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Events and Meetings:





Monday, September 28, 2020, 4:00 - 5:15 PM. Black Lives Matter: The Impact of Racism on Reproductive Heath, Rights and Justice. The term "Black Lives Matter" is widely recognized as describing the larger context of anti-Black police violence in America. Holdovers of systemic racism results in Black people facing disproportionate discrimination throughout every aspect and stage of their life, including access to comprehensive healthcare - specifically, Black women face significant disparities across their reproductive lives. The lack of reproductive freedom is deeply connected to other forms of oppression suffered by the Black community including police brutality and state violence, employment, and voter suppression. Join this conversation as experts discuss the historical context of reproductive health and justice, anti-Black racism, and the role of power and privilege to effectively analyze strategies and practices for dismantling racism, mitigating bias, and mobilizing for reproductive health equity. Register here.

Monday, September 28, 2020, 4:00 PM. Confronting Institutionalized Violence with Gospel Nonviolence . A webinar on confronting racism, militarism and nuclear weapons through Gospel nonviolence with Pax Christi USA Teachers of Peace Art Laffin, Msgr. Ray East, and Marie Dennis. Register here.

Monday, September 28, 2020, 7:00 PM. Trump Brings America's Dirty Wars Home . What are the roots of American police repression and what kind of movement could change it? A conversation with Stuart Schrader, a young scholar who locates the roots of America's militarized police practices in our half century of counter-insurgency and empire as the U.S. sought to control dozens of countries across the world through a combination of policing, irregular armed groups, and military force. Stuart Schrader is a Lecturer / Assistant Research Scientist in Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, teaching courses in Africana Studies, International Studies, Political Science, and Sociology. He is also the Associate Director of the Program in Racism, Immigration, and Citizenship. His PhD is in American Studies, from NYU, in 2015. He has also taught at Harvard and NYU. Sixth in a series on Antiracism and Peace sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action's Racial Justice/ Decolonization Working Group. More information and registration here.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 6:00 - 7:00 PM. Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act. This bill is so comprehensive and cutting-edge that we're holding another webinar to give more people the chance to learn about it. Find out why the new Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (SB 3263/ HR 5845) is the gold standard of federal legislation to make meaningful reductions in plastic pollution in the U.S., and get answers to any questions you may have. Register here.

Monday, September 28, 2020, 12:30 PM. Resisting the Gaslight: Lawyering for Palestinian Rights . Join the Institute for the Study of Human Rights and the Center for Palestine Studies for a conversation with attorney Diala Shamas. Diala Shamas is a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she works on challenging government and law enforcement abuses perpetrated under the guise of national security, both in the U.S. and abroad. Rashid Khalidi, the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, will give the introduction. Register here.

Monday, September 28, 2020, 4:00 PM. Confronting Institutionalized Violence with Gospel Nonviolence . A webinar on confronting racism, militarism, and nuclear weapons through Gospel nonviolence with Pax Christi USA Teachers of Peace Art Laffin, Msgr. Ray East, and Marie Dennis. Register here.

Monday, September 28, 2020, 8:00 PM. Powell's Books Presents Former Congresswoman Katie Hill in Conversation with Gretchen Young . In her new book, She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality (Grand Central), former Congresswoman Katie Hill shares her experience with misogyny and double standards in politics to help women topple the longstanding power structures that prevent them from achieving equality. Powerful women who dare to make mistakes still face swifter and more brutal consequences than men, as the events that precipitated Representative Hill's resignation, in which she was the victim of revenge porn, clearly demonstrate. But Hill does not want women to be discouraged from taking positions of power — in fact, the rampant misogyny we see is all the more reason for women to lead, to work to change the systems that have kept old, wealthy, white men in power for far too long. In She Will Rise, (published on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote), Hill looks back on the progress we've made and outlines her battle plan for our future. She details how we can overcome the obstacles holding women back from achieving equal representation in positions of power to create the change we want for the next century. Hill will be joined in conversation by Gretchen Young, Vice President, Executive Editor at Grand Central Publishing. Register here.

