In the Community from ACEH December 21

"The moment we break faith with each other, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out."  … James Baldwin, author of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" and "Blues for Mister Charley," among other works; civil rights activist.

 

Herb and Ann

 

We wish you Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and the blessings of the holiday season!

 

This information is provided by the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH).  If you do not wish to receive it in the future, please contact hpweller@comcast.net or editann@aol.com.  Events List is also posted on the ACEH website, www.harmonyalliance.org.

 

Mon, Dec 28, 6 pm: Kwanzaa Celebration, presented by the Center of African American Art and History and The Juneteenth Committee.  Everyone is invited to participate. Keynote speaker is Kristina Kyles, president and CEO of Clear Path Academics and acting interim principal of Marblehead School District, Boston, Massachusetts.  She is a graduate of Holland High School.  Refreshments, desserts will follow the Kwanzaa ceremony. An African American and Pan-African holiday established in 1966, Kwanzaa is celebrated throughout the world, but primarily in communities and homes in the United States from December 27 to January 1 each year.  It brings a cultural message that speaks to what it means to be an African American in the fullest sense and features the lighting of seven candles—three red, three green, and one black—for the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity, self-esteem, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.  For information, (616) 836-8559.  At Holland Armory, 9^th St between River and Central Aves., Holland.

 

 

 POSIES, PLANS & PICS + PASTRIES, 412 West 24^th St, Holland

(across from Holland High School); (616) 796-0223

 

 

In the Community from ACEH December 17

"If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth." …Mitsugi Saotome, Japanese aikido teacher currently living in the U.S.

 Herb and Ann

This information is provided by the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony (ACEH).  If you do not wish to receive it in the future, please contact hpweller@comcast.net or editann@aol.com.  Events List is also posted on the ACEH website, www.harmonyalliance.org.

Mon, Dec 28, 6 pm until 9 pm: Community Kwanzaa Celebration, presented by the Juneteenth Committee.  Free and open to everyone.  Reception and entertainment. Kwanzaa focuses on "seven basic values of African culture that contribute to building and reinforcing family, community, and culture among African American people as well as Africans throughout the world."  At Holland Armory, 16 West 9^th St (between River and Central), Holland.

 

Thurs, Jan 7, 7:30 pm: Bilingual information meetings and registration for winter classes of the Reciprocal Language Partnership, which pairs people who want to learn English with people who want to learn Spanish, facilitated by a teacher.  Classes are two hours on Thursday evenings, Jan. 21 - April 22.  Contact Melissa Roessing at (616) 392-9022, melissaroessing@hotmail.com or Roberto Venegas at (616) 633-8540, venegasbeto@gmail.com  At First Presbyterian Church, 659 State St, Holland.

 

Fri, Jan 8, 7 pm: General meeting of the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony, open to the public.  Bill Freeman of The Journey Church will present "Faith, Inner Faith, and Interfaith."  392-5549 or 396-2201.  At Center for Women in Transition, 411 Butternut, Holland.

 

Mon, Jan 11, 7:30 pm:  Bilingual information meeting and registration for winter classes of the Reciprocal Language Partnership (see entry for Jan 7, above).

 

Fri, Jan 15-Sat, Jan 23: Civil Rights Celebration week at Hope College, "dedicated to all persons and groups who have worked toward the advancement of civil rights and social justice."  Details from Office of Multicultural Education, www.ome@hope.edu or call (616) 395-7867.  See below:

 

Jan 15, 11:30 am, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. luncheon (RSVP by Fri, Dec 18).

Jan 18: From the Mouth of a King, sponsored by Black Student Union, presenting throughout the campus selected speeches of Dr. King and slide shows of major events of his life.

Jan 19, 7 pm: Film and discussion, "Who Killed Vincent Chin?"; sponsored by Hope's Asian Perspective Association.  At Fried Hemenway Auditorium, Martha Miller Center.

Jan 20, 11 am: Civil Rights Commemorative March, co-sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta), beginning at Graves Hall and ending at Martha Miller Center.

Jan 21, 7 pm: Open Mic Night, sponsored by La Raza Unida.  At Fried Hemenway Auditorium, Martha Miller Center.

