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THIS WEEK'S EVENT & NEWS SUMMARY

IN THE COMMUNITY

TheWrite2Heal Poetry Event
TheWrite2Heal Poetry Event
Friday, August 9 | 12-1:30pm | The Bridge PAI

Calling all aspiring poets! 

JMRL, in partnership with WriterHouse and The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, will host a free poetry writing event open to poets of all ages. On August 9, from 12-1:30pm, poets are invited to take part in #TheWrite2Heal program, which is part of Charlottesville Unity Days and designed to bring the community together.

During the event, poets will be encouraged to write a brief poem or prose using the theme of “on the wings of unity." Each poem will be written on a piece of paper shaped like a feather and will be attached to a sculpture of a cardinal, created by local artist and poet Jum Jirapan. The cardinal sculpture will be on display at the Central Library throughout August. 

#TheWrite2Heal will be held in the Madison Room at the Central Library and attendees can register by emailing programs@writerhouse.org no later than August 8. 

Light refreshments will be served during the event. For more information, please call WriterHouse at 434.296.1922.
Details >
Jalane Schmidt outside Confederate Statue
Confederate Monuments Walking Tour
Friday, August 9 | 7 pm | Courthouse on Jefferson Street

Jalane Schmidt and Andrea Douglas will kick off this 2nd anniversary weekend with a tour of Confederate monuments in the city. 
C'Ville Sing Out

The C'ville Sing Out!

Saturday, August 10 | 10am rehearsal, then 4-6pm performance | MLK Performing Arts Center & The Sprint Pavilion 

What is it?

It's a big, annual sing-out modeled on Toronto's Choir Choir Choir! that is open to everyone - NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! All ages, all walks of life are welcome. Come as you are, ready to sing out! 

When is it?

REHEARSAL: On Saturday, August 10 at 10:00AM a fun and informal rehearsal will take place at MLK Performing Arts Center at Charlottesville High School. Everyone who has registered to sing will receive a packet containing the sheet music for five to seven songs. We will then learn and practice those songs. (The doors will open at 9:00AM and additional registrations for those not yet signed up will begin. Please arrive early.)

There will be a planned break from noon to 3:00PM (for you to rest, participate in other events, and get something to eat).

MAIN EVENT: At 3:30PM, the singers will gather at the Pavilion on the Downtown Mall for further instructions. At 4:00PM, the program will begin.

Those who do not wish to sing are invited to attend the event at the Pavilion at 4:00pm.

Who can sing?

EVERYONE!

We're hoping hundreds of community members will create a big, rich, joyous sound to celebrate C'ville. We'd love to have your voice and support!

Last year, over 700 people sang!!!

What will we sing?

  • Charlottesville, by Evelyn Carter

  • Rise Up

  • Sing Out/March On

  • Harambee, by Dr. Solomon Sparrow

  • Dona Nobi Pacem

  • Amazing Grace

  • I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing

(programming subject to change)

How will it work?

Folders containing the music and an agenda for the day will be distributed at 9:00AM at The MLK Performing Arts Center.

Rehearsal begins at 10:00AM.  There will be a separate room for each voice section to learn and practice their parts.

Who is Organizing?

The C'ville Sing Out! is being organized by members of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Choir including:

Michelle Allen
Claudine Brown
Victor Brown
Katey Buford
Capt. Tito Durrette
Dr. Alvin Edwards
Councilor Kathy Galvin
Katharine Scott Gilliam
George Harris
Pamela Harris
Patrice Harris
Supervisor Ann Mallek
Dr. Leo Mallek
Carolyn Mitchell
Kelvin Reid
Nico Scopelliti
David Simmons, Jr.
Director Jonathan Spivey
Cindy Stratton
Elly Tucker

To Learn More >
Charlottesville Resonates

Charlottesville Resonates

Saturday, August 10 | 11am-2pm | Charlottesville First United Methodist Church

An Invitation to Gather & Respond to Dissonance with Resonance

Come and join the trombones to experience great harmony and add your voice in advocating for resonance and unity.

