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, September 25, 2023, 8:00 PM.  Indivisible Central Ohio Meeting.  Weekly meetings have moved back to Monday but are now at 8pm. All are welcome! Register HERE. 

 

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 11:00 AM.  KUMI Now:  Bedouin Rights. We will be joined by Mahmoud Zwahre of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.  In Israel, the Bedouin are a minority group often singled out by Israel for harassment. Israel’s failure to understand the traditional nomadic Bedouin lifestyle and efforts to get them to settle in permanent villages and integrate into mainstream Israeli society—while at the same time coveting Bedouin land for use by the state and Jewish Israelis—eerily mirror American mistreatment of Native American tribes as they were forced onto reservations and their land was used for European settlers and fortune seekers.  Register here. 

 

Tuesday, September 26 - November 18, 2023, 11:00AM - 6:00PM, AND October 6, 2023, 5:00 – 8:00 PM Reception and Artists Panel.  Iran: Deciphering Violence and Resistance.  The violent arrest and murder of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, by the Morality Police of the Islamic Republic in September 2022—allegedly for "improperly wearing her Hijab"—ignited an unprecedented women-led revolutionary movement, which has unfolded intersectional discrimination and injustice against marginalized bodies under the oppressive rule of the Islamic Republic. "Woman, Life, Freedom" emerged as an intersectional slogan with deep roots in the grassroots activities of Kurdish women of the region to voice Iran's feminist battle against Islamic Fascism, a system that has been depriving women of their basic human rights for decades. Since September 2022, the demands of the protesters have reached beyond freedom of choice for the dress code and have extended to include people's frustration with ecological disasters, economic distress, political suppression, and systematic marginalization of religious and racial minorities across the nation.  Iran: Deciphering Violence and Resistance is a curated interdisciplinary exhibition featuring 10 artists and activists of varied disciplines living in and away from Iran. Through painting, poetry, photography, video, film, animation, installation, and music, this exhibition provides an arrangement of the featured artists' associative and real perspectives on the Iranian identity in its complex experience with systematic violence, institutionalized misogyny, gendered and ethnic marginalization, forceful migration, and exile, with a reflection on the very limits of language in articulating the conditions of collective traumas.  This exhibition also includes a growing and traveling collection of numerous posters designed by over 48 artists.  Exhibition support generously provided by The Ohio State University Office of Academic Affairs.  Location:  Urban Arts Space, 50 W Town St, Suite 130, Columbus, OH 43215.  More information here. 

 

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 10:00 AM.  Making Peace Everyone’s Issue: How Peacebuilders Can Tell the Story of Peacebuilding in Action to Any Audience.  Please join the Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) and the Institute for Economics and Peace for a hybrid event following International Day of Peace exploring how to reframe peacebuilding in a way that advances its integration with other sectoral efforts and promotes more effective policies and programs. The event will showcase several local civil society organizations and their innovative approaches to address drivers of violent conflict and build sustainable peace across sectors. A follow-on panel discussion will then surface challenges and opportunities to support integrative efforts, as well as collect and leverage data to tell the story of peacebuilding.  More information and registration here. 

 

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 1:00 – 2:30 PM.  Assessing Biden’s Middle East Policy Approach, 2021-2023.  As President Joe Biden approaches the three-year mark of his first term and as the next election campaign kicks off, MEI is pleased to host an expert panel offering a comprehensive assessment of the Biden administration’s approach to the broader Middle East and North Africa region (MENA).

Our panel of experts will discuss the administration's achievements, areas for improvement, comparisons with predecessors and potential shifts in U.S. MENA policy, as well as present Brian Katulis' forthcoming report. Additionally, speakers will explore how MENA policy considerations might influence the upcoming presidential election and the implications of potential second Biden administration or alternative leadership scenarios.  More information and registration here. 

 

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 6:30 – 8:30 PM.  Urban Shift: Columbus’ Climate Future and You.

