Sunday, January 19, 2014

Upcoming events in the Asheville area this week



UPCOMING EVENTS

Special note: Buses are going from Asheville to Raleigh on 2-8-14 for the Moral March on Raleigh. See listing under 02/08/14.

01/20/14 ANNUAL MLK PEACE MARCH AND RALLY
The Annual Peace March and Rally will begin at noon at St. James A.M.E. Church on the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Hildebrand Street. Marchers will meet at the church at 11:30 AM for a brief program before marching to City-County Plaza for a rally program of songs and speeches. Please bring a nonperishable food item for Manna Food Bank.

01/20/14 ANNUAL CANDLE- LIGHT CEREMONY FOR REMEMBRANCE
The annual candle-lighting ceremony in remembrance of the less fortunate and as a reminder of the need to continue working to combat injustice. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Adult award will be presented to an adult for their outstanding work in the community. Guest speaker: Rev. Brian Combs, Haywood Street Congregation and the Welcome Table. This will be held at the Nazareth First Baptist Church at 6 PM. For more information, contact Karen at 828-768-8599 or karen@brandinichole.org. This is part of the MLK events in Asheville.

01/20/14 MLK DAY OF SERVICE
Find a volunteer project, join the march, do something to support your community...THEN... Join us in the Burton Street Community for some great food, fires in the fire pits, and friendship (old & new). We're firing up the wood-fired pizza oven and the grill to help feed those of you serving the community on the 2014 MLK Day of Service. If you'd like to contribute, feel free to bring a hearty side dish...or something light. Everything is welcome! Bring your own beverages! This will be at Burton Street Community Peace Garden at 47 Bryant Street in Asheville. Time is 3 PM. This is in honor and loving memory of Fred Simms, tireless volunteer and servant to the Asheville Community.

01/21/14 MLK WEEK AT UNCA – LUNCH AND LEARN
UNC Asheville also offers the following event, free and open to the public, as part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Week. Social Justice: What Does It Mean to You? A lunch and learn workshop will be held at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 21, in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union Intercultural Center. For more information, contact Lamar Hylton, director of UNC Asheville’s Intercultural Center and Multicultural Student Programs, at 828- 251-6585

01/21/14 MLK WEEK AT UNCA – DOCUMENTARY SCREENING
“American Promise” is a documentary screening that chronicles the lives of two young boys from middle class black families making their separate ways through one of the nation’s most prestigious private schools. This will screen at 7 PM on Tuesday, January 21, in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union, Alumni Hall. This intimate documentary presents complicated truths about America’s struggle with issues of race, class, and opportunity. For more information, contact Lamar Hylton, director of UNC Asheville’s Intercultural Center and Multicultural Student Programs, at 828- 251-6585.

01/21/14 CITIZENS UNITED ANNIVERSARY – WE HAVE TO OVERTURN THIS.

1/22/14 REV. BARBER IN BREVARD
Here is the latest information on Rev Barber's trip to Brevard. We learned last Friday that Rev. William Barber, President of the NC NAACP, is coming here. The fact that we were able to mobilize (in one short month and during the holidays) over 190 citizens to join a blooming chapter of the Transylvania County NAACP is likely why we were able to attract Rev. Barber’s attention and include us on his state-wide tour. We are not a chapter yet….but what a start! We hope every one of you will be able to join us on Wednesday, January 22, at 6:30 pm at the Porter Center for a powerful message from Rev. Barber. Free and open to the public.

01/22/14 REV. BARBER IN ASHEVILLE
Time is noon, and the location is Tried Stone Missionary Baptist Church at 100 Carroll Avenue in Asheville. Rev. Barber will speak about the Moral March on Raleigh, a mass mobilization by the HKonJ People’s Assembly that will take place on February 8th. Free and open to the public.

01/22/14 GREEN DRINKS
Join us Wednesday January 22nd at 6 PM at the Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe in downtown Asheville for a presentation on Sustainable Forest Management within the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Land base by Tommy Cabe. The Eastern Band of the Cherokee are moving forward with the best sustainable forest practices. Tommy Cabe is the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Tribes Forest Resource Specialist. He is an enrolled member of the tribe, and born and raised in the very forests he manages. Tommy has been employed with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians since 2000. His life is dedicated to further professional education around managing forests sustainably. His work in conservation has preserved thousands of acres of pristine wilderness. The Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe is transitioning into their winter hours. They will close to the public at 5 PM but will still offer Green Drinks attendees food service until 5:30 PM. Please plan accordingly if you would like to purchase dinner. Thank you. Presentation is at 6 PM.