If you were discouraged by the display of dissonance in our public park in August of 2017, here is an opportunity to be encouraged by an exercise of community resonance. Trombonists from around Virginia will play and lead participants in using our voices to experience harmonic resonance. Following the program in the park, participants are invited into the air-conditioned Fellowship Hall of First United Methodist Church for refreshments and conversation.

For more information, please contact the church office at (434) 296-6193, or cvillefirstumc@gmail.com

You can also get more information from the City of Charlottesville's Unity Days website.
Learn More >
No Small Matter

No Small Matter Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Saturday, August 10 | 1:30pm | Vinegar Hill Theatre

As a part of Unity Days Cville 2019, Teachstone, along with our partners at CASTL, the Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning at UVa., are sponsoring a screening of the 70-minute film, No Small Matter. The film explores the struggle that parents nationwide have in finding quality early childhood care and education—and the role that access has in improving equity in our communities.

After the screening, we’ll host a panel discussion featuring local community members and organizations who are working to close the opportunity gap in early childhood education in Charlottesville. We’ll open up a conversation to learn about attendees’ experiences with the local educational system and brainstorm ways citizens can become advocates of educational equity.

Panelists include:

  • Mary Coleman, Interim Executive Director, City of Promise
  • Gail Esterman, Director of Early Learning, ReadyKids
  • Amanda Williford, Research Associate Professor, Curry School of Ed. at UVA
  • Melissa Carter, Head Start Director, MACAA

The film will start at 1:30. Arrive early to grab a free popcorn and find your seat!

Learn More >
Swords Into Plowshares
Swords Into Plowshares
Sunday, August 11-September 15 | 7am | Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church
Rev. Isaac Collins has a theory that the people of Charlottesville are united in their desire to see our idols to white supremacy come down. So we are calling on everyone of good conscience to come together regardless of religion to stand up and show that we want these statues gone. We want our public spaces to tell a more inclusive and just story about our city.
Details >

Call to Action Resource Fair

Sunday, August 11 | 1-5pm | Market Street Park

Community Resource Fair to get citizens involved with organizations creating change and action within Charlottesville
For Information >

Beyond the Statues: The Invisibility of Black Charlottesville - Panel Discussion

Monday, August 12 | 3:30-5:00pm | Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library

What made white supremacists think invading Charlottesville on August 11-12 was a good idea?  A panel of University and Charlottesville residents, activists, and scholars will argue that the absence of a narrative counter to Confederate statues was a contributing factor because the history of black Charlottesville has been erased.

Reception to follow.

Learn More >

Interfaith Service

Monday, August 12 | 7-9pm | First Baptist Church Charlottesville

The focus of this service will be to honor and remember those who recognize the past racial and economic inequities and who stand up to the racism and hate of white supremacy; to educate the community about the harmony among the various faith traditions practiced in the area; and, to inspire acknowledgement of the truth of Charlottesville's painful past of exclusion with the hope for transparency, forgiveness, and repair.
Details >
#Transcribebond
#TranscribeBond Event
August 14 & August 15 | 4pm & 10am-4pm | Minor Hall & Various Locations | To Register>

The Carter G. Woodson Institute, in partnership with the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, Center for Digital Editing, Scholars’ Lab, University of Virginia Athletics, University of Virginia College of Arts and Sciences, and Virginia Humanities, celebrates continued work on The Papers of Julian Bond with the second annual two-day transcribe-a-thon event.

On August 14, starting at 4:00 PM, we will discuss the scope and goals of the edition at an event held in 110 Minor Hall, with a reception to follow at 5:00 PM. This presentation will outline how the contributions of community participants, whose training and transcription work will occur on the following day, will further the larger goals of the project.

On August 15, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, members of the university and Charlottesville communities will have the opportunity to advance this historic project by transcribing a wide and varied sample of his papers by visiting one of several hubs around Charlottesville, including:

• 110 Minor Hall
• the McCue Center Computer Lab
• the Scholars’ Lab in Alderman Library
• Shenandoah Joe on Preston Avenue
• Virginia Center for the Book at the Jefferson School

Though we will provide a few computers at each site, we recommend that participants bring their own. Those unable to join in person can still contribute remotely, by accessing our online project workspace on FromThePage (bit.ly/TranscribeBond).

