Can Public Policy Control Rising Drug Prices?

Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy 6100 Main Street, Houston

Prescription drug expenditures are projected to reach $360.2 billion in 2018. Per capita spending on these drugs rose 5 percent in 2015 and 3.5 percent in 2016. The public is outraged by stories of Martin Shkreli raising the price of Daraprim by 5,000 percent, and Mylan raising the price of a pair of EpiPens by 400 percent. Meanwhile, the cost of treatment with the most novel anticancer drugs has risen by 400 percent over the past 10 years, and the cost of treatment with new drugs that can cure Hepatitis C is tens of thousands of dollars. Will the prices of prescription drugs continue to rise at extraordinary rates? Are a handful of blockbuster drugs to blame, or will all patients be forced to pay rapidly rising prices? At this event, Vivian Ho, director of the Baker Institute Center for Health and Biosciences, will explore these questions and describe the policy options to control drug price increases being recommended by policymakers, researchers and clinicians.

$50

5th Ward Bond Beautification Project

NEW DATE: JUNE 9th

Neighborhood Cleanup Day!

OPERATION: FLOOD CONTROL (Clearing trash & debris from ditches and waterways).

Walk Gently on Earth

Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church & online 1900 Bering Dr., Houston

  Last fall, world religious leaders presented the interfaith climate declaration, Walk Gently on Earth, to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Bonn. The Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston invites you to a talk about the declaration by Imaad Khan, of the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy (TICPP), who was there. Imaad will discuss the presentation of the declaration, its message, and how houses of worship and their members can leverage this initiative. Walk Gently on Earth invites people of faith to lead the world in adopting a sustainable lifestyle.

Free

Texas Migrant and Refugee Leadership Academy

TBD Houston

Do you have what it takes?  Calling on all migrants and refugee leaders in the State of Texas to attend a statewide migrants and refugee leadership training to be held in Dallas, Texas on Friday, June 15* to Sunday, June 17.

This all day training event offers migrants and refugees the opportunity to come together to share experiences, connect with each other, and develop the skills necessary to advocate on issues of importance to migrants and refugees in Texas.

The training is designed to hone your leadership skills; create opportunity for networking; and incentives for participants to take the experience back to their local communities and advocate for issues of concern to the broader migrant and refugee community.  Our goal is to lift up the voices of all refugees in order to create more welcoming communities in Texas.

Free

Mayor Turner’s Annual Acres Homes Juneteenth Parade

Acres Homes Multi-Service Center 6719 W. Montgomery Rd., Houston

Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Annual Acres Homes Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.

The parade will begin at the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center located at 6719 W. Montgomery, travel north on W. Montgomery, west on Dolly Wright and conclude at Greater Zion Missionary Baptist Church located at 1620 Dolly Wright.

Free

Emancipation Park Juneteenth Celebration

Emancipation Park 3018 Emancipation Ave., Houston

Emancipation Park's Juneteenth Celebration
10 am - 5 pm
Hosts: City of Houston and Emancipation Park Conservancy
Location: Emancipation Park, 3018 Emancipation Avenue, Houston, Texas 77004

EMANCIPATION PARK opened in the Third Ward in 1872, on a plot of land purchased for $800 by a group of former slaves. The opening took place nine years after president Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and seven years after slaves were formally freed in Texas.

Free

24th Annual Juneteenth Ally Award Luncheon “Giving our Youth a Voice”

First Methodist Church (Lower Level Fellowship Hall), 1320 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002 1320 Main Street (at Clay), Houston

The Center for the Healing of Racism will hold its 24th annual Juneteenth Ally Award luncheon, “Giving our Youth a Voice," on Saturday, June 16, 2018.  This year’s award recipients are:
- James W. Loewen, sociologist, historian and author of Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong;
- Tahirih Justice Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting immigrant women and girls and promoting a world where women and girls enjoy equality, safety and dignity;
- Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle columnist and Pulitzer Prize recipient (2015) for her groundbreaking columns about corrupt grand jury practices and egregious problems in the legal and immigration systems;
- Ben and Sarah Becker, who will receive the Center’s "Individual Initiative Award.”

