UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR BY DANCEWATER
10/24/16 EARLY VOTING CONTINUES
There are over a dozen sites in Buncombe County for voting and they are open 10 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday. There are some sites open on Saturday and Sunday too, contact Buncombe County Board of Elections for more information. This is one-stop voting, so you can also register and vote during early voting. If you have problems voting, call 888-OUR-VOTE for assistance. Photo ID is not required. From City council member Cecil Bothwell, some of his recommendations on state elections:
Supreme Court: Mike Morgan
Court of Appeals: Vince Rozier
Court of Appeals: Abe Jones
Court of Appeals: Linda Stephens
Court of Appeals: Rickye McKoy-Mitchell
For state and local partisan elections, vote Democrat.
10/24/16 THIRD MOUNTAIN MORAL MONDAY IN ASHEVILLE
Keynote speaker is Rev. Dr. William Barber, President NC-NAACP. If you would like to volunteer for this inspiring event, contact Melissa Murphy at mcoxmurphy@gmail.com. Location is Pack Square Park, Roger McGuire Green. Time is 4 to 6 PM. In coalition with the Mountain People’s Assembly, the local Branch of NAACP and other regional branches of NAACP, will host Asheville’s third Mountain Moral Monday at 4 PM on Monday, Oct 24 in Pack Square. Rev. Dr. William Barber will be the keynote speaker. They ask that you do not wear or bring political signs. If you have questions, contact Carmen Ramos-Kennedy at (828) 423-6476, or 4ward2getherCall2Action@gmail.com. Democracy NC is also helping to organize this event.
10/25/16 VIGIL FOR PEACE AND REDUCTION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
At 5 PM, Tuesday, October 25th, PSR will join with Asheville’s Veterans for Peace, Chapter 099 at their Pack Square vigil, to increase awareness that striving for peaceful solutions to our conflicts with Russia and China and reducing nuclear weapons dangers is an urgent task for the very survival of us all. Please attend the vigil and lobby for an end to wars of mass self destruction.
10/25/16 OCCUPY WNC GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN SYLVA
Occupy WNC General Assembly will be at 7 PM at The Sneak E Squirrel Community Room at 1315 W Main Street in Sylva. The Sneak E Squirrel is on left side of Main Street past Sylva's Mark Watson Park. All are welcome. Contact Lucy at (828)743-9747 for more information.
10/25/16 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.
10/25/16 BENEFIT FOR STANDING ROCK
Concert and party to benefit the Standing Rock Reservation. Time is 6 to 10 PM and location is The Regenerations Station at 26 Glendale Avenue in Asheville.
10/25/16 LECTURE AT UNCA
The STEM series of lectures is an interdisciplinary program that covers a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Each lecture provides the lecturer with the opportunity to share his/her work, present new ideas for feedback, learn new ideas that participants can use, and introduce students to exciting areas to explore. The lectures are all scheduled in the Reuter Center, room 102 at UNCA. Time is from 4:30 - 6 PM and this lecture is free and open to the public. October 25, ‘Forest Roads: The Ecological Imprint from their Presence and Use' by Hermann Gucinski is the topic.
10/25/16 SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS AT UNCA
Eban Goodstein, Director of Graduate Programs in Sustainability at Bard College, will be presenting two programs at UNC Asheville on Tuesday October 25th. One is a Lunch & Learn on “How To Get a Job Saving the Planet.” This will be from noon to 1 PM at Highsmith Student Union Grotto. Interested in finding a job in sustainability? Dr. Goodstein will discuss career paths in business, NGO’s, and government focused on solving challenges like climate change, sustainable food systems, water shortages, biodiversity loss, toxics exposure and renewable energy. The talk will also provide students with a concrete strategy for getting a job next summer. The second one will be on “Republicans, Democrats and Sustainability: Recovering Bipartisan Environmental Politics” from 7 to 8:30 PM at Karpen Hall, room 038. The period from 1970-1992 saw major US national legislation on topics ranging from clean water to climate change. Since 1994, the country has passed no significant environmental laws, the dialog on the environment has become extremely partisan, and this has lead to unprecedented gridlock in Washington DC. What is the cause of this divide, and what are the prospects for the future? Both programs are free and open to the public.
