Hello from the Peace Center!
I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our members and those who have continued to support our work over the past couple of months. These are tumultuous times, making day to day life difficult to balance. Despite this, I’ve been inspired to see an outpouring of community grassroots organizing in the midst of everything that has been going on. Long-time activists and students alike are joining together to share resources, provide support at protests, establish donation funds, and provide basic and direct services to impacted people in the community.
As public focus on the coronavirus unfortunately appears to decline it is up to us to lead by example. Keeping our community safe means looking out for one another and taking personal responsibility for our actions. Wearing a mask and maintaining social distance keeps us ALL safe! We greatly look forward to when we are able to all be together in person.
We have a number of exciting updates:
- THIS THURSDAY! “Addressing Climate Anxiety” with Dr. Sarah Ray – Webinar (7/9 @ 6:30PM)
- In this free webinar, we will hear from Dr. Sarah Ray, Associate Professor and Department chair of Environmental Studies at Humboldt State University. Dr. Ray will speak on her work around addressing climate anxiety, what it is exactly, and facilitate a dialogue around strategies not feeling overwhelmed as an activist in the movement for climate justice.
- TO REGISTER: www.tinyurl.com/climateanxietywebinarjuly9
- Last week, two of our interns – Sophia Warren and Karen Rosenberg – had the opportunity to ask Professor Ray some questions about her work. For a quick primer on Professor Ray’s and her focus, please check out the interview before the webinar on Thursday! Available here: https://ourpeacecenter.org/addressing-climate-anxiety-an-interview-with-professor-sarah-ray-humboldt-state-university/
- Our Annual Membership Meeting will take place on SATURDAY, AUGUST 8th @ 1:00PM via Zoom video conference.
- Members will have an opportunity to hear updates, give feedback, suggest topics for the coming year, and sign up for a working committee. Registration link and information on joining will be sent via email as well as posted on our website soon.
- If you would like to be further involved, please contact me at andrew@ourpeacecenter.org or (925) 933-7850.
- We have announced the winners of our 2020 Dennis Thomas Art and Writing Challenge + Youth Activist Grants
- Thank you to everyone who submitted + shared our contest this year! The contest is one of our favorite programs and we feel lucky to receive so many incredible, thought-provoking submissions each year. This year was no different! Despite a pandemic and waves of protests in the face of police brutality, many students still took the time to craft thoughtful submissions. Choosing a winner for each category proved difficult for our judging panel.
- To view the selected winners + see their work – please visit our website: CONTEST WINNERS GALLERY
- Our July / August Peace Gazette is LIVE!
We hope to see you at one of our upcoming virtual events. Our upcoming webinar will be recorded and shared publicly via our website and Facebook pages the following week. Stay safe and cool out there! Please do not hesitate to reach out at any time with suggestions, questions, or concerns.
In solidarity and support,
Andrew Kodama, E.D