Jan 22, 23: Film, "The Stoning of Soraya M."; sponsored by Social Activities Committee; based on a true story of a woman falsely accused in Iran.

 

COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES:

 

Through Jan 5:  Exhibit, "Women of Michoacán."  Paintings, photographs, and sculpture by women (and one man) from the Mexican state of Michoacán.  Free. At Holland Area Arts Council, 150 East 8^th St, Holland.

 

Through Jan 10: "Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World" features 41 cultural celebrations, including a Vietnamese Ancestral Altar celebrating the Lunar New Year, Tet Nguyen Dan, and displays honoring the Chinese New Year, the Muslim celebration of Eid ul-Fitr, and illumination traditions from the Philippines. Extended hours on Dec. 26, 28, 29, and 30, until 9 pm.  Admission fee. Call 888-957-1580 or go to www.meijergardens.org  At Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, 1000 East Beltline Ave, NE (north of I-196), Grand Rapids.

 

 

In the Community from ACEH Dec. 2

 

"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." … Seneca, 4 BC-AD 65, Roman playwright and philosopher.

 

Herb and Ann

This information is provided by the Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony.  Events List is also posted on the website www.harmonyalliance.org  If you no longer wish to receive it, please contact hpweller@comcast.net or editann@aol.com

 

Sat, Dec 5, 5:30 pm:  9^th annual Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony Holiday Potluck and Cultural Sharing Party.  Everyone is welcome!  Please bring a dish to share, one from your ethnic background if possible,  and a non-perishable item for local food banks.  ACEH provides beverages and table service.  Entertainment, music, family crafts.  At First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 57 West 10^th St, Holland (use 9^th Street entrance).  For more info, call 392-5549 or 396-2201.

 

Wed, Dec 9, 7 pm:  Talk by Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center, civil rights activist, attorney, and author, on "Justice for All."  Free.  Presented by Fountain Street Church and Grand Rapids Community College Diversity Learning Center.   (616) 459-8386. At Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St, N.E., Grand Rapids.

 

Thurs, Dec 10, 6 pm: Screening of "Milk," film about the late Harvey Milk, a member of the San Francisco board of supervisors and gay rights activist murdered by another supervisor in 1978; discussion follows, led by writer-director Dustin Lance Black.  Seating is limited.  For free tickets, contact hope.is.ready@gmail.com.  At Park Theater, 248 South River, Holland.

 

Deadlines coming up:

 

Thurs, Dec 10: Pre-registration deadline to attend Thurs, Dec 17, free Foreclosure Prevention Seminar for Ottawa and Allegan area residents trying to avoid foreclosure.  Seminar will offer information on crisis budgeting, safe alternatives to foreclosure, and loss mitigation that may be available through mortgage lenders.  Homeowners will also have an opportunity to meet one on one with a specialist.  To pre-register, call (616) 738-1170, ext. 109.  Seminar will be held from 8:30 am to 4 pm at Community Action House, Northside office, 665 136^th Ave, Holland.

 

Fri, Dec 11: Deadline for young Latinos in grades 9 - 11 to register for the 2010 Fiesta King and Queen contest sponsored by Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP).  Any full-time student of at least 25 percent Latino heritage and with a grade point average of 2.5 of higher is eligible.  Contestants will have six workshops  to develop their self-esteem, job interview skills, public speaking abilities, basic banking and budgeting knowledge, and to gain insight to success from young Latino professionals.  The Fiesta is April 30 and May 1; contest is May 1. To apply, contact Roberto Jara, LAUP executive director, at (616) 392-5058.

 

Fri, Dec 15: Deadline for sending an RSVP to attend the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., luncheon sponsored by Hope College Office of Multicultural Education on Friday, January 15, 2010.  Speaker is Dr. Lawrence J. Pijeaux, Jr., president and CEO of Birmingham Civil Rights Institute: "MLK and Birmingham: Turning Point of the Civil Rights Movement."  At Maas Auditorium, Columbia at 11th St, Holland. 616) 395-7867. email: ome@hope.edu or www.hope.edu/student/multi