UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR BY DANCEWATER
08/01/16 NIGHTLY VIGILS FOR JUSTICE
Local Black organizers have requested that the White community host nightly vigils at the Asheville Police Department downtown. These vigils have been peaceful gatherings of concerned community members coming together to grieve, share information, stories, and feelings, brainstorm ideas, collaborate, build, and ultimately heal community. This is at 6 PM. This is the last night for the vigil at the APD, and Tuesday is the memorial service for Jerry Williams.
08/01/16 VOICES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING EXHIBIT
aSHEville Museum presents “Bought & Sold: Voices of Human Trafficking” exhibit, which is photography by Kay Chernush of Art Works For Freedom. This exhibit speaks to the experiences of the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children caught up in slavery’s web.This multimedia exhibit asks you, the viewer, to consider their plight from their perspective. It is intended to spark dialogue and inspire creative action, to tell the stores of modern day slavery and the journey towards freedom. The aSHEville Museum is at 35 Wall Street in downtown Asheville. Hours are 10 AM to 10 PM. This exhibit runs until August 31, 2016. Call 828.785.5722 for more information. [This is well worth seeing. - dancewater]
08/01/16 PEACE QUILTS OF HAITI
Experience art quilts by the women of Haiti, their stories, and learn more about the historical and cultural setting in which they mastered their craft. PeaceQuilts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit economic development organization relieving poverty in Haiti by establishing and supporting independent, member-owned women’s sewing cooperatives. Currently they work with nearly 100 women in 6 cooperatives in Lilavois, Port-au-Prince, Damassin, Saut d’Eau and Cité Soleil. PeaceQuilts provides equipment, training, supplies, marketing assistance and educational opportunities. This is at the aSHEville Museum is at 35 Wall Street in downtown Asheville. Hours are 10 AM to 10 PM. Call 828.785.5722 for more information.
08/01/16 DISCUSSION ON POSSIBLE RADIOACTIVE SHIPMENTS IN WNC
Liquid highly radioactive shipments in WNC--this summer. Come learn more about the possible mess/take simple action steps to support an injunction being filed in federal court from Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Southeast. Door prize for anyone who can convince the room that these shipments would be good for Asheville/WNC economy. Time is 7 PM, but come earlier for happy hour with jazz guitar to socialize at The Block Off Biltmore, a vegan bar and community space in the YMI building at the corner of Eagle and Market Streets in downtown Asheville. Asheville community knows a lot about nuclear waste, and possible shipments. I don’t think we need a new campaign, but these are actual shipments ready to roll (100 trucks from Canada to South Carolina) and action/awareness is needed. For more information contact Mary at maryo@nirs.org or call 828-252-8409 or 828-242-5621.
08/01/16 DINNER WITH PROGRESSIVES
Please come to gather with like-minded progressives and de-compress after all the rhetoric from both conventions. Cindy Heil has offered to speak. She is back from the DNC and RNC with Code Pink and she will talk about her personal experiences//observations at both conventions and provide compare/contrast. She will not reveal her personal politics but will recount events she participated in and try to answer related questions. Valerie Hoh may be able to attend as well to talk about her ‘Power of Women’ campaign. Local and state candidates are firing up their campaigns and we'll have many of them drop into our future monthly meetings. What do you see your efforts for the next 100 days until Election Day -or earlier if you wisely do early voting? How best to GOTV, especially for those who think voting doesn't make any difference. We ask that attendees purchase either dinner, a beverage and/or dessert and please RSVP so we can give our friends at Green Sage a headcount. Thank you. As always you are invited to give an announcement or ask for signatures on a petition. Please give me a quick email to let us know how much time you need. Time is 5:30 to 7 PM and location is Green Sage Cafe in Westgate. Contact Sam to RSVP or for more information at sgspeciale@yahoo.com.
08/02/16 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
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.
08/03/16 SIERRA CLUB MEETING/GREEN DRINKS
“How Gardeners Can Save the World Through Pollinator Conscious Landscaping” is the topic of this Sierra Club Meeting. This will be a discussion/presentation by Phyllis Stiles. This event is free and open to the public. Time is 7 PM and location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 1 Edwin Place (corner of Charlotte and Edwin) in Asheville. For more information, contact Judy at judymattox@sbcglobal.net or call 828-683-2176.