That same day, on August 15 from 12:00 to 2:00 PM, the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library will host an exhibition of original Julian Bond materials in the Byrd-Morris Room, which is located on the third floor of the Harrison Institute/Small Special Collections Library.

Join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Julian Bond by preserving and engaging with his words. RSVP for the event here (bit.ly/Register4TranscribeBond19) and join the discussion online with the hashtag #TranscribeBond. For more information about the event, visit woodson.as.virginia.edu or contact Katie Blizzard at kblizzard@virginia.edu.
To Register >
Overcomer

Overcomer Movie Preview Followed by Q&A with Actress Aryn Wright-Thompson

Saturday, August 17 | 3:30-6:30pm | Regal Stonefield & IMAX

High school basketball coach John Harrison and his team face an uncertain future when their town's largest manufacturing plant shuts down unexpectedly. As hundreds of people move away, John reluctantly agrees to coach cross-country, a sport he doesn't even like. His outlook soon changes when he meets Hannah Scott (Aryn Wright-Thompson), an unlikely runner who pushes herself to the limit. Inspired by the words and prayers of a new friend, John starts to train Hannah for the biggest race of her young life.

Release date: August 23, 2019 (USA) 

Director: Alex Kendrick
Production company: Affirm Films
Cast

About Aryn: She is the daughter of Andrea Wright-Thompson and Jerrod Thompson while Aryn resides in Sanford, N.C., she is a true daughter of Charlottesville.

Aryn's mother, Andrea, graduated from CHS in 1989. Her late grandfather, Emmett Wright, was born and raised in Charlottesville and graduated from Burley High School. Her great-grandparents are the late Emmett Wright and Geneva Lightfoot Wright. Emmett was a carpenter and businessman, while Geneva was an educator at Burley High School. Geneva was also one of the first women of color to obtain a Master’s degree from the University of Virginia.

Aryn’s aunt, Mildred Greene is also a native of Charlottesville and her late Aunt Alana Wright, the younger sister of Andrea passed on Dec. 3rd, 1986 here in Charlottesville at a young age. Aryn’s brother Ari, who has appearances in the movie, will be attending Morehouse College in August 2019 as a Freshman.
Details >
Unity Days
Unity Days Cville

We the community members of Charlottesville come together this summer in a spirit of healing and unity for a variety of events that educate, inspire, and honor people in our community in order to move towards economic and racial justice.

Charlottesville City Council has designated the second weekend of August (and August 12 when it falls during the week) for the annual Unity Days. In this inaugural year, events will take place from May through August with each month having a specific theme:

May: Our community’s history of race relations
June: Breaking down institutions of oppression
July: Honoring community and neighborhood leaders making change
August: Four days of activities focusing on education, honor, inspirations, and solemn remembrance

These events will take place at venues throughout the community including Market Street Park, Court Square Park, the Downtown Mall and Fourth Street.

The city-sponsored, community-driven events focus on the theme of unity, and include musical performances, speakers, conversations, children’s activities, films, exhibits, festivals, faith-based gatherings, and more.

Details >

OPPORTUNITIES

Piedmont Housing Alliance
Individual Giving Officer
Piedmont Housing Alliance seeks a motivated, collaborative person to launch and build a robust individual giving strategy in support of our mission to serve low-income families and communities throughout the Charlottesville region with an abundance of services and affordable housing solutions. We seek a candidate who is excited about advancing our mission, about taking our individual giving efforts in new, bold directions, about leading individual giving from the strategic to the administrative, and about increasing the culture of philanthropy within our organization. The ideal candidate is someone familiar with fundraising for nonprofits who wants to play the lead role in building our individual fundraising success. We are open to various levels of experience. The salary range is $50,000 to $70,000, depending on experience.