01/23/13 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE DISCUSSION COURSE
Transition Asheville will hold a “Choices for Sustainable Living” discussion course. This course goes until March 6, 2014. Join WNCA for a seven-session discussion course based on the book “Choices for Sustainable Living” from the Northwest Earth Institute. In the discussion course participants will explore ways to live more sustainably and have the opportunity to explore sustainability in a deeper sense while reflecting on sustainably in different aspects of their lives. Time is 6 PM to 7:30 PM and this will be held at Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar in Asheville. Cost is $45 for WNCA members, $60 for non-members (includes 1 year WNCA membership). For more details and instructions on how to register, please call course leader, Isabelle Rios, at 828-258-8737 ext. 201 or email Isabelle@WNCA.org by Jan. 17.

01/23/14 MLK WEEK AT UNCA – KEYNOTE ADDRESS
UNC Asheville’s on-campus keynote address will be delivered by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, creator of Youth Speaks and co-founder of Life is Living. His talk is free and open to the public and will take place at 7 PM Thursday, January 23 in Lipinsky Auditorium. Named one of America's Top Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences, Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a National Poetry Slam champion, Broadway veteran and was a featured artist on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry on HBO. Joseph created Youth Speaks, where he mentored 13- to 19-year-old writers, and he co-founded Life is Living, a series of festivals designed to activate under resourced parks and affirm peaceful urban life through hip-hop arts and environmental action. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lamar Hylton, director of UNC Asheville’s Intercultural Center and Multicultural Student Programs, at 828- 251-6585.

01/23/14 CONVERSATION WITH AMARRA GHANI
Time is 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 159 - Alumni Hall. Come and hear UNC Asheville alumna, Amarra Ghani '12, share her experiences about working as an intern at NPR on ‘The Race Project’. Free and open to the public.

01/23/14 MOUNTAIN PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY MEETING
Join us for an open meeting of the Mountain People's Assembly. We will be electing remaining members of a steering committee, discussing plans for the Moral March in Raleigh, and begin getting to work by formulating working groups around voter registration, education, and engagement. Time is 6:30 PM and location is First Congregational UCC Asheville at 20 Oak Street in downtown.

01/24/14 WESTERN CAROLINIANS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST MEETING
This meeting of the Western Carolinians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East will be held at 3:15 PM at Brooks Howell House. Contact Beth at elizakeiser@aol.com for more information.

01/24/14 MLK WEEK AT UNCA – POETRY SLAM
Spoken Word and Poetry. The week concludes with a poetry slam at 8 PM on Friday, January 24, in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union, Grotto. For more information, contact Lamar Hylton, director of UNC Asheville’s Intercultural Center and Multicultural Student Programs, at 828- 251-6585.

01/26/14 CLEAN WATER FOR NC FILM SHOWING AND POTLUCK
Clean Water for NC will host a showing of the film “Bidder 70” on Sunday January 26th. Time is 5:30 PM, and location is Asheville Friends Meeting House at 227 Edgewood Avenue in Asheville. Discussion afterwards, donations accepted. Contact Autumn for more information at autumnwoodward@hotmail.com. Bring a potluck dish.

01/27/14 BUILDING BRIDGES OF ASHEVILLE - SESSION STARTS
This session goes from 7 to 9 PM every Monday evening from January 27 to March 24. Location is MAHEC at 121 Hendersonville Road in Asheville. Join us for compelling dialogue, community building, and a call to action. The $30 registration fee includes materials, with a special discount for public school teachers. Continuing Education Units are available for health professionals, clergy, educators, and others. Register online at www.buildingbridges-ashevillenc.org. For more information call (828) 777-4585. There is more information at the end of this post also.

