Category Archives: Intentional Communities

More than 1,300 teenagers gathered as the sun was setting at the Oklahoma City National Memorial on July 12 for a candlelight vigil. Photo: Lynette Wilson/Episcopal News Service

[Episcopal News Service Edmond, Oklahoma] As the sun began to set July 12 on Oklahoma City, Episcopal youth assembled by diocese and processed from St. Pauls Cathedral four blocks south on North Robinson Avenue to the Oklahoma City National Memorial for a candlelight vigil.

The vigil followed an earlier visit to the memorials museum, which traces the timeline beginning 30 minutes before the April 19, 1995, bombing that killed 168 people and wounded 680 others, through the 2001 execution of Timothy McVeigh.

The way that its set up, you move through time and its a stunning thing, said Kiera Campbell, 16, an Episcopal Youth Event 2017 planning committee member from the Diocese of Olympia. Its amazing to see how a city pulled together and how a city was able to find peace in each other.

Thirteen hundred youth from 90 of the Episcopal Churchs 109 dioceses attended the 13th annual Episcopal Youth Event from July 10 to 14 at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, a 20-minute drive from downtown Oklahoma City. The Beatitudes, particularly Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the Peacemakers for they will be called children of God, inspired EYE17s theme, Path to Peace. (Absent were some youth from Province IX, the Latin America- and Caribbean-based dioceses, who were denied visas into the United States.)

Teenagers attending the Episcopal Youth Event 2017 in Edmond, Oklahoma, visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum on July 12. Here, they visit the Gallery of Honor, where photos of the 168 people, including 19 children, hang on the walls. Photo: Lynette Wilson/Episcopal News Service

The night before the museum visit and vigil, bombing survivors shared their personal experiences with the youth during an on-campus plenary session. During the candlelight vigil, the youth sat cross-legged on the grass opposite 168 empty chairs 19 smaller chairs for children representing each of the victims. A reflecting pool set between two pillars marked 9:01 and 9:03 isolated the minute, 9:02 a.m., that the truck bomb exploded, destroying the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

It was the history, but more importantly, the human response and its lasting impact that Oklahoma Bishop Ed Konieczny wanted the youth to experience. The bombing, he said, brought together the people of Oklahoma in a spirit of unity, in what became the Oklahoma Standard, that continues today.

If you come to Oklahoma and you become an Oklahoman [the story] becomes a part of who you are because in many ways it was a huge turning point, not only for OklahomaCitybut for the state, said Konieczny, a priest in Texas at the time of the bombing. It was an unfortunate way for things to go, but it energized and brought to light all the good of the people in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma and it didnt stop.

Photos of the victims hang in the Gallery of Honor, the last exhibit, at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Photo: Lynette Wilson/Episcopal News Service

Even though the youth werent yet born in 1995 they range in age from 13 to 18 they live in an increasingly violent world. For that reason, Konieczny wanted to co-host EYE17 in his diocese and share Oklahoma Citys story as an example of peace and resilience.

The event is relevant because it helps them see all of the other things that happen in our world and our society and the other incidences of violence that take place, Columbine or Virginia Tech or Florida. It seemslike every day there is something else, some big, some minor, he said. I hope the story is that we as a society have to do something about this. And they have the ability to do that The message of this is not going to be the bomb. The message of this is life, and that we are going to put our faith where our faith needs to be, and we are going to stand up for justice and say, no, we are not going to live this way, were going to do something different.

Responding to violence and hatred with love was packed into the Path to Peace message.

The reality is that hatred doesnt work and violence doesnt work. Human beings were made bylove,because I believe that God is love, and we were made to love and life only works when we love. And this memorial is a painful reminder that hatred hurts and harms, and we werent made for that, said Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, at the site of the memorial. Weve been put on this earth to find a better way. To find life and love for everybody, and so coming to this memorial and being here this day is an opportunity to be reconsecrated and rededicated to creating a world where love rules.