10/26/16 FILM SCREENING AT UNCA
The Student Environmental Center will be doing a series of environmental film screenings promoting awareness of environmental issues on the last Wednesday of every month. This will be our first event of the series. Time is 8 PM and location is Karpen Hall 100, Karpen Lobby, at UNCA.
10/26/16 MOUNTAIN TRUE FALL GATHERING
Each year MountainTrue invites all our members to gather for our annual meeting where we celebrate our work over the past year, recognize our organizational champions and celebrate success. We encourage all our members to attend and participate in a brief business meeting where you will vote to elect new board members. If you are not a current MountainTrue member, now is a great time to join us. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is New Belgium Brewery’s Brewhouse. Music from the Midnight Plowboys. Contact Susan with any questions: susan@mountaintrue.org.
10/26/16 ASHEVILLE SOCIALISTS MEETING AT UNCA
"What's next for the left?" Panel discussion on the prospects for building the left after the election. Panel discussion hosted by the International Socialist Organization. Speakers include Tony Ndege from the NC Green Party and Jeff Rose, formerly of WNC for Bernie. The discussion will encompass each speaker's perspectives for radicals and progressives in relation to the election but especially its aftermath.After a short presentation from each panelist we will open the floor for debate and discussion from the audience. Childcare can be organized with sufficient notice. UNCA branch of the International Socialist Organization will meet WED OCT 26 at 6:30 in HIG 102. Free visitor parking is available near Highsmith Student Union. Contact Asheville Socialists at asheville.socialist@gmail.com for more information.
10/26/16 THE NEW JIM CROW BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
This is a monthly discussion group of Michelle Alexander's book “The New Jim Crow.” This is on Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 6:30 - 8:30 PM at Firestorm Bookstore & Cafe at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. This monthly discussion group of Michelle Alexander's book the "The New Jim Crow" will discuss a chapter a month. In September we will cover Chapter One. This group will meet September 28, October 26, November 23, December 28, and January 25, 2017 and maybe one more in February. Anyone is welcome to jump in anytime. Led by Eryka Lynn Peskin. Contact Firestorm for more information.
10/26/16 GREEN GRANNIES BOOK CLUB
Founded in 2012, the Green Grannies are a group of women who are willing to make a ruckus about the need for action on climate change. This is their reading group and it is open to all! Time is noon and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.
10/26/16 WHAT’S UP WITH WHITENESS WEDNESDAYS DISCUSSION GROUP
What's Up with Whiteness Wednesdays is an ongoing ASURJ series endeavoring to dismantle white supremacy. The “Title Track” part of the WUWW series will generally repeat on the first Wednesday of the month. But in October it's on the third Wednesday. What's Up with Whiteness functions to explore what “white” means, and how it was created as a racial group to implement a white supremacy culture in the United States. This group is for anyone who is willing and able to explore their whiteness or whiteness as a race with a racial justice lens. We aim to dismantle white supremacy power by exploring it from the inside. We will educate ourselves and each other about the political and social origins of “whiteness”; educate ourselves and each other on white supremacy culture functions; hold our personal experiences and benefits from whiteness accountable and responsible for change; build skills to address internalized dominance and make change; and build relationships with others to further imbue these lessons and build accountability. 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.
10/27/16 WORKS IN TRANSLATION BOOK DISCUSSION
Works in translations book club will discuss “Voices From Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster” By Svetlana Alexievich and Keith Gessen. Time is 7 PM and location is Malaprops in downtown Asheville. Contact Malaprop’s for more information.
10/27/16 AUTHOR EVENT AT FIRESTORM
“Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection” was written by author and activist Medea Benjamin. She returns to Firestorm on tour with her new book, “Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection”, in which she fearlessly tackles a subject most political commentators studiously avoid. In “Kingdom of the Unjust” Benjamin argues that it’s way past time to call into question the toxic US-Saudi relationship and build a movement that demands an end to US weapons sales to this repressive regime and supports the courageous Saudi dissidents who are trying to transform their nation. With extremism spreading across the globe, a reduced U.S. need for Saudi oil, and a thawing of U.S. relations with Iran, the time is right for such a movement. Time is 7 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.
