Local
Monday, December 21 - Winter Solstice - 5:45-6:45pm
Kossuth Street Community Garden, 641 E Kossuth St.
The Winter Solstice is the largest event on the Inuit calendar as they celebrate "The Return of the Sun". We will light 200 candles with holders and luminaries so we can honor those we've lost this year and to appreciate the front liners and all of those who heeded "the better angels of our nature" this year and are intrinsically helpful heroes of our community.
The candles will be on the ground for easy pick up but we do ask folks to bring their own lighters for safety. Masks and social distancing are required. Hand sanitizers will be plentiful.
If weather is inclement, our rain date is the same time on 12/22/2020.
Sunday, December 20, 1-2:30pm, this on-line event requires advance registration
Join us for a discussion about The Principles of Communism, by Frederick Engels [1847].
Register for this event; we will send the reading material, discussion questions, and Zoom link.
RSVP for this event by using this link.
Use this link to view the reading.
Hosted by Columbus Socialist Alternative.
How is it that the New York Times reported that, “In the moment before Casey Goodson Jr. was shot dead by a sheriff’s deputy at the entrance of his home, his lifelong neighbor heard a man shouting, as if he were arguing, and then a burst of gunfire.”
“The neighbor, Andrew Weeks, rushed to a window and saw three men outside, at least one holding a rifle. He called the police, unaware that the three men — all in plain clothes — were law enforcement officers.” “Before long, the block was lined with emergency vehicles, and Mr. Goodson was carried out on a stretcher, fatally wounded from several gunshot wounds.” I have never heard any of this from our local media.
We thought the House would vote on HB798 (the fake HB6 repeal bill) yesterday. But it looks like they didn't have the votes, so leadership didn't bring it to the floor. Our pressure is working. There is still a lot of uncertainty, and the GOP is considering shenanigans--such as attaching the bill as an amendment to a separate bill.
WE NEED A FULL REPEAL OF HB6. SAY NO TO FAKE REPEALS LIKE HB798.
The Ohio House will reconvene for session Tuesday, Dec 22.
Please call and write your Senator and your Representative.
Talking points are here. We also encourage you to tag legislators on social media as you ask them to fully repeal HB6.
Ben and Jerry's were "inspired by Colin Kaepernick’s bold activism for racial justice" and made a new flavor: “Colin Kaepernick’s Change The Whirled Non-Dairy frozen dessert.” It’s made with sunflower butter, fudge chips, graham cracker swirls and chocolate cookies – and is 100% certified vegan, in honor of Colin Kaepernick’s committed veganism.
All his proceeds from the flavor will go directly to Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC), an organization he founded “to empower Black and Brown youth and elevate the voices of the next generation of racial justice leaders.” The “Know Your Rights Camp hosts free camps across America and internationally, engaging Black and Brown youth around social justice issues through education and self-empowerment.” According to the Ben & Jerry’s website, “The idea for Know Your Rights Camp came five years ago after Kaepernick saw footage of the murder of Mario Woods by San Francisco police officers, yet another young Black man lynched by the police. He wanted to help young Black and Brown people not only survive encounters with police but thrive, grow, and find their power.
Friday, December 18, 4-6pm
Community Grounds: Coffee & Meeting House, 1134 Parsons Ave. Columbus
Join BQIC for our community outreach program, Free Resource Fridays!
Free Resource Friday is a donation-based initiative to provide free resources like food, clothes, and hygiene items to folks living in predominantly Black, low income neighborhoods. Volunteers distribute items, share information, and provide support for local communities in need.
All are welcome, but QTPOC take priority within the space.
This month, FRF will be a drive-through event and masks are required. Come out today from 4pm to 6pm for free resources such as food, clothing and hygiene products.
If you'd like to support Free Resource Fridays by donating materials, or if you'd like to get involved by offering a skill-share, mini-workshop or educational class, contact us! We are always looking to foster and strengthen our partnerships in the Central Ohio community. We are also accepting donations at the event, particularly warm washed winter clothing as the weather is getting colder.
Immigration activists from across the state claim U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)recently attempted to deport a Columbus resident who is an immigrant from Africa because he’s a key witness in a federal civil rights lawsuit against the ICE-contracted jail in Butler County.
The suit alleges correction officers at the Butler County jail, notorious for its treatment of immigrants, have beaten and verbally abused African and Muslim immigrant detainees with racial and religious slurs.
The allegations came to light after 50 detainees were able to sign and forward a letter to the Ohio Immigrant Alliance in October, which can be viewed here.
Part of the letter reads, “We the ICE detainees are afraid for our lives because it seems that the lawlessness of the Butler County jail is the norm which includes extremely poor treatment of detainees including but not limited to physical abuse.”
Thursday, December 17, 6:30-8pm, this on-line event requires advance registration
This is a meeting of the Ready for 100 Columbus campaign. Anyone working on Community Outreach, Leadership Outreach, or Communications is invited to attend. This meeting is usually held on the fourth Thursday of the month, 6:30-8pm. This will be an online meeting for the foreseeable future.
In the midst of global warming, our aim is to get the City of Columbus, Ohio, to commit to running off of 100% renewable energy by the year 2050 or before.
RSVP for this event by clicking “Going” on this Facebook page.
Hosted by Ready for 100 Columbus, Ohio Beyond Coal, Sierra Club Ohio Chapter, and Sierra Club Central Ohio Group.
Take a deep breath, many of us are getting through this year with our feet still on the ground, albeit in our living room’s makeshift office.
That’s no big surprise coming from Free Press fans, a dedicated and determined bunch of community-minded progressives who are passionate about their careers.
Now consider our community’s growing foster kid population, you might think it can’t get any worse for a child to not be with their parents on Christmas.
But the reality is, Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) for decades through its Holiday Wish programhas gone above and beyond to make these kids have the best holiday season possible. And if it wasn’t for FCCS some of these kids in group homes waiting for placement to a foster home would have no Christmas at all.
The FCCS “Children’s Fund” donation portal is here. Pictured above are gifts purchased this year for FCCS foster kids.
Wednesday, December 16, 7-8pm, this event will be occurring via Zoom
Our agenda items for this one-hour meeting will be the following.
• Introduce yourself, and tell of one encounter you had with someone about Medicare for All (one minute each).
• Review of “Which Country has the World’s Best Health Care?,” by Ezekial Emanuel, followed by a brief discussion.
• Planning SPAN Ohio’s mission this coming year.
• Local fundraiser for SPAN Ohio in 2020; please rejoin as an annual paying member if you have not already done so.
• Yard sign discussion.
• Toast to Christmas / Hanukkah / New Year; break out your favorite beverage.
Single-Payer Action Network Ohio (SPAN Ohio) is a statewide coalition of organizations and individuals in Ohio seeking fundamental health care reform in our state and country so that every resident is guaranteed full and comprehensive coverage. We advocate for the establishment of a public fund that would pay all health care bills without co-payments or deductibles. The plan that we call for is known as a single-payer health care system.