To subscribe to weekly events newsletter or to have progressive events for peace and justice added to this list, please contact cmhammond11@att.net.
Take Action to Support the Nuclear Ban Treaty! Honduras has become the 50th country to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This means that the treaty has reached the number needed to go into effect. This will start on January 2022 according to the United Nations. 122 countries out of the 193-member UN General Assembly have expressed support and 84 have signed the treaty. Write your representatives and tell them to support this effort! According to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres this development, “represents a meaningful commitment towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons.” But this is only the beginning. Countries with nuclear weapons, including the United States, Russia, and China, have shown opposition to the treaty which aims to destroy all nuclear weapons and ban new ones. The countries that possess nuclear weapons, the US, Russia, the UK, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel have not signed the treaty. Changing perspectives in nuclear countries is incredibly important in the movement for nuclear disarmament. Citizens and residents of nuclear powers need to use their voices to support the elimination of these dangerous weapons. Tell your representatives that you want them to push for the United States to join the treaty!
Events and Meetings:
Monday, January 20, 2025, 12:00 PM. We Fight Back! Honor MLK & Defeat Trump’s Ultra-Right, Billionaire Agenda! The January 20th Protest is ON! The Fight Back coalition has shifted to an indoor rally in order to ensure attendees are safe from the cold while still mobilizing to fight back. MLK’s legacy of struggle lives on as we unite to battle poverty, racism, and war. Sponsored by the ANSWER Coalition, PSL Columbus, JVP Central Ohio, Columbus DSA, the Gateway Film Center union, Black Men Build Columbus, and more, this action aims to fight for our people’s rights on Day 1 of this new presidency. Location: Trinity Episcopal Church, 125 E. Broad St., Columbus.
Monday, January 20, 2025, 7:30 – 10:00 AM. 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast. Keynote speaker: Dr. Kevin Ahmaad Jenkins. Location: Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St., Battelle Grand Ballroom, Columbus. Cost: $50. Click HERE For details and to reserve a seat.
Monday, January 20, 2025, 5:00 PM. City of Columbus Martin Luther King Program. Celebrate and honor the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the annual City of Columbus MLK Day March and Program. The City of Columbus' annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day March on Monday has been canceled due to extremely cold weather that is expected to grip the city and central Ohio next week. The city's MLK program at the Lincoln Theatre will continue as scheduled, the city Department of Neighborhoods said. The event is free and open to the public. Location: The Historic Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long Street, Columbus.
Monday, January 20, 2025, 11:00 AM. Martin Luther King Community Celebration. Keynote address by journalist Dana Tyler. Those attending are asked to bring canned food items for the Worthington Resource Pantry. Refreshments to be served following the program. Location: Worthington United Methodist Church, 600 High St., Worthington. More info HERE.
Monday, January 20, 2024, 5:00 PM. Grassroots Election Protection Coalition/ALLIANCE 4 GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY. Weekly zoom meeting. Register here.
Tuesday, January 21 – Friday, January 24, 2025, 3:00 PM. Power Half-Hour for Gaza: Channel grief & outrage into action to stop a genocide. Now into the second year of genocide in Gaza, we are overwhelmed with sorrow and outrage. There are no words to describe the devastating pain of the past year in which the Israeli military has killed over 45,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 20,000 children. The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have both declared that Israel must stop the genocidal acts being committed on the Palestinian people. And the U.S. government is actively supporting the Israeli military as it wreaks devastation on the over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and B'Tselem have declared that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people of Gaza. We continue to come together as a political community in our daily half-hour to take action, Monday through Friday, for the past year. Join us as we take collective action to demand an arms embargo to Israel, immediate end to the genocide, a lasting ceasefire and an end to Israeli siege, apartheid, occupation, and oppression of Palestinians and Lebanon. All are welcome. All are needed. Register here.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 4:00 PM. Followship of Reconciliation January Gathering Voices with Baldemar Velasquez. For this month's Gathering Voices, we are honored to be joined by Mr. Baldemar Velasquez, a prolific activist, labor organizer, and man of faith. In this meeting, Mr. Velasquez will share invaluable insights from his experience of organizing throughout the years, including his founding of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee with his father in 1967. We are excited to hear his thoughts on the legacy of his friend, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and former FOR member, Cesar Chavez. We also hope to hear what Mr. Velasquez's reflections on what people of conscience can do to support immigrants, migrants, and refugees during the second Donald Trump presidency. Register here.