10/27/16 HOOD TALK
Developing positive energy to restore greater communication and strength throughout our community. Starting from step 1 again (communities). Location is Burton Street Center. Time is 6 to 8 PM. Hope to see everyone there. No further information, this came from facebook.
10/27/16 LECTURE AT UNCA
“Refugees in Crisis: From Texas to Turkey” is the topic of this lecture. Marty Rosenbluth is NC-based immigrant rights defense attorney who recently spent a month on the Texas-Mexico border working with refugees from Latin America and five weeks in Greece working with refugees from Syria and elsewhere. He will be speaking about the current global refugee crisis. Rosenbluth is currently the Legal Advisor/Training Coordinator of Advocates Abroad. Time is 4 PM and location is Karpen Hall 139, Laurel Forum, at UNCA.
10/27/16 TRANZMISSION PRISON PROJECT PACKING PARTY
Help the Tranzmission Prison Project distribute free literature to incarcerated members of the LGBTQ community. Every fourth Thursday of the month volunteers meet from 6 to 9 PM, preparing packages of books and zines for mailing to prisons across the United States. Books have already been selected for each inmate, you just need to help get them wrapped and addressed. Time is 6 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.
10/27/16 POLITICAL DEBATE AT WCU
Political debate between opponents for the NC Senate District 50 seat. Incumbent Jim Davis (R-Macon) and opponent Jane Hipps (D-Haywood) will debate. Free, open to all. Held in room 204 of the Health and Human Services Building at WCU. Time is 7 PM. Call 227-7397 for more information.
10/27/16 THIRD ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICANS IN WNC CONFERENCE
Third Annual African Americans in WNC Conference Scheduled for Oct. 27-30 at YMI Cultural Center and UNC Asheville. The third annual African Americans in Western North Carolina Conference will be held Oct. 27-30, 2016 at the YMI Cultural Center and UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center. Conference activities are free and open to everyone, and they include an evening reception on Oct. 27, panel discussions and documentary films on Oct. 28, and Buncombe County’s celebration of “Unsung Heroes” on Oct. 30. The conference starts on Thursday, Oct. 27 at the YMI Cultural Center with a 6:30 PM reception and special presentation for community service, followed by a keynote speaker for The Jesse and Julia Ray Lecture. DeWayne Barton, founder and CEO of Hood Huggers International, will be honored during the evening reception. Barton is a sculptor and poet who combines his creative practice with community activism. His mixed-media, found-art installations have been featured at Duke University, Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of African Art, Upstairs Gallery in Tryon, N.C., and August Wilson Center for African American culture in Pittsburgh as part of the exhibition ‘Common Ground: Affrilachia! Where I’m From.’ His company, Hood Huggers International, offers sustainable strategies for building support pillars for resilient historically African American neighborhoods, providing a framework for community capacity building while increasing the effectiveness of existing service programs. Barton also is co-founder of the Burton Street Community Peace Gardens and serves on the African American Heritage Commission of Asheville and Buncombe County, is a founding member of CoThinkk and Everybody’s Environment. He is the co-founder of Green Opportunities, a job training program designed to prepare Asheville-area youth and adults for “green-collar” careers. A native of Asheville, Barton grew up in Washington, D.C. and is a Gulf War Veteran. He attended Norfolk State University from 1996-1999, majoring in social work. He is the author of two books of poetry, Urban Nightmare Silent Screams and Return to Burton Street, and has been involved in community improvement and youth development for over 20 years. For more information on this event, contact Jo Steininger, UNC Asheville Department of History, 828-251-6415 or history@unca.edu.
10/28/16 THIRD ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICANS IN WNC CONFERENCE
Friday, Oct. 28 will feature panel discussions in UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center, as well as invited presentations introducing two documentary film projects. The films will include “Beneath the Veneer”, which explores race, class and income mobility by taking a glimpse beneath the veneer of life in a progressive, affluent, Southern city as seen through the eyes of its ‘invisible black boys,’ and “Testify Beyond Place”, a documentary film that pays homage to the Mount Zion AME Zion Church and its relationship to Western Carolina University. UNC Asheville also will plant and dedicate a tree in memory of Don Locke, at 5:15 PM at Karpen Garden on campus. Locke, an author, education advocate and longtime champion for diversity, served as director of Diversity and Multiculturalism at UNC Asheville. He also served as director of the Asheville Graduate Center and director of the NC State University doctoral program in Adult and Community College Education at the Asheville Graduate Center. Locke passed away in June. On Friday, October 28, the morning panel begins at 9 AM. Presenters are: Diane Tower-Jones and Sekou Coleman, independent producers: “Beneath The Veneer: A Documentary Film Project on the African American Experience in the Appalachian City of Asheville, North Carolina” and Phil Jamison, coordinator of Warren Wilson College Appalachian Music Program: “African Americans and Mountain Dance Traditions in Western North Carolina” and Forrest Gray Yerman, graduate student at Appalachian State University: “Exhuming Boone’s Past: American Segregation in Life and Death”. The afternoon panel starts at 1 PM and is followed by a closing reception at 5 PM. Presentations include Katherine Cutshall, UNC Asheville graduate and local history docent, and Catherine Amos, UNC Asheville history student: “Sarah Gudger’s Journey to Freedom: A Digital History Project/Exhibition” and Doris Davenport, educator, literary and performance poet with ten published books: “Beauty, Passion & Integrity: Cultural Heritage of Black Appalachia” and Enkeshi Thom, doctoral student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville: “Black Knoxville: At The Intersection of Race and Region” and Marie Cochran, artist and founding curator of The Affrilachian Artist Project: “Testify Beyond Place: A Documentary Film Project”. For more information on these events, contact Jo Steininger, UNC Asheville Department of History, 828-251-6415 or history@unca.edu.
10/28/16 AUTHOR EVENT AT MALAPROPS
Activist author Medea Benjamin joins us once more to celebrate her new book, “Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection.” Medea’s book tackles the issue of foreign policy and the controversial relationship between the United State and Saudi Arabia. Medea is the cofounder of the peace group CODEPINK and Global Exchange, an international human rights organization. She has published articles on The Huffington Post, AlterNet, and more. In 2014, she was the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award. Time is 7 PM and location is Malaprop’s at 55 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. For more informatin, contact Melanie at (828) 254-6734 or melanie@malaprops.com.
10/28/16 JUST PEACE ISRAEL/PALESTINE MEETING
This meeting will be at 3:15 PM at Brooks-Howell Home on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Meet in the media room. Contact Suchi at suchi1025@bellsouth.net for more information.
10/29/16 LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FILM EVENT
The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County are sponsoring the film “Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders.” Ninety six years ago women won the right to vote. Today, voter apathy is real for young women. So, what happened? Join us for a radical morning of film screening, panel discussion, and inciting change! This documentary will be presented at The Grail Movie House at 45 South French Broad Avenue in downtown Asheville on October 29. Great film, and it is free. Sponsored by Western North Carolina AIDS Project, YWCA of Asheville, Our Voice, and Planned Parenthood Votes. Time is 11 AM to 1:30 PM. Call 828-239-9392 or email grailmoviehouse@gmail.com for more information.
10/30/16 UNSUNG HEROES IN OUR COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
“Unsung Heroes: A Grand Celebration of Latinx and Black Resilience” will be held on Sunday, October 30 at 3 PM at UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. This celebration is free and open to the public. We are inviting the entire community to join us in celebrating not only these identified heroes but also to come together, to connect and align our efforts as we move toward a more resilient community. We have so much to be thankful for in our community and we know that there is great potential when we work together, recognizing what each of us has to offer. Unsung Heroes will highlight points of light in the community through storytelling, music, and dancing. “We will celebrate the heroes’ stories of resiliency and how they have committed their life’s work to shouldering movements by lifting up ideals, giving wisdom and guidance to their communities,” says event producer Sheneika Smith. “By uncovering and celebrating the work of individuals and groups who demonstrate resilience, we will provide an opportunity for attendees to connect to this community’s resource grid.” The Unsung Heroes that will be celebrated are: Educational Enrichment - Keyla Estrada; Ally - David Forbes; Arts & Entertainment - Oskar Santana; Health & Wellness - Kathey Avery; Environmental Stewardship - Eric Howell; Entrepreneurship - Dulce Lomita Mobile Home Cooperative; Historic Preservation - Priscilla Nydiye; Spirituality - Rosalia del Carmen Islas; Community Legacy - John R. Hayes and Community Legacy - Lucia Hinojosa Hernandez. Sponsored by Buncombe County, UNC Asheville and Date My City, Unsung Heroes will be the culminating event of UNC Asheville’s African Americans in WNC Conference. For more information on this event, contact Jo Steininger, UNC Asheville Department of History, 828-251-6415 or history@unca.edu.