Since 1983, our organization has been a leader in developing and managing safe and affordable homes, and providing education and counseling to struggling renters and aspiring homebuyers. Today, a two-fold urgency compels our growth trajectory. We work amidst a regional housing crisis, with rapidly escalating housing costs, placing undue burdens on low-income families. Relatedly, there is a critical need to redress the historical economic, social and educational barriers faced by these same families. Our Board is concerned with the historical racial barriers in housing and the resulting inequities in financial assets, wealth and homeownership carried down across generations. We believe Piedmont Housing – as a nonprofit housing organization expanding access to homeownership, household financial capacity, and affordable housing – is uniquely situated to address racial equity in housing and community-building in our region.

Responsibilities

Working with the Director of Development, Executive Director, Deputy Director and Board Mission Investment Committee, the Individual Giving Officer will build, manage, and execute all aspects of individual fundraising and donor engagement. The position entails the following responsibilities: 

 Design and implement individual giving strategies, including annual fund and other campaigns
 Assist with identification and cultivation of potential major donors
 Manage and track donor relationships, including new donor cultivation, donor stewardship and
acknowledgment
 Develop and maintain a portfolio of leadership annual fund gifts
 Plan and execute communications and events in support of donor engagement and fundraising goals
 Staff the Board’s Mission Investment Committee
 Maintain accurate and complete records of donor communications and prepare regular reports

Qualifications
 Experience in nonprofit fundraising, preferably in individual donor engagement
 Can-do attitude; enthusiastic about creating challenging goals and carrying out the work to realize them.
 Strong communications skills including ability to write and speak persuasively about the organization to colleagues, board members and donors
 Ability to meaningfully engage with issues of racial equity and inclusion
 Detail-oriented with ability to plan, organize, multi-task, execute and handle simultaneous projects, manage competing deadlines, and strategize and evaluate priorities in highly effective manner.
 Ability to take initiative, with a commitment to excellence and follow-through
 Motivated to work in a results-oriented, sector-leading, organization
 Strong computer skills, especially with Microsoft Office programs, and preferably working knowledge of donor databases

Please email cover letter, resume, writing sample, and salary requirements to careers@piedmonthousing.org with subject Individual Giving Officer. Resumes will be reviewed as received and interviews will be scheduled on an ongoing basis. The position will remain open until filled, but we encourage interested candidates to apply prior to August 21st . Salary will be commensurate with skills and experience; benefits include medical insurance, dental insurance, disability and life insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with company contribution and matching, employee assistance program, and professional development opportunities. Piedmont Housing Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a team that values diverse perspectives, inclusive policies, and equitable practices. Candidates of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities are encouraged to apply.
To Email >
Finding the Enslaved Laborers at UVA
Like 'Finding the Enslaved Laborers at UVA' on Facebook!
This page is for Finding the Enslaved laborers who built the University of Virginia. If you have or believed to have enslaved ancestors that lived near and around the University of Virginia please contact us. The area is the city of Charlottesville and the surrounding counties of Albemarle, Louisa, Nelson, Fluvanna, Greene, Buckingham, Orange, and throughout Virginia.

The President’s Commission on Slavery at the University (University of Virginia, Charlottesville) has designed a memorial to the enslaved laborers who built the University. The memorial will be viewed by only the descendants in the fall of 2019. We are looking for descendants of the enslaved workers. If you think you had ancestors who lived near or around the University of Virginia there might be a chance you will connect. We will post names/surnames and other information. If you have any questions, please post or email: enslavedlaborersuva@gmail.com.
Like the Page Here >

IN THE NEWS

Toni Morrison

By: Anne E. Bromley | Original Publication: UVA TODAY | Published August 2019 | Photo courtesy Creative Commons

"Toni Morrison, who earned many accolades for her fiction that delved into black experience, died Monday at age 88. In 1993, she became the first African American, as well as African American woman, to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The author, who also wrote plays, essays and children’s books, had worked as an editor at Random House and was a professor of literature at Princeton University.

“She lived a long, rich life,” said Deborah McDowell, Alice Griffin Professor of English at the University of Virginia, who specializes in African American literature, especially in the women writers of the tradition.

