Progressive events and actions in Central California

[annm4peace]

Spread the word of Progressive events and activism in California Central Valley.

WE WILL NOT BE SILENT!



Thursday,April 5 • 5 p.m.

The Fresno City Council will consider 5 alternatives for a general plan update on April 5 at the Fresno City Council Chambers at Fresno City Hall. This meeting is profoundly important to the future of Fresno,Fresno County,and the Central Valley.

It is critically important in terms of the terrible air pollution problem in the Valley. Secondly,it is important in terms of global warming and climate change,agriculture,water,EJ communities,and poverty.

Please come to this meeting and comment,either as an individual or as a representative of your organization.

April 6,7,8
New Light for New Life Church of God 1st Annual Community Festival at 1106 W. Woodward Ave. Fresno. They are inviting the community for 3 days of family fun. Starting off on Good Friday,April 6th at 7 am we will have the African-American Farmers of California,who will be planting vegetables. Our Farmers will educate our youth and the community on how to farm.
On Saturday,April 7th at 10 am New Light For New Life Church of God will host a community festival block party ,we will have food,A mariachi performance,music,poetry readings,praise dancing,gospel singing,stump groups and community organization information tables.

We will have for the children:face painting,bounce houses’,horseback riding,a petting zoo,3 on 3 basketball,raffles &a farmers market with lots more activities for the entire family. On Easter Sunday April 8th at 6pm,the last day of festival celebration we will be showing a family movie outside of the church on the lawn popcorn and drinks will be served. So bring your lawn chairs &blankets and come and join us for a night of fun!

For more information,contact Rev. Floyd Harris at 559-803-0286.


Friday, April 6 • 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. (light potluck at 6:30 p.m.,program at 7 p.m.)
The Reedley Peace Center will present a Taize Service. Fellowship Hall,First Mennonite Church,1208 L St. (between 12th &13th Sts.),Reedley. Free. For more info,e-mail Don Friesen at [e-mail]

According to Wikipedia:The Taizé Community is an ecumenical monastic order in Taizé,Saône-et-Loire,Burgundy,France.

It is composed of about 100 brothers who come from Protestant,Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions. The brothers come from about 30 countries across the world. The monastic order has a strong devotion to peace and justice through prayer and meditation. It was founded in 1940 by Brother Roger Schutz,a Protestant.

The community has become one of the world’s most important sites of Christian pilgrimage. Over 100,000 young people from around the world make pilgrimages to Taizé each year for prayer,Bible study,sharing,and communal work. Through the community’s ecumenical outlook,they are encouraged to live in the spirit of kindness,simplicity and reconciliation.

Saturday,April 7 • 9 –11 a.m.
Chicken Health and Safety –Diseases,prevention and treatment,Q&A session following with alternative treatments speaker and local vet. Brought to you by Central California Local Urban Chicken Keepers (CCLUCK). Location:4141 N Fresno (south of Ashlan,on east side of street). For more information contact:Rachel Carpenter [phone],[e-mail]

Saturday,April 7 • 9 a.m.
Monthly meeting of the Kennedy Club of the San Joaquin Valley. Denny’s Restaurant,141 N. Abby St. For more info,contact 559-292-4905 or [e-mail].

Saturday,April 7 • 11 a.m.
The Fresno Temple of Praise Seventh-day Adventist Church is hosting an interfaith panel on the subject “Going Green”. We will share and discuss a variety of faith-based perspectives on environmental issues. We are planning a vegetarian potluck to follow the service.

This event takes place at the Fresno Spanish Nazarene Church,4718 E. Yale,Fresno,CA 93703. For more information,contact Victor Magana at [e-mail]

Monday,April 9 • 7 –8:30 p.m.
Volunteers for Change,Fresno will meet at the UC Center,550 E. Shaw. Speakers this month will be sharing information about: CMAC–Community Media Access Collaborative (public access television),and about possible volunteers opportunities at Lost Lake Park. They meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month,at the same time and place.

Wednesday,April 11 • at 12 noon and at 7 p.m. (potluck at 6:30 p.m.)
The Fresno Center for Nonviolence 2nd Wed. film will be “Nostalgia for the Light”. One of 2011’s top political films recommended by Feb’s “In These Times”.