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 8:00 PM. Third Tuesdays: Protect, Resist, and Build with AFSC. Are you looking for ways to support your community while advocating for lasting social change? Join the American Friends Service Committee monthly webinar series every third Tuesday of the month. You'll hear directly from AFSC staff and partners and learn concrete ways we can all take action for migrant rights, economic justice, and peace. Register here.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 8:00 PM. Organizing for Justice in the Era of Trump 2.0. A Conversation with Rabbis Benjamin Barnett, Sarah Brammer-Shlay, and Elliott Tepperman. Reconstructionists Expanding Our Conversation on Israel-Palestine. Register here.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 11:00 AM. Kumi Now. Weekly update on Palestine. Register here.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 2:00 PM. Lifeline at Risk: What the Proposed UNRWA Ban Means for Palestine Refugees. Broadcasted via UNRWA USA’s YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook. Register here.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 8:00 PM. Organizing for Justice in the Era of Trump 2.0. A Conversation with Rabbis Benjamin Barnett, Sarah Brammer-Shlay, and Elliott Tepperman. How should we, as Jews, confront the second Trump presidency? Can Jews be co-conspirators in progressive coalitions and stand in solidarity with communities directly targeted by the Trump administration – immigrants, people of color, LGBTQ people? What should be the place of the struggle for Palestinian rights and for the right to speak out on this issue in the agenda of the broad array of forces that must be mobilized to resist the “America First” MAGA program? How can we navigate staying in progressive political alliances when Israel/Palestine is either strategically used as a wedge issue or there are real differences of opinion? Reconstructionists Expanding Our Conversation on Israel/Palestine. Register here.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 7:30 PM. Regional Veterans For Peace hosted Zoom meeting. Project 2025: Growth of Rightwing Authoritarianism as a Global Phenomenon - Speaker: Bill Fletcher Jr. Bill Fletcher Jr. has been an activist since his teen years. Upon graduating from college, he went to work as a welder in a shipyard, thereby entering the labor movement. Over the years he has been active in workplace and community struggles as well as electoral campaigns. He has worked for several labor unions in addition to serving as a senior staff person in the national AFL-CIO. Join the meeting here. Passcode: 325849.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 11:00 AM. The Gaza Ceasefire Deal and the Trump Administration: Politics, Prospects, and Implications. Arab Center Washington DC is convening a panel of experts to discuss the recently announced ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, its prospects and challenges, the role of the United States and the Trump Administration, and implications for Palestine/Israel and for the region. Register here.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 6:00 PM. OHCRN Community Conversation #6: What is the Nature of Community? What is the Community of Nature? Ohio Community Rights Network invites you for a conversation with Susan VonderHaar and Jim Shenk of Cincinnati about creating intentional community. Susan is the Director of the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute and will introduce the practice of Permaculture and present how the ethics and principles of the natural world should inform us how we create human-built systems. Jim is author of "Creating an Urban Ecovillage; a Model for Revitalizing our Cities". He will discuss the interconnectedness of Ecology and Community in their EcoVillage experience. To prepare for a rich discussion, we ask you to view the following video segments: Introduction to Social Permaculture and Interviews from Los Angeles Ecovillage. Register here.
Thursday,
January 23, 2025, 10:00 – 10:30 AM. Churches for Middle East Peace Weekly
Briefing. Please join us on Zoom for a weekly briefing on
current news regarding the Hamas and Israel War.
You will hear from CMEP Staff and other experts. Register
here.
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 10:00 AM. Voices for Change: Syrian Perspectives for An Inclusive Transition Towards Democracy. As the Assad dictatorship ends, this is a moment of fragility and of historic importance for the future of Syria and the region. New leadership is emerging to lay the groundwork for what is to come for Syrians and therefore it is a critical moment in which to center the voices of Syrians in the country and the diaspora. Too often policymakers base their decisions on the advice of "experts" and ignore the wisdom of those with lived experience and professional expertise, people who are at the heart of the violent conflict. To address this need MBBI, CCSD, the Alliance for Peacebuilding, ICAN, Vitol Foundation, and the Rotary E-Club for World Peace invite you to join us for this first in a series of events focused on the transition in Syria. More information and registration here.