10/30/16 PEACE VIGIL RETURNS TO ALL SOULS
The Vigil Returns - Beginning Sunday, August 21, at 5 PM, the Vigil for Peace on the All Souls Cathedral grounds in Biltmore Village, will resume and continue weekly until the Nov 8 election. Sponsored by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship of WNC, it is a way of asking people to make special intercessions in their prayer and life for peace and justice in our American culture. The tone of the current political campaign makes it obvious that we are neglecting our Baptismal vows to respect the dignity of every human being. This is a call to pray with actions as well as words. We invite you to join us each Sunday for our thirty minute Vigil.
10/30/16 MARCH TO THE POLLS SUNDAY
Casting a ballot in Buncombe County? Vote with your community! Join us for a March to the Polls in this special celebration of Sunday voting. Meet at Pack Square Park at 121 College Street in downtown Asheville at 2 PM.
11/01/16 CURRENT EVENTS BOOK CLUB
The Current Events Book Club will discuss “Listen, Yankee!: Why Cuba Matters” at 7 PM at Malaprops Bookstore on Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. Contact Malaprops for more information.
11/01/16 PRAYER PROCESSION TO PROVOKE JUSTICE
From the Center for Participatory Change and Faith Leaders: Join an interfaith Prayer Procession to Provoke Justice on November 1st (All Saints Day) at 4:45 PM from the East End neighborhood (impacted by urban renewal) to City Hall with stops for targeted prayer along the way. We will end with publicly reading a Statement of Beliefs adopted by Faith Leaders at a press conference, then holding a collective worship. The point is to broadly share a faith perspective that speaks truth to power and addresses the violence against Black and Brown bodies (aka African Descent and Latinx persons).
11/05/16 BREAKING DOWN LOCAL POLITICS
Breaking down the ins and outs of local politics, from who's who to what's what. Get informed if you plan to vote in the November 8th election. Time is 6:30 to 8 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.
11/05/16 MOVING BEYOND CAPITALISM PRESENTATION
Cliff DuRand explains how communities are declaring independence from Wall Street and building a more equal, participatory, and democratic society. Time is 4 PM and location is Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.
11/06/16 FILM DISCUSSION AT UU CONGREGATION IN BLACK MOUNTAIN
A new documentary film from Ava DuVenay, director of the film, Selma, chronicles how our justice system has been driven by racism from the days of slavery to today’s era of mass incarceration. The film “13th” is named for the constitutional amendment that abolished slavery with the exception of punishment for crime. The United States accounts for 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of its prisoners. The film is now available on Netflix and we encourage everyone to see it. A discussion of the film will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley, 500 Montreat Rd., Black Mountain, on Sunday, November 6 at 12:30 PM. Herb Way will lead the discussion. Everyone is invited. For more information, contact Roberta at robertamadden@yahoo.com.
11/07/16 CLIMATE ACTIVIST SPEECH AT UNCA
“Public Lands, Private Profit” is the title of a speech by Tim DeChristopher with Bryan Cahall. Climate activist Tim DeChristopher will discuss the role of public lands and national parks as battlegrounds between private profit and public good, sharing stories of some of his own fight with the fossil fuel industry over the fate of western lands near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. DeChristopher spent twenty one months in prison in 2008 after interrupting a Bush era oil and drilling auction with a spontaneous act of courage and civil disobedience. He used his prosecution as an opportunity to organize the climate justice organization Peaceful Uprising in Salt Lake City, and most recently founded the Climate Disobedience Center. DeChristopher will be joined by singer/songwriter Bryan Cahall with songs inspired by struggles for justice. Sponsors are NEH professorship, Office of Sustainability, and Student Environmental Center. Time is 7 PM and location is Highsmith Student Union Grotto at UNCA.