01/27/14 UNCA HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
UNC Asheville’s Amnesty International Student Chapter will hold its ninth annual Human Rights Film Festival January 27-31. Monday, Jan. 27—Born This Way —with intimate access to the lives of four young gay Cameroonians, this film offers a vivid and poetic portrait of day-to-day life in the nation that leads the world in arrests for homosexuality. This film will screen in the Highsmith University Union Grotto at UNCA. For more information, contact Mark Gibney, Belk Distinguished Professor of Political Science, at mgibney@unca.edu or 828.250.3870. Films will be shown at 7 p.m. in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union. The festival is free and open to the public.
01/28/14 UNCA HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
UNC Asheville’s Amnesty International Student Chapter will hold its ninth annual Human Rights Film Festival January 27-31. Tuesday, Jan. 28—Camp 14: Total Control Zone—a portrait of a young man who was born in and grew up in a brutal North Korean jail as the son of political prisoners, yet still found the will to escape. This film will screen in the Highsmith University Union Grotto at UNCA. For more information, contact Mark Gibney, Belk Distinguished Professor of Political Science, at mgibney@unca.edu or 828.250.3870. Films will be shown at 7 p.m. in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union. The festival is free and open to the public.

01/28/14 SENTENCING FOR ANTI-NUCLEAR ACTIVISTS
This will be in Knoxville and there is a van going from Asheville. And if you would like to go to the Federal Court in Knoxville to witness the sentencing and support these activists (known as the Oak Ridge Three) in a van, please contact Jim Brown at Jim@p-e-a-c-e.org ASAP. The van will leave at 6:05 AM from Harris Teeter on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville, and will return on Tueday evening. Cost is $11. There is limited space on the van, so contact Jim right away.

01/29/14 UNCA HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
UNC Asheville’s Amnesty International Student Chapter will hold its ninth annual Human Rights Film Festival January 27-31. Wednesday, Jan. 29— Rafea: Solar Mama— overcoming her husband’s objections and traditions that bar female leadership, a woman living in one of Jordan's poorest desert villages joins 30 illiterate women from different countries at the Barefoot College in India who train to become solar engineers over the course of six months. This film will screen in Highsmith University Union, Alumni Hall, at UNCA. For more information, contact Mark Gibney, Belk Distinguished Professor of Political Science, at mgibney@unca.edu or 828.250.3870. Films will be shown at 7 p.m. in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union. The festival is free and open to the public.
01/29/14 GREEN DRINKS
Join us Wednesday January 29th at 6 PM at the Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe for an update on “Coal ash: In our back yard and beyond” presented by Joan Walker of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Anna Jane Joyner and Hartwell Carson of Western North Carolina Alliance and French Broad Riverkeeper. Coal ash, the toxic trash left when coal is burned for electricity, threatens communities and precious water resources across North Carolina and the Southeast. In the absence of federal regulations, utilities have been dumping the waste in massive lagoons next to waterways and neighborhoods for decades. This presentation will get you up to speed on the current landscape of coal ash in the southeast, the status of long-awaited federal regulations, and how citizens are using the courts to protect communities and waterways from this toxic threat—including right here in Asheville on the French Broad River. The Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe is transitioning into their winter hours. They will close to the public at 5 PM but will still offer Green Drinks attendees food service until 5:30 PM. Please plan accordingly if you would like to purchase dinner. Thank you. Presentation is at 6 PM.

01/30/14 UNCA HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
UNC Asheville’s Amnesty International Student Chapter will hold its ninth annual Human Rights Film Festival January 27-31. Thursday, Jan. 30—In the Shadow of the Sun—filmed over six years, this film tells the story of two men with albinism in Tanzania pursuing their dreams in the face of virulent prejudice. This film will screen in the Highsmith University Union Grotto at UNCA. For more information, contact Mark Gibney, Belk Distinguished Professor of Political Science, at mgibney@unca.edu or 828.250.3870. Films will be shown at 7 p.m. in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union. The festival is free and open to the public.

01/31/14 UNCA HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
UNC Asheville’s Amnesty International Student Chapter will hold its ninth annual Human Rights Film Festival January 27-31. Friday, Jan. 31—An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story— a documentary chronicling the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton for the brutal murder of his wife in 1986, and the team of attorneys who spent years fighting for the right to test DNA evidence found at the murder scene. This film will screen in the Highsmith University Union Grotto at UNCA. For more information, contact Mark Gibney, Belk Distinguished Professor of Political Science, at mgibney@unca.edu or 828.250.3870. Films will be shown at 7 p.m. in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union. The festival is free and open to the public.