McDowell not only taught Morrison’s fiction and nonfiction in her courses, but also knew Morrison (though she can’t recall when they first met). She thinks it might’ve been when McDowell was invited to Cornell University in the ’80s to pay tribute to Morrison (who had earned her master’s there), likely to celebrate the Pulitzer Prize for “Beloved.”

“I met her first through her writing, of course,” McDowell said. “But I don’t know when I didn’t know her. I was frequently in her company over the past 30 years.” Morrison sometimes invited people to join her at special events and conferences; in one memorable example, McDowell accompanied Morrison and others to France for the launch of the French translation of her novel, “A Mercy,” about 10 years ago.

On Twitter, McDowell – from memory – and many others shared some favorite Morrison quotes, such as: 'Just circles and circles of sorrow' and 'Love is no better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly …'"

Keep Reading >

FEATURED ARTICLES

UVa Begins Project to Identify, Contact Descendants of Slaves
By Ruth Serven Smith | Original Publication: The Daily Progress | Published July 2019
Keep Reading
Myra Anderson
Descendant Reflects on UVA Memorial to Enslaved Laborers
By Courteney Stuart | Original Publication: CBS19 News | Published July 2019
For More >
120 Faces of Activists Mural Installed at Violet Crown
By Madison Jones | Original Publication: NBC29 News | Published July 2019
Read More >
Show and Tell: Holsinger Portrait Project Develops a More Complete Picture of Local History with Photographs of African Americans
By  | Original Publication: CVILLE Weekly | Published July 2019
Keep Reading >
Organizers and Community Members at the mural unveiling
Inside Out Cville - Slideshow
By Andrew Shurtleff/The Daily Progress | Original Publication: The Daily Progress | Published July 2019 (Photo: Andrew Shurtleff/TDP)
Keep Reading >

PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR

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1st Harambee Family Events

January-December 2019 | Various Times | Various Locations

Charlottesville, VA - Harambee Family Events is a calendar that highlights African American Cultural Activities in Charlottesville and surrounding areas. The calendar, created and designed by author, award winner, Mr. Alex-Zan, presents 18 events from January 2019 - December 2019.

The Harambee (Swahili - All Pull Together) culture events objectives are to inspire and unify area citizens to communicate more effectively and create/maintain a positive environment for change and civility. The calendar also strives to strengthen family relations and culture awareness, particularly African Americans who have experienced a lack of inclusion in many area events.

The Harambee Family Event Calendar will be distributed throughout Central VA. - schools, churches, businesses, clubs/organizations and social media to name a few. The calendar sponsors are: (CAT) Charlottesville Area Transit, Wegmans, Blue Ridge Graphics and Carter Myers Automotive.

To view the calendar, visit: Alex-Zan.com

ABOUT UCARE

UCARE is a coalition of community and university members, founded with the goal of understanding and addressing racial harms that may be seen in the community and at the university, in areas such as housing, employment, health, education, the justice system, and more. UCARE has connected community and university groups and individuals. We have prompted changes in how UVa understands and represents its history. We have called attention to and prompted action addressing racial disparities in student admissions and faculty recruitment as well as in conditions of workers, including support for a living wage. But we have much more to do; the quest for racial equity is a long ways from being over. We are grateful to Westminster Presbyterian Church for their financial support the last two years. And we are pleased that the W. W. Kellogg Foundation has offered us a grant for two years. Among other items, this will allow UCARE to convene Charlottesville Acts for Racial Equity (CARE). Stay tuned for ways you can be involved in 2018.
 
If you have community events of interest please  email us at ucarestaff@gmail.com.

You will reach UCARE project manager Frank Dukes.

And, as always, if you have  ideas for funding sources to support this work, please contact us at that same address.

Submissions

Please submit information about someone or an organization that have positively impacted the community. Submit at UCAREStaff@Gmail.com.
Deadline: Every Thursday
 

Feedback

Please share your opinions about the new design of the newsletter to us at UCAREStaff@Gmail.com.
 
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University and Community Action for Racial Equity · P.O. Box 400179 · Charlottesville, VA 22904-4179 · USA

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