08/06/16 MEET & GREET YOUR POLITICIANS
This is an informal, non-partisan event. Time is 11 AM to 3 PM, and location is Carrier Park Picnic Shelter. This is a time to ask questions, share concerns and appreciations. Don't wait until November to learn about the people running for office. Come out to get to know the candidates at this informal, drop-in picnic. Open to anyone in the community. For more information, contact Mr. Martin at 828-768-9125.
08/07/16 HOMEWARD BOUND OF WNC TOUR
“Welcome Home Tour” is a tour of Asheville organizations that serve the homeless population. Registration required, free to attend. Time is 11 AM. Call 258-1695 for more information and for instructions on how to register.
08/09/16 GET OUT THE VOTE TRAINING IN ASHEVILLE
The WNC Blueprint Training is a hands-on opportunity to learn about the tools available and skills needed to run a successful Get Out The Vote (GOTV) program this year. Training will cover the Voter Activation Network (VAN) database and how to use the VAN to find the voters you want to reach to make sure they have everything they need to register and vote. Training will cover What is the VAN, Targeting Voters, Running a Quality Voter Registration Program and GOTV best practices. Lunch will be provided. This came from a Carolina Jews for Justice email. Time is 10 AM to 3 PM and location is the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. Contact Judy at judy@carolinajewsforjustice.org for more information.
08/09/16 WNC PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY VIGIL
Come and join us at the Vigil for Peace at Vance Monument, Pack Square on Tuesday, August 9 at 5 PM for one hour sponsored by Veterans For Peace, Chapter 099. WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility will join with Veterans for Peace to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing and show our support for the 128 United Nations members that have voted to enact prohibition of nuclear weapons under international law. Contact Lew at patrie.wncpsr@main.nc.us for more information
08/09/16 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING
On the second Tuesday of each month, Western North Carolina Veterans for Peace meets to coordinate group activities and programs.Veterans For Peace is a global organization of Military Veterans and allies whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices. We inform the public of the true causes of war and the enormous costs of wars, with an obligation to heal the wounds of wars. Our network is comprised of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes: educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly, working to end all wars. Time is 6:30 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.
08/09/16 OCCUPY WNC GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The Occupy WNC will hold a general assembly at The Sneak E Squirrel Community Room at 1315 West Main Street in Sylva. The Sneak E Squirrel address is on left side of Hwy. 107 when going from Sylva towards Dillsboro. For more information, contact Lucy at (828)743-9747 or lucy.christopher42@gmail.com.
08/10/16 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. Contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information.
08/13/16 BUS TO RICHMOND TO FIGHT FOR $15.
August 13th there will be a bus from Asheville to Richmond for the Fight For $15 national rally. The location is no accident, they are taking the fight to Confederate capitol for a reason. The NC labor groups supporting the Fight For $15 are organizing a bus from Asheville for a day trip to their national event in Richmond, VA. If you're interested, then sign up by following this link: http://fightfor15.org/s-petition/summer2016/. This was posted on Facebook.
08/13/16 RACIAL JUSTICE DIRECT ACTION TRAINING
We're taking 40 people for this one day training on direct action and racial justice. It's $25, includes lunch and should be awesome. Trainers are Holly Roach, Vahisha Hasan Steadman, Clare Harrahan and Coleman Smith. To register for this training, you must go through Standing Up For Racial Justice group on Facebook. Location is Unitarian Universalist Church and time is 9 to 5 PM. Contact the SURJ group on Facebook for more information.
08/16/16 ASHEVILLE TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING
The meeting will take place at 3:30 - 5:30 PM at the 4th Floor Training Room at the Municipal Building at 100 Court Plaza Asheville. If you have any questions please contact Asheville Redefines Transit (ART) at (828) 232-4531 or via email at: iride@ashevillenc.gov.
08/17/16 GREEN DRINKS
Asheville Green Drinks is a networking party and part of the self-organizing global grassroots movement to connect communities with environmental ideas, media and action. People who are interested in environmental issues and topics meet up for a drink and occasionally listen to an expert in environment, ecology, and social justice. The location of Green Drinks has been changing a lot lately, contact them for more information. Time is 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Call 855-232-4723 for more information.