Columbus is changing its zoning code for the first time in 70 years — and you’re invited to add your input on how the City should change it! On Sept. 26, Ohio Environmental Council Emerging Leaders are hosting a climate-focused community workshop on Columbus’ zoning codes and want your voice in the discussion.  Join the OEC Emerging Leaders Council, Zone-In, and Sustainable Columbus to discuss how the rezoning initiative can make our city a more accessible, affordable, sustainable, and resilient place to live as we continue to grow. This set of laws that govern the use of abandoned, owned, and rented property are a little-known but powerful tool that any city can use to address climate and environmental impacts.  Location:  Columbus Metropolitan Library: Northside Branch, 1423 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio.  More information here. 

 

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 7:00 – 9:00 PM.  Time for a Ceasefire in Ukraine?   In an endless war with already a half million casualties, is it more helpful to continue it -- risking nuclear apocalypse and guaranteeing impediments to addressing climate collapse -- or to demand a ceasefire, peace negotiations, and a commitment to sending no more weapons?  A public discussion featuring Medea Benjamin, Helena Cobban, Ray McGovern, and David Swanson.  This is a free, public, in-person event but it will also be livestreamed on Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter.   It will be streamed by World Beyond War via their Youtube and Facebook accounts: so on either of those platforms just search for "World Beyond War."  More information here. 

 

Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 7:00 – 8:00 PM.  Challenging Antisemitism from a Framework of Collective Liberation.  Please join PARCEO and Haymarket Books for the launch of our “Curriculum on Antisemitism from a Framework of Collective Liberation” grounded in a deep commitment to challenging antisemitism and all forms of injustice. This new curriculum was created by PARCEO, together with educators, scholars, and activists. The need for educational resources on antisemitism within a pedagogic framework of collective liberation is particularly important for this moment–as rising white nationalist violence targets many of our communities, including Jews, Muslims, Black people, immigrant communities, trans and queer people, among others, and as false charges of antisemitism are directed at seekers of Palestinian justice.  Join PARCEO and Haymarket Books for a discussion on a new curriculum on the importance of combatting antisemitism as part of our broader struggles for justice.  Register here. 

 

Thursday, September 27, 2023, 8:00 AM – Friday, September 28, 2023, 1:00 PM.  Oslo at 30: Legacies, Hard Realities and Alternatives for Israel-Palestine.  This September marks the 30-year anniversary of the signing of the Israel-PLO ‘Declaration of Principles’ at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, ushering in the era of the U.S.-led ‘Oslo peace process’.  Thirty years on, both peace and the international community’s self-declared goal of a two-state outcome are more distant than ever: Israel’s occupation and illegal settlements are more deeply entrenched, and Palestinian political and governing institutions remain ineffective, divided and unaccountable.  To mark this occasion, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the Middle East Institute (MEI) are pleased to invite you to an in-person two-day, hybrid conference, titled “Oslo at 30: Legacies, Hard Realities and Alternatives for Israel-Palestine” to be held simultaneously in Washington, D.C. and Brussels on September 27 and 28. The conference will examine the legacies of the Oslo process, ways to address today's bitter realities on the ground, as well as alternative strategies and outcomes for the future.  Looking forward, this conference will discuss approaches for breaking the current impasse and potential end-games following the demise of Oslo, the significance of the emerging apartheid debate, the impact of growing global multipolarity on future peacemaking efforts, trends in internal Palestinian politics, the political project of Israel's empowered new right, and the relationship between Israel’s democracy protests and the denial of Palestinian rights. More information and registration here. 

 

Thursday, September 28, 2023, 12:00 PM.  A Citizens Redistricting Commission for Ohio: Policy Deep Dive.  Citizens Not Politicians (CNP) has embarked on a campaign to get a Citizens Redistricting Commission for Ohio on the ballot in November 2024. Hear from CNP's leader, former Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, and others involved in the   campaign as we go through exactly what is in the policy, and why this time will be different from previous redistricting reform efforts.  Register here. 

