New Community Church – Race, Faith and Justice: History of Civil Rights Movement, $Free
“This eight-session class highlights several key campaigns led by Dr. King from the perspective of the faith that was at the heart of his life and of the civil rights movement.
We also lift up some other faithful partners in the struggle for racial justice who led campaigns not directly related to the leadership of Dr. King.
Through a combination of:
- worship,
- presentations,
- video clips, and
- group discussion,
we reflect on the witnesses of Dr. King and other partners in the civil rights movement and what that means for our ongoing call to racial justice today.
These classes will be held on Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. beginning Thursday, October 3rd through Thursday, November 21st, 2019.
Because the material covered in the class is in chronological order and builds on the previous session, participants are strongly encouraged to attend all class sessions.”
New Community Church
614 S Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20001
Register for this free class: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/race-faith-and-justice-history-of-civil-rights-movement-tickets-72768278881
The Potter’s House – How to Treat and Prevent Opioid Overdose, $Free
Tuesday, September 24, 2019 – 6:30 PM 8:30 PM
“DON’T MISS THIS FREE & NON-JUDGMENTAL TRAINING! Free food provided! Learn about what opioids are, the risks associated with them, how to effectively prevent opioid overdose, and the most effective treatment options for anyone who wants it.
We have an opioid crisis in Washington, DC.
But we can do something about it.
***
Co-hosted by The Potter’s House and The Sanctuaries, part of National Recovery Month with the DC Dept. of Behavioral Health”
The Potter’s House
1658 Columbia Road, NW
Washington, DC 20009
See many more great events at the Potter’s House: http://pottershousedc.org/event-blog
The Festival Center – Soteria/Servant Leadership School
“Soteria Community School, a program of The Festival Center, provides political and spiritual education by drawing on the wisdom of community members. This semester we are offering six (6) classes, each running for six (6) weeks. All classes are held at The Festival Center in Adams Morgan on either Tuesday or Wednesday evening from 7pm to 8:30pm (note: each ticket, regardless of the class, will say “Tuesday”).
The courses offered this semester are:
1) Title: Reimagining the City through Film
Instructor: Malkia Kokuyamba Lydia, a proud DC native and DCPS graduate, has produced documentary films for museum, television and community audiences. As a teaching artist and organizer, she loves cultivating learning experiences. Malkia is currently directing a feature doc about the heyday of the Eastern High School Choir, and another about three generations of fathers in a South Philly family.
Dates: Tuesdays from 7pm – 8:30pm, Oct. 1st – Nov. 5th
In U.S. politics and popular culture, “the city”–and its often black and brown populace–is demonized, pitied, and fetishized. Despite film and TV’s role in the above, there are media makers who have artfully resisted these practices. We will take a look at movies, documentaries, and new forms of media that center urban community life with authenticity and complexity. Our watch list will include trailblazing classics, promising new work, community made media, an international jaunt, and a brief rural detour. And, if they choose, participants will have the opportunity to briefly workshop projects of their own and gain feedback.
2) Title: Healing & Christian Contemplative Practices
Instructor: Melanie Weldon-Soiset, Fellowship Program Director at Sojourners and currently studying Contemplative Prayer and Retreat leadership with the Shalem Institute. An MDiv graduate from Wesley Theological Seminary and has served as a pastor in China at a church for 2000 immigrants. Her five years living in Asia inform her calling to balance justice and compassion through seeking a slower and more intentional life.
Dates: Tuesdays from 7pm – 8:30pm, Oct. 1st – Nov. 5th
Drawing on the influences of Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, and Cynthia Bourgeault, students will learn about contemplation through guided experience. This course will offer a variety of contemplative practices to accompany weekly Gospel passages, such as lectio divina, chanting, praying with icons, and others. The goal is that participants will complete the course with a better understanding, as well as personal appreciation, for how God encounters us through contemplative practices.
3) Title: Reading Group: How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
Instructor: David Hilfiker, A retired physician and writer and founder of Joseph’s House, a home for the homeless with AIDS and cancer. He currently writes a blog on democracy. He is a member of the Eighth Day Faith Community.
Dates: Tuesdays from 7pm – 8:30pm, Oct. 1st – Nov. 5th
This reading group will study How Democracies Die by political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, who specialize in South America and Europe, respectively. In the last century, most democracies have not been overthrown by violent military coups, but internally through the ballot box and the subsequent capture of political institutions. Levitsky and Ziblatt describe the process by which certain democracies have declined, often gradually, into autocracies. We will look at the common elements of this decline, especially as they apply to our current American crisis.
4) Title: Writing Workshop: Writing DC
Instructor: Kangsen Feka Wakai, is a Cameroon-born Washington, D.C. based poet, essayist and journalist. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from American University where he served as editor in chief of Folio. His articles, essays, reviews and poems have appeared in the Houston Chronicle, Callaloo, Transition Magazine, Poet Lore, Postnoills Review, www.africasacountry.com and www.okayafrica.com.
Dates: Wednesdays from 7pm – 8:30pm, Oct. 2nd – Nov. 6th
How does the proximity to power inform local writers? This course aims to introduce students to some of the fascinating prose and poetry, written by writers in DC and the surrounding region. Our weekly discussions and assignments will enhance participants’ understanding of how to write about a place as multifaceted and influential as our city.
5) Title: Challenging the Criminal (In)Justice System
Instructor: Matthew Collinson, Public Mental Health professional with a passion for criminal justice reform, specializing in alternatives to incarceration programs for juveniles with substance use disorders and/or mental illness.
Dates: Wednesdays from 7pm – 8:30pm, Oct. 2nd – Nov. 6th
It is almost universally accepted that there are too many people incarcerated in America, that the justice system is systemically racist, and that police and communities of color have strained relationships at best. To empower individuals here in DC to bring about change, this course covers all the keys areas of the justice system, and provides ways for community and individual level interventions which can make a difference. From teaching classes in jails to electing progressive prosecutors, communities have huge untapped potential to reform our overly punitive justice system, this course aims to unlock that potential.
6) Title: Sacred Gatherings: Interfaith Contemplative Practices
Instructor: Anna Franklin, Organizer, teacher, and consultant. Anna strives to create a warm and welcoming community while drawing upon the rich and universal spirituality that yoga, meditation, and contemplative practices offer. She has studied with Richard Rohr, Barbara Holmes, and other wisdom teachers at the Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation.
Dates: Wednesdays from 7:30pm – 9:00pm, Oct. 2nd – Nov. 6th
This course will focus on what American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron calls “the groundlessness of life.” Anxiety, depression, loss, heartbreak, anger, and fear are powerful things that many of us experience but have few reserves to deal with. Through contemplative and meditative practices and facilitated discussions, students will have the space to sit with and explore difficult life topics that are often short shrifted by society, loved ones, and even oneself.”
The Festival Center
1640 Columbia Road Northwest
Washington, DC 20009
Register for the Soteria 2019 Fall Semester: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soteria-fall-2019-semester-tickets-70178432581
