Local
The October Free Press Second Saturday Salon was held on October 13 over Zoom.
Listen to the recording here.
Mark Stansbery of the Free Press Board, introduced the first speaker, Mary Jane Borden. She spoke about the current adult use marijuana legalization issue on the November ballot. If you are in agreement, she encourages voting YES on Issue 2. The link to her powerpoint is here.
Mary Jane also memorialized longtime cannabis activist Angelica Warren who passed away recently.
The next speaker was Lidia Garcia of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. She spoke about the second book that is an anthology of migration stories of immigrants in Ohio.
Justin Steiner called attention to this Facebook page.
Sunday, October 22, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
A coalition is hosting a protest event at the Ohio Statehouse asking all Ohioans and supporters to walk with us for accountability. Time is a factor!
Whether we’re Black or white, Latino or Asian, Indigenous or newcomer, we want our families to be healthy and whole. All of us value the opportunity to live in safe neighborhoods, where kids and young people enjoy the freedom to grow in peace and pursue their goals. We know what keeps us safe: living in communities where people of every color and background have fair wages, great schools, and affordable healthcare, where we address problems with research-proven solutions like supporting our community instead of funding ever more militarized police.
Location: Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus.
Saturday, October 21, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Online event, all attendees will receive a meeting invite
Register
2023 has been the hottest year in history. Extreme weather events, rising temperatures and economic uncertainty have created a large migration of people from the world's mid-latitudes to the northern regions.
But the global north is also suffering the effects of climate change. Food and water issues continue to arise as people deal with drought in the American West, while insurance companies refuse to insure homes in areas prone to flooding and fire.
Friday, October 20, 3:30-5pm
311 Denney Hall, Ohio State University
What is the extent of the environmental crisis in India? What would it take bring communal harmony? How can we build solidarity between movements and people?
Join us for a talk and discussion with Rohit Prajapati, a lifelong environmental and social justice activist, and a member of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).
Rohit Prajapati is an environmental and social justice activist based in Gujarat, India. He is a founding member of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, a grassroots environmental group and a member People’s Union for Civil Liberties. Rohit works at the intersection of ecological-social-labor movements to create a broad-based environmental justice movement in India.
This event is free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by the South Asian Studies Initiative and the Humanities Institute.
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Thursday, October 19, 6:30PM
Columbus Main Library, 96 S. Grant, downtown
Discussing: crime, property taxes, tax abatements, affordable housing, homelessness.
Sponsored by the Blockwatch Members Coalition
Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 7:00 PM.
Roger is the co-founder of The Planet Project that brings together people and organizations from everywhere who share a planetary perspective, and who want to work together to co-create a positive future in which all people can thrive and contribute, while existing in harmony with the living planetary systems.
Protestors filled the Columbus City Council chambers at their October 16 meeting to denounce their silence on the genocide of Palestinian people and support for the government of Israel. There were so many protestors most were turned away at the door since the building was “at capacity,” although that turned out not to be true.
After decades of advocating for fully legal recreational marijuana, there is lament amongst some older stoners and hippies now that Ohio is on the cusp with Issue 2.
The Columbus Free Press, for instance, has been advocating for fully legal marijuana for half a century. Columbus was a place in the 1970s where the Columbus Police Department (CPD) would rough you up for having a joint in your cig pack. In the 80s and 90s, a pot arrest could destroy careers. Yet when the Free Press tried to get some medical growers and local medical dispensaries onboard as advertisers at the beginning of the 2020s, many scoffed.
Tuesday, October 17, 1012, 7:00 PM
On November 7, Ohioans will head to the polls to vote on Issue 1, an amendment that would restore abortion rights in Ohio and put an end to an extreme abortion ban. Join the ACLU for a special virtual event to learn about what’s at stake and how you can help in these crucial last few weeks.
This amendment is about making sure Ohioans — not the government — have the power to make personal decisions during pregnancy, including abortion.
Voting Yes on Issue 1 puts Ohioans back in charge of their personal medical decisions and stops Ohio’s extreme abortion ban.
Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 6:00 PM
Students for Justice in Palestine and other student organizations are holding a candlelight vigil for the people of Gaza.
Location: The Oval, OSU campus in front of the Thompson Library, 1858 Neil Ave Mall Columbus, OH 43210.