There was some fun at EYE17. Here, the Rev. Tim Schenck, left, rector of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Hingham, Massachusetts, and the Rev. Scott Gunn, executive director of Forward Movement, sit by while Sierra Palmer of the Diocese of Kansas casts a vote for one of two saints. Saint Quiteria defeated Saint Longinus, 72 percent to 28 percent, and will be included in Lent Madness 2018. The rest of the saints in next years bracket will be announced in November. Photo: Lynette Wilson/Episcopal News Service

A year ago, the 16-member EYE17 youth planning committee visited Oklahoma City and the museum and memorial, to get a sense of what their peers would experience. Immediately, it was clear that Oklahoma Citys story is one everyone needs to hear, Andres Gonzalez Bonilla, 16, of the Diocese of Arizona, who served on liturgy and music planning team. The citys response to an act of domestic terrorism is a tragic, but beautiful, moving story.

The EYE mission planning team started imaging what this event might be like over 18 months ago. They based the event in Matthews scripture and the Beatitudes, said Bronwyn Clark Skov, the Episcopal Churchs director of formation, youth and young adults, who oversees youth ministry. We are very much taken with that entire package, but also because of what has been happening in the world, we really honed in on blessed are the peacemakers.

The triennial youth event, a mandate of the churchs General Convention, drew 1,400 people in all, including 35 bishops, as well as chaperones, chaplains, medical and other volunteers. Every preacher, speaker, exhibitor and praxis session presented the theme in one way or another.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preached and presided during the opening Eucharist of EYE17. Photo: Lynette Wilson/Episcopal News Service

Curry preached during the July 11 opening Eucharist and later that day offered two back-to-back workshops on the Jesus Movement, followed by a question-and-answer period. Other speakers, including President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, bishops, Episcopal Church staff members, representatives from Episcopal Relief & Development, Forma, Episcopal Service Corps and others, offered workshops ranging from advocacy to nonviolent communication in a violent world to living in intentional communities as a path to peace.

I think that Path to Peace has beenarticulated in many different ways during this event, and my hope is that it has been contagious enough so that when all of the young people who go home from this event start telling the story of what they experienced here and what they learned here that they will feel empowered to actually actupontheir own good and right and God-gifted inclination to do something, said Skov.

During a press conference on July 11, Trevor Mahan of the Diocese of Kansas, a member of the planning committee, said the youth intentionally designed the event to introduce youth to church leadership and the wider Episcopal Church, offering ways to engage further at all levels.

Mahans planning team colleague, Campbell, of the Diocese of Olympia, concurred.

We want people to be able to go back home and connect with other Episcopal organizations, she said, and bring back the Path to Peace message to encourage other youth to become involved.

Konieczny sees real hope in todays young people, who are far more inclusive than previous generations. The makeup of EYE17, the most diverse group ever, attested to that.

As I said during my homily at the vigil, todays young people can make a real difference in the world, he said.

They are at that age now where theyre setting the stage for how their generation is going to live together, and you can already see the level of acceptance, inclusion and willingness to live in diversity and honor each other. And thats not always been the case for generations that have gone before; its this is us, thats them and lets just keep our distance, said Konieczny.

Plans for EYE20 are underway, and with the help of a Constable Fund grant, the Episcopal Church plans to hold the event in Latin America.

-Lynette Wilson is managing editor of Episcopal News Service.

Originally posted here:

As EYE17 closes, 'peacemakers' make a path home - Episcopal News Service

Its a small village that sits right off the Ashley River, Ashleyville-Maryville. Its one of the oldest communities in the heart of West Ashley.

Thursday night, the City of Charleston hosted a community development meeting. Theyve partnered with Dover, Kohl & Partners to prepare what they call a master plan for West Ashley's future. Residents spoke at the meeting, calling for the city to make improvements to the infrastructure and transportation.

About 100 people gathered at Emanuel AME on 5th Ave. Among them, Demette Jenkins. She left home almost 25 years ago, she said shes come home to a much different Ashleyville.

Coming back to Charleston, it has grown tremendously and developed tremendously," Jenkins said.

Shes praying the discussion Thursday didnt fall on deaf ears.

I think that they were really intentional about jotting down what they heard, she said.

Some people came to the meeting from adjacent neighborhoods.

Theres something special and unique about this neighborhood," said Francis Beylotte III.

He and son ride their bikes through the neighborhood. He fears development will make that come to an end.

Im concerned that thats going to go away, and when its gone, poof, thats it.

Representatives from the neighborhood association were there to address some of the concerns about property tax increases. It was one of the main concerns.

