FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Because of the many community events planned for February,
ACEH will not hold a general meeting. Stay tuned for
information on special programs in March and April.
TONIGHT, Mon, Feb 3 - Sat, Feb 8, 7:30 pm: Film, "Inuk"; a journey from Greenland's south to its north as an homage to origins of Inuit people; "a coming-of-age story of a 16-year-old Inuk raised in the capital Nuuk who is torn between the violence of his alcoholic parents and his dreams of creating an Inuit rock band." Not rated. At Knickerbocker Theatre, 86 W. 8th St, Holland.
Tues, Feb 4, 4 pm: Pause-Café: French conversation group. All levels of fluency welcome. At Lemonjello's, College Ave at 9th St, Holland.
Fri, Feb 7, 6:30 pm: Justice for Our Neighbors-West Michigan (JFON) 10-Year Celebration. Fundraising dinner and silent auction to benefit immigration legal services offered in Grand Rapids and Holland by the First United Methodist Church in both cities. Since 2004, JFON-West Michigan has assisted over1,800 clients from 60 countries. Event sponsorships available. Dinner tickets $30. L.Rampersad@jfonwestmichigan.org or (616) 481-8145. At First United Methodist Church, Wesley Hall, 227 East Fulton, Grand Rapids.
Sat, Feb 8, noon to 4 pm: Black History Month Celebration: Juneteenth. Noon – 2 pm: The Juneteenth King and Queen perform; discussion on bullying. 2 to 4 pm: Black History movie. Free; snacks provided. At the Center of African American Art and History, 21 West 16th St, Holland.
Sat, Feb 8, 2 pm to 4 pm (rescheduled from Jan 25): Korean New Year Celebration with Chicago Korean Dancing Company, Korean Taekwondo Team, Maciek's Magic Show, and Gimbap Sushi Feast. Free admission. For information, contact Dr. John Kim at johnkimsma@gmail.com or (616) 795-8047 or 392-2635. At Park Christian Reformed Church, 1496 West 32nd, Holland.
Mon, Feb 10, 6:30 pm: Hate Crime 101. Training by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to assist crime victim service providers and law enforcement "to better understand how to define and respond to bias incidents." Sponsored by the City of Holland Human Relations Commission. Reservations at (616) 355-1328 or email hrc@cityofholland.com At Herrick District Library auditorium, 300 S. River, Holland.
Tues, Feb 11, 4 pm: "Open Secrets: My Journey from Poverty to Ph.D.": author Betty Brown Chappell, retired social work professor at Eastern Michigan University and a native of South Haven, speaks about her book. Presented by American Ethnic Studies program at Hope College. At
Tues, Feb 11, 6 pm to 7:30 pm: "Justice for Some or Justice for All" Community Forum: Racial Profiling, with Kalamazoo Township Police Chief Timothy Bourgeois sharing a study of racial profiling in the Kalamazoo area; followed by open forum on ways to "speak up and speak out" against racial injustice in our community. At Imagine Fellowship, 167 West 20th, Holland.
Wed, Feb 12, 7 pm: GRCC Diversity Lecture Series: "Youth Revolt: The Future of the Middle East," by author and commentator Reza Aslan, on Islam, the complexities of the new Middle East, the young generation of Muslims "clamoring for their rights and freedoms." Free; ASL interpreted. (616) 234-3390. At Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St, Grand Rapids.
Fri, Feb 14, noon: West Michigan RISES! Event to raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence, in conjunction with international One Billion Rising for Justice campaign. All are invited to gather and dance in unison in support. Sponsors include Center for Women in Transition, GVSU Women's Center. See facebook.com/WestMIRISES or contact Lesley Coghill, CWIT, at (616) 494-1741 or Lesleyc@cwitmi.org At GVSU, 1110 Kirkhof Center Lobby, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale.
Sat, Feb 15, noon to 4 pm: Black History Month: "Celebrating Our Youth," with CJ Kingdom Grier teaching musical instruments as related to African history and a performance by Core City Youth Choir. Free; snacks. At the Center of African American Art and History, 21 West 16th St, Holland.
Mon, Feb 17, 6 pm: Building Cultural Competence. Presented by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to "enhance understanding of five major cultural groups: African American, American Indian, Arab American, Asian American, and Latino Americans," including cultural protocols, cross-cultural communication, dispelling myths and stereotypes that lead to bias and discrimination, more. Sponsored by City of Holland Human Relations Commission. Limited seating; free. Reservations at (616) 355-1328 or email hrc@cityofholland.com At Herrick Library auditorium, 300 S. River, Holland.
Tues, Feb 18, 3 pm: "Ready for Reform": Lakeshore Roundtable on Immigration Reform. Panel of faith, business, education, police, and other local civic leaders on "how the broken immigration system is impacting our community and what we might do to strengthen a unified voice calling for reform." Roundtable dialogue. All are welcome. Contact katekooyman@gmail.com At City on a Hill Ministry Center, 100 Pine St, Zeeland (former Zeeland Hospital).
