership development program designed to empower residents in Western New York with the skills and resources required to drive organizations and institutions toward equity, inclusion, and long-term systems change.
Buffalo, NY (January 6, 2021) – With New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo having just announced a proposal that would allow recreational cannabis use throughout the state, Open Buffalo once again demands that legalization of this plant be done with racial justice and community repair in mind.
Buffalo, NY (December 12, 2020) - Open Buffalo has learned that a group of individuals is planning anti-mask and anti-closure rallies using as an event name and/or slogan the phrase “open buffalo.” The rallies are to protest New York State and Erie County’s COVID-19 guidelines and rules pertaining to citizen protections against the debilitating and deadly disease.
Though training, diligence, and teamwork, Open Buffalo youth workers engaged and empowered thousands of people this summer.
Open Buffalo proudly joins coalition to defend crucial “50-A” public records reform across NY State.
Buffalo, N.Y. (July 15, 2020) – In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for racial justice throughout the country, Open Buffalo stays on course with its 2020 civic initiatives to increase voter rolls and census participation, particularly for youth and underrepresented populations.
By: Todd Geise
Juneteenth 2020 - A message from E.D. Franchelle Parker
Open Buffalo Exceeds 10,000 Reusable Masks Distributed with MLK Park Pop-Up Today.
Open Buffalo demands transparent investigation and swift police policy reforms in the wake of violent encounter captured on video.
Buffalo, N.Y. (April 30, 2020) – Open Buffalo and FB Community Land Trust have teamed up to help already struggling city neighborhoods being further impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis. Protective masks, nutritious food, and home disinfectants are among the products residents will receive.
I recently stumbled across a clip online of doctors from Cuba arriving in Italy, ground zero of the global pandemic right now, to help. I breathed a sigh of relief that help was on the way for the people of Italy and it gave me a sense of hope during these very challenging times. Humanity is stepping up in magnificent ways. Healthcare workers are teaching us all what it means to be brave — from the receptionist, to maintenance to administration.
Full participation in this year’s Census will support vital quality-of-life services for you and your neighbors.
Open Buffalo cultivates leaders to create an equitable and sustainable society where justice triumphs over exploitation.
An Emerging Leaders Alumni Spotlight with Tanvier Peart, Class of 2017
In her March 2019 message to the community, Open Buffalo Executive Director Franchelle Parker challenges readers to evaluate what principles drive them to be resilient change-makers.
Have you been waiting for Open Buffalo's next Emerging Leaders program? Now is your chance.
On Thursday, January 9, members of the community joined Open Buffalo staff and board members for a Sankofa Celebration. Sankofa is a word from the Akan tribe in Ghana that refers to reflecting on the past period in order to look ahead and advance to the future.
In the last days celebrating Hanukkah, we were saddened and heartbroken to learn of yet another hate crime in our country, this time at the New York City area home of a Rabbi while celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah with dozens of guests.
The Massachusetts Avenue Project is hiring a full-time Youth Education Director. The Director will work with a diverse population in sustainable food production and marketing. Apply by Jan.1, 2020.
There's a duality about Thanksgiving that's deeper than excess vs. hunger or being 'a part of' vs. 'apart from'. Knowing its history, should we celebrate Thanksgiving or should we commemorate it?
Do you want to help end poverty in Buffalo? Develop valuable nonprofit skills and experiences? Give back to the community? If so, consider applying for Open Buffalo's NYIC VISTA position today!
Join this expansive movement to build opportunities, break down obstacles, and create a better you!
As part of Buffalo’s renaissance the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor features a host of landmarks in local and national black history.
The FB Community Land Trust will buy five properties to transition low- and middle-income families into first-time homeowners.
We are building a movement of young people ready to lead our region in a direction that creates social, economic and ecological equity for all.