 

Thursday, September 28, 2023, 6:30 PM.  "The Downfall of the U.S.'s Special Relationship with Israel
is Happening in Slow Motion.   ICAHD-USA co-chair Michael Spath's Indiana Center for Middle East Peace hosts Phil Weiss, Co-Founder and Senior Editor of Mondoweiss, the must-read daily online source for progressive news and opinion about Palestine, Israel, and the United States.  Mondoweiss fosters greater fairness for Palestinians in American foreign policy.  Phil has written for New York magazine, Harper’s, Esquire, and more. Free, open to the public.  Location:  Plymouth Congregational Church of Fort Wayne.   Livestreamed at ICMEP Public Group FB Page.

 

Thursday, September 28, 2023, 8:00 PM. A Night with the Experts featuring Terry Lodge, Environmental and Civil Rights Attorney:   A Double-Edged Sword: 5th Circuit Court Radwaste Decision Stopping Centralized Interim Storage in Texas.  On August 29, the conservative 5th Circuit Court issued a very controversial ruling that for now halts the attempt to build a high-level radioactive waste storage facility in West Texas. Referencing in their decision the equally controversial "Major Questions" doctrine – used to overturn the Obama and Clinton-era EPA climate change rules – the decision prevents construction of the “centralized interim storage” facility by annulling the NRC’s authority to issue a license for the proposed facility.  For now.  Skeptics are concerned, however, that if this ruling stands, it will serve as a template and precedent to be further used by conservatives and the nuclear industry AGAINST pro-environmental positions in the future.  Others feel that this decision will be reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court, making this concern moot.  Ohio attorney Terry Lodge will present his reasons for being happy about the Texas decision along with his misgivings and how we can use it to our advantage. There be a section on "If we win, it's a stay of execution; if they win it's forever".  He will also discuss the gross power imbalances between the NRC, Holtec and Interim Storage Partners, on the one hand, and the grassroots and other intervenors opposed to the proposed Texas and New Mexico Consolidated Interim Storage Facilities. He will cover strategies for opposing these two nuclear dumps, which if built, would provide shallow burial and above ground storage of over 150,000 metric tonnes of the hottest nuclear waste on the planet.  Register here for the zoom link. 

 

Thursday, September 28, 2023, 7:00 PM.  Thursday Action Group Zoom Panel Discussion with Central Ohio City Council Candidates.  Participants include Merisa Bowers, Gahanna City Council candidate; Franklin Davis, Reynoldsburg; David Grimes, Westerville City Council candidate; and Laura Mickelson, Granville Village Council candidate. Join the panel at THIS LINK. 

 

Saturday, September 30, 2023, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM.  Earth Care.  From Anxiety to Action.  Join us for a seminar on small actions you can take for the Earth.  Lunch included and giveaways provided by our exhibitors.  Sponsored by North Broadway UMC Sprague Leadership Institute, MTSO, and WOC.  Location:  North Broadway United Methodist Church, 48 E. North Broadway, Columbus 43214. 

 

 

Sunday, October 1, 2023, 4:00 PM.  PDA Sunday Progressive Town Hall.  Join Progressive Democrats of America every Sunday as we discuss how we win with progressive policy positions and progressive candidates. You'll leave energized and organized!  Register here.  

 

 

Sunday, October 1, 2023, 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.

 

Monday, October 2, 2023, 5:00 PM.  Grassroots Election Protection Coalition/ALLIANCE 4 GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY.  Register here.

 

Monday, October 2, 2023, 8:00 PM. Indivisible Central Ohio Monday Meeting.  Weekly meetings have moved back to Monday but are now at 8pm. All are welcome! Register HERE. 

