The 11th anniversary of the Gandhi Peace Walk in Houston is set for 4:45 PM on Sunday Oct 2, 2016. On-line registration is now open. Please register at the website: http://www.GandhiLibrary.org. Please participate and make this 11th anniversary walk the largest so far! The Grand Marshal this year is Mr. Swatantra Jain.
In 1965, the historic Selma March known as Bloody Sunday was a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. John Lewis—now a U.S. Congressman, then a young student—co-led hundreds of peaceful marchers seeking voting rights for African Americans in the South. When they came face to face with a wall of Alabama state troopers, Lewis took a steadfast, nonviolent stand and encouraged his followers to do the same. Seventy-six-year-old Lewis is a respected legislator and elder statesman who continues to practice nonviolence in his determined fight for justice. The film is a riveting portrayal of Lewis’s personal journey of courage, searing disappointments, and hard-won triumphs. Over the decades—including on the House floor this past June—he inspires others to “get in the way.”
It is with great excitement that we announce our first major fundraising event. (Drum Roll Please!!!! lol!) On Saturday, October 8th at 3:30 pm we will have a great NuWaters Fundraiser and Dinner Cruise. We meet at Moody Gardens, tour the rain forest, watch a terrific movie Secret Ocean, and board a historic boat and cruise Galveston Bay with a terrific dinner (vegetarian upon request). Tickets are $75.00 for members (in good standing) and for non-members $100.00. Payment plan is available, stop by the market for more information. Special thanks to our special Fundraising Chair for making this happen. This is an exciting event planned, and we are certain it will be memorable. Food First! Food Peace! NuWaters.
We would also like to remind everyone that the Planning Commission’s public hearing on renaming Dowling Street to Emancipation Avenue will take place this Thursday, October 13th beginning at 2:30pm at the City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby. If you’re available and would like to join us in showing support for this important name change, please contact me about carpooling options.
Former West Bank settler Lia Tarachansky looks at Israeli’s collective amnesia of the fateful events of 1948 when the state of Israel was born and most of the Palestinians (700,000+) became refugees. Lia covers attempts by aware Israelis to educate their fellow Israelis. She follows the transformation of Israeli veterans trying to uncover their denial of the war that changed the region forever. Tarachansky then turns the camera on herself and travels back to her settlement where that historical erasure gave birth to a new generation, blind and isolated from its surroundings.
Saturday October 15, 2016 the National Black United Front will host the 19th Annual Sankofa Caravan to the Ancestors. The Sankofa Caravan is an interfaith ancestral commemoration. The event has three key areas of focus:
To offer praise and thanksgiving to the creator and our revered African ancestors;
To educate our community on African spirituality, history and culture
To invoke blessings for our community in all worthy endeavors
Come experience circles led by youth graduates from a restorative justice program. You will be exposed to the roots and practices of restorative justice, including the following types of circles:
Community building
Healing
Reentry
Support
Accountability
University of Texas professor Robert Jensen will discuss his book Plain Radical: Living, Loving, and Learning to Leave the Planet Gracefully at the home of Houston house concert promoter Jeff Abrams.
Jensen’s book chronicles his personal, political, and intellectual life with friend and mentor Jim Koplin, who blended the best of rural traditions with a relentless radical critique of concentrated power and illegitimate authority.
Come out and learn about Syria and Iraq's most vulnerable refugees on October 16, 2016 at an informational program at the Syrian American Club about the work of Collateral Repair Project (CRP.) Amanda Lane, Executive Director of CRP, will speak about life at the head of a grassroots NGO making a difference for struggling refugee families. CRP is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization in Amman, Jordan that helps urban refugees with food, housing, education and trauma relief. This event will give you a chance to go beyond the headlines and hear the realities of refugee life and how you can help.
Come learn the ancient art of fermentation! It’s a way to preserve food, harvest probiotics, spread food cultures, and get creative with your food. In this introductory class, we will cover the basics of the fermentation process, taste homemade ferments, and you will make and take home a mason jar of your first vegetable ferment! Your gut is already thanking you. The class is based on the teachings of Sandor Katz’ book Wild Fermentation, an essential reference for budding home fermenters.
HPJC is sponsoring a gathering on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 7-10 PM. The venue is the Library Coffee and Winebar at 2612 Scott St., 77004. There will be an open mic time with some Peace Camp staff and youth sharing their talent. All ages are invited, so extend an invitation to friends and join in some Fall fun!
Please join us for 3 days of "Power Matters: Unlocking Resources for Everyone!" We intend to create a learning community for the weekend in which the direction of our work together is determined by the needs and requests of those who are present. We'd love for you to join us. (We will be using the world-acclaimed principles and skill sets of Nonviolent Communication. You do NOT need to already know and practice these skills to attend.)
Join Transition Houston for a fall permablitz!
Please RVSP! for location details.
We'll have several projects including:
Water reclamation
Garden bed
Building a compost bin and more!
Bring yourself and a friend! Morning refreshments will be provided and we'll have a potluck lunch. Please bring something to share!
Have you wondered what it means to be sustainable or how you might transition to a more sustainable way of living. What ways are you inspired to make changes in your lifestyle, your neighborhood, workplace or the Houston area that offer more care for the earth, care for people and creates community? Through storytelling of active projects in the Houston area, we will discuss and work together on ideas for projects, large or small that you may have envisioned.
Join us as Transition Houston welcomes Ken Kramer, former Director for the Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter and a specialist in environmental policy and administration. For several years, Ken served as a lobbyist, representing the Sierra Club at the Texas Legislature and Texas state agencies. Ken will provide us with details on Texas water conservation and protection efforts including upcoming legislation and privatization efforts in the state of Texas.
In this new documentary, Greg Palast entertains as he exposes the billionaire bandits that are working to purge one million voters of color in November and rob them of their constitutional right to vote. I've heard Greg speak at two or three events in different part of the country. He's always right on target and a good storyteller! You don't want to miss his film!!
Grains developed with the advent of agriculture and fermentation was right in step. In this introductory class, come learn the magic of sourdough pancakes, dosas (lentil pancakes), soured oats, and fermented yogurt granola. These delicious treats are healthier than most of their off-the-shelf alternatives as fermentation breaks down the enzymes which release the full nutritional value of the grain or bean.
Join us (and other Buddhist and Christian denominations) in a gentle walk down Heights Esplanade. Every fall in multiple cities, Buddhist Global Relief organizes walk events to help raise funds for programs that provide direct aid, develop sustainable food production, promote education for girls and women, and give women opportunities for right livelihood. Registration begins 8am, the walk itself at 9am.
HPJC's annual awards dinner brings together peace and justice activists from the southeast Texas area for our 2016 celebration of peacemakers.
Our national peacemaker and keynote speaker will be Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario, author of the bestseller "Enrique's Journey", a true story about a young Honduran boy's search for his mother who left home to find work in the US to pay for food for her starving family.
Our local peacemaker awardees will be Bren Hardt, Ashton Woods, and Jackie Young. Each of them will get to tell us about the important work they do. A special presentation will also be given to Casa Juan Diego.
The final reservation deadline was Nov. 7, so we're sorry but no more reservations may be accepted.
Parts of the program, including Sonia Nazario's talk, may be broadcast later on KPFT's The Progressive Forum (Thursdays, 7-9 pm).
It is our sincere pleasure to invite you to this year's Southern Regional Conference. Join us, Saturday, November 19, 2016 – Sunday, November 20, 2016 for a weekend full of human rights learning, networking and growth in the great city of Houston, TX. The conference will bring together hundreds of Amnesty members and other human rights activists from around the region.
