UPCOMING EVENTS
01/28/13 to 03/15/13 BUILDING BRIDGES SEMINAR SERIES
The Mission of Building Bridges is to enable our community to confront and
overcome racism through a continuing process of changing attitudes and hearts
through education, consciousness-raising, nurturing, and ongoing support. Our
goal is to be intentional in respecting diversity within our community. This
seminar is an introduction to the dynamics of racism and is an opportunity to
explore how race has impacted our relationships, communities and institutions.
Past participants are welcome. Time is 7 PM to 9 PM on Monday evenings, and
location is MAHEC at 121
Hendersonville Road in Asheville. Cost is $30.
Registration is limited, please call 828-777-4585 for an application
form.
01/28/13 PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING
Public Safety meeting regarding Asheville City Council member Cecil Bothwell’s
civil liberties resolution Monday Jan 28th at 3PM. This is at Asheville
Fire Station, downtown, on the 2nd floor. This resolution states that Asheville police will not
comply with federal statutes regarding targeting and arrest of undocumented
workers.
01/28/13 ASHEVILLE
EARTH SABBATH
A monthly interfaith celebration of the Earth with words and music to nourish
your soul coordinated by NC Interfaith Power & Light. This month lead by
Maureen Linneman and Chas Jansen. St. Mary's Episcopal Church on Charlotte Street
from 7 to 8 pm. All welcome. For more information, contact Jean at
larson_jean@hotmail.com.
01/28/13 IDLE NO MORE RALLY
There will be a local Idle No More rally at Vance Monument
at Pack Square
at 4 PM. Contact Andy at 258-2642 or email
grace@heartofmothearth.org for
more information. See the end of this email for more information also.
01/28/13 UPDATE ON THE STRUGGLE ON LA ZAD
Time is 6:30 to 9 PM, and location is Firestorm Café and Books. La Zad (Zone a
Defendre) is a 4,000 acre piece of occupied land in Nantes, France.
For the past 40 years, the State and multinational building company Vinci
has been planning development of an airport, but all this time locals have been
fighting the project, joined by squatters in the last 5 years! Cue countless
actions and demos and constructions, building a place where people strove to be
autonomous, with libraries, treehouse villages, a bakery, a farm, collective
gardens, a goat dairy etc, all horizontally organized. Then in October the
military and riot police came and knocked it all down. But they didn't expect
the resistance they got and had to extend their initial planned operation by 3
weeks. It's been almost 3 months now that there is a daily military presence,
and 2 people have gone to prison so far, with hundreds wounded. So there was a
big demo and 40,000 people came to re-squat some new land. Over 200
"collectives of support" were created and the government proposed
negotiations (which were refused by the people involved). Evictions were
supposed to be the end and now instead of 100 living there we are 500 and it's
on the national news!
01/29/13 CONCEALED CARRY IN SCHOOLS DEBATE
WZGM Presents: "Take a Stand!" Speaker Series – Debate. Time is 6 to
8 PM and location is the Double Tree Hilton in Biltmore Village.
"Conceal Carry for Teachers in Schools" a debate addressing guns and
safety in today's culture. Debaters are Ned Ryan Doyle and Dr William
Forstchen. Tickets are $5, with all proceeds going to Green Opportunities and
Asheville Humane Society. Tickets may be purchased online at www.1350wzgm.com
or at
www.mattandagnes.com. Call
828-505-8439 for more information.
01/31/13 350.ORG ASHEVILLE
MEETING
Big Money is about to buy bad policy at Duke/Progress Energy and it’s time to
get the word out to the community before that happens. 350.org Asheville will meet at 5 PM at the Grove
Arcade Book Exchange. Find out how you can get involved.
02/01/13 ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE FOOD POLICY COMMUNITY MEETING
The Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council (A/B FPC) collaborated with the
Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment (SACEE) to
create the first City of Asheville
Food Action Plan. To find out more about this, or to
help them with their goal of improving the city’s food security, please come to
the meeting at the Mountain View Room at the UNCA Sherrill Center.
Meeting is from 4 to 6 PM. (3:30 for new folks orientation)
02/02/13 OCCUPY ASHEVILLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Occupy Asheville will hold their monthly General Assembly at 2 PM at Pritchard
Park. All are welcome to attend. Free. Please note the new time.
02/02/13 “ASK A LAWYER” FREE EVENTS
What: A panel of local attorneys will be available to answer legal questions to
individuals for free. There will be attorneys representing a variety of
practice areas available to talk to participants on a one-on-one basis. All
members of the general public are invited and encouraged to come with legal
questions. This is from 10 – 1 PM at The Grove Arcade, One Page Avenue in Downtown
Asheville, NC and from 2 – 4:30 PM at the Henderson County Public Library
(Kaplan Auditorium), 301 North Washington Street Downtown in Hendersonville, NC
Sponsored by: The Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association
02/02/13 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST VIGIL
Western Carolinians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East will have a vigil
at Vance Monument on Saturday February 2 from 2-4 PM to protest illegal Israeli
settlements and the product Sodastream which is produced in one of those
settlements. Contact Susan at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information.
02/04/13 GREEN PARTY MEETING
The Buncombe County GREEN Party's business meeting is open to the public. It is
held on the first Monday of the Month. It will be held at 6 PM in the Fortune Building (upstairs), at 729 Haywood Rd., West Asheville. Parking in back and on the
street. Contact Ronald @ 828-LUCK-180 or Larry @ 828-225-4347 for more
information.
02/06/13 SIERRA CLUB MEETING
“Beyond Coal,” transitioning from coal to clean energy, will be presented by
Kelly Martin of the NC Beyond Coal Campaign. Kris Cunningham of Sierra
Club will answer questions on why nuclear power is not suitable for replacing
coal. Time is 7 PM by Sierra Club & Green Drinks at the Unitarian Church,
Asheville
(corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or
828-683-2176 for more information.
02/07/13 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING
Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street
in Asheville.
VFP Chapter 099:
http://vfpchapter099wnc.blogspot.com/
02/07/13 “40 YEARS LATER – NOW CAN WE TALK?”
This film will be shown at AB Tech in Ferguson Auditorium from 11AM to 12:30 PM.
This documentary film explores the impact of racial integration in the
Mississippi Delta through powerful and moving intergroup dialogue. Black and
white alumni from the class of 1969 recall and comment on memories of that
time, from their very different racial positions and experiences. The
documentary tells a multi-layered story intercutting archival historical
footage, vignettes from the high school today, personal profiles of
participants, and the inter-group dialogue. “40 Years Later” provides a contemporary
way to examine the impact of desegregation on those who participated in the
first integration projects and to reflect on our progress as a society and the
challenges that remain for reaching the goals put forth in the 1955 Brown v.
Board of Education decision. Free. Sponsored by AB Tech Diversity Committee and
Film/Media Studies.
02/08/13 “40 YEARS LATER – NOW CAN WE TALK?”
This film will be shown at UNCA in Highsmith Union at 7 PM. See
description just above about this film. Free. Sponsored by UNCA Africana
Studies Program.
02/08/13 WALKING BACKWARD INTO THE FUTURE W/PUEBLO ELDER
“A Tribal American Spoken Word Legacy” with Pueblo Indian Elder, Larry Littlebird.
Suggested Donation: $15. Doors open at 6:30 PM, starts at 7 PM. Walking
backward into the future is about slowing down and learning to listen. This
spoken word legacy connects past, present and future for living in concert with
the land, to one another and all of our relations at this critical hour on
earth. For more information contact Debra at 828-712-0880. This event is
sponsored by the Living Room Series - Lenior-Rhyne
University Center
for Graduate Studies of Asheville, which is located at 36 Montford Avenue in Asheville.
02/12/13 JUSTICE FRIENDS NIGHT
An inclusive monthly gathering to explore social and environmental justice
through presentations, films and performance art. A discussion group and social
event for locals with an activist mindset. Bring your causes and local issues
to the roundtable! Share, listen, learn, network. Location is Firestorm Café
and Books and time is 7 PM.
02/14/13 ONE BILLION RISING IN ASHEVILLE
On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who
love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to violence against
women.. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men across
every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our
numbers, our solidarity across borders. This event will take place from 7 to 10
PM and location will be the YWCA on South
French Broad Avenue in Asheville.
02/14/13 SYMPOSIUM ON REDISTRICTING REFORM
This is sponsored by Common Cause NC, League of Women Voters of Buncombe
County, and Alliance
for Retired Americans. No matter where you live in the US,
Redistricting can affect the relevance of your vote. Learn how this subverts
the will of the people, how that can be avoided and what citizens can do to
help. It will by a panel discussion with audience Participation and lunch is
included. Time is 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. This will be held at the Mountain View
Room at UNCA’s Sherrill
Center. Free. SIGN UP TO
ATTEND: We want to make sure we have enough food; RSVP to tomcoulson@aol.com or
call 828-674-3046.
02/17/13 CLIMATE RALLY IN DC
Possible bus for local activists to go to this. More details later.
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nat_signup_feb17
02/19/13 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE PERMACULTURE POTLUCK SERIES
Each month in 2013 a different local teacher will present a new permaculture
principle explaining how that principle can be applied to the redesign of our
lives, homes, and communities to create a more resilient and sustainable human
culture. We invite you to join us for these “Potlucks with a Purpose” on the
third Tuesday of each month at Community Action Opportunities (25 Gaston Street)
to share ideas, connection, and great food! Time is 5:30 PM.
02/23/13 BRADLEY MANNING
He spent 1,000 days in jail as of today with no conviction yet.
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ONGOING EVENTS
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MONDAY
Occupy Asheville Weekly Meeting at 6:30 PM at
First Congregational Church
of Christ.
TUESDAY
Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 4:30 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument
WEDNESDAY
Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood Country
Courthouse in Waynesville.
THURSDAY
Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 2 PM at Firestorm Cafe.
Anti-racism Group Discussion at 5:30 PM on the third Thursday of the month at
Firestorm Cafe.
Veterans for Peace Group Discussion at 6:30 PM on the third Thursday of the
month at the Phil Mechanic Studio on Roberts
Street, Asheville.