For his new film master director Patricio Guzmán,famed for his political documentaries (THE BATTLE OF CHILE,THE PINOCHET CASE),travels 10,000 feet above sea level to the driest place on earth,the Atacama Desert,where atop the mountains astronomers from all over the world gather to observe the stars. The sky is so translucent that it allows them to see right to the boundaries of the universe. The Atacama is also a place where the harsh heat of the sun keeps human remains intact:those of Pre-Columbian mummies;19th century explorers and miners;and the remains of political prisoners,“disappeared”by the Chilean army after the military coup of September,1973

So while astronomers examine the most distant and oldest galaxies,at the foot of the mountains,women,surviving relatives of the disappeared whose bodies were dumped here,search,even after twenty-five years,for the remains of their loved ones,to reclaim their families’histories. Melding the celestial quest of the astronomers and the earthly one of the women,NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT is a gorgeous,moving,and deeply personal odyssey. Free to the public and wheelchair accessible.

Wednesday,April 11 • 3 p.m.
Fresno State College Democrats. Room 310/311,University Student Union,CSUF. For more info,contact Gilbert Felix at 559-269-6383 or [e-mail].

Wednesday,April 11 • 6 p.m.
Monthly meeting of the Stonewall Democrats. Carrows Restaurant,4280 N. Blackstone Ave. For more info,contact 559-292-4905 or [e-mail].

******
Thursday April 12 • 7 p.m.
Targeting Iran:Sanctions and War,panel discussion including Ray McGovern,outspoken retired CIA officer who served under ****** seven U.S. presidents over 27 years.

Panel Discussion

Raymond L. McGovern:“U.S. Intelligence and Iran:The Bad &The Good”
Dr. Sasan Fayazmanesh:“US-Iran Relations:A Historical Perspective”
Dr. Trita Parsi:“A Single Roll of the Dice:Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran.”

The event is hosted by the Middle East Lecture Series at CSUF and is open to the community. Free. California State University Fresno Recreation Center,Leon Peters Auditorium (The Recreation Center is adjacent to the Save Mart Center at N. Woodrow Ave. and Shaw Ave. Entrance on Woodrow.)
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Friday,April 13 • 10 a.m.
The Community Media Access Collaborative (Public Access TV) ribbon cutting. Tour of the facility will follow. 1555 Van Ness Ave in downtown Fresno. www.cmacfresno.org

Friday,April 13 • 2 –3:15 p.m.
Award-Winning Poet,Peter Balakian speaking on his Poetry and on his Life. Peter Balakian is the author of six books of poems. His recent books include Ziggurat (2010) and Junetree:New and Selected Poems,1974-2000.

Balakian’s The Burning Tigris:The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response won the 2005 Raphael Lemkin Prize and was a New York Times Notable Book and a New York Times Best Seller. Balakian’s memoir,Black Dog of Fate,won the PEN/Martha Albrand Prize for the Art of the Memoir and was selected as a best book of the year by the New York Times,the L.A. Times and Publisher’s Weekly and was recently issued in a 10th anniversary edition. He is co-translator of Grigoris Balakian’s Armenian Golgotha:A Memoir of the Armenian Genocide 1915-1918.

This event will take place at CSUF,University Student Union,Room 312-314.

Friday,April 13 • 5:30 p.m.
Cineculture presents 8 ½ (1963) at the Peter’s Education Center Auditorium (West of Save-Mart Center in the Student Recreation Center Building). Discussant oug Rice

Guido is a film director,trying to relax after his last big hit. He can’t get a moments peace,however,with the people who have worked with him in the past constantly looking for more work. He wrestles with his conscience,but is unable to come up with a new idea. While thinking,he starts to recall major happenings in his life,and all the women he has loved and left. Director Federico Fellini’s semiautobiographical rumination on the joys and rigors of filmmaking —as well as lovers past and present —won two Oscars:Best Foreign Language Film and Best Costume Design,Black-and-White. Italian,French,German &English with English subtitles. 138 minutes.

For more information: CineCulture Club:http://cineculture.csufresno.edu/

Friday,April 13 • 7:30 p.m.
Accordian Babes with Passion Bucket AKA Yesterday’s Choniesat the Full Circle Brewing Co Back by Popular Demand! Sassy Songbirds of the squeezebox! Renée De La Prade and Amber Lee Baker bring their hot squeezebox and accordian folk cabaret duo from SF to Fresno. Renée rocks a mini Irish diatonic squeezebox and fuses rock-n-roll,Cajun music,Blues,French and Irish music. Amber Lee Baker’s neo-folk-cabaret is helping fuel the accordion’s resurgence as a sexy instrument! Passion Bucket plays eccentric raggae and ska inspired folk rock with megaphone vocals. $5 ADV/FFS and $7 at the door.

*****
Saturday,April 14 • 11 a.m. –4 p.m.
Fresno Earth Day at the Unitarian Universalist Church,2672 E Alluvial (between Chestnut and Willow).

