Sunday, May 28, 2017

Upcoming events for the week of May 28, 2017


Veterans for Peace will be marching in DC this week.

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR BY DANCEWATER

05/29/17 MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY BY VETERANS FOR PEACE
This ceremony will start at 11 AM at the Pack Square War Memorial. There will be music, poetry, prayer and readings from Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence’ speech. The Veterans for Peace will also lay a memorial wreath. Free and open to the public. 

05/29/17 MEMORIAL DAY ACTION AGAINST PIPELINES
Smoky Mountain Eco-Defense will be holding a protest against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline this Memorial Day in honor of Jim Marker. Jim was a father, veteran, water protector, humanitarian and dedicated environmentalist who was killed by police in Florida on February 26 after he successfully decommissioned several pieces of construction equipment for the Sabal Trail Pipeline. After initially claiming he fired at police, law enforcement have since backed down on this lie and are now refusing to release dash cam footage of Jim’s death. Duke Energy is behind both the Sabal Trail Pipeline in FL and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline which threatens our mountains, farms, and wetlands from West Virginia to North Carolina. If built the ACP would destroy thousands of acres of fields and forests and escalate the climate crisis with the massive daily deliveries of fracked gas to Duke Energy’s gas power plants in the Carolina’s and beyond. Join us in honoring the life of Jim Marker by protesting Duke Energy’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline this Memorial Day. Kill Pipelines not People! Bring signs, banners, and friends! Time is 3 to 5 PM and location is Vance Monument. 

05/30/17 VETERANS FOR PEACE VIGIL - BECAUSE THE WARS STILL GO ON
Every Tuesday, Veterans for Peace Chapter 099 holds a vigil at Vance Monument in downtown Asheville. Time is 5 PM. This has been happening since 2002. No matter the weather, no matter if it falls on a holiday, they are out there standing for peace. Last year, our former president dropped 26,000 bombs on seven different countries. The current president seems to be trying to match or beat that horrible record. Meanwhile we are banning refugees from those countries we have destroyed. Show you are publicly against our country's endless wars and occupations by standing with Veterans for Peace.

05/30/17 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE EVENT DO!SCUSSION 
Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups educating and organizing white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice. Asheville SURJ hosts a weekly discussion group on risk-taking, accountability, mutual interest and how to call more white people into racial justice work. Anyone with a passion for working with white people on racial justice is welcome.  Time is 10 AM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information. 

05/30/17 LAKOTA SOLIDARITY EVENT
Lakota Solidarity Beyond Standing Rock - This event includes a discussion around the situation on Pine Ridge and the growing movement for independence and the solidarity actions that grassroots grandmothers and warriors have requested. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Firestorm at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville.

05/30/17 DOCUMENTARY AT THE COLLIDER IN ASHEVILLE
“Wings of Life” documentary film screening at The Collider at 1 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. Time is 6:30 PM. $5 admission. Call 1-828-CLIMATE for more information. This is part of their monthly series of movies on the environment and climate change.

05/31/17 BENEFIT CONCERT FOR GUARDIAN AD LITEM ASSOCIATION
“A Musical Voyage” concert with Duo Vela and Demeler will be held at The Block Off Biltmore (39 South Market Street in downtown Asheville) at 8:30 PM. Proceeds will be donated to the Guardian ad Litem association fund for children in foster care. Call 694-4215 for more information. 

05/31/17 FUNDRAISER FOR PISGAH LEGAL SERVICES
“Migration”: Fundraiser for Pisgah Legal’s Services for Low-Income Immigrants. May 31 from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm. Progressive dinner featuring Cúrate, En la Calle, French Broad Chocolates, and The Block Off Biltmore, to raise money to expand Pisgah Legal’s services to low-income immigrants due to increased demand. Since 2002, Pisgah Legal Services’ Justice for All Project has served local immigrants in Western North Carolina by providing basic needs such as stable housing, safety from abuse, food security, and technical assistance obtaining legal immigration status and work authorization. All proceeds raised from the event will support this work and will be matched dollar-for-dollar.The progressive dinner begins at Curate at 5:00 pm. For more information, email brent@pisgahlegal.org or call 828-210-3405. 