FRIDAY
Women in Black have a vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square (Asheville) on the first Friday of the month.
Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville
Homeless Network Parade on the last Friday of the month at 2 PM at Pritchard Park.
SATURDAY
Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a
weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard.
Occupy Asheville General Assembly on the first Saturday of the month. 2 PM at Pritchard Park.
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ACTIONS AND READINGS
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Eight ideas on how to participate in Idle No More
(from a Canadian publication)
So the question is -- how can you, an average non-indigenous, non-activist, yet
conscientious citizen of Canada, support us? Here are a few ideas:
Go to the rallies. You might think that doesn't accomplish anything, but
it is a visible show of solidarity, and that matters. Participating in (and
bearing witness to) ceremony in a respectful way is an important gesture. Make
signs, participate in the days of action, and share photos through your social
media networks. Be brave; join a round dance. We are gathering our strength in
a visible way, and it all keeps up the momentum.
Get educated. People know less than they think they do, even the smart
ones. Canada's
indigenous question is a big, abstract issue, and the mainstream media is
clouding it
horribly, with some
notable exceptions. There are good resources at idlenomore.ca and
elsewhere, if you only look for them.
Challenge stereotypes. The most garish stereotypes are symptoms of
poverty, not ethnicity -- let's look at why that poverty exists. Many
stereotypes are simply false. Some of them are symptoms of deeper systemic
issues that need to be addressed by Canada
as a whole, for the good of Canada
as a whole. Not one of them arises from some genetic quirk unique to indigenous
DNA.
Confront racism. This is deeply tied to getting educated and challenging
stereotypes. Many of my non-indigenous friends told me they spent their
holidays listening to their relatives undermine INM over Christmas dinner and
didn't speak up because they didn't know what to say. I told them all the same
thing: keeping quiet is perpetuating the problem.
Participate in democracy. Write your MP and MLA. Vote. We elect these
people to office. They work for us and we need to hold them accountable,
starting with your MLA and MP and working right up to the prime minister. They
can only represent us if we give them a clear mandate and hold them
accountable.
Write letters to the editor. Idle No More has exposed astonishing hidden
recesses of bigotry in otherwise respectable journalists, and not enough people
are calling them on it. Don't just add a snarky post to the online comments
section. Don't assume that INM campaigners are on it; most people deeply
involved in the movement are so busy putting out fires elsewhere that much is
being left undone and unsaid. Champion truth and fairness at every level you
can as an individual.
Please join us at the Vance
Monument in downtown Asheville on January 28th as a call to action
to protect Mother Earth and Her peoples. We will pray and move to the heartbeat
of Mother Earth in honor of IDLE NO MORE.
We will gather together in a circle to create a sacred space of reflection and
prayer in a ceremonial way. In honor of the indigenous women who are leading
Idle No More, women will drum and rattle the heartbeat of our Mother Earth
while men hold signs, banners and flags. Everyone is free to round dance in a
sunwise direction if so moved. We shall envision a world where our Mother Earth
and all beings shall once again be respected and honored, in mind, heart and
action.
***ALL first nations people are invited and welcome to drum, rattle, sing,
speak or offer their hearts in what way they feel called.
EVERYONE IS INVITED TO BRING:
**Hoop style drums (only) and rattles of all kinds. The hoop drum represents
the sacred hoop of life and respect for the First Nations people indigenous to Turtle Island
aka North America.
If you would like to bring hoop drums and rattles to share that is also much
appreciated. Please honor that the women will be the ones drumming and rattling
during this event.
**Sage, sweetgrass, copal, cedar and other sacred plant incense native to North
America, shells or other smudging containers, feathers & fans (no songbird
feathers, and no raptor feathers unless you have legality papers please), and
lighters & matches.
**Signs, banners and flags in honor of Idle No More, Mother Earth and all Her
beings, esp. First Nations peoples everywhere
**An open, humble, powerful and prayerful heart
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS:
We do need a few more reverent volunteers still. If you are interested please
send us a message. Thank you!
--- If a crowd too large for the Vance
Monument attends, we will
move down to the Roger McGuire Green ---
PLEASE READ: We are not Idle No More and do not claim to represent Idle No
More. We are simply a group of local human beings coming together in support
and solidarity, recognizing and honoring Idle No More’s call to action. We are
deeply grateful to all of our indigenous first nations elders, sisters and
brothers who are rising up to protect their indigenous sovereignty, cultures,
lands and reclaim treaty rights, and who are pressuring governments and
industry to clean up and protect the environment. We are their allies. May this
grassroots movement founded by four women with no designated hierarchal
leadership inspire us all to heed their call to action. We are all children of
the Earth, completely dependent upon Her for survival.
For more information about Idle No More:
http://idlenomore.ca/
Worldwide rallies are being organized uniting all of our peoples to protect
Mother Earth. Friends of and Indigenous peoples everywhere are being called to
action. The time is ripe, the time is now, here is the peaceful revolution that
shows us how.
For more info about this event you can send an email
grace@heartofmothearth.org.
Hope to see you there! Mitakuye Oyasin!
The Official Idle No More Website - Idle No More
www.idlenomore.ca
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PETITION TO SIGN
