Community Change, Inc. Fall Agenda!

We are happy to announce our fall lineup of programming in this transition year for CCI as we make internal shifts to ensure that our programming is aligned with our mission. Change has also been prominent this year as we said good-bye to Paul Marcus as director (though he remains involved in our training program) and to Alexia Layne-Lomon (who moved on to other opportunities), as well as saying a temporary good-bye to Myrna Morales who is currently in a doctoral program in Illinois - though she is providing us with technical assistance from afar.

In light of all the transitions we are managing, we made the difficult decision, as many of you know, to cancel this year's Drylongso Awards. The annual awards event is always a good time to connect and catch up with friends (old and new) and while we knew it would be missed this year, we simply did not have the organizational capacity this year to put on a large event in the midst of so much change.

In creating programming for this fall, we wanted to develop programs that not only encourage friends old and new to support the work of CCI but also encourage you to come out and connect with us directly! This fall we are kicking off an off-site evening discussion series, in addition to our monthly brown bags and a couple of new and creative offerings. Our commitment to racial justice remains unchanged and our work remains centered in the greater Boston area even as we look to expand our reach beyond Massachusetts.

October Offerings

50 Years of Reflections from the Civil Rights Act to Ferguson, Missouri. Join us for a panel discussion with CCI's board of directors, reflecting and looking back at 50 years of movement work as board members share their own insights, observations, experiences and work over those five decades We will ponder where we are as a nation when it comes to matters of race and where we need to go. This panel kicks off our fall series and is for gathering and reconnecting with CCI staff, board and friends-old and new.

Thursday, October 2, 2014 - 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Irish International Immigrant Center, 100 Franklin Street, Boston, MA

On Being a White Novelist. A talk by Cathy Jacobowitz about her journey toward racial self-awareness, why she chooses to write about characters of color, and the ways in which institutional racism plays out in contemporary fiction by white authors. Cathy is a Boston writer and member of the Knapsack discussion meet-up hosted by CCI. Her novel The One-Way Rain has been called "the most comprehensive and non-offensive racially conscious dystopian book that I have ever read" by Kayla Ancrum, author of the essay "How to Write Men of Color and Women of Color if You Are White." Copies of the book will be on sale at the event, with the full purchase price going to CCI.

Thursday, October 9, 2014 - 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Community Change Inc., 14 Beacon Street, Room 605, Boston, MA

Domestic Violence and Cultural Competency.

One of our monthly Brown Bag events, featuring Robert Le from the Asian American Task Force Against Domestic Violence, who will come and talk about the impact of systemic racism on survivors of domestic violence, as well as the structural barriers that prevent survivors, especially people of color, from receiving adequate care. He will also explore in discussion the importance of cultural competency of social workers in working with domestic violence victims from different cultures, as well as the difficulties that white social workers have in working across racial and cultural lines, and the importance of understanding systemic racism in that work.

Thursday, October 16, 2013 - Noon to 1:30 p.m.

Community Change Inc., 14 Beacon Street, Room 605, Boston, MA

November Offerings

Anti-Racism Theater. Have you ever faced an uncomfortable situation where you tried to speak out or where you wish you would have spoken out against racism-outright or subtle-toward you or someone else? If so, please come to this anti-racism theater workshop where participants using role-play will gain confidence and "practice" speaking up/pushing back against racism/racial injustice. This workshop is led by Natali Freed, a performer/educator and past co-facilitator of White People Challenging Racism: Moving from Talk to Action.

Monday, November 3, 2014 - 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Community Change Inc., 14 Beacon Street, Room 605, Boston, MA

Integenerational Talk on Race: How We Raised a Generation to Be Colorblind and What Went Wrong.

A cross section of millennial and older activists who work with an anti-racist lens will talk about racism and why the colorblind approach has failed. Panelists will also discuss the role of colorblindness in the rise of racial bias.

Thursday, November 13, 2014 - 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Democracy Center, 45 Mt Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA

December Offerings

Words to Actions: From the Front Lines of the Anti-Racist Movement. Local anti-racist activists will talk about the movement and the work they are doing, as well as what impact it is having in the fight for racial equality.

Thursday, December 4, 2014 - 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Haymarket People's Fund, 42 Seaverns, Jamaica Plain, MA

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We are continuing to add events to our fall calendar and will continue to keep you updated. We hope to see you this fall! Thank you for your continued support of Community Change Inc.!