05/31/17 JUST PEACE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE MEETING
This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at 117 Montreat Road in Black Mountain. Contact Beth at elizakeiser@aol.com or 828 707 4271 for more information.  

05/31/17 REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS EVENT
Join us to check out this new virtual reality film and meet groups working for reproductive rights and justice. “Across the Line” is a virtual reality film that places viewers in the shoes of a patient facing harassment as they enter a health center for a safe and legal abortion. Using real audio gathered at protests outside of clinics, scripted scenes, and documentary footage, the film is a powerful hybrid documentary-fiction depiction of the toxic environment that many health care providers, health center staff, and patients must walk through to provide or access health care on a typical day. You will have an opportunity to view this short film and find out how you can get involved, as a volunteer, advocate, etc., in efforts to safeguard reproductive rights and justice in NC. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is The Block Off Biltmore at 39 South Market Street in downtown Asheville. Phone 828-254-9277 for more information about the event. Sponsored by Working Films, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Western North Carolina Citizens Ending Institutional Bigotry, and Carolina Abortion Fund. For more information about the film, contact Working Films at alee@workingfilms.org or 910.342.9000

05/31/17 PARTICIPATORY ORGANIZING
Participatory Organising: From Co-op to Network to Mass Movement. Organizing democratically is hard! How do we hear from everyone and still get work done? How do we grow a collaborative culture while we still live within a competitive society? When nobody is the boss, how do we handle money, information, and power? Nati and Rich have been working in nonhierarchical organizations for more than five years. They’re touring the US sharing tools and processes for working collaboratively. We're going to host a conversation where we can learn together how to organize when nobody is in charge. Time is 7 PM and location is Firestorm at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville.

06/01/17 SEEKING TRUTH & TRANSPARENCY: NORTH CAROLINA’S ROLE IN US TORTURE
Mr. Frank Goldsmith and Ms. Christina Cowger will speak June 1st in Asheville on the recently formed NC Commission of Inquiry on Torture (NCCIT) and on North Carolina’s history in extraordinary rendition and torture by the US government. Mr. Goldsmith is Co-Chair of the Commission, and an area civil rights attorney who has represented Guantanamo prisoners.  He will speak on the founding, purpose, and significance of the NC Commission of Inquiry on Torture. Ms. Cowger, active in anti-torture efforts since 2005 through NC Stop Torture Now, will speak on North Carolina’s connection to torture and how communities can support the NCCIT’s inquiry. This event will be held at the Land of the Sky UCC at 15 Overbrook Place in Asheville. This will be from 6 to 8 PM on June 1, 2017. Childcare will be available. The public is invited, and donations will be accepted. Donations should be directed to NC Commission of Inquiry on Torture. Sponsored by Land of the Sky UCC, Asheville Friends Meeting Peace & Earth Committee, WNC Chapter of the ACLU, Veterans for Peace Chapter 099, WNC 4 Peace, and Fellowship of Reconciliation. For more information, please contact Susan at dancewater2@gmail.com.

06/01/17 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE MEETING
Meet Sarah Ogletree, our Wake Forest Divinity School Intern, on Thursday, June 1, 5:30-7 PM. At First Baptist Church,  MB306 Upstairs, at 5 Oak Street in Asheville. Join us to meet our first Wake Forest Divinity School Intern Sarah Ogletree, to hear about Watershed Discipleship and some of the programs and work she has planned for the summer.  We will also celebrate the Earth Day Vigil, Climate March and talk about upcoming events. Contact Scott, Creation Care Alliance at scott@creationcarealliance.org for more information.

6/3/2017 HOOD HUGGERS "ANCESTORS IN THE GARDEN" EVENT
Join Hood Huggers International on Saturday, June 3 from 3 - 7 pm at the Burton Street Community Peace Garden, 47 Bryant Street, for interactive performances, music, food, and more. Help celebrate infrastructure improvements in the garden. You can also stop by as early as 1 pm for garden tours. Hood Huggers is an organization dedicated to "Rebuilding Affrilachia" and using art to drive social change. Tickets are a suggested donation of $5 each. There are $50 sponsor tickets available for those that want to support the work of Hood Huggers and sponsor tickets for others. Find out more and get tickets at www.hoodhuggers.com. 

06/06/17 CURRENT EVENTS BOOK CLUB
Join host Bruce Roth for a lively discussion on topics of current interest including war and peace, the economy, the environment, and other hot political topics. They are reading “Demand the Impossible! A Radical Manifesto” by Bill Ayers. Time is 7 PM. Contact Malaprops for more information. 

06/07/17 CITIZENS-POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
This meeting is organized by the City of Asheville. This meeting is free and open to the public. This meeting is at Burton Street Center at 134 Burton Street in west Asheville. Time is 5 PM. Call 251-1122 for more information.

06/07/17 SIERRA CLUB MEETING
Sierra Club meeting, and the topic is “Preventing Duke Energy’s 3rd Gas-Powered Electric Plant.” On Wednesday, June 7, the Sierra Club will present an update from Asheville’s Energy Innovation Task Force about reducing energy use in Buncombe County so as to avoid construction of a new, natural gas peaking unit. Julie Mayfield, Asheville City Council; Brownie Newman, Buncombe County Commission; and Jason Walls, Duke Energy, will report on how the three-way partnership – Buncombe County, Asheville, and Duke Energy – is progressing. The Energy Innovation Task force has been working for just over a year. It has made recommendations to the City and County for new programs and investments. Duke, in turn, has made groundbreaking announcements on the deployment of new technology in our area.  Don’t miss this important update. Location is the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 1 Edwin Place (corner of Charlotte & Edwin) in Asheville. Time is 7 PM and this event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Judy Mattox at judymattox@sbcglobal.net or 828-683-2176.

06/09/17 CLIMATE RISK AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Friday June 9, 5-6:30 PM. Admiral Titley presentation on “Climate Risk & National Security: People Not Polar Bears” at The Collider Suite 401, 1 Haywood St. (on 4th floor of Wells Fargo Building next to Pritchard Park) in Asheville. If you would like to help with the Admiral Titley event or need more information, please contact Dale Stratford, bdstratford1@gmail.com. [This sounds like he thinks people are more important than polar bears, which I do not agree with. - dancewater]

06/14/17 FAIR VOTE TOWN HALL IN CLYDE
June 14 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Town Hall gathering for WNC citizens concerned about making democracy fair again. Non-partisan panel discussion about redistricting, featuring Tom Ross, former UNC President and Superior Court Judge; Chris Cooper, chair of WCU’s Political Science Department; Jane Pinksy, from the NC Coalition for Lobbying & Government Reform; Robert Orr, former NC Supreme Court Justice; and Republican and Democratic state legislators. Sponsors include Democracy NC, the NC Coalition for Lobbying & Government Reform, the Asheville-Buncombe County NAACP, and the Asheville-Buncombe League of Women Voters. Come learn about fair vote redistricting and share your questions and concerns about the current fight for redistricting reform in North Carolina.  Location is Haywood Community College Auditorium at 185 Freedlander Drive in Clyde. Free admission.

06/15/17 ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY
On Thursday, June 15, 2017, the Area Agency on Aging's Ombudsman Program and Buncombe County Health & Human Services will be hosting the Buncombe County World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) Walk. The Walk will take place at Carrier Park from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. For more information contact Julia Gibson at 828.251.6622 or julia@landofsky.org.

06/16/17 MORE THAN A MONTH SERIES
Sheriff Van Duncan and Police Chief Hooper - OLLI “More Than a Month Series.” OLLI’s Inclusion Committee has organized a varied series of programs to highlight issues of African American culture in Asheville and beyond. We hope that by offering opportunities to learn more that we will create a forum for challenging conversations. The noted author James Baldwin observed, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” It is in that spirit of facing history and facing ourselves that we take to understanding the many ways that race informs our culture.  On Friday, June 16, at 1:30 PM, the Policing Minority Communities: Asheville Police Chief Tammy Hooper and Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan will discuss the ongoing efforts to build productive relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. Location is Reuter Center at UNCA. Contact Catherine Frank at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville at olliasheville.com or 828-251-6188 for more information.

06/21/17 GREEN DRINKS

This is a Sustainability and Social Justice Meet-up. Come early for community connections and green drink specials. This happens on the third Wednesday of each month.  Socializing from 5:30 – 6PM and presentation from  6 – 7PM. Location is The Block Off Biltmore at 39 South Market Street at Asheville. Call 828-254-9277 for more information.

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