08/17/16 ASHEVILLE TIMEBANK BIRTHDAY PARTY
Asheville TimeBank's first birthday party is from 5:30 to 8 PM and all are invited. Potluck supper at the picnic shelter in West Asheville Park, at the end of Vermont Street. People who are just curious are invited to come, as well as those who are members. For more information, contact Cathy at cathyfholt@gmail.com.
08/18/16 VOTER REGISTRATION AND AWARENESS AT AB TECH
Ice cream social and voter registration and awareness from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Beech Tree Deck at AB Tech. Stop by for a scoop of ice cream at this non-partisan voter awareness event where you can register to vote, update your registration (new address or name change), and learn about voter rights. This year you can also vote right here on campus during the Early Voting period of October 27 – November 5. This program is sponsored by the Student Government Association. Contact AB Tech for more information.
08/18/16 JUVENILE JUSTICE ISSUES
North Carolina is one of only two states in the country that still charges 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in our criminal justice system, without exception. This outdated policy harms our state and our young people in countless ways, and it must change. The North Carolina Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice, a group formed by N.C. Chief Justice Mark Martin, is recommending that North Carolina joins the rest of the country and instead send youthful offenders to the juvenile justice system, where they can avoid a lifelong criminal record and access programs that can help turn their life around. The commission will hold the first in a series of public hearings where you can show your support for this policy change. Time is 6 to 7:30 PM and location is the Jury Assembly Suite at Buncombe County Judicial Complex, on the 2nd Floor, Room 272, at 60 Court Plaza in Asheville. Open to all, no contact information.
08/20/16 DOCUMENTARY AT GRAIL MOVIE HOUSE
The “Inside Peace” documentary follows a group of inmates doing hard time in a Texas prison as they embark on a journey of personal discovery while struggling with society’s roadblocks and dangers as they prepare to re-enter a world that has labeled them as permanent problems despite having served their sentences. Time is noon and location is the Grail Moviehouse. Tickets are $7. Peace is Possible NC is the sponsoring group. Contact Craig at herbzone@gmail.com for more information, including where the Grail Moviehouse is located.
08/21/16 ETHICAL HUMANIST SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE
“The Thirteenth Juror” is journalist Nelda Holder’s investigative report on the contents of more than 6,466 pages of transcripts and documents released in the Missouri grand jury investigation into the death of Michael Brown, Jr. “The Thirteenth Juror” will be presented by Nelda Holder at the Sunday, August 21 meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, from 2 - 3:30 PM at Asheville Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood Road, in Asheville. All are welcome. Holder will describe how her involvement in this project came about, and the import of her months of investigation. The book’s title is symbolic of her approach to the material, which was to slip into the role of a grand juror as she read the testimonies and the attorney narratives, and looked at the evidence presented in the transcripts. The book invites its readers to be present as well, offering anecdotes and descriptions that present a candid sense of many aspects of the 24 days of grand jury hearings. In addition to a synopsis of “facts” and a discussion of their import, Holder will share research regarding the grand jury process in this country and the potential and need for its reform. She will also discuss the widely disparate eyewitness testimony in the case and the striking documentation of unreliability for such testimony. The author will share personal stories from witnesses who knew Michael Brown, and stories about their individual lives in the neighborhood they shared, particularly involving police interactions. She will discuss two troubling aspects regarding Darren Wilson’s own testimony (the young police officer on trial) that she discovered in going through these records. She will also discuss the ultimate revelation inherent in the release of these documents, which she feels reveals a sobering ethical dilemma. Questions and discussion will be welcome. Refreshments will follow the presentation. For more information call (828) 687-7759 or email EHSAsheville@gmail.com.
08/21/16 POLLINATOR ART PARTY AND TALK
Local artists and activists inspire WNC on the importance of pollinator communities. This is a free event and open to all. This is a collaboration among Central United Methodist Church, Creation Care Alliance and local artists. Time is 5:30-7:30PM and will be held at Central United Methodist Church at 297 Haywood Street in Asheville. This event is free to the public and will be a great way to participate in a community dialog and showcase environmentally conscious local artists. For more information on this event, please email Rachel Harris at rharris@centralumc.org.
08/25/16 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING
Creation Care Alliance General Meeting - All are welcome. Time is 5:30-7 PM and location is the First Baptist Church of Asheville, Room MB306 (upstairs), at 5 Oak Street in downtown Asheville. Join us as we inspire one another to good work, hear about summer opportunities and our work empowering care for creation. We will connect with one another, explore ways to care for creation. For more information, contact Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri at 828-258-8737 or creationcare@mountaintrue.org.
09/07/16 SIERRA CLUB MEETING/GREEN DRINKS
Discussion at this meeting will be around how we can prevent a third gas powered plant by Duke here in Asheville. Brownie Newman, Buncombe County Commissioner, Julie Mayfield, Asheville City Council, Amber Weaver of Asheville’s Office of Sustainability and Jason Walls of Duke Energy will provide an update on the work the Energy Innovation Task Force. This event is free and open to the public. Time is 7 PM and location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 1 Edwin Place (corner of Charlotte and Edwin) in Asheville. For more information, contact Judy at judymattox@sbcglobal.net or call 828-683-2176.
09/08/16 COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION TRAINING SERIES
What makes it so hard to let go of anger? Can forgiveness lead us to authentic, empowered and effective action? This question is so timely now, as streets from Asheville to St. Paul to Dallas, Baton Rouge to Istanbul, Baghdad and Nice, flow with blood and tears. Turning the fire of anger into forgiveness and meaningful action is a four week series in Nonviolent Communication on Thursday evenings in Asheville. Dates are September 8, 15, 22, and 29, and time is 6:30-8:30 PM. Facilitator is Roberta Wall. In Nonviolent Communication, we say that anger has a surprising purpose, and that its energy can be harnessed and transformed into self-understanding, authentic action, and forgiveness. Location is the Asheville Jewish Community Center at 236 Charlotte Street in north Asheville. Cost is $100. Please consider adding an extra amount for scholarships for those with more limited resources. To register or for more information, call or email Polly at (828) 775-6333 or polly.medlicott@gmail.com. (Please speak to Polly about scholarships.)
09/13/16 BUILDING BRIDGES FALL SESSION
Registration for the 2016 fall session of Building Bridges is now open! 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. The program will be held at Rainbow Community School in West Asheville on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 PM starting on September 13th and running through November 8th. Please go to buildingbridges-ashevillenc dot org to get to the registration page and for more information. Help us spread the word by telling your friends and colleagues. We anticipate filling fast, so be sure to register early to reserve your spot. Hope to see you there! Cost is $35. Go to their webpage to see payment instructions. A celebratory pot luck supper will be held for all participants at the ninth meeting. Families are welcome to attend the potluck. You may call (828) 777-4585 for more information.
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ONGOING EVENTS
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TUESDAY
Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 4:30 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument
Showing Up for Racial Justice is from noon to 2 PM at Firestorm Cafe and Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Educating and organizing white people for racial justice. Free.
Orientation session for Asheville Timebank. 4 PM at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Email help@ashevilletimebank.org for information and to register.
WEDNESDAY
Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville
French Broad Riverkeeper has a paddle-n-plant to prevent sediment erosion most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Registration required at anna@mountaintrue.org.
THURSDAY
Political Prisoners Letter Writing at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 6 PM on first Thursday of the month. Materials provided.
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. Call 884-3435 to confirm.
French Broad Riverkeeper has a paddle-n-plant to prevent sediment erosion most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Registration required at anna@mountaintrue.org.
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ACTIONS AND READINGS
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BUILDING BRIDGES FALL SESSION
Registration for the 2016 fall session of Building Bridges is now open! 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. The program will be held at Rainbow Community School in West Asheville on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9 PM starting on September 13th and running through November 8th. Please go to buildingbridges-ashevillenc dot org to get to the registration page and for more information. Help us spread the word by telling your friends and colleagues. We anticipate filling fast, so be sure to register early to reserve your spot. Hope to see you there! Cost is $35. Go to their webpage to see payment instructions. A celebratory pot luck supper will be held for all participants at the ninth meeting. Families are welcome to attend the potluck. You may call (828) 777-4585 for more information.