 

Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 1:30 PM.  Online Rally: Defend our Right to Boycott.  Join Palestine Solidarity Campaign in the UK for an online rally against the anti-boycott bill. MPs from across parties will join civil society groups to warn of the threat posed to our democratic rights. Hear what you can do to help stop this dangerous bill from ever becoming law. The toxic anti-boycott bill threatens to erode local democracy, restrict freedom of expression, and undermine campaigns for social and climate justice. It will prevent public authorities – including local councils, the Scottish and Welsh governments, universities, and public sector pension funds – from making ethical choices about spending and investment. The government’s main target is campaigns organized in response to the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) to pressure Israel into ending its violations of human rights and international law. It could also hit campaigns against deforestation, pollution, and the exploitation of children and workers around the world. Boycott and divestment have long been used to campaign peacefully for progressive change – from the movement against the trans-Atlantic slave trade, to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. A broad coalition of more than 70 organizations including trade unions, charities, NGOs, faith, climate justice, human rights, and solidarity groups are calling on MPs to reject this dangerous bill in parliament.  Register here. 

 

Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 7:00 – 8:30 PM.  The Urgency of Pursuing Peace in Ukraine: Event with Keynote Speaker Cornel West.  As the war in Ukraine continues to intensify, with the growing danger of a direct U.S. confrontation with Russia, Peace in Ukraine and CODEPINK are launching a new action plan focusing on Congress called: “The Urgency of Pursuing Peace in Ukraine.” We will be asking our elected officials to call for: Ceasefire, Diplomacy, and No More Weapons.  Register here. 

 

Wednesday, October 4, 2023, 12:00 PM.  Clio Society Event:  "Country Capitalism: How Corporations from the American South Remade Our Economy and the Planet."  Featuring Bart Elmore, Professor of History at The Ohio State University.   The rural roads that led to our planet-changing global economy ran through the American South. In his book, acclaimed scholar Bart Elmore explores that region's impact on the interconnected histories of business and ecological change. He uses the histories of five southern firms — Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Walmart, FedEx and Bank of America — to investigate the environmental impact of our have-it-now, fly-by-night, buy-on-credit global economy. Please join us for this insightful webinar to learn more about how the corporations from the South impacted the past while shaping the future of the economy.  Moderated by Nicholas Breyfogle,  Associate Professor of History and Director, Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching, Ohio State University. Registration: https://go.osu.edu/countrycapitalism. 

Wednesday, October 4, 2023, 12:30 – 1:00 PM. Armenia at War: the Survival of the Church in the Oldest Christian State.  Join Churches for Middle East Peace for a mini course about Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This three-week course will address several issues. The first week will focus on the sustainability of the church in the oldest Christian state, the history of the Armenian genocide, and the ongoing struggle to protect the Christian heritage and presence in Nagorno-Karabakh and Ancient Armenia. The second week will discuss the political dynamics in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The third session will be a prayer gathering, including Christian ministries in Armenia, and the opportunity to pray together for an end to the ongoing war and the sustainability of the church in the region.  More information and registration here. 

 

Thursday, October 5, 2023, 12:00 – 1:00 PM.  Making an impact on the global stage:Behind the scenes at the United Nations General Assembly.  Urgent issues are being debated at the 2023 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City this week — and RESULTS is there! Join us on October 5 to hear from RESULTS’ leaders who attended an array of high-level meetings and see behind-the-scenes video. The UNGA brings together policymakers from around the world to address the world’s most pressing problems. Find out how our nationwide network of advocates and international partners had an impact on issues ranging from the ongoing tuberculosis epidemic to the growing malnutrition crisis — and what we’re planning next. Come with your questions or ask in advance using the form below. We'll leave plenty of time for conversation. We look forward to seeing you!  Please register by Tuesday, October 3, 2023. This special event is hosted by RESULTS' Development Office.  Register here. 

 

Sunday, October 8, 2023, 1:00 – 2:30 PM.  Bans OFF Ohio Day of Action in Columbus.  Join OURR, PPAO, and partners to rally for Issue 1! We will not accept the abortion bans our legislature imposes on us and we WILL win reproductive rights in November! Come ready to learn more about how YOU can help us win and grab some free swag!  Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Sq, Columbus, OH 43215.  Register to attend or volunteer here. 

 

Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 6:30 PM.  Clintonville Area Progressives Meeting.  Columbus School Levy Forum.  We are excited to host Columbus City Schools Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman at our October meeting.  Dr. Chapman will provide information about the upcoming Columbus City Schools levy (Issue 11), which will be on the ballot this November. This is a unique chance to get specific details on the levy and ask questions.  Location:  Columbus Metropolitan Library – Whetstone Branch, 3909 N. High St., Columbus.  Facebook Event. 