01/31/14 ‘INEQUALITY FOR ALL’ FILM SHOWING
This movie will be screened by Land of the Sky UCC in the Fellowship Hall of Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, 123 Kenilworth Road in Asheville. The Fellowship Hall is behind the church. There is a parking lot in back. Love offering that evening will go to Pisgah Legal. Time is 6:30 PM.

02/01/14 SWANNANOA VALLEY MLK JR. PRAYER BREAKFAST
The Rev. Michael J. S. Carter will be the keynote speaker for the 24th annual Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. prayer breakfast on Saturday, February 1 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Camp Dorothy Walls in Black Mountain. His speech is entitled “Dreamer.” Everyone is cordially invited to attend this special celebration. Rev. Carter is minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley in Black Mountain. Tickets to the breakfast are $12. Patron tickets are $35, with $23 of that amount going to the scholarship fund. For tickets or more details contact Archie Pertiller at (828) 669-1281, Roberta Madden at (828) 419-0730, or any member of the board of the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corporation.

02/03/14 STEM LECTURE AT UNCA
The STEM Lecture Series is interdisciplinary with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This series of lectures is designed to highlight STEM concepts and connect them to issues of personal behavior and public policy. On February 3, 2014, Dr. Amy Lanou, will present “Sifting Through the Hype: Miracle Meal or Dietary Disaster?”  These lectures are held in the Reuter Center, Room 206, from 4:30-6 p.m. and are free and open to the public.   

02/04/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“Economic statecraft and trade.” America's foreign policy tools are not limited to sanctions, treaties or military campaigns - they also include the sales pitch. The logic behind this pitch, or "economic statecraft," is simple: promote the benefits of democracy and the free market. In so doing, the U.S. gains valuable and stable partners, both in business and in diplomacy; with a focus on Mexico and Latin America.  Speaker is Dr. Debra Sabia, Georgia Southern University. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each.  Full time students admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center at UNCA.

02/04/14 FREEDOM DAY DOCUMENTARY AT UNCA
Time is 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 143 – Grotto. “National Freedom Day” honors the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House & Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865. Join us for a documentary and discussion commemorating this historical event.

02/04/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode One: The Black Atlantic (1500 - 1800). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. The Black Atlantic explores the truly global experiences that created the African-American people. Beginning a full century before the first documented “20-and-odd” slaves who arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, the episode portrays the earliest Africans, both slave and free, who arrived on these shores. But the transatlantic slave trade would soon become a vast empire connecting three continents. Through stories of individuals caught in its web, like a 10-year-old girl named Priscilla who was transported from Sierra Leone to South Carolina in the mid-18th century, we trace the emergence of plantation slavery in the American South. The late 18th century saw a global explosion of freedom movements, and The Black Atlantic examines what that Era of Revolutions - American, French and Haitian - would mean for African Americans and for slavery in America. Free and open to the public.

02/06/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT UNCA – TALK
Talk by Elizabeth Pascoe, Asst Prof of Psychology, titled “Effects of Discrimination on Health.” Time is 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, and location is Carmichael Hall 231 - SMART Classroom. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Effects of Discrimination on Health - a talk by Elizabeth Pascoe, PhD. Free and open to the public.

02/08/14 MORAL MARCH ON RALEIGH - H K on J PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY
All Roads Lead to Raleigh for H K on J 8 on February 8, 2014. In 2014, Raleigh will host the largest people's assembly yet.  Thousands of people from across North Carolina, and across the United States, will assemble on Jones Street, to protest the immoral, unconstitutional, mean spirit that has taken over the Peoples House. Organized by the NC NAACP. On February 8 people from across NC will gather at Shaw University on South St. between Wilmington St. and Blount St. at 9:30 AM in downtown Raleigh. The march to Jones Street will begin at 10:30 AM after which we will begin the mass people's assembly on the doorstep of the People's House, the NC General Assembly.

BUSES FROM ASHEVILLE TO RALEIGH, FEB 8 - The Mountains People's Assembly is sponsoring buses from Asheville to the Mass Moral March on Feb 8. The actual cost per person for the bus comes to $38.40, but prices will be sliding scale from $20-50 based on what each person can afford. There will also be some scholarship seats for folks who cannot afford to pay. If you need a scholarship, please contact asstminister at uuasheville dot org, they will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. Stay tuned for a link to reserve your seat online and pay via paypal. If you wish to mail a check, please send it to: Mountain Voices Alliance PO Box 8052 Asheville, NC 28814 Please specify how many seats you want and the names of those traveling. Also include contact information - phone number and email.

