The ACLU of RI is honoring the Coalition and Ms. Smith for their unyielding advocacy for the civil rights and liberties of individuals experience homelessness, and for the invaluable support and resources they provide. The RI Coalition for the Homeless works to promote and preserve the dignity and quality of life for men, women, and children by pursuing comprehensive and cooperative solutions to the problems of housing and homelessness. Ms. Smith is an outreach worker and case manager with PATH, a program of the House of Hope CDC that works primarily with individuals experiencing street homelessness. Both are also tireless advocates for policies and reforms that affirm the rights of the homeless and protect individuals experiencing homelessness from discrimination.
ACLU supporters will mix, mingle, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails while they celebrate the civil liberties successes of the past year and recognize the hard work of these two honorees dedicated to protecting the rights of the homeless.
ACLU of RI volunteer attorneys Sonja Deyoe, Carly Iafrate, and Neal McNamara will also provide updates on their ongoing and important court cases.
Celebrate your rights and freedoms, honor the RI Coalition for the Homeless and Ms. Smith, and support the ACLU of Rhode Island by purchasing your ticket today!
Tickets for the evening are $65 and are available for purchase online or by calling the ACLU office (401-831-7171). RSVP by October 14.
ACLU of Rhode Island’s Annual Meeting Celebration
Thursday, October 22 at 6 P.M.
(Registration begins at 5:30 P.M.)
Providence Biltmore
11 Dorrance St., Providence, RI 02903
Complimentary valet parking provided to all guests.
]]>The family-friendly scavenger hunt will highlight Providence’s civil liberties history, and we hope the event educates the public, and especially children and teenagers, about the Bill of Rights and importance of knowing one’s rights.
So, think you know your Rhode Island history? Want to learn how the Constitution applies to everyday life? Put on your walking shoes and head to downtown Providence on your own or with your friends and family on Saturday, September 19, to start the hunt!
We’ll start sharing clues on our Facebook and Twitter at 1 p.m. (Rain or shine). Use them to start a self-guided hunt for landmarks around the city. Once you arrive at a stop, snap a photo (selfies are encouraged!) and share it on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #ConstitutionHunt. Make it to the final location to earn bragging rights and a small souvenir.
Constitution Day Scavenger Hunt
(RSVP On Our Facebook Page Here)
Saturday, September 19
1 to 3 P.M.
Downtown Providence
For more information and official rules, click here.
]]>On Thursday, August 20, we’re throwing it all the way back to the fall of 1991 and the US Senate hearings on then-Supreme Court hopeful Clarence Thomas, and the woman who stood up to sexism and male privilege in a room filled with both.
Anita: Speaking Truth to Power is a documentary that tells the story of Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual misconduct during her time as a clerk in his office. By telling the truth about her experiences, Hill was catapulted into the public eye and became a symbol for the fight against sexual harassment and the abuse of power that subjugates and silences women.
We’re excited to partner with RI’s chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and the PVD Lady Project to bring Anita to the Cable Car Cinema in Providence, Thursday, August 20 at 6:30pm. We know it will start important conversations about how far we have come in the struggle for women’s rights, and how far we have to go.
Anita exists to show Hill’s bravery to a new generation of women. It’s inspiring to watch as she remains poised and precise throughout invasive questioning by the Senate committee and smear tactics used by the Thomas camp. We live in a time when this kind of courage is still needed in the face of male privilege and institutional sexism, be it in the workplace or on a college campus or military base.
As we continue the fight for women’s rights, we need to embrace what that phrase means to women from all walks of life. Anita is an important intersection of gender, race, and class/power. In a 2010 lecture, bell hooks called these three constructs “interlocking systems.” This kind of intersectionality has always been at the heart of the struggle for equal rights. It’s a fact we can’t afford to overlook, and the film is an important reminder of that.
