Social Justice/Public Witness – News week of 2/19/24

 “The problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.” ~ Bertrand Russell ~

Last call for registrations for next Monday’s MARCC annual meeting at 11:30. At this in-person gathering, City of Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan Michele Kearney will address the topic, “Problem Solving Community Gun Violence Intervention and Affordable Housing.”

Cincinnati is a great place to call home, but a difficult place to find housing. Enter Connected Communities, a series of proposed land use and zoning policy changes to help Cincinnati grow into a more accessible, people-focused, diverse, healthy, and connected community for all. Tuesday from 6-8, Connected Communities will hold an in-person meeting at the Bond Hill Community Center, 1501 Elizabeth St, to discuss affordable housing. Following a kick-off from Mayor Pureval, attendees will explore the proposed policies at their own pace and provide feedback; register here. The next session will be at the Price Hill Community Center, 959 Hawthorne St, on Wednesday the 28th, also 6-8. Use the same registration link but indicate you prefer to attend in Price Hill. There is also a Zoom option in March that you can register for…

The next Community Issues Forum at Christ Church Cathedral on Thursday will provide an update on efforts to diminish and eventually end gun violence in Cincinnati. A panel comprised of Carole Womeldorf, First UU member and Secretary of the Board of the Community Peace Builders Network, Te Airea Powell, of Peace and Hope Life Style, and Jack Jose, leader of Christ Church Cathedral’s Gun Violence Prevention Working Group will address this critical issue. The panel will also discuss a proposed new initiative that has worked well in several other cities. Beginning at noon, 318 E 4th St downtown; bring lunch or buy a Silverglades sandwich for $6.50.

HOME of Greater Cincinnati will hold a seminar at the United Way building, 2400 Reading Rd, 55 Years After the Fair Housing Act: Housing Affordability. Learn about recent data trends, hear from a panel of experts and share your thoughts; register here.

Join Ohio Humanities for a screening of their Lincoln School Story at the Esquire Theatre. When their school district refused to integrate after Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, a group of Black mothers marched their children to the white school demanding admission, only to be turned away every day for two years. Their activism resulted in one of the longest sustained protests of the civil rights era. Today, their children remain committed to telling the story of their mothers’ activism and their role in the movement. Register here.