UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR BY DANCEWATER
06/05/17 DINNER WITH PROGRESSIVES
This Monday, June 5th, at 5:30 PM at Green Sage Cafe in Westgate in Asheville. We are gathering together this Monday evening at Green Sage cafe with fellow progressives because now more than ever we need to be together, learn together and work together. We ask that attendees purchase dinner, a beverage and/or dessert and RSVP so we can give our gracious friends at Green Sage a headcount. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us. Thank you. Anyone is invited to give an announcement or ask for signatures on a petition. Please give myself & Sam a quick email to let us know how much time you need. We have two speakers for Monday, Cecil Bothwell and Brownie Newman. Come to the Dinner with Progressives to listen to their updates for Asheville City and Buncombe County and to ask questions about issues that you want to know more about. Cecil Bothwell is a politician, writer, artist, musician and builder. Cecil was elected to the Asheville City council in 2009, re-elected in 2013 and is running for office again in November 2017. Cecil says that he has always been an activist willing to show up, to speak out and to press for change. He has written and spoken out against environmental despoliation, injustice and senseless war. Brownie Newman grew up on a working farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains and graduated from Warren Wilson College. Brownie is the new Buncombe County Commission Chair, elected November 2016. He was elected to the Asheville City Council in 2003 and was re-elected in 2007. Brownie was elected to the Buncombe County Commission in 2012 to represent District 1. Brownie is also a partner and owner at Headwaters Solar, a solar energy company based in Asheville. During his time on Asheville City Council and on the County Commission, Brownie worked to protect our mountain environment, establish Asheville as a leader for clean energy, improve our public schools, and support equal rights for all citizens. Contact Cheryl at ctorengo@gmail.com for more information.
06/06/17 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE SUMMER BOOK STUDY
“Green Faith: Mobilizing God’s People to Save the Earth” by Fletcher Harper
Tuesday, June 6, 6-7:30pm (6 week study). Location: New Belgium Brewing 21 Craven St., Asheville (for first meeting). Join Sarah Ogletree from Wake Forest Divinity School and the Creation Care Alliance community to read and discuss Green Faith by Episcopal Priest Fletcher Harper. Tuesday evening classes will focus on awe, sacred teachings on creation, the environment itself, and ways to act. The first gathering at NBB will include introductions to the people, the book, and a brief look at the Brewery’s Sustainability Practices. Following studies may be at First Baptist Church. To sign up, or for more information, email oglese16@wfu.edu.
06/06/17 CURRENT EVENTS BOOK CLUB
Join host Bruce Roth for a lively discussion on topics of current interest including war and peace, the economy, the environment, and other hot political topics. They are reading “Demand the Impossible! A Radical Manifesto” by Bill Ayers. Time is 7 PM. Contact Malaprops for more information.
06/06/17 SELF CARE FOR ACTIVISTS
Tuesday, June 6, 7-9pm: "Self-Care for Weary Activists (and others)." Jubilee Community. All of us are needed to do the work, so we need to care for ourselves well. Come explore, interactively, how to build support systems, manage your energy, let your passion guide you. With Cathy Holt, an activist for 50 years and a holistic health educator. Love offering. To register: cathyfholt@gmail.com.
06/06/17 ROLEPLAYING DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE
Next Tuesday, June 6, 6:30-8:30pm at UUCA (downstairs main building) ASURJ Calling In: Roleplaying Difficult conversations about race.
06/07/17 CITIZENS-POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
This meeting is organized by the City of Asheville. This meeting is free and open to the public. This meeting is at Burton Street Center at 134 Burton Street in west Asheville. Time is 5 PM. Call 251-1122 for more information.
06/07/17 SIERRA CLUB MEETING
Sierra Club meeting, and the topic is “Preventing Duke Energy’s 3rd Gas-Powered Electric Plant.” On Wednesday, June 7, the Sierra Club will present an update from Asheville’s Energy Innovation Task Force about reducing energy use in Buncombe County so as to avoid construction of a new, natural gas peaking unit. Julie Mayfield, Asheville City Council; Brownie Newman, Buncombe County Commission; and Jason Walls, Duke Energy, will report on how the three-way partnership – Buncombe County, Asheville, and Duke Energy – is progressing. The Energy Innovation Task force has been working for just over a year. It has made recommendations to the City and County for new programs and investments. Duke, in turn, has made groundbreaking announcements on the deployment of new technology in our area. Don’t miss this important update. Location is the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at 1 Edwin Place (corner of Charlotte & Edwin) in Asheville. Time is 7 PM and this event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Judy Mattox at judymattox@sbcglobal.net or 828-683-2176.
06/07/17 SHARING HOPE BENEFIT
Sharing Hope: Stories of Surviving and Thriving benefit for Hope Chest for Women. June 7 at 7:00 pm EST. $5 cover, $10 dinner. Story tellers: Kelli Mullinix, Angelica Wind, Julie Loveless, Meta Commerce, Julia Horrocks, Lance Kurland, JD Short, Said Osio, Ian Rudick, Howard Hangar, Jeff Thompson and the Lazy Birds.This event is being sponsored by: Smiling Hara, West Village Market & Deli, Eat More Bakery, Dolci di Maria Italian Desserts, Hope Chest for Women, Foothills Brewing, THE BLOCK off biltmore, and WNC School of Massage. Location is THE BLOCK off biltmore at 39 South Market Street in Asheville. Call 828-254-9277 for more information.
06/09/17 CLIMATE RISK AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Friday June 9, 5-6:30 PM. Admiral Titley presentation on “Climate Risk & National Security: People Not Polar Bears” at The Collider Suite 401, 1 Haywood St. (on 4th floor of Wells Fargo Building next to Pritchard Park) in Asheville. If you would like to help with the Admiral Titley event or need more information, please contact Dale Stratford, bdstratford1@gmail.com. [This sounds like he thinks people are more important than polar bears, which I do not agree with. - dancewater]
06/10/17 LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF ASHEVILLE - BUNCOMBE COUNTY ANNUAL MEETING
The League’s Annual Membership Meeting is June 10th, and this year we are hosting speaker Drew Reisinger (Buncombe County Registrar of Deeds) and his discussion of the County Slave Deeds Project. Join us to enjoy an excellent lunch, elect officers and Board members, and approve next year’s program. Lunch is $25, paid in advance or at the door. RSVP by June 2nd. This event is open to the public, members and non-members alike are welcome. Time is 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Location is DoubleTree by Hilton Asheville – Biltmore, 115 Hendersonville Rd. Cost: $25, the cost of lunch. RSVP by calling 828.333.0893 or emailing aidencarson@att.net.
06/13/17 COMMUNICATION FOR COLLABORATION
Tuesday, June 13, 7-9pm: "Communication for Collaboration." Jubilee Community. Creating support systems means communicating in ways that foster connection and collaboration. With Cathy Holt, a teacher of communication skills for over ten years. Love offering. To register: cathyfholt@gmail.com.
06/13/17 NAACP MONTHLY MEETING
Asheville-Buncombe NAACP Monthly Meeting. Join the local branch of NAACP for our regular monthly meeting on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm at Hill Street Baptist Church, 135 Hill Street in Asheville. Now through the General Election in November we will discuss the issues facing voters locally, in NC and the country. We educate and engage on these important issues. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request from NC to allow provisions of its controversial voting rights law to go back into effect. In a 4-4 split, justices left undisturbed the July 29th opinion of the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that the restrictions “target African Americans with almost surgical precision.” The three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the law was adopted with “discriminatory intent” despite NC lawmakers’ claims that the ID provision and other changes were designed to prevent voter fraud. Please register to vote. You do not need an ID to vote!
06/14/17 FAIR VOTE TOWN HALL IN CLYDE
June 14 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Town Hall gathering for WNC citizens concerned about making democracy fair again. Non-partisan panel discussion about redistricting, featuring Tom Ross, former UNC President and Superior Court Judge; Chris Cooper, chair of WCU’s Political Science Department; Jane Pinksy, from the NC Coalition for Lobbying & Government Reform; Robert Orr, former NC Supreme Court Justice; and Republican and Democratic state legislators. Sponsors include Democracy NC, the NC Coalition for Lobbying & Government Reform, the Asheville-Buncombe County NAACP, and the Asheville-Buncombe League of Women Voters. Come learn about fair vote redistricting and share your questions and concerns about the current fight for redistricting reform in North Carolina. Location is Haywood Community College Auditorium at 185 Freedlander Drive in Clyde. Free admission.
06/14/17 JUST PEACE FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE MEETING
This meeting will be at 2:30 PM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at 117 Montreat Road in Black Mountain. Contact Beth at elizakeiser@aol.com or 828 707 4271 for more information.
06/15/17 ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY
On Thursday, June 15, 2017, the Area Agency on Aging's Ombudsman Program and Buncombe County Health & Human Services will be hosting the Buncombe County World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) Walk. The Walk will take place at Carrier Park from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. For more information contact Julia Gibson at 828.251.6622 or julia@landofsky.org.
06/16/17 MORE THAN A MONTH SERIES
Sheriff Van Duncan and Police Chief Hooper - OLLI “More Than a Month Series.” OLLI’s Inclusion Committee has organized a varied series of programs to highlight issues of African American culture in Asheville and beyond. We hope that by offering opportunities to learn more that we will create a forum for challenging conversations. The noted author James Baldwin observed, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” It is in that spirit of facing history and facing ourselves that we take to understanding the many ways that race informs our culture. On Friday, June 16, at 1:30 PM, the Policing Minority Communities: Asheville Police Chief Tammy Hooper and Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan will discuss the ongoing efforts to build productive relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. Location is Reuter Center at UNCA. Contact Catherine Frank at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville at olliasheville.com or 828-251-6188 for more information.
06/16/17 DOCUMENTARY FILM IN ASHEVILLE
On Friday, June 16th, we are screening the important award-winning and Academy Award nominated documentary “13th” at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. “Powerful, infuriating and at times overwhelming, Ava DuVernay’s documentary ‘13TH’ will get your blood boiling and tear ducts leaking. It shakes you up, but it also challenges your ideas about the intersection of race, justice and mass incarceration in the United States, subject matter that could not sound less cinematic. Yet Ms. DuVernay — best known for “Selma,” and a filmmaker whose art has become increasingly inseparable from her activism — has made a movie that’s as timely as the latest Black Lives Matter protests and the recent presidential election.” - NYT. Representatives from Building Bridges will facilitate a discussion following the film. The film screening is at 7 PM, and is open to the public. Contact Charlie Wussow at 612-860-6628 for more information. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville is at One Edwin Place. There is no charge for viewing the film. Donations are welcome.
06/19/17 DEMOCRACY ASHEVILLE COALITION MEETING
Please join us for the next Democracy Asheville Meeting at the Wesley Grant Center on June 19, at 6 p.m. Join us for our regular monthly coalition meeting for updates on the latest voting rights news and plan our next steps for our #FairMapsNC campaign for redistricting reform, including petitions, canvassing, and more. Location is the Wesley Grant Center (285 Livingston St, Asheville, NC 28801). Please RSVP below to let us know you're coming. Contact Darlene Azarmi at 828-216-3430 or darlene@democracy-nc.org with questions. What is the Democracy Asheville Coalition? Our local coalition brings together organizational representatives and individuals who agree to work together to change and use the political system so it equips people to take action, promotes grassroots leadership, and serves ‘the good of the whole.’ We want an elections process that is accessible, fair, and secure. And we want a government ‘of, by, and for the people’ that fosters equity, solidarity, and justice.
06/21/17 GREEN DRINKS
This is a Sustainability and Social Justice Meet-up. Come early for community connections and green drink specials. This happens on the third Wednesday of each month. Socializing from 5:30 – 6PM and presentation from 6 – 7PM. Location is The Block Off Biltmore at 39 South Market Street at Asheville. Call 828-254-9277 for more information.
06/21/17 STAND UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION SERIES.
What's Up with Whiteness? ASURJ Education Series.This session is part of ASURJ's What's Up With Whiteness series. The group is for anyone who is willing and able to explore their whiteness or whiteness as a race with a racial justice lens. Time is 6 PM to 8:30 PM and location is Firestorm Coffee & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. Contact Firestorm at info@firestorm.coop for more information.
06/22/17 DOCUMENTARY FILM IN SYLVA
From the Ashes captures Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry and what its future should be under the new Administration. From Appalachia to the West’s Powder River Basin, the film goes beyond the rhetoric of the “war on coal” to present compelling and often heartbreaking stories about what’s at stake for our economy, health, and climate. From the Ashes invites audiences to learn more about an industry on the edge and what it means for their lives. Hosts First Congregational of Asheville, Mad Batter of Sylva and sponsors, Interfaith Power and Light, MountainTrue and collaborations from other local congregations. Connect with neighbors who are suffering. Learn more about the impacts of coal on our communities and climate. “From the Ashes” will be shown at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva, NC. June 22, 7:30 p.m.Mad Batter is at 617 West Main Street. Reservations recommended at 828.586.3555. Contact Sarah Ogletree for more information at oglese16@wfu.edu.
06/23/17 DOCUMENTARY FILM IN ASHEVILLE
From the Ashes captures Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry and what its future should be under the new Administration. From Appalachia to the West’s Powder River Basin, the film goes beyond the rhetoric of the “war on coal” to present compelling and often heartbreaking stories about what’s at stake for our economy, health, and climate. From the Ashes invites audiences to learn more about an industry on the edge and what it means for their lives. Hosts First Congregational of Asheville, Mad Batter of Sylva and sponsors, Interfaith Power and Light, MountainTrue and collaborations from other local congregations. Connect with neighbors who are suffering. Learn more about the impacts of coal on our communities and climate. “From the Ashes” will be shown at First Congregational Church, in Asheville. June 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Contact Karen Richardson Dunn at krichdunn@gmail.com.
06/25/17 WNC SOLIDARITY CONCERT SERIES
The final Sunday of each month in 2017, two groups of WNC-based musicians and their ensembles will each perform a benefit concert to raise funding for WNC nonprofits. The music performed each week will fluctuate between jazz, rhythm & blues, soul, jazz funk, jazz fusion, and swing. Each event will host two groups, playing, consecutively between 3 and 5 PM with a brief intermission. All of proceeds go to the nonprofit organization. The nonprofit for today is Dogwood Alliance. Act I is Jake Wolf Duo and Act II is Bill Berg Trio. Location is The Block Off Biltmore at Eagle and South Market Streets in downtown Asheville. Suggested donation is $10, and are available the day of the event. Please call The Block Off Biltmore for more information.
06/28/17 BRIDGE THE GAP
Join host Madelyn Anderson for a book club for those interested in exploring perspectives of people with different life experiences or world views, particularly those marginalized in the USA. We’ll read about the intersection of race, gender, political affiliation, and sexual identification/orientation, as well as discuss ways to take collective action. Meets the last Wednesday of every month. This month’s pick is “Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions” by Valeria Luiselli. Time is 7 PM. Contact Malaprops for more information.
07/04/17 MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AT LAKE JULIAN
Mass Civil Disobedience: Independence From Fossil Fuels & Corporate Rule! July 4, 406 Overlook Rd Ext, Arden. Come stand, paddle, swim and sit with us is a peaceful non-violent action to let Duke and the world know what we’ve had enough. This came from Frack-Free NC website.
07/05/17 CITIZENS-POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
This meeting is organized by the City of Asheville. This meeting is free and open to the public. They meet in the first floor Conference Room at the Public Works Building at 161 South Charlotte Street in downtown Asheville. Time is 5 PM. Call 251-1122 for more information.
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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 standard time kicks in, they meet at 4:30 PM.
Showing Up for Racial Justice Do!scussion at Firestorm Coffee & Books at 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. 10 AM. Educating and organizing white people for racial justice.
Rally at historic Courthouse in Hendersonville at 5 PM on the first Tuesday of the month. Organized by the Progressive Organized Women.
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 Drinks meets at 7 PM at The Block Off Biltmore on the third Wednesday of the month.
Sierra Club meets at 7 PM at Unitarian Universalist in Asheville on the first Wednesday of the month.
THURSDAY
Political Prisoners Letter Writing at Firestorm Coffee & Books at 6 PM on fourth Thursday of the month. Materials provided.
Welcome Home Tour by Homeward Bound on the third Thursday of the month at 11 AM. Call 258-1695 for more information.
Asheville Prison Books Program is held at Downtown Books & News from 4 to 7 PM.
FRIDAY
Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville.
Standing Up For Racial Justice event is held at 10 AM at 23 Edwin Street, next to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. Educating and organizing white people for racial justice.
SATURDAY
French Broad Riverkeeper has a paddle-n-plant to prevent sediment erosion most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Registration required at anna@mountaintrue.org.
Mountain True holds urban forest workdays on the second Saturday of the month at Richmond Hill Park from 9 AM to 1 PM. Call 258-8737 for more information.
Citizen’s Climate Lobby meeting at 12:30 PM at Kairos West Community Center on second Saturday of the month.
Food Not Bombs serves free vegan/vegetarian food every Saturday at noon at Pritchard Park.
Dances of Universal Peace on the third Saturdays at 7:30 at 1 School Road in Asheville.
SUNDAY
Asheville National Organization for Women meeting at 2:30 PM at YWCA of Asheville on second Sunday of the month.
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ACTIONS AND READINGS
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FROM SIERRA CLUB:
Alert: contact Buncombe County Commissioners to support this year's budget for energy efficiency. Attend & speak Tues, June 6 at 5 pm (200 College St, 3rd floor), or email the following 7 commissioners:
brownie.newman@buncombecounty.org, jasmine.beach-ferrara@buncombecounty.org, alfred.whitesides@buncombecounty.org, ellen.frost@buncombecounty.org, joe.belcher@buncombecounty.org, mike.fryar@buncombecounty.org, robert.pressley@buncombecounty.org
Talking points:
We strongly support full funding of the local clean energy proposals by the Energy Innovation Task Force including recommendations for low-income weatherization, helping improve energy efficiency for non-profit and other community organizations, and exploring broader use of renewable energy on public buildings, including schools. The 2017/18 budget to fully implement these recommendations is $560,000, with future yearly goals of $500,000.
It would be great to have some people speak at the beginning of the Buncombe County Commission meeting about the importance of prioritizing clean energy at the community level. Each person has up to 3 minutes to comment.
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FROM SIERRA CLUB:
Alert: Contact Tim Moore, NC House Speaker, or your Representative if outside Buncombe County, to oppose "Billboard Protection Act." Vote will be in the next few days.
Talking Points to be against:
The bill would allow as many as 10 digital billboards per mile; would take away local governments authority to regulate billboards; would make NC taxpayers pay more money to billboard companies for removals and relocations; would allow more cutting of trees around billboards.
If you live outside of Buncombe County, please contact your state house representatives and ask them to oppose House Bill 581 as soon as possible because it will be voted on in the next few days, and let them know that you don’t want your city or area to look like Gatlinburg. If you live in Buncombe County contact House Speaker Tim Moore and ask him not to support HB 581, 919-733-3451, Tim.Moore@ncleg.net.
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