Anita: Speaking Truth to Power
Presented by RI NOW, The National Coalition of 100 Black Women –RI Chapter, and the PVD Lady Project
Thursday, August 20
6:30pm (Doors at 6:00pm)
Cable Car Cinema & Café, Providence, RI
Suggested donation of $5 – $10
]]>In 2007, the Phoenix lauded the band members as local heroes for starting a freestyle troupe in Providence. They have since married and moved to Austin, Texas. But they still recall their RI roots on their website:
“While in Providence, RI they recognized their role in the shifting of communities. Their presentations became the art of bringing people together. While communing with group after group, they soon saw how much more easily people were motivated and open for information. They later found out that that was the essence of ceremony. They crafted their signature experience and moved to Austin, TX to spread their offering to “The City of Music.”
Check them out on PBS’ Art in context here:
And check out more of their music here. Make sure you watch this one called “No Resume” about a young teacher applying for a job:
]]>Based on the advice of my friend Lord Giovanni, we brought The Silks up to the shop to cap off one of those morale-boosting days, and they positively CRUSHED it. It’s not easy to please true-to-life factory types, ultra-genius engineers and, well, me. But they had 100% of the people smiling. The support card tonight includes The Atlantic Thrills, who will rip your face off and gave up a stellar performance at last year’s Wooly Fair.
The wider music scene in PVD also includes The Rice Cakes clever post-pop, The ‘mericans ‘mericana as well as RI Future’s own Alex Moore’s The Invisible Hours psychedelic pop and Reza Clifton‘s soulful hip-hop to name but a few.
Okay, enough with the name-dropping link bait. You get the point.
Next month will mark my 20th anniversary as a Providencean (with a few years as a Bucketeer), and right now is the best it’s been. I realize that RI features some particularly ugly statistics and that some, even many folks are having a tough time. But for me, this is the most satisfying life experience to date.
Why? It’s the cult-chuh!
Here’s the thing. It’s not like I moved here from South Carolina or the ‘burbs of VA. I’ve lived in Boulder, CO; San Francisco; Burlington, VT and East Jeezum, VT.
There’s obviously a pattern. I’ve always actively sought a liberal or progressive political culture and an active local arts scene. While I didn’t choose to move to Providence, I choose to stay because I really love it here.
It’s fashionable to bash on Rhode Island, and even I was pushed over the edge by my DMV-ing last week. But these negatives quickly fade away when I have so many stimulating and satisfying options from which to choose. When I hear people beef about RI, I really don’t get it. What do you want out of life, people?
Of course, Providence isn’t for everybody, and to each his or her own. I know that one frequent commenter is quite satisfied with the VA ‘burbs, although another person I know is positively hating it down there and can’t wait to come back. I’ve had family reasons to go to South Carolina many times, but I’m hoping I never have to go there again as long as I live.
To each his or her own. Fair enough.
If you’ve never been to a show at Machines with Magnets, you have missed a fabulous and unique experience. (GO TONIGHT!) MwM in Pawtucket is a recording studio, an art gallery and a performance space. And all the parts are strong. They’ve recorded both Battles records, local heros Deer Tick and a lot of other highly demanding artists. To call the shows in the gallery/performance space “intimate” does not express the immediacy of the experience. It is at once world-class, entirely approachable and actively supportive of the local scene. Where else can you cite that’s like that?
Wooly Fair, of which I am a part, is head and shoulders above any arts event I’ve ever been to. What makes Wooly so amazing is the complete and utter lack of support from anybody who’s not an artist or creative of some sort. There’s practically no corporate or civic sponsorship, and to date, it’s been almost entirely volunteer-driven. That leaves us free to create what no highly sponsored event can – total madness.
Lastly, Thee Red Fez is my favorite restaurant anywhere. Well, Bazaar in Amsterdam gives it a run for its money. It may be the ultimate expression of Providence-ness. Founded by a (married) couple of punks, it makes eclectic seem boring. The vibe is young and lively, and the menu is constantly changing with a focus on local ingredients. Chef Ed Raposa is a food genius. Breaded, deep-fried kim chee. Quod erat demonstrum. I’ve taken numerous clients there, and one – a true world traveler – paid it the ultimate compliment of photographing the menu and sending it to a friend as part of their ongoing best-menus game called “Where Am I?” None of the three guesses was “Providence”, and the revealed answer was met with complete incredulity.
This posting of some dozen-odd examples only scratches the surface of the outrageously rich cultural life that makes Providence such a great place to live. In conclusion, I like it here.
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