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 2:00 PM. Join the Franklin County Investment Advisory Committee Meeting to take a Stand. Let’s pressure Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan to Divest $5 million in Israel Bonds maturing February 1 and stand for justice. Location: Michael J. Dorrian Building, Main Lobby, Board of Commissioners Hearing Room, 369 S High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215.
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 7:00 PM. From Ceasefire to Total Liberation: Key Strategies for 2025. Following a ceasefire, organizing for Palestine will become even more critical. Join us for a discussion on what is required of the movement in this next phase of organizing for Palestinian liberation. Reflecting on the past 15 months, we’ll examine how Palestine’s resistance has revitalized a global commitment to revolution and anti-imperialism, while exposing zionism as an inherently genocidal project. This webinar will focus on strategies needed to sustain and escalate momentum post-ceasefire, especially: Targeting genocide profiteers like Maersk and Chevron through corporate pressure campaigns Achieving divestment within every complicit institution, starting at your city council Building on the collective skills and strengths of the Palestine movement. US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. More information and registration here.
Thursday, January 23, February 27, March 27, April 24, 2025, 7:30 PM. Veterans For Peace's Democracy & Peace Working Group for this important 4-part webinar series cosponsored by Move to Amend. Each session will start with Why we need the "We the People" Amendment, a 4-minute video narrated by Peter Coyote. January 23: Genesis of this movement – activists begin searching for the roots. Discuss Why Abolish All Corporate Constitutional Rights? February 27: Discuss U.S. Constitution: Pull the Curtain. March 27: Discuss A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing; Help! I'm Colonized and I Can't Get Up!
April 24: Discuss Our Corporate Elite and the Constitution, AIPAC's War on Democracy, Bring Back the Corporate Death Penalty, and where to go from here? Join us to see how different, joyful and more successful our work would be in a democracy...and how a little fire prevention will reduce the number of fires we have to fight! For more information, contact Mike Ferner at mike@veteransforpeace.org. Register here.
Friday, January 24, 2025, 12:00 PM. Action Hours Cease Fire Now. Join AFSC staff every Friday to hear updates from Gaza. Then, take action with us as we contact our elected officials and call for an us. For over a year, AFSC’s team in Gaza has provided food, water, and other life-saving aid to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians. Register here.
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 PM. Weekly Rally for Peace. Location: East North Broadway and High St., Columbus.
Saturday, January 25, 2025,2:00 – 5:30 PM. Reducing Congressional Spending for Nuclear Weapons. The threat of nuclear war is increasing, rather than abating. Biden's recent actions in the Russia/Ukraine conflict has sharply increased the danger. The tragic Israel/Gaza conflict continues to expand. Cold Warriors in high places are beating the drums of war toward Russia and China. Enormous public expenditures are being made on upgrading all three legs of the nuclear weapons triad. Responding to these costs and dangers, we will meet to call for Reducing Congressional Spending for Nuclear Weapons and discuss how to organize to meet the challenge. Massachusetts Peace Action Webinar. Register here.
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 10:30 – 12:00 PM. How Did We Get Here? (Re)Building Community. Join Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, professor of history at The Ohio State University, to explore how race and racism have shaped Ohio over time, influencing both its neighborhoods and its politics. By examining issues such as segregation in housing and education, he will discuss how these challenges continue to affect our communities today. The talk will guide us toward building a stronger, more welcoming future, highlighting the importance of understanding our history and how the places we live can bring us together. Location: Columbus Metropolitan Library, Main branch (reading room, second floor), 96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus. More information here.
Saturday, January 25,2025, 7:00 PM. Screening: Lyd (Rami Younis and Sarah Ema Friedland, 2023). Blurring past, present, and future, Lyd crafts a haunting love letter to one of Palestine’s historical major cities. Palestinian filmmaker Rami Younis and Jewish American filmmaker Sarah Ema Friedland are behind this new, poetic documentary about Lyd (the Arabic name of Lod, now in Israel), a 5,000-year-old Palestinian city with a vibrant history. Friedland writes that “[Younis] and I see our mode of storytelling as a political and playful act that simultaneously reclaims power from both dominant narratives and modes of storytelling to make something different.” Through inventive uses of animation and voice-over, Lyd imagines the city’s lush character, personified through a narration interpreted by Palestinian actress Maisa Abd Elhadi, as it moves through past, present, and future. The film imagines an alternate reality where Palestine was never occupied and Palestinians across varying faiths coexist in peace. In Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles. (78 mins., DCP). Location: Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St., Columbus 43210. More information and tickets here.