 

Friday, October 13, 2023, 7:30 PM.  Concert to Mix 1960’s History, Music, & Memories in Fundraiser to Fight Hunger.  Bill Cohen and friends will lead a candlelit, musical, year-by-year journey through the era, with live and familiar 1960’s folksongs, “news reports” of sixties happenings, displays of anti-war buttons and posters, and far-out sixties fashions.  Proceeds from the suggested $15 donations (at the door)  will go to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective.  Free parking is also available in the lots just South and West of the church.  The show begins at 7:30 p.m. in the church basement but get there early for a good seat.

The program is suitable for ADULTS and MATURE TEENS.  Location:  King Avenue Methodist Church 
299 W. King at Neil in Columbus 43201.  For more information, call Bill at (614) 263-3851 or e-mail BillCohen@columbus.rr.com. 

 

October 15 – November 12, 2023, 4:30 – 6:00 PM.  UUJME’s Why Palestine Matters Class.   These Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East classes are based on the study guide Why Palestine Matters: The Struggle to End Colonialism, published by the Israel Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Classes will be held via Zoom on September 10, October 15, October 22, October 29, and November 12.   Study guide purchase instructions: We have learned after publishing this sign-up form that the books are no longer available from the publisher's website. We will need an address and payment so that we can send you the book. The price for one book will be $12 plus tax and $3.65 for media mail shipping. For multiple books to one address, the media mail cost is an extra 75 cents per book. Reading homework will be assigned for Session 1. UUJME might be able to cover the cost of sending books to a UUJME chapter/local UUJME advocate. We'll send an email later in August to those who have registered asking for payment and then ship the book to your location.  The last day to register for these classes on zoom Thursday, August 31st at midnight.  We welcome people of all faith traditions and no faith tradition. We hope participants can attend each session, but we understand that circumstances may get in the way at times.  Register here. 

 

Friday, October 20 – Sunday, October 22, 2023.  Amnesty International USA’s Virtual Activism Conference.  We’ll have a full lineup of plenaries and workshops covering a vast variety of topics including Human Rights Education for Activists, Leonard Peltier Case Discussion, Coalition building at the state level: Reproductive Rights Activism in Times of Uncertainty, Empowering Tomorrow's Stewards: Youth Environmental Sustainability Advocacy and Refugee Awareness.  Register for the Virtual Activism Conference HERE. 

 

Wednesday, October 25, 2023, 7:00 – 8:00 PM.  Buy Books, Not Bombs: Public Education for Democracy.  Massachusetts Peace Action will be hosting this webinar. Panelists are MTA president Max Page, describing MTA priorities; former Cambridge teacher Kathy Greeley on the effort to drop MCAS as a graduation requirement; and Andrew King (CPS Board member and BU Center for Anti-Racist Research) addressing the national attacks on civil rights and other progressive curricula. We invite you to join the panel discussing the continuing struggle for equal access to quality public education. The panel will be chaired by State Representative and former MTA President Carol Doherty.  Register here.  

 

Wednesday, November 13, 2023, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.  COMPAS Colloquium: Is COVID Over? For Whom? Who Decides?  On May 5, the World Health Organization announced that Covid is no longer a global public health emergency. About a week later, the Biden administration allowed the national emergency and public health emergency declarations related to the pandemic to expire. Ending these emergency declarations has had wide ranging ramifications for public health as well as individual access to social goods, such as housing and workplace accommodation. This panel will discuss the ethical implications of ending emergency declarations: How should governmental bodies make these decisions? How do we end emergency declarations equitably and what is owed to those who remain vulnerable or who lose access to care?  The colloquium is part of the 2023-24 COMPAS Program COMPAS Directions: A Decade of Ethical Exploration. The event is open to the public with no registration required.  Location:  Thompson Library 165, 1958 Neil Avenue, Columbus.   More information here.