A meeting will be held August 5, 2017 to discuss a 4 percent tax exemption available to people who are occupying the property they own. A location has not been given for the meeting, but we will update you as soon as that information is released.

Read the original:

Concerns about development in Ashleyville-Maryville area shared at community meeting - ABC NEWS 4

Players from many different sports will gather this weekend in Washington for the Stonewall Sports National Tournament. D.C. members, seen here, are active in the LGBT sports world. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The fourth annualStonewall Sports National Tournamentwill be held this weekend at locations throughout D.C. including the National Mall. Along with sports tournaments in kickball, dodgeball and volleyball, afull scheduleis planned with social activities, leadership meetings, Stonewall Yoga, Stonewall Bocce pick-up games and pool parties.

TheStonewall Sportsmodel has spread to 11 cities in the United States and close to 1,000 competitors from those cities will be in attendance for the tournaments. Non-participant passes are also available for those who want to join in on the festivities.

Since its inception in 2010, D.C.based Stonewall Sports has provided sports leagues that are managed as a nonprofit with a philanthropic heart by creating organized communities that have the ability and responsibility to support others in need.

In addition to the sports competitions, the National Tournament brings together our Stonewall community from across the country to address issues in person, says James OLeary, vice president of Stonewall Sports. We will hold our annual meeting with workshops on the technical aspects of community building and programming along with having conversations about safe spaces, diversity, public health and inclusion.

The safe spaces that once existed within the LGBT community have evolved and Stonewall Sports has established a national network that allows for like-minded people to connect.

The National Tournament is a chance for all of the Stonewall cities to get together and talk about our vision and the avenues to reach our community, OLeary says. We have established a network of people that have a similar path.

Stonewall Philadelphiajoined the Stonewall community in 2014 and its members have seen incredible expansion in their sports and numbers. Currently boasting over 1,200 participants, they offer kickball, dodgeball, volleyball, sand volleyball, billiards, yoga and bowling. They have donated about $100,000 to local charities since their inception.

When I first started playing, I immediately began meeting a lot people who I wouldnt have met otherwise, says Stonewall Philadelphia Commissioner Joe Peltzer. Its a great opportunity to have fun, establish connections and raise money for charities. I love watching our players jumping into different friend groups.

Peltzer says that the Philadelphia players are really looking forward to building new connections from other cities and that the teams are melding together to come to the tournament. They will be sending about eight teams to compete in kickball and dodgeball.

The tournament is about competitive play, but we also look forward to the camaraderie and learning about what other cities are doing, Peltzer says. It elevates it above what is going on in your own little bubble.

In the fall of 2015,Stonewall Clevelandlaunched its kickball league, which was immediately followed by the addition of dodgeball. The two leagues have about 465 players andin two weeksthey will be joined by an additional 165 players in their inaugural bocce season.

After launching, we were plugged in instantly to several hundred people of varying age groups, says Taylor Henschel, co-commissioner of Stonewall Cleveland. This is more than an LGBT community. Its place making; creating intentional communities by drawing in your own people along with other people.

Cleveland is a sprawling city and Henschel says it is easy to get stuck in your local sector. The Stonewall model has helped to connect people from the widespread areas. They will be sending five teams to the National Tournament.

The value of this network is something larger than yourself. It gives life purpose, Henschel says. Meeting people from all over the country is a reminder that we are part of this enormous community of queer people. Its pretty profound.

Originally posted here:

Tournament time - Washington Blade

While many lay organizations are voicing disdain directly to Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, over his recent decree denying church services to Catholics in same-sex marriages, the feminist coalition Women-Church Convergence is reaching out to the people of the diocese.

Women-Church Convergence, which "is a coalition of autonomous Catholic-rooted groups working to build just social and ecclesial structures with shared power for everyone, especially women and those whom church and society marginalize," issued the letter July 5 to "friends in faith" in the Diocese of Springfield.

The letter is in response to Paprocki's diocesan decree released June 12 that bars Catholics in same-sex marriages from receiving Communion, receiving funeral rites, and participating in liturgical ministries unless the person shows "signs of repentance."