02/10/14 ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL MEETING
Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council Meeting of the Whole will be held at Sherrill Center & Kimmel Arena at UNCA. Join us in celebrating the hard work and progress made over the past year in supporting a “healthy food friendly” Asheville and Buncombe County. Learn more about our work and help us set our priorities for the next year. We want YOUR input. Time is 4 to 6:30 PM.  New member orientation at 4 PM. Email us with questions and to find out how to register at info@abfoodpolicy.com.

02/11/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“Defense and the rise of new technologies.” From robotic planes to cyber-weapons to 3D printing and human enhancement, new "game-changing" technologies are moving from science fiction to battlefield reality - all during an age of fiscal austerity. But in wrestling with the new, we can actually learn a great deal from the past. What are the "killer applications" of the 21st century battlefield, and in turn, what are the issues that the U.S. must navigate in adapting to them? Speaker is Maj. Gen. Rick Devereaux, Ret. USAF, and current consultant. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each.  Full time students admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center at UNCA.

02/11/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Two: The Age of Slavery (1800 - 1860). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. The Age of Slavery illustrates how black lives changed dramatically in the aftermath of the American Revolution. For free black people in places like Philadelphia, these years were a time of tremendous opportunity. But for most African Americans, this era represented a new nadir. King Cotton fueled the rapid expansion of slavery into new territories, and a Second Middle Passage forcibly relocated African Americans from the Upper South into the Deep South. Yet as slavery intensified, so did resistance. From individual acts to mass rebellions, African Americans demonstrated their determination to undermine and ultimately eradicate slavery in every state in the nation. Courageous individuals, such as Harriet Tubman, Richard Allen and Frederick Douglass, played a crucial role in forcing the issue of slavery to the forefront of national politics, helping to create the momentum that would eventually bring the country to war. Free and open to the public.

02/13/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Three: Into the Fire (1861-1896). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. Into the Fire examines the most tumultuous and consequential period in African-American history: the Civil War and the end of slavery, and Reconstruction’s thrilling but tragically brief “moment in the sun.” From the beginning, African Americans were agents of their own liberation - forcing the Union to confront the issue of slavery by fleeing the plantations, and taking up arms to serve with honor in the United States Colored Troops. After Emancipation, African Americans sought to realize the promise of freedom - rebuilding families shattered by slavery; demanding economic, political and civil rights; even winning elected office. Just a few years later, however, an intransigent South mounted a swift and vicious campaign of terror to restore white supremacy and roll back African-American rights. Yet the achievements of Reconstruction would remain very much alive in the collective memory of the African-American community. Free and open to the public.

02/14/14 UU SOCIAL JUSTICE FILM
On Friday, February 14th, we are screening the thought-provoking documentary, "Speciesism: The Movie". Modern farms are struggling to keep a secret. Most of the animals used for food in the United States are raised in giant, bizarre factories, hidden deep in remote areas of the countryside. The documentary takes viewers on a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening adventure, crawling through the bushes that hide these factories, flying in airplanes above their toxic “manure lagoons,” and coming face-to-face with their owners. The film is at 7 PM and location is Unitarian Universalist in Asheville. No charge for the film, donations are welcome. Open to the public.

02/15/14 ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY THE WORLD SAID NO TO WAR
The February 15, 2003 anti-war protest was a coordinated day of protests across the world in which more than 10 million people in more than 600 cities expressing opposition to the imminent Iraq War.  In remembrance of this important date, we can reflect on the purpose of protest, and how we can make our voices heard in the upcoming year.

02/15/14 VAGINA MONOLOGUES AT UNCA
Time is 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and location is Carmichael Humanities Lecture Hall. Come see VDay UNC Asheville's annual performance of The Vagina Monologues! The award-winning play is based on V-Day Founder/playwright Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. With humor and grace the piece celebrates women's sexuality and strength. Through this play and the liberation of this one word, countless women throughout the world have taken control of their bodies and their lives. For more than twelve years, The Vagina Monologues has given voice to experiences and feelings not previously exposed in public. Tickets are $5 for students with ID and $7 for community members. All proceeds will benefit VDay campaigns and SPEAK Up!!! on campus.