Fri, Feb 21, 8 am to 3 pm: Forum 2014: The Power of Economic Opportunity, with speakers Dr. Maggie Anderson, author of "Our Black Year," and businessman Bing Goei; breakouts on Courageous Conversations, Best Practices, Unintentional Bias, Economic Empowerment in the Latino Community, others. Sponsored by Partners for a Racism-Free Community. $55 includes lunch. Pre-register at www.prfc-gr.org or Eventbrite.com. At Eberhard Center, GVSU, 301 Fulton St West, Grand Rapids.
Fri, Feb 21, 7 to 10 pm, and Sat, Feb 22, 9:30 am to 10:15 pm: The 2014 Justice Conference Holland "to promote dialogue on issues such as human trafficking, slavery, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and human rights" and to "educate, inspire, and connect West Michigan residents around a shared concern for the vulnerable and oppressed." Holland event is a live simulcast of the conference, which is held in Los Angeles with speakers Dr. Bernice King, Rich Stearns of World Vision, Eugene Cho of One Day's Wages, Rev. Gabriel Salguero of National Latino Evangelical Coalition, Jim Wallis of Sojourners, and musical groups and artists. Cost is $34; must register at www.thejusticeconferenceholland.com At Engedi Church, 710 Chicago Dr, Holland.
Sat, Feb 22, 6 pm to 8:30 pm: Black History Month event: "Saturday Night Live," with open mic, gospel rappers, spoken word, comedy, r&b, and other musical performances. Soul food dinner. Tickets $12 adults; $6 ages 18 and under. Tickets at the door or contact wayne465@yahoo.com
At Imagine Fellowship, 167 West 20th, Holland.
Sat, Feb 22, 6 pm to 8 pm: International Food Fair. Dishes prepared by Hope College international students. Admission is $5 for 5 tickets; additional tickets 50 cents; most dishes cost 1 or 2 tickets. At Maas Center, Columbia Ave at 11th St, Holland.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Michigan Economic Justice Fellowship: Sponsored by the Center for Progressive Leadership as part of the Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan, to provide 11 days of paid training (1 or 2 days a month from Feb through Nov in Detroit) in community organizing skills for low-wage or minimum wage workers. $1,000 stipend plus child care if needed. For more information, email Dessa at Dcosma@progressiveleaders.org Application deadline is Wed, Feb 5, 2014.
Mary Free Bed Guild of Grand Rapids 2014-15 Scholarships: (1) Minority Scholarship Program for minority students pursing degrees in nursing, neuropsychology, orthotics, prosthetics, rehabilitation therapy. (2) Disability Scholarship Program (new) to assist with education-related expenses of students with disabilities who are pursing a post-secondary degree; preference given to those in a graduate or undergraduate clinical rehabilitation or healthcare-related program or career, but all qualified applicants will be considered. Contact Marcus Manders at (616) 493-9752. Applications available online at www.maryfreebed.com Application deadline is Tues, Apr 1, 2014.
JOB OPENINGS
Michigan United: Minimum Wage Campaign Organizers (Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo): Contract position, Feb 10-May 23; pay is $10,000. Oversee campaign to put a question to raise the minimum wage on the state ballot in 2014. Recruit volunteers, build teams and relationships, carry out campaign projects. Comfortable with office software and learning new technologies. Need own car, cell phone, and computer. Michigan United is a statewide coalition of faith, labor, civil rights, business, social service organizations. www.miunited.org Resume and cover letter to bartosz@miunited.org; cc: angela@miunited.org; subject line: Minimum Wage Campaign Organizer. Deadline is Tues, Feb 4, 2014.
Ready for School (Holland): Receptionist. Full-time, with benefits; salary commensurate with experience and education. Must be bilingual, able to read and write in Spanish. Reception and administrative support; proficient with computers and software programs; interpersonal and organizational skills; ability to work flexible hours for committee meetings or special events. Call (616) 395-7055 for an emailed description. Send resume now to kkortas@readyforschool.org; Ready for School seeks to fill the position by mid-February.
State of Michigan Department of Human Services: Word Processing Assistant, Ottawa County. Job # 4308-PD-F3700-012314-WPA57-Des. Full-time, $14.72-$20.81/hour. Provide clerical support to Migrant Unit and carry out Front Desk Reception duties, including interpretation services as needed. Must speak, read, and write Spanish fluently. Deadline for applying is Fri, Feb 7, 2014. For more information and application form, Control (Ctrl key) and Click on this long link below:
MOKA openings in Ottawa County area: Residential Support Staff, Community Support Staff, Mentors. Full time, part time, and on-call openings; various shifts. MOKA supports individuals with developmental and other disabilities and their families in six West Michigan counties. Go to www.moka.org, select the Careers tab, and apply online.