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 1:30 – 3:00 PM. Columbus Stand Up Climate Justice Talk Series. Our communities remain at the crossroads of climate change, and your voice is essential in shaping the solutions we need. We’re proud to be partnering with Black Girl Environmentalist and Black Men Build to create another meaningful space for dialogue, learning, and collective action. We would love for you to join us once again, whether by sharing your insights, bringing others along, or contributing in a new way. Your involvement will help amplify the call for climate justice and strengthen our communities. Location: Citadel’s Main Room and Rooftop, 1761 Parsons Avenue, Columbus 43207. Please RSVP here: Eventbrite.
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 1:00 PM. Taxpayers Against Genocide national webinar. This webinar will provide information about how grassroots activists across 10 different counties in Northern CA organized and launched the Taxpayers Against Genocide (TAG) class action lawsuit against their members of Congress. The webinar is the beginning of a nationwide network supporting taxpayer's efforts to hold our elected officials across the US accountable for illegal use of our tax dollars that make us complicit in genocide. Register here.
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 2:00 PM. Preventing Nuclear War during the Trump Presidency. Reducing Congressional Spending for Nuclear Weapons. The threat of nuclear war is increasing, rather than abating. Biden's recent actions in the Russia/Ukraine conflict has sharply increased the danger. The tragic Israel/Gaza conflict continues to expand. Cold Warriors in high places are beating the drums of war toward Russia and China. Enormous public expenditures are being made on upgrading all three legs of the nuclear weapons triad. Responding to these costs and dangers, we will meet virtually to call for Reducing Congressional Spending for Nuclear Weapons and discuss how to organize to meet the challenge. Massachusetts Peace Action. Register here.
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 1:00 – 6:00 PM. COMFEST OPEN HOUSE AND WINTER RELIEF - Organizing For The Future. Featuring community organization interaction, live music by Gathering Stars Trio and Social Action Songs by Joanie Calem & Brian Clash. 1:00PM Introduction and Tai Chi with Ro-z, 1:15PM to 3:30PM Community Organization Discussion, 4:10PM to 4:40PM Social Action Songs with Joanie Calem and Brian Clash, 5:00PM to 5:50PM Gathering Stars Trio. Location: Seventh Son Brewing Co., 1101 N. 4th St., Columbus 43201.
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 12:00 PM. Simply Living Presents: We Are Guardians. Experience the power of We Are Guardians, an award-winning documentary exploring the fight to protect the Brazilian Amazon. Follow Indigenous forest guardian Marçal Guajajara and leader Puyr Tembé as they risk their lives defending ancestral lands from deforestation, while illegal logger Valdir faces a moral and economic dilemma. Directed by Indigenous activist Edivan Guajajara alongside environmental filmmakers Chelsea Greene and Rob Grobman, and executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, this film is a compelling story of resilience amidst crisis. Location: Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse, 3055 Indianola Ave., Columbus. More information: Facebook.
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 5:00 – 8:30 PM. CAIR Columbus Annual Banquet: Solidarity In Action: United We Thrive. Early bird registration is now open for the Columbus Annual Banquet! Join us for an evening dedicated to celebrating solidarity, community, and resilience. This year, we're honored to feature keynote speaker Linda Sarsour, a renowned political activist, and special guest Nihad Awad, CAIR National Director. Tickets are limited, so don’t miss this opportunity to connect with the community and support our mission. Special discounted rates are available for students as well, so let's make sure young Muslim voices are heard! Location: Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom, Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St. Columbus, Ohio 43210. More information and tickets here.
Sundays, January 26 and February 2, 2025, 3:00 - 4:30 PM. Gaza in Context. The Colonial History that Shaped the Modern Middle East presented by Jeff Klein. The Israeli war on Gaza – widely considered genocide – did not begin on October 7, 2023. This series will look at the background of Zionism and colonialism that laid the foundation for ongoing wars and today's violence in the Middle East. Palestinian dispossession, we will see, began more than a century ago. Jan 26: ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE AND “NAKBA”: The UN proposed partition of Palestine, Israeli declaration of independence and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from 1947 to the present; Arab and Palestinian resistance. Feb 2: LOOKING IN THE MIRROR: How the U.S. has shaped the contemporary Middle East from before the Cold War to the present. Indigenous nationalism and its opponents. Addressing the domestic colonial and imperial background to US support for Israel and its destabilizing interference in the region. Massachusetts Peace Action. Register here.