02/18/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“Food security and climate change.” Even as a sixth of the world's population suffers from chronic hunger, a changing climate threatens to wreak havoc on already insecure and vulnerable populations. As food and water become scarce and once fertile land becomes barren, the U.S. finds itself faced with new challenges in securing the globe. The U.S. is getting ready, but can it lead the way to climate reform? Speaker is Dr. Amy Knisley of Warren Wilson College. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each.  Full time students admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center at UNCA.

02/18/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Four: Making a Way out of No Way (1897-1940). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. Making a Way Out of No Way portrays the Jim Crow era, when African Americans struggled to build their own worlds within the harsh, narrow confines of segregation. At the turn of the 20th century, a steady stream of African Americans left the South, fleeing the threat of racial violence, and searching for better opportunities in the North and the West. Leaders like Ida B. Wells, W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey organized, offering vastly different strategies to further black empowerment and equality. Yet successful black institutions and individuals were always at risk. At the same time, the ascendance of black arts and culture showed that a community with a strong identity and sense of pride was taking hold in spite of Jim Crow. “The Harlem Renaissance” would not only redefine how America saw African Americans, but how African Americans saw themselves. Free and open to the public.

02/19/14 GREEN DRINKS
Join us Wednesday February 19th at 6 PM at the Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe for a presentation by automotive engineer Dave Erb on “Powering Forward:  Four Commandments, Four Heresies, Three Comments,” a talk first delivered to the American Solar Energy Society’s 2013 annual convention. Dave’s presentation is structured to provide a framework within which to consider sustainable transportation (“Four Commandments”), to dispel some widely-held myths (“Four Heresies”), and to call environmentalists to practical, effective action (“Three Comments). The Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe is transitioning into their winter hours. They will close to the public at 5 PM but will still offer Green Drinks attendees food service until 5:30 PM. Please plan accordingly if you would like to purchase dinner. Thank you. Presentation is at 6 PM.

02/20/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“Watch n Learn: Four Little Girls”. Time is 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Highsmith University Union 143 – Grotto. This fascinating documentary tells the story of the notorious racial terrorist bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, a historic African American church in Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. Directed by Spike Lee. Free and open to the public.

02/25/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Five: Rise! (1940 – 1968). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. Rise! examines the long road to civil rights, when the deep contradictions in American society finally became unsustainable. Beginning in World War II, African Americans who helped fight fascism abroad came home to face the same old racial violence. But this time, mass media - from print to radio and TV - broadcast that injustice to the world, planting seeds of resistance. And the success of black entrepreneurs and entertainers fueled African-American hopes and dreams. In December 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, heralding the dawn of a new movement of quiet resistance, with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as its public face. Before long, masses of African Americans practiced this nonviolent approach at great personal risk to integrate public schools, lunch counters and more. As the civil rights movement scored one historic victory after another, non-violence was still all too often met with violence - until finally, enough was enough. By 1968, Dr. King, the apostle of non-violence, would be assassinated, unleashing a new call for “Black Power” across the country. Free and open to the public.

02/25/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“China's foreign policy.” China has gone to great lengths to emphasize the ‘peaceful’ nature of its meteoric rise. Yet few dispute that China is the dominant regional power in Asia - and in recent years Beijing began to flex its muscles regionally in order to advance its strategic interests. What does the rapid rise of this new superpower mean for other countries in the region, and are there potential points of conflict with the U.S. as it "pivots" to Asia? Speaker is Dr. Jim Lenburg of Mars Hill University (emeritus) and OLLI board chair. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each.  Full time students admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center at UNCA.

02/27/14 BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM AT UNCA
“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” Episode Six: A More Perfect Union (1968 – 2013). Time is 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM - Highsmith University Union 114 - Intercultural Center. After 1968, African Americans set out to build a bright new future on the foundation of the civil rights movement’s victories, but a growing class disparity threatened to split the black community in two. As hundreds of African Americans won political office across the country and the black middle class made unprecedented progress, larger economic and political forces isolated the black urban poor in the inner cities, vulnerable to new social ills and an epidemic of incarceration. Yet African Americans of all backgrounds came together to support Illinois’ Senator Barack Obama in his historic campaign for the presidency of the United States. When he won in 2008, many hoped that America had finally transcended race and racism. By the time of his second victory, it was clear that many issues, including true racial equality, remain to be resolved. Now we ask: How will African Americans help redefine the United States in the years to come? Free and open to the public.