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MARKING THE BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI
Come. Commemorate the 71st anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings with WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility. We will join the Veterans for Peace Chapter 099 Vigil for Peace at Vance Monument, Pack Square Tuesday, August 9 at 5 PM.
Support the 128 United Nations members that have voted to enact prohibition of nuclear weapons under international law.
We welcomed Obama’s recent Hiroshima visit, a worldwide reminder about recurring dangers of nuclear weapons and his “... we must ... pursue a world without them”.
US nuclear weapon policy should cancel newly proposed cruise missiles. Former Defense Secretary Perry avowed it is destabilizing, and should be cancelled. It also conflicts with Obama’s latest Nuclear Policy Review; the US will not pursue “new capabilities” for its nuclear weapons.
We mustn’t promote a new nuclear arms race. Any use of nuclear weapons would be catastrophic to human health, perhaps to the survival of all human beings.
Locally, we are striving to stop construction of the globally threatening Uranium Processing Facility in Oak Ridge.
We ask our president to eliminate this provocative buildup of nuclear weapons. And we also ask him to end “hair trigger alert” where hundreds of US and Russian weapons remain aimed at each other, still threatening mutually assured destruction.
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Contact: Rachael Bliss
WNC 4 Peace: A Partnership of Peace Makers
8283780125
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Students in WNC invited to be creative about peace
ASHEVILLE WNC
4 Peace, a Partnership of Peace Makers in Western
North Carolina, announces a contest in which students across Buncombe County,
NC, can enter via their school’s creative works that promote the importance of
peacemaking. There will be four "Winners" for Best Poem, Best Video, Best
Artwork, and Best Essay on Peace .
Students’s creations will be featured on our website, wnc4peace.com.
Additionally the winning video and a video of the winning poem and essay
being read plus winning artwork will be shown on International Peace Day at key
websites throughout the world .
The School from which winning students submit their poem, video, artwork or
essay will be given $100 checks from WNC 4 Peace. The $100 prizes will be
presented to schools (or homeschooling associations) to encourage students there
to enter, as well as helping schools provide resources for them to teach peace
related skills.
WNC 4 Peace and our peacemaker partner groups will raise funds to support
this important youth project.
We will invite Mountain Xpress and other local media to announce the
competition and to also print the names of winning entries and their schools.
We are naming awards in honor of recently deceased local peace heroes:
● Isaac Coleman, who died recently, and was founder of Read to Succeed and
former Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s;
● Judith Hallock, cofounder
of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance
and leader of previous local International Days of Peace;
● Tony Bing, former leader of the Palestinian/Jewish Egalitarian Team (formerly
called Western Carolinians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East), and
● Ron Harayda, former chairman of Veterans of Peace Chapter 099 and host of
their weekly WPVM radio program for years.
Deadline for submissions will be September 7, 2016. All entries should be sent to
WNC 4 Peace wnc4peace@gmail.com . In the case of videos, send an email to the
address above and give the name of the video, which has been uploaded to
YouTube by the entrant. Artwork should be uploaded as a. PDF attachment and
sent in an email to WNC 4 Peace. All students from elementary through high school
are eligible to participate. Be sure all entries include entrant's name, school, grade
level, and contact information.
Winners will be announced in September for International Day of Peace. Details
about the date and place to honor all entrants and winners will be announced at a
later date.
For more information, contact WNC 4 Peace wnc4peace@gmail.com , or call
8283780125.
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11/10/16 INTERFAITH PEACE CONFERENCE AT LAKE JUNALUSKA
Affirming the community of Abrahamic faiths, the Peace Conference seeks to work in partnership with Christians, Jews, Muslims, and members of other religious traditions to advance the work of reconciliation and peace. The theme for this year's conference is “The Climate Crisis and Peace” and Dr. Norman Wirzba, Professor of Theology, Ecology, and Agrarian Studies at Duke Divinity School will be among the speakers. This runs from November 10 to November 13, 2016. For program questions contact Tammy McDowell at 828.454.6681 or tmcdowell@lakejunaluska.com. For registration contact 800.222.4930 or reservations@lakejunaluska.com. Early registration (before September 1) is $120.
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