11/08/16 ELECTION DAY
Last chance to vote in this election. Please go to your precinct to vote.
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.
11/10/16 PUBLIC HEARING ON CLIFFSIDE COAL ASH WATER PERMIT IN SHELBY
Please attend a public hearing on Tuesday, November 10th at 6 PM to tell the NC Department of Environmental Quality that our families deserve clean water, not a permit that allows Duke Energy to turn our streams into coal ash pollution ditches. Under the proposed permit, Duke Energy could dump unlimited arsenic, mercury and lead into our waterways from the leaking, unlined coal ash pits at its Cliffside power plant. Our state should protect people, not polluters. Time is 5 to 8 PM. Location is Boiling Springs Town Hall at 114 East College Avenue in Shelby. Contact Anna at 828-258-8737 or anna@mountaintrue.org.
11/12/16 CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY MEETING
Citizens Climate Lobby meets the second Saturday of each month at Kairos West Community Center (behind Firestorm) at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. We are advocating for a Carbon Fee & Dividend, which would impose a fee on fossil fuels at point entry; this fee will be refunded to individuals and families. There is bipartisan support in Congress as this will create jobs and help grow the economy, boosting renewables. Time is 12:30 to 3 PM. For more information, contact asheville@citizensclimatelobby.org.
11/14/16 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE SOCIAL
Topic is “Communication Skills for Resilient Communities”. A resilient community must be sustainable for the long haul—but, what can get in the way? Often it is not the absence of technical know-how, but the presence of interpersonal conflicts. At the root of many a conflict is misunderstanding caused by lack of communication. Learn how the nonjudgmental language of feelings and needs can help dissolve disputes, and how empathy can bring people together. Cathy Holt is certified as a teacher of the Connection Practice, and is also a certified HeartMath® coach. She has been learning and teaching nonviolent communication skills for over twenty years. A long-term environmental activist, she is currently involved with Citizens Climate Lobby, working for a carbon fee and dividend. Time is 6:30 PM and location is St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 337 Charlotte Street in north Asheville. Contact Rebecca at palmtree747@gmail.com for more information.
11/14/16 HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM AT UNCA
There will be a campus and community human rights forum at UNCA on “Child Detention in Palestine” with Azadeh Shahshahani, the legal and advocacy director of Project South. Shahshahani has worked in NC and Georgia to protect the human rights of immigrants and Muslim, Middle Eastern and South Asian communities. She has served as a National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project Director with the ACLU of Georgia and president of the National Lawyers Guild. She has also participated in a delegation investigating the plight of political prisoners in Palestine in April of 2016. Time is noon to 1 PM and location is Mountain View Room at the Sherrill Center at UNCA. Cosponsors are Belk Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at UNCA and Just Peace for Israel/Palestine of WNC. For more information, contact jpip@wnc@gmail.com or call 828-319-7652.
11/16/16 TRUTH ABOUT THANKSGIVING - DISCUSSION AT UNCA
Join Multicultural Student Programs and Native American Student Association as we unpack and discuss the history of the North American holiday called “Thanksgiving.” Engage in a dialogue that explores the colonization of North America and its impact on indigenous communities. Space is limited so be sure to RSVP in the Intercultural Center. Time is 6 to 8 PM and location is Highsmith Union, rooms 221-222 at UNCA. Contact dhylton@unca.edu for more information.
11/16/16 REBUILDING AFFRILACHIA - PEARSON PLAN WORKSHOP
DeWayne Barton will be offering a Pearson Plan Workshop on November 16 from 5 to 6 pm at the Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton Street, in Asheville. Learn more about this plan for Rebuilding Affrilachia and how you can be a part of it. There is no charge for the workshop, though contributions to support the Pearson Plan will be accepted. If you'd like to be part of this, please join him; there is no pre-registration necessary. Questions? Email info@hoodhuggers.com.