02/27/14 SINGER/SONGWRITER AT UNCA
Time is 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Lipinsky Hall 125 – Auditorium. Pakistani Soul Singer-Songwriter - Arooj Aftab’s dynamic voice transcends borders that imprison bodies, minds and spirits. Originally from Pakistan, she created Rebuild Pakistan to promote a vision of peace and healing. Aftab skillfully re-imagines indigenous soul with signature cool by paying homage to classical Pakistani, Sufi, neo-soul and jazz and contemporary world music. UNC Asheville students $5; Area students $7; Campus community $12, General $20.

03/04/14 STEM LECTURE AT UNCA
The STEM Lecture Series is interdisciplinary with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This series of lectures is designed to highlight STEM concepts and connect them to issues of personal behavior and public policy. Dr. Kevin Moorhead will present “The Science of Gardening.”  These lectures are held in the Reuter Center, Room 206, from 4:30-6 p.m. and are free and open to the public.   

03/04/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
“Turkey.” A nation at a crossroads, a bridge over an ever-growing chasm between the East and West. Turkey's first Prime Minister Kemal Ataturk envisioned a modern, democratic nation-state built on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire with strong ties to Europe, not the Middle East. But as the clashes between secular and religious groups and the recent protests in Taksim Square show, the soul of Turkey is still very much up for grabs. Speaker is Dr. Samer Traboulsi of UNC-Asheville. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each.  Full time students admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center at UNCA.

03/11/14 GREAT DECISIONS LECTURE SERIES AT UNCA
"Israel." Modern Israel's struggles with the Palestinians have turned what was meant as a safe haven for Jews into the center of a decades-long conflict. The U.S. has stepped in as Israel's ally due to the two countries' shared values, providing years of unparalleled military and diplomatic support. But now those ties are being tested. The Arab Spring, Iran's nuclear ambitions, failed peace talks, and Israel's own decision to give Washington the cold shoulder have put new strains on the 65-year-old "special relationship." Speaker is Dr. Heather Hawn of Mars Hill University. The Great Decisions Program's goal is to discuss, debate, and learn about International Affairs, National Security, and U.S. Foreign Policy. Individual lectures are $10 each.  Full time students admitted free of charge. Time is 7:30 PM and location is the Manheimer Room of the Reuter Center at UNCA.

*******************************************
ONGOING EVENTS
*******************************************

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 County Courthouse in Waynesville

THURSDAY
Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 2 PM at Firestorm Cafe

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 Vance Monument.

*******************************************
ACTIONS AND READINGS
*******************************************

On January 28, 2014, three nonviolent protesters against nuclear weapons, Sr. Megan Rice, Michael Walli and Gregory Boertje-Obed, are scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the supposed crime of sabotage. They risked their lives, but threatened no one else, when they entered the free-fire zone of a supposedly top-security nuclear weapons facility called Y-2 in Tennessee. They spray painted messages of peace and exposed the lack of security.

Click here to tell the judge how such courageous activists should be sentenced:

And if you would like to go to the Federal Court in Knoxville on January 28 to witness the sentencing and support these activists (known as the Oak Ridge Three) in a van, please contact Jim Brown at Jim@p-e-a-c-e.org ASAP. The van will leave at 6:05 AM from Harris Teeter on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville, and will return on Tueday evening. Cost is $11. There is limited space on the van, so contact Jim right away.

******************

BUILDING BRIDGES SPRING SESSION

Seminars and Registration - Next Session is Spring 2014

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.

When:    Contact Building Bridges for the New Date and Location
Cost:      $30.00
Registration is required and is limited to 90 people.

Encourage and recommend individuals as well as organizations that you know to participate in Building Bridges. If you are an alumni of the Building Bridges Seminars, you may apply to become a Co-Facilitator. To apply for a Co-Facilitator position, send an email to info@buildingbridges-ashevillenc.org for more information about Co-Facilitator Trainings. A celebratory pot luck supper will be held for all participants at the ninth meeting. You may call (828) 777-4585 for more information.

No comments: