Sunday, March 22, 2015

Upcoming events in the Asheville area this week



UPCOMING EVENTS

03/23/15 MOVE TO AMEND DOCUMENTARY
This month, Move to Amend of Buncombe County will host a showing of  the documentary “Legalize Democracy” followed by a group discussion. Location is Kairos West Community Center at 742 Haywood Rd in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. For more information, contact Dawn Carol at 828-301-3745.

03/24/15 FILM SCREENING AT UNCA
Emma Greenbaum of the Asheville Beyond Coal Coalition will screen Coal Ash Stories, four short documentary films on the toxic impact of coal ash on communities. Greenbaum will lead a discussion following the screening. Free and open to the public. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Highsmith University Mountain Suite at UNCA.

03/24/15 WHAT FEMINISM MEANS TO ME AT UNCA
“In My Own Words: What Feminism Means to Me” is a student panel discussion and is part of Women’s History Month Events and the Multicultural Student Programs. Location is Highsmith 224 at UNCA and the time is 6 to 8 PM. Contact ssnyder@unca.edu for more information.

03/24/15 JUST ECONOMICS LIVING WAGE CERTIFICATION
We'll rub elbows and share leads. This event is to create connections between our employers and share some news about Just Economics of WNC. Please share with any Living Wage Certified Employers, or those businesses that you feel would be interested in certification. Time is 6:30 PM and location is Medea’s Expresso & Juice Bar at 200 Julian Lane, Suite 220, in Arden. This is a facebook event.

03/24/15 SPEECH ON HISTORICAL CIVIL RIGHTS MARCH FROM SELMA TO MONTGOMERY
The Rev. Clark Olsen will share his experience from the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery during a talk at 12:30 PM in UNC Asheville's Highsmith University Union, room 221. Clark was Unitarian minister in California at the time of the civil rights march, which brought 25,000 people to the Alabama capitol to demand voting rights reform. He survived an attack that fatally injured the Rev. James J. Reeb. Olsen has spoken widely on his experience in Selma, and has been featured in the Citizen-Times, ABC News, WUNC's The State of Things, UU World Magazine and others. He resides in Asheville. For more information, contact Deborah Miles, director of UNC Asheville's Center for Diversity Education, at 828-232-5024 or dmiles@unca.edu.

03/25/15 DOGWOOD ALLIANCE VOLUNTEER NIGHT 
Help spread the message: our forests aren’t fuel! Join the Dogwood Alliance Volunteer Night and Pizza Dinner will be from 6 to 8 PM. Come and join others in your community who are working to protect our beautiful Southern forests. In preparation for the Dogwood Alliance SOS Rally to Save Our Southern forests, taking place in Atlanta, GA, on March 27th, we’ll be making signs and posters to call on European policymakers to stop burning our forests for fuel. The more signs we have, the better! We know Our Forests Aren’t Fuel, and thanks to the growing number of individuals and organizations who are speaking out, the EU policymakers driving this industry are beginning to get the message too. Our recent trip to Europe confirms that European policymakers are paying attention to the opposition of Southern communities, and starting to rethink the policies that are driving the destruction of Southern forests. Join us at our office (129 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801) on March 25th from 6-8 PM to show EU decisionmakers just how much love there is for our Southern forests! Pizza and light refreshments will be served. Register at http://dia.dogwoodalliance.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=83464.

03/25/15 ENERGY STROLL AT UNCA
Take a guided tour of the renewable energy and energy efficiency projects on UNC Asheville’s campus, including the Overlook Hall solar array and Rhodes-Robinson Hall geothermal heat pumps. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Student Government Association. Time is 4 to 5 PM and location is Rhoades/Robinson Hall TD Bank Atrium. Contact jgoodall@unca.edu for more information.

03/25/15 RENEWABLE ENERGY PANEL AT UNCA
Renewable energy industry experts and organizers will discuss technology, current renewable energy issues, and opportunities for growth. Free and open to the public. Time is 7 to 9 PM and location is Highsmith University Union 143 - Grotto at UNCA. Contact jgoodall@unca.edu for more information.

03/25/15 ISLAMOPHOBIA  AND U.S. EMPIRE - INCORRECT, RESCHEDULED FOR 4/1/15
After the horrific shooting of three Muslim Chapel Hill students, mainstream media reported that the tragedy was likely the result of a "parking dispute". As we mourn these three incredible people and try to understand how something so terrifying could happen, it is impossible to ignore the cloud of bigotry and hate hanging over these murders. The current climate in the U.S. is rife with anti-Muslim racism, or Islamophobia. State surveillance, unlawful detainment, racialized prejudice, distorted representation in media, attacks on the street and in private homes, are realities for many Muslims living in America. Join the International Socialist Organization in Asheville for a discussion about Islamophobia, empire, and resistance. We believe in liberation - from Chapel Hill to Palestine. This will be at 6:30 PM at 222 Highsmith at UNCA. Hosted by Asheville Socialists.

03/25/15 LOBBY DAY IN RALEIGH BY CREATION CARE ALLIANCE WNC
Creation Care Alliance of WNC invites you to join NCIPL and Interfaith Power & Light founder and President Rev. Sally Bingham on March 25th at the NC General Assembly in Raleigh for the Faith Voices for Clean Energy Advocacy Day. Registration required by March 23, 2015. There is a van going, free of charge for local residents. For more information, please contact Jane Laping at janelaping@sbcglobal.net or call 828-277-7342.

03/25/15 MUSIC OF THE HOLOCAUST AT UNCA
Music of the Holocaust with Bandana Klezmer and Dr. Walter Ziffer. Prior to the Holocaust, Klezmer musicians were an integral part of life in the shtetls of Eastern Europe. Sometimes termed "Jewish celebration music" Klezmorum traveled from village to village to play at weddings. As a 14 year old boy in Ceske Tesin Czech Republic, Dr. Ziffer was captured and imprisoned in a series of slave labor munitions camps. Dr. Ziffer will share his story of liberation by the Soviet Army from Gross Rosen and how he came to be reunited with his family. Time is 7 PM and location is Highsmith Student Union Alumni Hall. 

03/25/15 GREEN DRINKS
Join Asheville Green Drinks and WNC Green Building Council for a presentation full of practical knowledge on building and buying green homes, and come away with useful resources for reaching your own green home goals. Presenting will be Jamie Shelton of Blue Ridge Energy Systems and Mary Love of Keller Williams Realty. Socializing at  5:30 PM, program starts at 6 PM. Location is Green Sage Cafe in downtown Asheville at 5 Broadway Street.

03/26/15 STAND AGAINST RACISM AT A.B.TECH
A-B Tech Community College and the YWCA of Asheville are partnering to bring a community-wide Stand Against Racism event to the college from 1 to 4:30 PM, Thursday, March 26 in Ferguson Auditorium on the Asheville campus. The event is free and open to the public. Jacquelyn Hallum, Director of Health Careers and Diversity Education at the Mountain Area Health Education Center, will be the keynote speaker. She will be discussing the history of racism in employment and solutions to the problem. The event is a part of the national YWCA Stand Against Racism campaign, which is designed to build community among those who work for racial justice and to raise awareness about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism. Following Hallum’s address, there will be a panel on the history of racism in Asheville and a second panel on how employers in the region are recognizing and addressing organizational racism. A reception will follow in the Ferguson Lobby from 4-4:30. Members of the Racial Justice Coalition will have displays available for public viewing during the entire event. The YWCA Drop-In Child Care Center will provide free childcare at the YW on S. French Broad Avenue from 1 - 5 p.m. for parents attending this event. Parents will need to provide pertinent information for their children by Friday, March 20. Contact Gerry Leonard, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator for the YW, at 254-7206, ext. 219 or at gleonard@ywcaofasheville.org.

03/26/15 AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVE OF UNCA
Lunch-N-Learn: An African-American Women's Perspective of UNC Asheville will be held at the Intercultural Center HIG 114 in the Highsmith Union at UNCA at 12:30 PM. It is facilitated by Dr. Deborah James, Professor, Department of Literature and Language.In her own words: “I came here because I was recruited to help integrate the women’s dorms. There were no black women in the dorms before 1969...as long as I have been here, I have never not been involved in some initiative or another to make this place feel welcoming and safe and better for underrepresented groups, particularly for African-Americans.”

03/26/15 INTERRACIAL DATING IN AMERICA STUDENT PANEL
This was postponed from last month due to weather. It will be at 6 PM at Highsmith Union Room 224, at UNCA. This is sponsored by Multicultural Student Programs. For more information, email ssnyder@unca.edu.

03/26/15 PEOPLE’S ACTION GROUP ON GOVERNMENT BUDGETS
Government budgets are not just numbers, they're lives! Dinner, New Friends, & Action at the United Way. State, national and local budgets reveal what we value! Budget decisions are moral decisions. Budget decisions about education, healthcare, childcare, employment laws, & housing affect our day-to-day lives. Learn how government budgets impact our lives and the lives of our friends, family, & neighbors right here in WNC. Come learn more, raise your voice, and take action! Dinner is free!  Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is United Way at 50 South French Broad Avenue in downtown Asheville. This is a facebook event, sponsored by Just Economics.

03/26/15 LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS EVENT
Women's Leadership Panel. Please join the League as we celebrate Women's History Month 2015. This event will host a panel of local women who serve leadership positions in Asheville and Buncombe County. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Skyland/South Buncombe Library at 360 Overlook Road in south Asheville.

03/26/15 STORIES OF STRONG WOMEN AT UNCA
Asheville and regional storytellers will honor the strong women in their lives on March 26, beginning at 7:15 PM in the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center at UNCA.  Short tales from real life will be brought to the microphone by Stories on Asheville’s Front Porch. Part of Women’s History Month celebrated in March, this gathering of raconteurs will feature Jim Stokely, son of Wilma Dykeman, who will recollect his mother’s foresight and strength as a mom, as a woman and as the revered artist who wrote The French Broad and other classics. Along with stories from Jim and master of ceremonies Sarah Larson, the lively gathering will include pieces of 8-10 minutes from Catherine Frank, director of OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute); Roy Harris, president of the Asheville Storytelling Circle; professional teller Sherry Lovett; and “OLLI Stories For The Third Act Tellers” David Castel, Ann Karson, Karen Schwartz and Shay Thames. A suggested donation of $10 will be collected at the door.

03/27/15 PESTICIDES: USE, MISUSE AND ALTERNATIVES
This free, four-part series will take place on the last Friday of March, April, May and June. The series runs as follows: March 27: Dream of a Toxic-Free NC; April 24: Pesticides Kill More Than Pests: Keeping Bees and Other Wildlife Safe; May 29: Towns That Are Reducing Their Pesticide Footprint; June 26: It All Starts At Home: Alternatives to Chemical Pesticides. Sessions are being held at the Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville - Lenoir-Rhyne University from 6:00 to 9:00 PM on the above dates. It is our intention to celebrate Asheville as a city in transition, a city willing to take a hard look at what it’s going to take to create the kind of resiliency necessary for a sustainable future.In addition to educating our citizenry – and no doubt learning from you all as well – we want to draw attention to the need for city governments to set an example and model best practices in pest management. Light refreshments will be served each evening. "Join" us for more information, and save these dates! March 27, April 24, May 29, and June 26. We are looking for volunteers and additional sponsors to cover refreshments. Tabling is free, so please do consider sharing your passion with like-minded folk. Time is 6 to 9 PM and location is Lenoir Rhyne University on Montford Avenue in Asheville. They will be using the second floor boardroom. This is a facebook event, and since it is multi-day, you probably want to sign up if you are interested in this topic.

03/27/15 JUST PEACE FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE (JPIP) MEETING
Next meeting is at 3:15 PM at the Activities Building at Brooks Howell Home. This group was formerly called Western Carolinians for Peace & Justice in the Middle East. This meeting will focus on making new posters for stopping using our tax dollars from funding Israeli Occupation.

03/27/15 FREE SPEECH VS HATE SPEECH DEBATE AT UNCA
Debate: Free Speech vs Hate Speech. Everyone is invited and there is not cost to attend. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Highsmith University Union in Lookout Mountain Room at UNCA.  For more info, contact Eric at eking1@unca.edu. 

03/28/15 NC GREEN PARTY MEETING
Wayne Turner of the North Carolina Green Party will be at Pack Memorial Library in Asheville, NC on March 28th from 1-3 PM to meet Greens in the Asheville and surrounding areas. Event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Wayne Turner at build4green@nc.rr.com. 

03/30/15 VOICES FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE
A free 8 week training in community organizing FOR LOW WAGE WORKERS AND PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY. Learn how to raise your voice and organize your friends and neighbors to be agents of change. Together we can help create more living wage jobs, create a better transportation system, advocate for issues we care about, and work for better access to basic needs like childcare, healthcare, housing, etc. This is on Monday nights from March 30th to May 18th in downtown Asheville. Time is 6 to 8:30 PM. Free transportation, dinner, and childcare are provided to all participants. Contact Amy at Just Economics WNC to sign up: 828-505-7466. This is a facebook event.

04/01/15 GREEN DRINKS
Environmental Legislative Update: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly. Join us on April 1 for our Legislative Update with Cassie Gavin. The meeting will include a legislative preview of upcoming issues and legislation related to the environment that may be introduced by the NC General Assembly in the 2015 session. Cassie will update members on the status of current environmental issues affecting North Carolina such as solar energy, fracking, coal ash, water quality, and offshore drilling and discuss the possibility of any legislative action on these issues in the coming year. Socializing begins at 5:30 PM and program begins at 6 PM. Location is the Green Sage in downtown Asheville.

04/01/15 ISLAMOPHOBIA AND US EMPIRE DISCUSSION AT UNCA
After the horrific shooting of three Muslim Chapel Hill students, mainstream media reported that the tragedy was likely the result of a "parking dispute". As we mourn these three incredible people and try to understand how something so terrifying could happen, it is impossible to ignore the cloud of bigotry and hate hanging over these murders. The current climate in the U.S. is rife with anti-Muslim racism, or Islamophobia. State surveillance, unlawful detainment, racialized prejudice, distorted representation in media, attacks on the street and in private homes, are realities for many Muslims living in America. After September 11, 2001, the Bush administration launched a "war on terror" ushering in an era of Islamophobia. However, 9/11 alone did not create Islamophobia. Anti-Muslim and Anti-Arab racism has both fueled and been fueled by U.S. policy, and is a crucial component of U.S. global domination. Join the International Socialist Organization in Asheville for a discussion about Islamophobia, empire, and resistance. We believe in liberation - from Chapel Hill to Palestine. This is hosted by Asheville Socialists. Time is 6:30 PM and location is Highsmith Union, room 222, at UNCA.

04/02/15 to 04/04/15 ASHEVILLE QUEER CONFERENCE
Navigating Normativities: 2015 Queer Studies Conference at UNC Asheville, April 2-4, 2015.The UNC Asheville Queer Studies Conference, a biennial event established in 1998, attracts an international audience of activists, academics, and artists who showcase a range of creative and scholarly pursuits related to the investigation of genders and sexualities. For more information, please contact Lorena Russell at lrussell@unca.edu, 828-251-6594. Time is 7:30 AM to 10 PM on Thursday and Friday and 7:30 AM to noon on Sunday.  Location is Laurel Forum in Karpen Hall at UNCA.

04/08/15 JUST PEACE FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE MEETING
This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at 117 Montreat Road in Black Mountain. This group was formerly called “Western Carolinians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East”.

04/11/15 JUST PEACE FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE PROTEST 
Street Protest at Vance Monument. Time is noon to 2 PM. This will focus on stopping the flow of our tax dollars that support Israel’s military occupation.  

04/11/15 and 04/12/15 MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR
This is a family-friendly sustainable living event that features 200 hands-on workshops and demonstrations from experts on real food, organic gardening, homesteading, renewable energy, green building and remodeling, DIY projects, small-scale livestock, green transportation, natural health, and related topics.Also on the grounds: hands-on children’s projects; heritage-breed livestock; an alternative-fuel vehicle display; vendor, livestock and craft demonstrations; and local and organic food offerings. Pre-order weekend wristband passes for $25. Passes will cost $30 at the gate. Children 17 and under get in free. The event offers a limited number of VIP lanyards. VIPs receive priority seating at workshops, catered meals and other perks. Time is 9 AM to 7 PM on Saturday, and 9 AM to 5 PM on Sunday. Location is WNC Agricultural Center.

04/13/15 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE SOCIAL
The topic will be “Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear War” by Steve Gilman, MC from Physicians for Social Responsibility. The location is St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 337 Charlotte Street in Asheville. Time is 6:30 to 8 PM. For more information, contact transitionAsheville@gmail.com.

05/01/15 CHILD WATCH TOUR IN ASHEVILLE
Children First/Communities In Schools and the Junior League of Asheville present the 2015 Success Equation Child Watch Tour. This field trip for adults focuses community attention on important child and family issues. This year, we will explore the Child Care Subsidy Program that promotes opportunity and success for working parents and their children. The program serves over 2,200 children in Buncombe County. Tour participants will:  hear from parents and providers about the recent eligibility changes' negative impacts on working parents with school aged children; learn about new federal guidelines that will help improve this long-standing program; get involved in advocacy that supports working families and child development. More information and registration details are coming soon. Time is 4:45 PM. For more information, contact Greg Borom at gregb@childrenfirstbc.org.

05/11/15 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE SOCIAL
The presenter will be Brian Winslett, co-founder of Blue Ridge Biofuels. Topic will be ‘Wood Gas, Biochar, and Running Your Car on Trash’. The location is St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 337 Charlotte Street in Asheville. Time is 6:30 to 8 PM. For more information, contact transitionAsheville@gmail.com.

07/13/15 DRONE QUILT PROJECT IN ASHEVILLE
The Drone Quilt Project has been approved by the Asheville Area Arts Council and will be exhibited at their Grove Arcade gallery from July 13 to July 25. Veterans for Peace Chapter 099 will be co-sponsoring this event.

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ONGOING EVENTS
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TUESDAY
Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

WEDNESDAY
Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

THURSDAY
Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 1 PM at A-Hope on North Ann Street in Asheville.  
Youth Outright Poetry Night at United Church of Christ in Asheville at 5 PM

FRIDAY
Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville
Women in Black have a monthly vigil at 5 PM at Vance Monument in Asheville (first Friday only)

SATURDAY
Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard
Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park at 5 PM.

SUNDAY
Youth OUTright meeting from 4 to 6 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Ages 14 - 23 only.

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ACTIONS AND READINGS
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Announcement:  Just wanted to inform everyone that Tony Bing died recently. He was a long time activist on Israel/Palestine issues, and a former professor at Earlham College. Memorial details have not been announced yet.

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