This free green festival will feature exhibits,workshops,live music,kids’activities,healthy local foods,e-waste recycling,green vendors,an alternative car show and lots more!! Ride your bike to the event and use I Bike Fresno’s FREE valet bike parking. Enter Creative Fresno’s children’s recycled art project and contest. For more information,or to volunteer to help with this event,please call 322-6146,or go to
http://www.fresnoearthday.org/

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Saturday,April 14 • 12 noon –7 p.m.
99% Spring Action Training Let’s keep the momentum going! Please sign up for this gathering right away!

The following organizations have called for a 99% Spring:Jobs With Justice,United Auto Workers,National People’s Action,National Domestic Workers Alliance,MoveOn.org Civic Action,New Organizing Institute,Movement Strategy Center,The Other 98%,Service Employees International Union,Rebuild the Dream,UNITE-HERE,Greenpeace,Institute for Policy Studies,PICO National Network,New Bottom Line,United Steel Workers,Working Families Party,Communications Workers of America,and many more!

Message from your host,Amber R.:You have a voice;we all have a voice so let’s use it. Join me and others in Old Town Clovis at Treasure Ingmire Park,Clovis,CA 93612on the corner of Clovis and Sierra. RSVP here: http://civic.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=128717&id


*** HELP GET PROGRESSIVES ELECTED ******
Saturday,April 14 • 3:30 p.m.
The Central Valley Progressive PAC endorsement meeting for local offices will be held at the Fresno Center for Nonviolence,1584 N. Van Ness Ave. For CVPPAC members only;

Join &help decide Fresno’s future.

Membership Information:You may join the CVPPAC at their April 1st Reception or by going to www.cvppac.org .

Just click on “Membership Information,”complete the membership form and mail it with your annual dues check to CVPPAC,

P.O. Box 5845,Fresno,CA 93755. Payment,including by installments,may also be made via our PayPal link on their Home page. Annual dues are $100. Higher contributions are welcomed.
******

Sunday,April 15 • 9 a.m.
The Unitarian Universalist Town Hall will feature speakers Stan Yogi and Elaine Elinson. They both have been touring and teaching for the past few years in promotion of their book Wherever There’s a Fight,a history of social justice in California. This will their first appearance in Fresno,an event which will be a virtual tour of free speech fights in the area.

They have appeared on Against the Grain KPFA,Bay Sunday KPIX,Viewpoint KWMR,and Your Call KALW and recently had a traveling exhibit as part of the California Council for the Humanities‘ “Searching for Democracy” initiative,a program designed generate discussion on the meaning of democracy today. For more information,see:
http://www.wherevertheresafight.com/

Wednesday,April 18 • 10:30 a.m.
The San Joaquin Valley Town Hall Lecture Series presents Ronan Tynan on “Hitting the High Notes.” William Saroyan Theatre,700 M St. For more info,call 559-444-2180 or visit www.valleytownhall.com

Wednesday,April 18 • 6:30 p.m.
David Moss was arrested 14 times but never treated for his drug addiction. He has since rehabilitated himself and created a one-man play that highlights his experiences in the broken California prison system. Sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Prison Moratorium Project. Moss will perform at Fresno State in IT Building 290.

Wednesday,April 18 • 6:30 p.m.
Monthly meeting of the San Joaquin Valley Democratic Club. Denny’s Restaurant,1110 E. Shaw Ave. For more info,call 559-312-3925.

Wednesday,April 18 • 7 p.m.
Gardening with Native Plants in a Warming Climate. Bonnie Bladen of Intermountain Nursery in Prather will present a slide show of California native plants and talk about gardening for drought conditions and future warming. Her nursery specialized in California native plants and low water use plants suitable for a Mediterranean climate.

This is the April meeting of the Tehipite Chaper of the Sierra Club and is free and open to the general public. UC Center,across from Fashion Fair,at 550 E. Shaw Ave. ,Fresno

Thursday,April 19 • 6:30 p.m.
Monthly meeting of the Clovis Democratic Club. Hometown Buffet,458 W. Shaw Ave.,Clovis. For more info,contact 559-322-9740 or [e-mail].

**** LEARN ****
Thursday,April 19 • 7 p.m.
A power structure analysis of Fresno will be presented at the next meeting of the Progressive Umbrella Group at the UC Center,550 E. Shaw.
Learn how conservative Republicans dominate the political landscape in this community and what can be done to empower the progressive majority to rise up and take political power.

Thursday,April 19 • 7:30 p.m.
David Moss was arrested 14 times but never treated for his drug addiction. He has since rehabilitated himself and created a one-man play that highlights his experiences in the broken California prison system. Moss will perform at UC Merced at the Classroom &Office Building Room 272.

Friday,April 20 • 5:30 p.m.
Cineculture presents Oscar and the Lady in Pink (2009) at the Peter’s Education Center Auditorium (West of Save-Mart Center in the Student Recreation Center Building).

Listening in to a conversation between his doctor and parents,10-year-old Oscar learns what nobody has the courage to tell him. He only has a few weeks to live. Furious,he refuses to speak to anyone except straight-talking Rose,the lady in pink he meets on the hospital stairs. As Christmas approaches,Rose uses her fantastical experiences as a professional wrestler,her imagination,wit and charm to allow Oscar to live life and love to the full,in the company of his friends Pop Corn,Einstein,Bacon and childhood sweetheart Peggy Blue. French with English subtitles. 96 minutes.

For more information: CineCulture Club: http://cineculture.csufresno.edu/

Friday,April 20 • 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. (light potluck at 6:30 p.m.,program at 7 p.m.)
The Reedley Peace Center will feature speaker Jonni and Angela Pettit.
Topic:Being Transexual and Being in a Marriage With a Transexual.
Fellowship Hall,First Mennonite Church,1208 L St. (between 12th &13th Sts.),Reedley. Free. For more info,e-mail Don Friesen at [e-mail]

Friday,April 20 • 7 p.m.
David Moss was arrested 14 times but never treated for his drug addiction. He has since rehabilitated himself and created a one-man play that highlights his experiences in the broken California prison system. This event will take place at the Big Red Church,2132 N. Van Ness Blvd. For more information,call Pam Whalen at 559-994-9390. Sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Prison Moratorium Project.

Friday,April 20 • 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.)
“Ozomatli” will be performing at the Tower Theatre,815 East Olive Ave.,Fresno,in an all-ages performance. In their fifteen years together as a band,celebrated Los Angeles culture-mashers Ozomatli have gone from being hometown heroes to being named U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors. Their music — a notorious urban-Latino-and beyond collision of hip hop and salsa,dancehall and cumbia,samba and funk,merengue and comparsa,East LA R&B and New Orleans second line,Jamaican ragga and Indian raga— has long followed a key mantra:it will take you around the world by taking you around L.A. Ticket prices range from $20.00,to $30.00 in advance and all seats are $3 higher the day of the show. For tickets or information call (559 485-9050).

Saturday,April 21 • 12 Noon –5 p.m.
Earth Day at Kettlemen City Park –Health and Resource Fair. For more information,contact Maria Zapata at 776-6129 or [e-mail]

Saturday,April 21 • 2 p.m.
Carolyn Raffensperger, Executive Director of the Science &Environmental Health Network will speak at the Forum Hall at Fresno City College.

Her topic will be:Becoming Beloved Ancestors:Leaving a Healthy World to Future Generations. The pressing problems of our day call us to new policies,innovative institutions,and imaginative solutions if future generations are going to inherit a habitable planet. We can rise to the challenge and invent new approaches to systemic problems. The precautionary principle,legal guardianship of future generations,and protections for the commons are some of the emerging ideas that have practical applications in government today. Join us for a visionary talk and conversation about a way forward. Co-sponsors for this event are WILPF,Tehipite Chapter,Sierra Club,Revive and San Joaquin,League of Women Voters,and Sustainable Actions Club of FCC. Ms. Raffensperger will also speak on Sunday,April 22 for both services at the College Community Congregational Church. Further information:559-439-0280.

Saturday,April 21 • 3:30 p.m.
Monthly meeting of the West Fresno Democratic Club. Salaam’s Seafood,841 F St. For more info,contact 559-999-9445 or [e-mail].

Saturday,April 21 • 6 p.m.
In honor of Earth Day,The Green Sanctuary Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno will screen the documentary YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip). Fifty States,One Year,Zero Garbage? Called to action by a planet in peril,three friends hit the road –traveling with hope,humor,and all of their garbage –to explore every state in America in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity’s greatest environmental crisis. Their Road Rules include:1) creating less than one shoebox of garbage each month,including recyclables,with compost deposited at compost piles;2) never turning on an incandescent light (except for headlights);and 3) restricting water use to approximately 25 gallons of water per person per day. YERT received the Audience Award at the Environmental Film Festival at Yale. Admission is free. Wheelchair accessible. The church is located at 2672 E. Alluvial Avenue,between Chestnut and Willow,Clovis 93611. For information:uufresno.org;or Glenda 559-291-1590;[e-mail].

Friday April 21 • 7:30 p.m.
Larry Hanks &Deborah Robins “OLD DAYS”CD Release Event at the Brick Wall,2003 N Van Ness Blvd Fresno. Influenced by the music of Sam Hinton,Leadbelly,and Woody Guthrie,Hanks is also known for his many old songs of the American West–both sad and rollicking cowboy and work songs,topical and political songs,and Traditional American ballads. Larry has performed with hundreds of musicians throughout his long career. Some of them include:Gordon Bok,Jody Stecher,Mike Seeger,Utah Phillips,Geoff Muldaur,Malvina Reynolds and Janis Joplin,to name a few. $7 ADV/FFS and $10 day of show.

Monday,April 23 • 11 a.m.
Monthly meeting of the Democratic Women’s Club. Ramada Inn,324 E. Shaw Ave. For more info,contact 559-260-9187 or [e-mail].

Wednesday,April 25 • 3 p.m.
Fresno State College Democrats. Room 310/311,University Student Union,CSUF. For more info,contact Gilbert Felix at 559-269-6383 or [e-mail].

Wednesday,April 25 • 6 p.m.
Monthly meeting of the Progressive Democrats of America. Denny’s Restaurant,1110 E. Shaw Ave. For more info,contact Judy Hess at 559-434-8721 or [e-mail].

Thursday,April 26 • 6 –9 p.m.
UPF’s Islamic Art Film Premiere takes place at the Fresno Art Museum,
2233 N. First St.,Fresno ,from 6-9 p.m.
UPF is proud to present its latest documentary film,“Islamic Art:Mirror of the Invisible World.”
Exploring themes such as the Word,Space,Ornament,Color,and Water,the film takes audiences on a global journey to present the stories behind the masterworks of Islamic Art and Architecture.
There will also be opening remarks by Michael Wolfe. Maghrib Prayer accommodations will be made. This event is sponsored by the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno. For more information call Kamal Abu Shamsieh at [phone] or email questions to [e-mail]. For Information on the film,visit www.islamicart.tv

Thursday,April 26 • 6 –8 p.m.
Respite by the River:Readings by Central Valley Authors. Take a break from the rush of everyday life and experience a Respite by the River. Readings and performances related to life in California’s Central Valley promises witty,wistful,touching and tranquil moments. Enjoy beautiful sunsets,birdsong and good company. For more information call 559-248-8480 ext. 107.

The first 2012 Respite by the River will feature Tim Z. Hernandez. Tim will be reading from his most recent project,a novel of historical fiction that is rooted in the Central Valley during the 1930s and 40s. It is a story that is based on the life of Bea Franco,a Selma farmworker who became the unlikely muse for one of America’s most revered writers,Jack Kerouac. Please join us for this rare occasion to preview Hernandez’s latest endeavor,and to hear how this book went from an initial idea to a four year research project that included valley historians,journalists,a literary mafia,one private investigator,and a handful of good folks. The author will have his other books available for purchase and signing.

Thursday,April 26
The Iranian culture and Art Club-Fresno will be screening the Oscar-winning Iranian film,“The Separation,” at the California Tower District Theatre,1295 N. Wishon,Ste. 4-A in Fresno. For more information,call [phone].

April 27 – 29
Fresno Filmworks presents the eighth annual Fresno Film Festival,at the Tower Theatre.

This year’s festival will feature exclusive programs of award-winning short and feature-length films from all over the world.

The lineup includes the colorized and restored French silent film “A Trip to the Moon,”the Iranian family drama “A Separation,
”the German dance documentary “Pina,”and more.
Advance tickets for individual programs cost $10 general and $8 for students and seniors;opening night costs $12 general and $10 for students and seniors;festival passes cost $50. Tickets and passes can be purchased by check or cash at the Tower Theatre box office,815 E. Olive Ave.,or online at FresnoFilmworks.org. Visit FresnoFilmworks.org for details.

Friday,April 27 • Noon
Monthly meeting of El Concilio de Fresno. Denny’s Restaurant,141 N. Abby St. For more info,contact 559-486-5350 or [e-mail].

Friday,April 27 • 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. (light potluck at 6:30 p.m.,program at 7 p.m.)
The Reedley Peace Center will feature speaker Robin Linscheid Janzen. Topic:Health Care for the Under-served. Fellowship Hall,First Mennonite Church,1208 L St. (between 12th &13th Sts.),Reedley. Free. For more info,e-mail Don Friesen at [e-mail]

Saturday,April 28 • 8:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m.
Central Valley Journey for Justice:Secure Communities conference at Wesley Hall of United Methodist Church 899 Yosemite Parkway in Merced. Speaker avid Bacon. Sponsors:Journey for Justice,Mecha of UC Merced and others. For more information contact Gloria Sandoval at [e-mail] or [phone].