Related: Lay groups lament Paprocki's decree denying same-sex spouses Eucharist (Jul. 11, 2017)

Women-Church Convergence's "Pastoral Letter to the People of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois" addresses the people of the diocese, saying, "You deserve better because our Catholic faith teaches us to embrace everyone." The letter states that they "politely but firmly reject scandalous teachings of exclusion."

Although response to the decree has been muted from the Catholic clergy, several Catholic lay organizations have been vocal.

Signatories of the Women-Church Convergence letter are: 8th Day Center for Justice Women in Church and Society Committee; A Critical Mass: Women Celebrating Eucharist; Catholics for Choice; Catholics for Choice Canada; Chicago Women-Church; DignityUSA; Greater Cincinnati Women-Church; Loretto Women's Network; Mary's Pence; National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN); Roman Catholic Womenpriests-USA Action Network; Sisters Against Sexism (SAS); Southeastern PA Women's Ordination Conference (SEPA-WOC); Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER); Women's Ordination Conference (WOC); Women-Church of the Wabash Valley.

The text of the letter appears below.

Dear Friends in Faith,

Our hearts go out to you who have been subjected to pastorally inadequate and insensitive theology in the recent DECREE "Regarding Same-Sex Marriage' and Related Pastoral Issues" given by your bishop the Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki. You deserve better because our Catholic faith teaches us to embrace everyone.

We who join in sending you this letter rejoice in the many Catholic groups that are living proof of the inclusive, welcoming message of the Gospel.

Please let our words of comfort, solidarity, and encouragement be balm for your souls and strength for your actions at this trying time.

We offer words of comfort to those of you who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, and their allies and family members. It is simply counter to our Catholic faith to single out any group for exclusion. It is especially egregious to use our sacramental system as a basis for rewards and punishments.

The Decree misses the signal importance of public, joyfully celebrated baptisms of babies, young people, and adults as they become part of our community. It ignores the welcome table that is the Eucharist. And, it dishonors the dead who are denied church funerals not because of sin but because of love. Let especially your young people hear us sing atop our voices, "All are welcome."

We offer you our solidarity as you create your own pastoral practices in spite of this negative Decree. Many of us belong to Intentional Eucharistic Communities, women-church groups, Dignity chapters, and the like. We are learning alongside our many religious colleagues what it means to incorporate new understandings of gender and sexuality, new constellations of family, new models of holiness into our midst. For example, we take strength from the "extravagant welcome" of the United Church of Christ and the Welcoming Synagogues Project. We applaud the many religious groups, including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Pagans that bring the best of their traditions to bear on the reality of same-sex love because it is healthy, good, natural, and holy.

As Catholics, we do the same. We have been blessed for decades by the work of DignityUSA, New Ways Ministry, Fortunate Families, the Conference of Catholic Lesbians, and many supportive social justice groups in networks like Women-Church Convergence and the Catholic Organizations for Renewal. Some religious congregations have provided warmth and welcome to those who are marginalized by the kyriarchal church. Those Catholic groups stand with you in solidarity as you find your way as a Diocese despite this countersign that you have been given in this Decree.

Please accept our encouragement to consult widely with one another, pray and reflect on how, in your well-formed Catholic consciences, same-sex loving people can be incorporated faithfully, respectfully, fully into your communities. Marriage is a sacrament that eventually will be available officially to same-sex loving persons. It is already celebrated by some groups among us so do not lose heart.

We send you strength and courage to do what we have had to do with similarly wanting letters from church officials before this one: we politely but firmly reject scandalous teachings of exclusion. Instead, we urge you to study the biological, psychological, and theological data accepted by courts, governments, and many faithful Catholics. It is clear that same-sex love is simply love. Catholics believe that love is of God. Please accept our commitment to join you in this struggle.

We wish you every blessing as you, the people of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, develop your own important views and practices on loving relationships.

With respect and care.

Go here to read the rest:

Women-Church bypasses Paprocki, appeals directly to Springfield Catholics - National Catholic Reporter (blog)

William Lamar, the senior pastor at D.C.s historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, is tired of presiding over funerals for parishioners who died of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

So on Thursday, he and another prominent African American pastor filed suit againstCoca-Cola and the American Beverage Association, claiming soda manufacturers knowingly deceived customers about the health risks of sugar-sweetened beverages at enormous cost to their communities.