Monday, September 28, 2020, 7:00 - 10:00 PM. Inhale/Exhale. Inhale/exhale is restorative healing for organizers and activists. We invite all those doing great work in the uprisings. In this installment we will practice building collective power and a capacity to rest in a world of unrest. We continue building a social fabric where each one is required to rest in the Radiance of our being. We come together to join the Revolution of Rest and lay down the hustle of finding our value from the world. More information and registration here.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 10:00 AM. Sounding the Alarm: Virtual Conference in Solidarity with Venezuela . The Reverend Dr. Carmelo Álvarez, Mission Co-worker in Venezuela, will share an analysis of our current partnership with the Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela (UEPV) and the challenges for our siblings there. Also, Bishop Elida Quevedo, from the UEPV, and Sister María Eugenia Russán, from the Latin American Ecumenical Foundation for Human Rights and Development (FUNDALATIN), a Venezuelan based human rights organization, will present an overview of what is happening in the country and the impacts of U.S. policies there. Register here.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 9:00 - 10:30 PM. 2020 Presidential Election - 1st Debate Watch Party. Join us for a virtual watch party of the first 2020 presidential debate! We'll be in the comment section, breaking down what's being discussed and engaging in the ways we can make sure abortion access is a focus in this election and beyond. Plus - we're playing bingo! Look for a NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio bingo template to be posted right before the debate starts, along with the link to the video. Use the hashtag #AskAboutAbortion to join in on the debate conversation on social media and tell moderator Chris Wallace why he must #AskAboutAbortion. Facebook.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 6:30 PM. Decolonizing the Law: A Movement's Voice in Nature's Rebellion Against the Corporate State . Join us for this final installment of a three part webinar series. In parts 1 and 2 we looked at a Community’s and a Great Lake’s rebellion against a system that allows both to be harmed. In this webinar we will broaden out the strategy of Rights of Nature as a global movement for systemic change. In order to profoundly change our relationship with Nature we must decolonize the law. Rights of Nature is rooted in Indigenous knowledge about the disconnectedness of humans and Nature and we will look at how this needs to be expanded into western law and culture. Join us for a open discussion with CELDF legal professionals on decolonizing law, culture, and our relationship with Nature. Register here. You can watch the previous installments here: Module 1: A Community’s Voice in the Rebellion: Impacts on Nature and Community. Watch Module One. Module 2: A Lake’s Voice in the Rebellion: Violating the Rights of Lake Erie. Watch Module Two.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 5:30 PM. Virtual Book Talk: ReTargeting Iran . What will it take to reverse the current US escalation trajectory, and what about after the election? Is there a potential for a diplomatic solution, and can Washington and Tehran find common ground? David Barsamian is the author of ReTargeting Iran, a new book of conversations with experts on the US-Iran relationship. Register for this virtual book talk, co-sponsored by Institute for Policy Studies and City Lights Books, when David talks with two of those experts, Hader Hashemi and Trita Parsi, in an event moderated by Phyllis Bennis. Register here.

Tuesday, September 29, 6:30 - 8:00 PM. Political Prisoners, Repression and Resistance! With uprisings across the US for racial justice, it is important to learn from those who came before us. Dozens are still being held in US prisons for their involvement in Black Liberation/Puerto Rican Independence/ AIM/ white anti-imperialism & pro-liberation movements. Our panelists will address COINTELPRO as well as the current realities of Federal Agents, Grand Juries and Police repression. We will discuss strategies of resistance and security. Register here.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 8:30 - 9:45 PM. What Are the Threats We Face in This Time? A SURJ Webinar . This webinar is for anti-racist activists and organizers looking to amplify current demands for abolition within a global pandemic, while navigating an ever-shifting political landscape punctuated by far right activity, in elected office and in the streets. Register here.

September 29 - October 5, 2020. Watch "The Undocumented Lawyer" and Support Edith Espinal.