$50

Going Green for Home Building/Remodeling Projects

The amount of resources borrowed from our Earth to create the buildings in which we spend 93% of our lives is staggering. If we look at just the residential building industry, we see that we are building homes with a life span of 40-100 years, with the interior materials having an even shorter lifespan.

Through this discussion, Caroline Kostak, secretary of the Texas Gulf Coast Region chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, will look at how we can meet the need to shelter and provide work space for a growing population while also being respectful of the resources given to us on Earth.   We will explore different strategies that can lead to efficient resource management and produce beautiful, healthy, and efficient buildings that celebrate the gifts and abundance of the Earth while also protecting them.

Free

Progressive Movie Night: “The Battle of Algiers”

Houston Communist Party Headquarters 3100 McKinney Street, Houston, TX, United States

"The Battle of Algiers" is a 1966 Italian-Algerian historical war film co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo and starring Jean Martin and Saadi Yacef. It is based on events during the Algerian War (1954–62) against the French government in North Africa; the most prominent being the titular Battle of Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It was shot on location and the film's score was composed by Ennio Morricone. The film, which was shot in a Roberto Rossellini-inspired newsreel style—in black and white with documentary-type editing—is often associated with Italian neorealism cinema.

The film has been critically celebrated and often taken, by insurgent groups and states alike, as an important commentary on urban guerrilla warfare. It occupies the 48th place on the Critics' Top 250 Films of the 2012 Sight & Sound poll as well as 120th place on Empire magazine's list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.

Free

Peace Camp 2018 – Week Two

First Congregational Church of Houston 10840 Beinhorn Road, Houston, TX, United States

“Justice” is the theme this summer for Peace Camp 2018. This is an alternative day camp from 9am -3pm, for children ages 5-18. The focus will be on developing inner peace and building problem solving skills. Yoga, gardening, special guests, using puppets co-operative games, and cooking are some of the activities planned. Youth who are 13 and older will have a curriculum that deals with gun control, racism, LGBTQ issues, PTSD, and other more mature topics. Although several sessions are at churches, the camp is not religious.

With violence permeating our culture, let’s make teaching peace a priority!

Week Two takes place June 18th-22nd at the First Congregational Church, 10840 Beinhorn Rd.  Houston 77024

International Food and Cultural Festival

Shape Community Center 3903 Almeda Rd, Houston, TX

SHAPE Community Center is forming a coalition of community partners are bridging the gap between cultures by showcasing the international flavor, through food and culture, of countries, regions, and traditions operating within ourcity. Food, music, and art have long been national as well as international genres of communication. This International Food and Cultural Festival will allow participants a global experience into the culture and customs of many countries and traditions through food, music, dance, dress, art, literature, and more. 

$5 – $20

Houston Pride Festival and Parade 2018

City Hall 901 Bagby, Houston, TX, United States

2018 marks 40 Years of Pride in the city of Houston. Join us in Downtown Houston where our very own "Stonewall" occurred in 1977 as thousands protested against Anita Bryant's anti-gay campaign.

This event is ADMISSION FREE and open to the public to attend/watch and open to the public (no age limit). No tickets are necessary except for the VIP Parade area. There are no tickets necessary for general admission.

For VIP Parade Tickets: pridehouston.org/vip

The Houston Pride Festival® and Houston Pride Parade® are at the center of the Celebration with an attendance of over 700,000 people every year from all over the world. Come and join all of the LGBT Community in celebrating who we are as a people and how much more we still need to FIGHT FOR.

Houston Ebony Opera Guild Annual Concert

Westbury United Methodist Church 5200 Willowbend Blvd., Houston

ANNUAL SUMMER CONCERT: A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION

"Steady Soldier"
Music commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

$10 – $50

UU Houston Churches Pride Parade

Come join the UU Churches in the Houston Pride Parade on Allen Pkwy Lineup #68 Theme is the Wizard of Oz. For more information & carpooling, contact [email protected] or call Peggy (936) 718-7777

Free

One Thousand Texans for Transit – Houston in Houston

MATCH (Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston) 3400 Main Street, Houston

Join us on Sunday, June 24 in Montrose to hear about and discuss paths to realizing the the goal of high-quality public transportation! We'll have a panel of local transit leaders, hear remarks from elected officials, and break out into groups to work shop strategies for statewide coordination.