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 1:00 PM. From Supporter to Organizer: How to Take Action with the Boycott Chevron campaign. Right now, as Israel bombs hospitals, homes, universities, and UN schools in Gaza, Chevron's gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea keep their genocide machine running. Without Chevron's power supply, this devastation couldn't continue. As consumers and concerned members of our community, we can follow in the footsteps of successful 1980s boycott wins against multinational corporations that enabled South African apartheid. We have the power. Join us in learning how to take coordinated action with people of conscience across the globe during the January 31-February 2 for the #BoycottChevron: Weekend of Action. Join us in planning stickering and picketing actions around the globe to put the pressure on Chevron at a strategic moment. US Campaign for Palestinian Human Rights. Register here.
Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 8:00 PM. Welcome the 119th Congress with Action. A new session of Congress brings many opportunities for Friends Committee on National Legislation’s work. In the 119th Congress, there are more than 70 new representatives and senators. Returning members are taking on new leadership roles and committee assignments. On FCNL’s key issues for the 119th Congress, we must welcome and engage with action. Join FCNL’s team to learn about the top issues we’ll be mobilizing around in the coming months and how you can be an effective advocate, promote FCNL’s policy solutions, and build strong relationships. Register here.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025, 7:30 PM. Yoon’s Failed South Korean Military Coup: Implications for Korea and the World. In early December South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced a military coup. Given the Republic of Korea’s brutal history of military dictatorships, thousands of Koreans and opposition parties committed to upholding democracy immediately mobilized and reversed the declaration of martial law in a matter of hours. Yoon has since been impeached and arrested, but whether he will be forced from office remains an open question. Also uncertain are South Korea’s political future, the political turmoil’s impacts on the country’s alliance with the U.S. and Japan, and for the region as a whole, including China. More information and registration here.
Thursday, January 30, 2025, 1:00 PM. CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM, ZIONISM, HINDUTVA: The Dangers and Similarities of Religious Nationalism Around the World. United Methodists for Kairos Response and Methodists For Social Action Present Religious nationalism in the United States, Israel, and India: what threats do these dangerous ideologies bring to our lives and our communities, and what do they have in common? Religious nationalism has roots in racist perspectives about humanity and unholy beliefs about God's favoritism, conflating those in order to grant power and privilege to one people over another. Varieties of religious nationalism - the merging of religious faith, political philosophy, and national loyalty – have long served to justify political oppression and condone colonialist greed. We know religious commitment can be a positive force that inspires care for all people and for the planet. However, the misuse of religious traditions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism to harm and exclude whole segments of populations betrays the essential values of these faiths, while also violating universal human rights and greatly damaging our societies. More information and registration here.
Thursday, January 30, 2025, 12:00 PM. Guatemala: Hope for the Future. Please join the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA and the Office of Public Witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) on Thursday, January 30th at 12:00 pm EST for a virtual discussion of human rights in Guatemala one into the presidency of Bernardo Arevalo. Learn how human rights advocates, Indigenous leaders, and anti-corruption officials are struggling to cement democracy in the face of great odds and what you can do to help. Our panel discussion will open into a Q&A session at the end. Spanish-English interpretation will be provided. Register here to receive the Zoom link to join and submit your questions!
Thursday, January 30,
2025, 8:00 PM. Night with the Experts. The Toxic Legacy of Secrecy in the
Nuclear Weapons Industry. As the granddaughter
of a Manhattan Project scientist, Emily Strasser spent a decade researching the
toxic legacies of nuclear weapons production in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The
Manhattan Project operated under a strict security policy of compartmentalization,
which served to limit worker knowledge and to suppress dissent. This also
established a culture of secrecy in sites of weapons production. After the war,
the growing industry continued in this vein, and stories about the impacts of
the bomb’s use, testing, and production were sanitized and suppressed,
dehumanizing the victims, minimizing harm, and allowing for the continued
manufacture of these weapons that threatens our collective survival. In this
talk, Emily will reflect on some of the lessons learned tracing the secretive
industry’s far-ranging effects, stretching from Hiroshima to Nevada, from to
the backyards of Oak Ridge to the corners of our own psyches. In response to
this suppression, it’s critical that we uncover and tell the stories that
reveal the true devastation of nuclear weapons on the most intimate and global
scales. Register
here.
