Volunteers Needed To Brighten Up 23rd & Union!3{2}(Tomorrow Morning @ 10!)

Anyone passing through the Central District recently has noticed how dark the corner of 23rd and Union looks.  This is neither safe nor festive looking!  As CDNews mentioned yesterday, there is a humble effort by the Union Street Business Group to brighten up the corner during the holiday season.

Yes, this is short notice–but volunteers are needed tomorrow morning for a “Luminary Work Party” on 23rd & Union.  Tomorrow at 10am, anyone willing and able is welcome to grab a cup of coffee and help install Christmas lights on all four corners of our intersection.  Any volunteer is welcome, especially those experienced with putting up commercial lights.

Hope to see  you all there,

Jason from Cortona Cafe

TONIGHT, UmojaFest Unity Forum:!3{2}"Environmental Justice Meets Social Justice"

SEATTLE –The UmojaFest Unity Forum:  “Environmental Justice Meets Social Justice”,   TONIGHT, August 6th, 6:30-9:00; Seattle Vocational Institute (21st & Jackson).

 

Over the past year Seattle community leaders and activists came together to reflect on the events of the WTO Riots of 1999.    One of the most pressing questions was the lack of unity many activists felt was missing ten years prior.  Ironically, the very people being advocated for were conspicuously absent from much of the events occurring downtown.  Leaders who advocate for communities of color, immigrants rights’ or against poverty were asked by activists 10 years later as to why there was a lack of diversity and solidarity in 1999. 

How could issues of social justice or environmental justice intersect in order to foster greater unity along racial, economic, and cultural lines?

To address this dilemma even further you are all invited to tonight’s UmojaFest Unity Forum: Environmental Justice Meets Social Justice”  which will take place at Seattle Vocational Institute (rm 401), tonight, August 6th, 2010, (6:30-9:00 pm) that will kick off the Umoja Fest Seafair Weekend .  This forum is an opportunity to bring together civic leaders, educators and residents from various perspectives and backgrounds in order to have a constructive dialogue towards positive change in our community.

We will be joined by internationally renowned human rights attorney and current Jackson, Mississippi City Councilman Chokwe Lumumba. Councilman Lumumba will provide his insights on the challenges and more importantly, the opportunities before us to move towards greater unity.  Also speaking will be Thao Tran, Assistant to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn; Councilmember Mike O’Brien, and Tim Harris of Real Change among others.

We believe your participation in this forum will greatly enrich the discussion as we bring elders and leaders together on behalf of our sons and daughters.  The days of solo-ism and competing interests has stymied past efforts to move forward; we therefore are extending a peaceful invitation to everyone in order to build relationships and positive change in Seattle.

You Are Invited to the Upcoming Forum:!3{2}"Neighborhood Agreements"

                                            Hidmo Community Empowerment Project Presents….

                                                           “Neighborhood Agreements”

A Cross-Cultural Dialogue Focused on Understanding Our Neighbors & Transforming Our Relationships From ‘Agreeable’ to Accountable

 

              Residents, Community Organizations, Businesses hold cross-cultural forum on May 3.

 

SEATTLE —Hidmo Community Empowerment ProjectDepartment of Neighborhoods Seattle Parks & Recreation Neighborhood Agreements,   Monday May 3rd5:30 to 7:30 p.m.Garfield on 2323 E. Cherry Street, Seattle.

 

A recent article in the explored the cultural ramifications of gentrification in Portland and Seattle’s Central District.Implicit in the article was the notion that the Central District is in cultural flux and would not find its identity for some time.That statement may be debatable, but most in the “CD” are aware of the changes, tensions, assets and needs of residents, youth, and institutions.With a community so rich in history, leadership and programming, how can we create a stronger community based on good will, trust, and the assets each individual brings to the table?

 

Participants in the May 3 “Neighborhood Agreements” event will be invited to share their history, culture and assets in order to shift our paradigm of deliberating and communicating.Our normal paradigm for convening is to hear from leaders who tell the “audience” what the agenda will be moving forward.While this event will begin with a large group discussion on the history of the CD from a multi-cultural perspective, the event will break into small groups using past or present interactions in the community as a catapult to understanding and community-building.

 

“This event is free, but it does come with a price,“ remarks H.C.E.P. director Jason Davison.“The price is to come as a participant who listens, learns and leads.This sounds ambitious, but really this event is about understanding our neighbors, our disagreements, and in the midst of what fractures us to find how we can support each other anyway.That’s what it means to be a neighbor.”

 

“Neighborhoods Agreements” is the seventh and final forum this Spring lead by neighbors, organizations, and the Hidmo Community Empowerment Project.This forum’s goal is to promote relationship and understanding as the mechanism of empowerment in the Central District.

 
 Child care and refreshments will be available. Questions?  Contact , or call Hidmo at 206.329.1534