Free

Town Talk: Being a Transgender & Nonbinary Ally

Hamburger Mary's 2409 Grant St., Houston

In honor of LGBTQIA+ pride, our Town Talk this month will focus on how to be an ally to the transgender and nonbinary community. Lou Weaver, queer transman & transgender programs coordinator for Equality Texas, will moderate a panel discussion with members of the transgender and nonbinary community. Over the course of the evening, Lou will explore the simple language and terminology we can use as allies, when talking about the transgender and nonbinary community.

Register at https://events.mobilizeamerica.io/hcdp/event/1102/

Vulnerability of the Displaced: Refugees and Trafficking

A 2nd Cup 1111 E 11th St, Houston

In observation of World Refugee Day, join us for a panel discussion on the vulnerability of refugees and other displaced persons to human trafficking, both domestically and internationally.  The panel will include, Christa Mayfield, Assistant Executive Director, Unbound Houston; Danielle Bolks, MSW, Senior Program Director, YMCA International Services; and Anne Chandler, Executive Director, Houston Office Tahirih Justice Center.  The event is sponsored by A 2nd Cup, FAWCO Alumnae USA (FAUSA) Houston and the Zonta Club of Houston.   Cookies and coffee will be provided.

Free

#FamiliesBelongTogether Rally in Brownsville, TX

Linear Park 1501 E. 7th Street, Brownsviile

On Thursday, June 28th, families, advocates, and allies will hold a rally in the park across the street from the Brownsville Federal Court, where immigrants are being prosecuted en masse for crossing the border into the United States, and then separated from their children. Instead of focusing on actually reuniting kids with parents, the Trump administration now wants to warehouse whole families in prisons. Children don’t belong in jail at all, even with their parents, under any circumstances.

National Day of Action – Families Belong Together

Houston City Hall 901 Bagby Street, Houston

Houstonians- UNITE! Join Indivisible Houston, PSR Houston, FIEL and other allied groups Saturday, June 30th at 10 AM for a rally at City Hall and march to Ted Cruz’s office to show solidarity with families and opposition to burdensome, ignorant, divisive immigration law.

The horrors of the deportation machine and the Administration’s decision to kidnap children and use them as pawns in exchange for a fantasy real estate construction project along the southern border rip apart families and destroy communities.

Join us to demand that our publicly elected employees take the following actions:

1) End the new DHS policy of family separation in order to REUNITE FAMILIES;

2) Vote against the Goodlatte Immigration plan;

3) Defund ICE (an agency established after 9/11 with expanded powers beyond standard
customs checks and enforcement); and

4) End private prison donations and require reps return all private prison donations- both individual and PAC.

#EndFamilySeparation #AbolishICE #AbolishCBP

Demonstration against the Houston Child Detention Center

419 Emancipation Avenue 419 Emancipation Avenue, Houston, TX, United States

Widespread, intense opposition to the separation of migrant families has led Trump to issue an executive order supposedly ending this practice. But this nightmare is far from over. About 2000 children remain separated from their moms and dads. Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy of prosecuting migrants may mean more family separations or the long-term detention of entire families. The administration is talking about new detention centers for scores of thousands of migrants. And in Houston, plans for a new child detention center at 419 Emancipation Avenue are going forward.

The Free Los Niños Coalition and its member organizations invite you to participate in another demonstration against the Houston child detention center at 419 Emancipation Avenue on Thursday, July 5, at 6 pm. This action will include lots of chanting, remarks from sponsoring groups, a march through the neighborhood, some wonderful entertainment, and—time permitting—an open mic. Please join us and help prevent the detention of migrants on a street which was recently renamed to honor the emancipation of African Americans from slavery.