Thursday, January 30, 2025, 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Ramp Up for Repro Training. Our monthly Ramp Up for Repro trainings will further acquaint you with political advocacy tactics, repro lingo, and help you find the best way to get involved. Every month, we'll dive into movement ecology, abortion messaging, the current landscape of abortion access, and provide next steps for you to take action! The majority of the content of this training does not change between sessions, with the exception of current events and policy updates. In an effort to create a safe and secure space for all participants to engage, these trainings are not recorded. Register here.
Friday, January 31, 2025, 11:00 AM. Professor Mohammad Marandi on Iran, Israel, and Gaza. Professor Mohammad Marandi will be joining the Community Church of Boston, to give a talk about Iran, Israel, Gaza, and west Asia. Following his talk, there will be a Q&A session. Seyed Mohammad Marandi is a Professor of English Literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran. Register here.
Friday, January 31, 2025, 11:00 AM. Professor Mohammad Marandi on Iran, Israel, and Gaza. Professor Mohammad Marandi will be joining the Community Church of Boston, to give a talk about Iran, Israel, Gaza, and west Asia on January 31 at 11:00 am. Following his talk, there will be a Q&A session. Seyed Mohammad Marandi is a Professor of English Literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran. Register here.
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. The Ups & Downs of Love: A Concert of Memories, Fun, & Goodies. Serious and comical love songs, fun trivia questions, and delicious home-made sweets will highlight the 15thannual Valentines concert by Bill Cohen and friends. With guitar and piano, Bill will sing favorites from the 1940’s through the 1990’s. Ann Fisher will be on hand to add some romantic flute accompaniment on several songs. David Maywhoor will keep the beat on percussion, and Dean Gledhill will add extra sparkle on lead guitar. Plus, the all-girl trio, The Harmonettes, will sing smooth backup vocals. Free home-made cookies and goodies after the show. $15 per person donations are suggested at the door, with proceeds helping put on this May’s Central Ohio Folk Festival. Location: Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Avenue. Free parking along Oakland Park Avenue and in nearby lots owned by North Broadway Methodist Church.
Sunday, February 2, 2025, 11:00 AM. “A Family Legacy: Compassion vs. Moral Injury, Humanism vs. Zionism” with Janna Maria Radovsky Fröhlich. Reflections in Song, Paintings and Recollections. As the daughter of a compassionate humanist and the granddaughter of a righteous Zionist, Janna will present her multiple perspectives on intergenerational trauma, moral injury, and personal responsibility. She will present her view on how to cherish the blessings of inheritance while discarding and decrying the violence and nearsightedness inherent in a Jewish family's devotion to Zionism. She will also endeavor to show how we must reframe the worlds of psychotherapy and mental health through a social justice lens that acknowledges the damage that western colonization has on the souls of both the oppressed and the oppressor in the USA and Palestine. Community Church of Boston. Join on YouTube or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 813 5181 3462.
Sunday, February 2, 2025, 5:00 - 7:00 PM. Redbird Books to Prisoners. We collect, pack, and send books to Ohio prisoners every 1st and 3rd Sunday. Location: Thirdhand Bike Coop, 979 East 5th Ave, Columbus. Please don't park in front of the building.
Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 7:00 PM meeting (6:30 social). Clintonville Area Progressive Meeting. Guest speaker is Stevie Pasamonte with Transit Columbus. Location: Columbus Metropolitan Library, Whetstone Branch, 3909 N. High St., Columbus 43214.
Saturday, February 8, 2025, 1:00 – 2:30 PM. Indivisible Central Ohio 2025 Kickoff Meeting. Are you ready to take action? Join Indivisible Central Ohio for our 2025 kickoff meeting. We're ready to orient and engage new members, as well as refresh and re-energize those who have been with us from the beginning. All are welcome! Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214.