Watch a screening of "The Undocumented Lawyer" and Live Q&A with Lizbeth, Edith, community and faith leaders from Columbus, Ohio, and the filmmakers from Optimist! 100% of ticket sales support Edith and her family’s financial needs. When you buy a ticket, you will have access to stream the 20 min film from Sept. 29 - Oct. 5. Live Q&A will take place at 7:00 PM on October 2nd. Watch here.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 8:30 PM. What Are the Threats We Face in This Time? A SURJ Webinar. What are the threats we face at this time? This webinar is for anti-racist activists and organizers looking to amplify current demands for abolition within a global pandemic, while navigating an ever-shifting political landscape punctuated by far right activity, in elected office and in the streets. Register here.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 2:00 PM. Weekly September Abolition Zaps . A one- hour weekly action where we make calls together to #FreeThemAll #DefundPolice #DropTheCharges and more. Sign up here.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 12:00 PM. Nation Conversation: Ari Berman on Threats to the 2020 Election . Join voting rights expert and senior reporter at Mother Jones Ari Berman and Nation editorial director and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel for a critical discussion about how to protect the right to vote in the most important election of our lifetimes. Can the 2020 election be stolen? Will voter suppression affect the outcome? Tickets are $10. More information and registration here.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 12:00 - 1:00 PM. CMC Event: Achieving Racial Equity in Your Non-Profit. Presented in Partnership with United Way of Central Ohio. Michael Wilkos, Senior VP of Community Impact, United Way of Central Ohio, will present a brief overview of survey findings. Seleshi Asfaw, M.D., President & CEO, Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services; Rachel Lustig, President & CEO, Catholic Social Services; Tasha Booker, Executive Director, City Year Columbus, Vice President, City Year, Inc; Host, Kerry Charles, Co-Anchor, WCMH NBC4. Free Livestreaming available on our YouTube channel. In-house registration is welcomed. More information and registration here.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 7:00 PM. Use of Force Monitoring Statewide Training . Looking for a way to be in the struggle against police violence? On Wednesday September 30th SURJ Ohio will be offering a training for those interested in getting involved in efforts to track the use of force of their local police departments. We will learn from a model built by the SURJ Northeast Ohio chapter, with which they have monitored use of force incidents by over 30 police departments for 4 years. You will leave the training with a concrete way to get work ending police brutality. Join us as we begin to build a network of people across the state who will collectively increase awareness of the pervasiveness of police violence everywhere. The information we gather and movement we build will be used in fights to defund the police, prisons, and jails, as well as redirecting money for resources that benefit our communities. Register for the online event here.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 8:00 PM. Get Out the Vote. We are weeks away from the most consequential election of our lifetimes. The next slate of leaders we choose will need to lead a recovery from the pandemic, address centuries of racial injustice, and take strong action to prevent climate chaos. While all eyes are on the Presidential race, it’s equally crucial to elect progressive champions to Congress. In 2020 we have the opportunity to take back the Senate and bolster leadership in the House of Representatives. Big change, not a return to normal, is what we need right now. And winning races up and down the ballot, as we did in 2018 and 2008, is the only sure way to deliver a “wave” election that makes big change possible. But none of that will happen if voters who care about climate change, clean air and water, or a livable planet stay home. That’s why Friends of the Earth Action is building a Get Out the Vote Volunteer Team to make sure every environmental vote is counted. And we need your help. Join us to learn how to volunteer with Friends of the Earth Action and Get Out The Vote for our people and planet this October! Register here.





Thursday, October 1, 2020, 11:00 AM. Foreign Influence: How Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs Funded Lobbying & Extremism in the U.S . Newly-released documents - revealed in The Forward and Ha’aretz - confirm longstanding suspicions that the Israeli government -- via a hitherto opaque body known as the “Ministry of Strategic Affairs” (MSA) -- has invested millions of dollars in advocacy and lobbying in countries around the world, including in the United States, with the goal of influencing laws and policies and strengthening organizations that act as standard bearers for the Israeli government line. The documents show that Israel’s investments in the U.S. include direct funding to train advocates and promote laws targeting boycotts of Israel and settlements. The documents also lay out how the MSA established a special vehicle to deliver such funding, for the express purpose of circumventing scrutiny under the U.S. law known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act. To discuss these issues, as well as other matters related to MSA efforts in the U.S. and around the world, join Lara Friedman from the Foundation for Middle East Peace for a conversation with Or Sadan of the Movement for Freedom of Information (MFI) and Itamar Benzaquen of The Seventh Eye; together, MFI and The Seventh Eye secured the release of these blockbuster documents. Also joining is Noa Landau, diplomatic reporter at Ha'aretz, who has long reported on the MSA and who covered the documents extensively. Register here.

Thursday, October 1, 2020, 11:00 AM. What Does Comprehensive Liberation Mean? Making the shift from viewing the Palestinian struggle as only a humanitarian crisis to demanding true freedom, justice and equality involves asking several questions: How do international NGOs and funders help perpetuate the colonization of Palestine and the current status quo? How are social and political freedom inseparable? What are some examples of important organizations currently involved in intersectional work for the full liberation of Palestine? Join us to hear Fayrouz Sharqawi of Grassroots Jerusalem,

Hala Marshood of Tal3at, and Izzadine Mustafa of alQaws address these important topics - the NGO industrial complex, gender, and queer liberation. Register here.