11/16/16 GREEN DRINKS
Sustainability and social justice meet-up at The BLock off Biltmore at 39 S. Market Street in downtown Asheville. This starts at 5:30 PM with socializing and the presentation starts at 6 PM. Contact Asheville Green Drinks for more information. This happens on the third Wednesday of the month.
11/19/16 HARD TO RECYCLE COLLECTION IN ARDEN
This will be from 10 AM to 2 PM at 2310 Hendersonville Road in Arden. And a word from Greenworks: never put hard-to-recycle items or any kind of plastic bag or plastic film in with your curbside recyclables (other than blue recycling bags). The blue bags are emptied and removed early in the sorting process at the recycling facility as plastic bags and film clog recycling equipment forcing operations to shut down for workers to cut that material off by hand with boxcutters! Note: Be sure to pull out the plastic liner bags out of your cereal boxes before you throw them into your recycling bin. Check that no chip and snack bags or regular and resealable (zipper) bags, snuck into your bin, too!
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ONGOING EVENTS
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TUESDAY
Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument during most of the year, but after DST kicks in, they meet at 4:30 PM.
Showing Up for Racial Justice at Firestorm Cafe and Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. 10 AM. 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.
Green Grannies Book Club meets at noon at Firestorm at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville.
“What’s Up With Whiteness” discussion group at 6 PM at Firestorm at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville.
THURSDAY
Political Prisoners Letter Writing at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 6 PM on fourth Thursday of the month. Materials provided.
FRIDAY
Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville.
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.
SUNDAY
Peace Vigil at All Souls Cathedral in Biltmore Village. This is from 5 to 5:30 PM. This vigil will last until election day 2016.
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ACTIONS AND READINGS
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From Lew Patrie, with WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility:
Will you help end our terrible love affair with nuclear weapons that threatens us all? Reducing the nuclear weapons danger is an urgent task for our survival. Join with us to say no to continued development and threatened use of nuclear weapons!! The risk of outbreak of nuclear war has recently increased sharply, due to deteriorating relations between the US and Russia and China.
We invite you to join Asheville’s Veterans for Peace Chapter, (VFP), and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility Chapter (PSR) for a vigil on Tuesday October 25th, at 5PM, at the Vance Memorial in Pack Square to say no to our continued development and threatened use of nuclear weapons and for establishment of peaceful relations with Russia and China.
Nuclear powers still maintain more than 15,000 nuclear warheads with more than 2,000 on high alert, available for immediate launch.
● 100 nuclear weapons detonated in a limited nuclear war could cause deaths of up to 2 billion people due to mass starvation caused by crop failures triggered by a prolonged nuclear winter.
●We urge President Obama to establish a clear policy of no-first-use and eliminate plans for spending a trillion dollars for nuclear weapons.
● Politicians and the media largely ignore this issue It is essential that we speak out to urge the US to stop threatened use of nuclear weapons and to for all countries to take nuclear weapons off high alert/launch on warning.
Please join us for the vigil at Vance Memorial on Tuesday, Oct. 25th, 5 PM
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Hood Tour Tickets
An interactive tour focusing on Asheville’s African American resilient history and future in the arts, environmentalism and entrepreneurship. The tour visits neighborhoods with existing and active green spaces, art, and grassroots initiatives. Tours run most Thursdays at 1 PM and Saturdays at 3 PM, and by appointment for groups by emailing info@hoodhuggers.com. Tours last approximately 1.5 hours. Cost is $25 per person. Tours begin at the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Avenue.
Hood Huggers International, LLC offers sustainable strategies for building support pillars for resilient historically African American neighborhoods, providing a framework for community capacity building while increasing the effectiveness of existing service programs. These strategies incorporate the arts, environmental education and social enterprise.
DeWayne Barton is the founder/CEO of Hood Huggers. A sculptor and poet, Barton has been involved in community improvement and youth development for over 20 years. He serves on the African American Heritage Commission, CoThinkk, and the City of Asheville Neighborhood Advisory Board.
Please call (828) 275-5305 or email blove@hoodhuggers.com for more information including how to register for these tours.
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