Month: January 2021

  • America Without Racism: Making the Vision a Reality

    Friday, February 5 | 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

    Saturday, February 6 | 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

    WFR_AmericaWithoutRacism 2
    The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically exposed inequities caused by long-standing racism in the United States, revealing that the need for change is more urgent than ever.

    Join us in a free, virtual, two-day community conversation as we imagine a world free of racism and explore what must be done to create this future. Experts will talk about the fundamental changes needed in the institutions of policing, work, health care, and the commons, with interludes by local musicians, poets, and artists. We’ll conclude with a visioning session for all.

    Registration required, click on button below to register. Eventbrite confirmation email will include Zoom link and detailed schedule. See Washtenaw Faces Race website for more information or contact Joy at joy@ypsilibrary.org.

    SCHEDULE:
    Friday, February 5, 6:00pm-9:00pm
    Introduction and Overview:

    Policing Redefined (Panel):

    Performance

    • Mikhaella Norwood, Founder & CEO of Freelife Productions, LLC. Motown award-winning Spoken Word Artist of the Year, actress, motivational speaker, emcee. Tonight reads two poems, “Still” and “Fragility of a Black Man’s Gentle” from her book of poetry, Fruit: Haiku of Haikus for the Blossoming Soul (2019). https://mimifreelife.com

    Redefining Work:

    • Alford A. Young, Jr., Ph.D., Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Author of From the Edge of the Ghetto: African Americans and the World of Work (2019) and Are Black Men Doomed?: Debating Race (2018). https://lsa.umich.edu/soc/people/faculty/ayoun.html

    Saturday, February 6, 1:00pm-4:00pm
    Health Care for Everyone:

    Defense of the Commons: Individual rights vs. the rights of the collective:

    • Thom Hartmann, Ph.D., Political commentator, radio host, and author of The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote and How to Get It Back (2020) and The Hidden History of Monopolies: How Big Business Destroyed the American Dream (2020). https://thomhartmann.com

    Rescuing Democracy: The way forward (Short session):

    • Abdul El-Sayed, M.D., Physician, epidemiologist, progressive activist, educator, author, speaker, and podcast host. Formerly the Health Director for the City of Detroit and candidate for Governor of Michigan in 2018. http://abdulelsayed.com/

    Visioning Session led by:

    Sponsored by Washtenaw Faces Race , Ypsilanti District Library., University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, and Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice.
    This program is funded in part by the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.

  • ICPJ Latin America Caucus: Searching for Disappeared Migrants Tuesday, February 9th at 7pm


    Registration Required HERE for online event.

    The Latin America Caucus of the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice invites you to the documentary screening of Ruben Figueroa’s work connecting disappeared Central American migrants in Mexico to their families.

    For more insight and discussion, Hannah Zwolensky will join us. She is a recent graduate of Eastern Michigan University where she studied International Affairs and Spanish Language. Hannah currently works as an administrative intern and internship coordinator at Colibrí Center for Human Rights, an organization which advocates to end the disappearances and deaths of migrants and the militarization of our southern border.

    Registrants will receive the zoom link / information to join the event email 2 days prior & 2 hour prior & 10 minutes prior to the event. If you do not receive one of these three automated emails, please check your spam and trash folders to see if the info is there. If these emails never got to you, let us know at Info@ICPJ.org

    For more information, contact Info@ICPJ.org

  • Stopping the Prison Pipeline: Becoming a Youth Justice Advocate

    Wednesday, Jan 13th: 7-8:00pm

    An important part of ending mass incarceration here in Michigan is fundamentally reforming our juvenile justice system.    In this program, Mary King, the former Director of the Michigan Youth Justice Center, will be talking about some of the critical and time-sensitive reforms needed in Michigan’s Juvenile Justice System to address the horrendous racial disparities we find throughout this system.  If, following this program, you decide you would like to become a youth justice advocate, we will be having a more formal, two to three-part training, in the near future.  The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation is partnering with the Michigan Youth Justice Center and other organizations and faith communities to create a state-wide network that will promote the reforms our Juvenile Justice system so badly needs.

    The zoom link to our gathering is: 
    https://zoom.us/j/93150340210?pwd=bXNaS2kxMFJpTlhFS0pxNzdhSmI2QT09

    Passcode: 510302

  • Car Caravan for Housing & Criminal Justice Reform January 11th — 10:30am in Lansing

    The Poor People’s Campaign of Michigan and the PPC Lansing Chapter invites advocates and allies across Southern Michigan to participate in the first PPC Moral Monday event of 2021 – a car caravan at the State Capital calling for fair housing for the poor and criminal justice reform.  The specific calls for action target Ingham County, so this Washtenaw County’s chance to stand with our Lansing friends to help them get action on housing and criminal justice reform.  Michigan has momentum to build on!  

    Cars are gathering at 10:30 am at Union Missionary Baptist Church (500 S. MLK Jr. BLVD) in Lansing  before caravanning downtown. And please help by getting out the word. Even if people can’t participate, they can hear that housing and criminal justice reform are still social justice priorities for 2021. Here’s the link to the organizers’ facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/742875736325361.