Thursday, October 1, 2020 12:30 PM, Food Security: Building a Sustainable SYSTEM . Join us for a 30 minute webinar to learn about the global food emergency brought on by COVID-19, the Catholic Church’s position on protecting both lives and livelihoods, and the ways U.S. voters can call upon electoral candidates to respond to this global problem. This is the eighth and final webinar in our series to help U.S. voters prepare for the upcoming elections by offering a look at global issues through the lens of Catholic social teaching. The webinars are part of our Faithful Voting and Global Concerns project: https://bit.ly/ElectionBriefsMOGC. HOST: Kathleen Kollman Birch, Communications Manager, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. SPEAKER: Susan Gunn, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. There will be an opportunity for Q&A. Register here.

Thursday, October 1, 2020, 12:00- 1:00 PM. Indivisible OH12 Thursday Action Group Zoom Meeting. Join the Zoom call at this link.

Thursday, October 1, 2020, 5:00 - 6:30 PM. Columbus City Council East Side Community Meeting . The Community Meeting series gives residents a chance to talk to Councilmembers, staff and department leadership about diverse subject matter in an informal setting. Due to the virtual nature of the event, each Councilmember will have their own breakout room, related to the committees they chair. Registration Information: RSVP by 5:00 PM on 9/30 to Erin Gibbons with your preferred breakout room at emgibbons@columbus.gov. Upon registration, participants will be sent Zoom information.

Thursday, October 1, 2020, 7:00 PM. Mining Injustice through International Arbitration . Join this webinar to learn about this $400 million claim, which is currently proceeding at a World Bank Group tribunal, as well as the ongoing resistance at La Puya, lessons from El Salvador, and the inherent injustice in the supranational Investor State Dispute Settlement System (ISDS). Speakers: Álvaro Sandoval, Peaceful Resistance La Puya; Edgar Pérez, Lawyer and Founder, Guatemalan Human Rights Lawfirm; Jen Moore & Ellen Moore, report co-authors with Luis Solano, Institute for Policy Studies & Earthworks; Yanira Cortez Estévez, Salvadoran lawyer and former adjunct ombudsperson for environmental rights, Human Rights Ombudsperson’s office, El Salvador; and, Manuel Pérez Rocha, Institute for Policy Studies. Register here.

Thursday, October 1, 2020, 8:00 PM. Powell's Books Presents Colin Quinn . In Colin Quinn's new book, OVERSTATED: A COAST-TO-COAST ROAST OF THE 50 STATES (St. Martin’s), the comedian, social commentator, and creator and star of the one-man Broadway show, Red State Blue State, and the Netflix special, Unconstitutional, tackles the condition of our union today. The United States is in a 50-states-wide couples’ counseling session, thinking about filing for divorce. But is that really what we want? Can a nation composed of states that are so different possibly hang together? Quinn identifies the hypocrisies inherent in what we claim to believe and what we actually do. Within a framework of big-picture thinking about systems of government — after all, how would you put this country together if you started from scratch today? — to dead-on observations about the quirks and vibes of the citizens in each region, OVERSTATED skewers us all: red, blue, and purple. Quinn’s book is ultimately infused with the same blend of optimism and practicality that sparked the U.S. into being. Register here.

Thursday, October 1, 2020, 8:30 - 9:30 PM. Indivisible OH12 VR Team Meeting . Join us to plan voter registration activities. Register in advance for the zoom meeting HERE.

Friday, October 2, 2020, 10:00 - 11:30 AM. Crisis Communications Trainings: From the Elections and Beyond . Organizers and community members across the country are bracing themselves for the lead up to the 2020 election. Preparation for the election doesn't end on November 3rd, especially when we know the election results will not be known for weeks after. A key piece in preparing your organization, members and yourselves for what's to come is by creating and implementing a strong, captivating narrative that empowers, sets expectations and makes a clear call to action. Join Katie LeBlanc and special guests to dig into building a crisis communications plan, how to implement it, and how to move people to take action. This will be a training and QA session. Register for the online event here.

Friday, October 2, 2020, 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM. Virtual LGBTQ+ Dance Party. JOIN US Oct. 2nd as we dance the night away with a rotation of DJs (TBA). This event is a fundraiser for Community Pride 2020. Learn more and donate now here: http://bit.ly/ccprideFTP. We'll post the Zoom link here the day of the event and share it through social media. Facebook.

Friday, October 2, 2020, 5:00 - 5:30 PM. Grassroot Ohio With Carolyn Harding . Our mission is to profile every-day people working on important issues and to connect them with other folks who want to help. Conversations with every-day people, working on important issues here in Columbus and all around Ohio. Justice: environmental, social, racial, economic, w/ folks on the front lines. ALL podcasts archived on SoundCloud! LISTEN TO 94.1 FM and stream US online at WGRN.com.