Sunday, February 9, 2025, 11:00 AM. “We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance” with Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson. Black resistance to white supremacy is often reduced to a simple binary, between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence and Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary.” In We Refuse, historian Kellie Carter Jackson urges us to move past this false choice, offering an unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to White oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women. Kellie Carter Jackson is the Michael and Denise Kellen ‘68 Associate Professor of Africana Studies and the Chair of the Africana Studies Department Wellesley College. She is the author of We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance and the award-winning book, Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, CNN, The Nation, and a host of other outlets. She has been featured in numerous documentaries for Netflix, PBS, MSNBC, and Apple TV. She co-hosts the podcast, “This Day in Political Esoteric History.” Community Church of Boston. Join on YouTube or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 813 5181 3462.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 6:00 PM. Fair Districts All Volunteer Huddle. Join Fair Districts leaders and volunteers for a monthly meeting. Second Wednesday of the month. Register here.
Wednesday, February 14, 2025, 5:30 – 7:30 PM. Veterans for Peace Central Ohio Chapter meeting. Location: Columbus Metropolitan Library, Northside Branch, 1423 N. High St., meeting room 2. Columbus 43201.
Sunday, February 16, 2025, 11:00 AM. “W. E. B. Du Bois and the Question of Palestine” with Michael B. Burawoy. One of the remarkable features of the life and work of W. E. B. Du Bois was its global reach, but he approached international relations as a critic of US imperialism. This left him with several blind spots not least in relation to the question of Palestine. What can we learn from his limitations? How can we use Du Bois' pioneering scholarship on the US to give a fuller picture of globalization, the history of Israel/Palestine, and today's war in the Middle East? Michael Burawoy is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley where he is a sociologist who has conducted studies of class and race in Africa, Soviet and post-Soviet countries as well as in the United States. Community Church of Boston. Join on YouTube or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 813 5181 3462.
Sunday, February 16, 2025, 11:00 AM. African Liberation, The Struggle Against Colonialism and Palestine with Chairman Omali Yeshitela. Omali Yeshitela is Chairman of the African Socialist International and the African People’s Socialist Party and Leader of the Uhuru Movement. Community Church of Boston. Join us on YouTube or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 813 5181 3462.
Sunday, February 23, 2025, 5:00 PM (check in from 4:00 PM). Rooted in Hope. Fundraiser Event. Palestine Children’s Relief Fund Columbus Chapter. Event includes relief update, Columbus Youth Dabke, Fundraising dinner, guest speakers, and silent auction. Ticket price is $100. Location: Hilton at Easton, 3900 Chagrin Dr., Columbus, Ohio. Tickets and more information here.
Sunday, February 23,
2025, 11:00 AM. “W. E. B. Du Bois and
the Question of Palestine”
with Michael B. Burawoy. One of the remarkable features of the life
and work of W. E. B. Du Bois was its global reach, but he approached
international relations as a critic of US imperialism. This left him with
several blind spots not least in relation to the question of Palestine. What
can we learn from his limitations? How can we use Du Bois' pioneering
scholarship on the US to give a fuller picture of globalization, the history of
Israel/Palestine, and today's war in the Middle East? Michael
Burawoy is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley
where he is a sociologist who has conducted studies of class and race in
Africa, Soviet and post-Soviet countries as well as in the United States. Community Church of Boston. Join us on YouTube or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 813 5181 3462.
Sunday, March 2, 2025, 11:00 AM. Examining the Movement Beyond Native Land Acknowledgement. Make a Reparation Pledge when selling your home which is on stolen land with Lewis Randa. Join Lewis Randa of The Peace Abbey Foundation to hear about a way to address historical injustices to Native Peoples. By integrating reparations into home sales, we foster needed support for indigenous, marginalized communities as we prosper and financially benefit from the sale of stolen land. If you've found Land Acknowledgement Statements empty and hollow, consider making your actions speak louder than words. https://nativelandreparation.org/. Lewis Randa is a Quaker, pacifist, vegan, educator, and social change activist. He is the founder and director of The Life Experience School for children with disabilities; The Peace Abbey, an Interfaith Center for the study and practice of Nonviolence and Pacifism; The Pacifist Memorial, a national monument honoring pacifists throughout history; The Veganpeace Animal Sanctuary, a safe haven for animals that have escaped from slaughterhouses following the rescue of Emily the Cow; Stonewalk, a global peace walk that involves physically pulling a two-ton memorial stone for Unknown Civilians Killed in War (Documentary shown on PBS), and many others. Community Church of Boston. Join on YouTube or on Zoom. Meeting ID: 813 5181 3462.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 7:00 PM meeting (6:30 PM social). Clintonville Are Progressives Meeting. Location: Columbus Metropolitan Library, Whetstone Branch, 3909 N. High St., Columbus 43214.