Action Alerts

Thursday, January 11, 8:30am-4pm, Ohio Statehouse

State Representative Teresa Fedor has worked tirelessly to overcome what she considers to be the human rights issue of our time — Human Trafficking. This year, she is joined by State Representative Tavia Galonski as co-host of the Human Trafficking Awareness Day and partner in fighting human trafficking.

The partnerships that have developed during this period have been invaluable moving this effort forward. As a way to highlight those partnerships and to continue to advance this issue, she will host the Ninth Annual Ohio Human Trafficking Awareness Day at the Ohio Statehouse on Thursday, January 11. The focus this year will be on the survivors! We will be running panels, both morning and afternoon, which will focus on three specific goals:

• End all forms of Human Trafficking

• Increase Housing and Services for Survivors

• Job Training and Employment for Survivors

In order to do this, we have six panels that will run concurrently, both morning and afternoon, along with a luncheon speaker, and, at the end of the day, a survivors’ panel.

Wednesday, January 10, 9:45am
Ohio Statehouse
Once again the Ohio legislature is attacking access to abortion in Ohio. This time by forcing abortion providers to follow different rules for disposal of biological tissues than all other medical providers. These regulations do not improve the health and well being of women in our state. They are regulations aimed at shaming women who chose abortion and forcing abortion clinics to close.
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Email your state senator today and tell them to vote NO on SB 28, and to get to work on bills that improve our health and well being, rather that continue to restrict access to health care services: https://act1.myngp.com/Forms/6061845098440687616

Tuesday, Jan 9, 6:30-9:30pm
777 West State Street, Medical Office Building 2
It's time to put an end to the system that doles out tax abatements to multimillion dollar corporations while every day people call for real change. Join us as we have a conversation with our friends and neighbors during the Franklinton Area Commission meeting.

Columbus voters rally to abolish City Council appointment process

COLUMBUS, OH – On Monday, Jan. 8 at 4:30 p.m., Yes We Can Columbus will host a rally outside City Hall to demand City Council abolish the undemocratic appointment process used to fill open Council seats.

Voters from across Columbus will gather to collectively protest the appointment process and to demand Yes We Can candidate Jasmine Ayres, who was the 4th highest vote-getter in the Nov. 7 election, fill the open seat.

Speakers will begin at 4:40. After the rally, attendees will join the remainder of the Council meeting.

Who:

Rhiannon Childs, executive director of the Ohio Women’s March

Kiara Richardson, former secretary of the Central Ohio Young Black Democrats

Puja Data, organizer with the Working Families Party

Kenny Myers, organizer with Yes We Can Columbus

Jasmine Ayres, candidate for Columbus City Council

When:

Monday, Jan. 8 at 4:30 p.m.

COMFEST ANNOUNCES 2018 LOGO CONTEST 

ComFest announces its 2018 Logo Contest and calls all artists to enter original designs.  Each year the selected logo appears on ComFest tee shirts, ComFest beer mugs, and the cover of ComFest Program Guide and thus becomes a part of the festival’s history. A public viewing of entries will be held on Thursday, March 1; 2018 at 7:30 PM at the Goodale Park Shelter House.First round of voting includes the attendingpublic. The three finalists will be reviewed at the following ComFest General Planning meeting on March 25, where a final selection will be made. 

Guidelines and details are found on the website, comfest.com. Artists should always include the Hopewell Symbol in the design, along with the date of the festival, a reference to ComFest/Community Festival, and promote harmony, tolerance, and peace in its essence. Remember: ComFest is a progressive organization dedicated to an inclusive community. 

COMFEST GRANTS

Wednesday, January 3, 7-8:30pm, Columbus Metropolitan Library [Rm. 1-A], 96 S. Grant Ave.
Jewish Voice for Peace members are inspired by Jewish tradition to work together for peace, social justice, equality, human rights, respect for international law, and a U.S. foreign policy based on these ideals. Contact: centralohio@jvp.org. facebook.com/JVPCentralOhio

Sunday, December 31, 2017, 3:00 PM – 12:30 AM
St. John’s Church, 59 E. Main St., Columbus 43215
Come ring in the New Year old skool style and help support those opposing the Keystone XL Pipeline!!  The proceeds from the 1st Annual Sobriety Powwow Hosted by Five Rivers Chatauqua partnered with Sierra Club Central Ohio will be going to Wakpa Was'te Camp located on Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in Eagle Butte South Dakota.  Grand Entry at 3:00 p.m. Intermission at 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Grand Entry at 8:00 p.m.  

Dec 30, 2017 at 7 PM to Jan 12, 2018 at 10 PM
On your phone or computer
THIS IN AN ONGOING EVENT! In honor of Dr. Alice Paul, ERA Action has launched "RISE UP! SHOULDER-TO-SHOULDER FOR THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT". This virtual Social Media event will be an ***ONGOING EVENT UNTIL WOMEN HAVE ACHIEVED CONSTITUTIONAL EQUALITY***. On July 21, 1923, Dr. Paul unveiled the amendment at the 75th Anniversary of the first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York.

It was quite fitting that Alice chose this day to introduce her amendment as she realized the event was not only a day to celebrate the victory of the long, hard fought battle to gain the vote for women, but the beginning of the next phase for the movement - to obtain full Constitutional equality.

As Alice famously said: "We shall not be safe until the principle of equal rights is written into the framework of our government.”

Friday, December 29, 2017, 7:00 – 9:00 PM.
Location:  Maynard Avenue United Methodist Church, 2350 Indianola Ave., Columbus 43202.

From the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness:  Stand Up for Palestinian Children's Human Rights - Ask Your Rep. to Support HR 4931.  On November 14, 2017, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) introduced a bill to prevent U.S. tax dollars from paying for human rights violations against Palestinian children in Israeli military detention.  The Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act (H.R.