October 3 - October 31, 2020, Columbus Freedom Fund Volunteer Info Session . Join Columbus Freedom Fund for a Volunteer Info Session!! Learn who we are, what we have coming up and how to be a part of the team!! More information and schedule of upcoming virtual events on Facebook.

October 4 - November 1, 2020. The Ninth Annual Witness Palestine Film Festival . This year the festival is online. In this new format, we plan to make four films available via the web at no charge. This year’s films offer perspectives on Palestine / Israel through a variety of lenses: historical; shared heart-felt personal experiences of former Israeli soldiers and of American Jews encountering first-hand the realities of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation; and the stories of Arab Americans in Brooklyn seeking a political voice. Film titles, dates, registration information, and other details may be found at WitnessPalestineRochester.org.

Sunday, October 4, 2002, 2:00 - 4:30 PM. Alliance to Halt Fermi 3 Meeting . Our Keynote speaker is Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear speaking on the Environmental Justice issues with handling and transportation on Nuclear Waste. We will also have a Panel & Discussion of local Environmental Justice Issues. Link to the online event on Facebook.

October 4 - November 3, 2020. Witness Palestine Film Festival Online . The ninth annual Witness Palestine Film Festival is scheduled for October 4 – November 3. With no or very limited access this year to our traditional venues of The Little Theatre and St. John Fischer College, the festival will be online. In this new format, we plan to make four films available via the web at no charge. This year’s films offer perspectives on Palestine/Israel through a variety of lenses: historical; shared heart-felt personal experiences of former Israeli soldiers and of American Jews encountering first-hand the realities of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation; and the stories of Arab Americans in Brooklyn seeking a political voice. Film titles, dates, registration information, and other details may be found at WitnessPalestineRochester.org.

Friday, October 7, 2020, 1:00 - 2:00 PM. The COVID-19 COMPAS Program presents "Who Gets Sick? Who Gets Care? Inequalities in Health and Health Care." There is significant variation between groups in rates of infection and incidences of mortality and morbidity resulting from COVID-19. The pandemic has also highlighted the limited access that many people have to adequate medical care, both within the United States and globally. What explains these inequalities? What can we do to remedy them?

This COMPAS webinar is co-sponsored by the Center for Bioethics in the Ohio State College of Medicine. More information and registration here.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 5:30 pm - 6:30 PM. CHN’s 17th Annual Human Needs Hero Reception

Honoring: Census Counts, Count All Kids, and Protecting Immigrant Families! Every year, the Coalition on Human Needs gathers advocates, from neophytes to veterans with decades of experience, to celebrate our community’s steadfast commitment to standing up for the most vulnerable in our society. This year, in spite of the tremendous upending of our lives by the pandemic, we’ve continued to stand up as a human needs community for the same priorities we’ve always held dear. So, while we cannot come together physically, we’re embracing the opportunity to bring even more folks into the fold virtually. Individual tickets $60.00. More information and registration here.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 7:00 - 8:00 PM. Simply Living Meet Up. This special presentation by Jan Spencer of Eugene Oregon will inspire you with a living example of permaculture design + Q&A! The presentation will be a slide show and tell describing twenty years of transforming a quarter acre suburban property in Eugene, Oregon. The grass is gone front and back. There is edible landscaping all over, much of it trellised and espalier and even structures over rooftops to support grape vines. The south facing patio is now 350 sf enclosed passive solar that helps heat the house in the winter time. A rain water catchment system can store and distribute 5600 gallons, primarily for irrigation. More information and registration here.

Friday, October 9, 2020, 4:30 PM. 1619 Legacy: Talitha LeFlouria, on Black Women and Prison Labor in the Post-Civil War South . Talitha L. LeFlouria, The Lisa Smith Discovery Associate Professor in African and African-American Studies, University of Virginia. "Slaves of the State: Black Women and Prison Labor in the Post-Civil War South." LeFlouria is the author of Chained in Silence: Black Women and Convict Labor in the New South, winner of the Philip Taft Labor History Award from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations & Labor and Working-Class History Association (2016), the Best First Book Prize from the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, Genders, and Sexualities (2015); the Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Prize from the Association of Black Women Historians (2015), and others. LeFlouria’s talk will examine the rise of the convict labor system in the South after the Civil War and, especially, the role of Black female convict labor in the creation of Henry Grady’s much touted “New South” between the 1870s and the 1920s. OSU College of Arts and Sciences. Register for the webinar here.

Saturday, October 10, 2020, 2:00 - 6:00 PM. Black Art in the Park . Join us for a celebration of diversity and artistry. Location: Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale Street, Columbus 43215. Register here.