The complaint, filed in D.C. Superior Court Thursday on behalf of the pastors and the Praxis Project, a public health group, alleges that Coke and the ABA ran an intentional campaign to confuse consumers about the causes of obesity.

Lamar and Delman Coates, the pastor at Marylands Mount Ennon Baptist Church, claim soda marketing has made it more difficult for them to protect the health of their largely black, D.C.-based parishioners.

Their case is similar to another suit that was filed, and later withdrawn, by the same legal team in California last January.

The lawsuit marks a break with tradition for African American and Latino community groups who have been reliable allies of Big Soda for years in policy fights across the country despite overwhelming evidence that the harms of drinking soda impact their communities disproportionately.

Obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and lower-extremity amputations are all far higher among people of color than among whites. These communities also drink more soda and are exposed to more soda advertising.

Its become really clear to me that were losing more people to the sweets than to the streets, said Coates, who said he has seen members of his congregation give their infants bottles filled with sugary drinks. Theres a great deal of misinformation in our communities, and I think thats largely a function of these deceptive marketing campaigns.

In a statement, Coca-Cola dismissed the pastors' charges and the merits of the earlier lawsuit in California, which lawyers say they withdrew to refile with the new plaintiffs.

"The allegations here are likewise legally and factually meritless, and we will vigorously defend against them," the statement said. "The Coca-Cola Company understands that we have a role to play in helping people reduce their sugar consumption."

This suit, much like the prior one in California, argues that the beverage industry has deceived consumers about the unique link between soda consumption and diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes, using messaging tactics similar to those once deployed by tobacco companies.

According to the complaint, Coca-Cola executives have invested millions of dollars in research, sponsored blog posts and advertising campaigns intended to disprove or confuse the link between soda consumption and disease. The companys ads and its executives, as well as a number of compensated nutrition bloggers, have also advanced the argument that lack of exercise is primarily responsible for the obesity epidemic, and that the calories consumed in soda can be easily offset by increasing physical activity.

In 2013, Coca-Cola developed a 30-second prime-time TV ad, called Be OK, that claimed a brief walk, a single victory dance or a brief laughing spell were sufficient to burn the 140 calories in a Coke can.

Coca-Cola Senior Vice President Katie Bayne also famously told a USA Today reporter in 2012 that there is no scientific evidence that connects sugary beverages to obesity.

The suit argues that science shows otherwise: There is, in fact, a well-established link between soda consumption and obesity, though the exact mechanism of that link is not well understood. A 20-year study of 120,000 adults, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2011, found that people who drank an extra soda per day gained more weight over time than those who did not. Other large-scale studies have found that soda drinkers have a greater chance of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and gout.

Those epidemics are even worse among communities of color, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity impacts nearly half of all African Americans and 42 percent of Latinos, vs. just over one-third of whites. A 2016 study in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities also found that soda consumption was a particularly strong predictor of future weight gain for black children.

Theres a health crisis in the U.S., especially in our communities, and especially among children, said Xavier Morales, the executive director of the Praxis Project. This is not coincidental, he added: They target our communities with their marketing. Were going into those communities trying to save lives, and theyre going out and erasing our message.

The soda industry has argued that, on the contrary, theyve done a lot to support communities of color and the fight against obesity. In recent years, these companies have grown their portfolios of low-calorie and no-calorie beverages.

We support the recommendation of the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), that people should limit their intake of added sugar to no more than 10 percent of their total daily calorie intake. We have begun a journey toward that goal," Coke said in a statement. "So we are taking action to offer people moredrinks in smaller, more convenientsizes,reducing sugar inmanyof our existing beverages, andmakingmore lowand no-sugar beverage choicesavailableandeasier to find at local stores. Well also continue making calorie and nutrition information clear and accessible so people can makemore informedchoices forthemselves and their families without the guesswork.

Soda companies have also, through the American Beverage Association, funded a number of nutrition and healthy cooking programs in low-income neighborhoods in New York, Los Angeles and other cities. ABAs partners on that project include the National Council of La Raza and the National Urban League.

Americas beverage companies know we have an important role to play in addressing our nations health challenges. Thats why were engaging with health groups and community organizations to drive a reduction in the sugar and calories Americans get from beverages," the ABA said in a statement. "Unfounded accusations like these wont do anything to address health concerns, but the actions were taking, particularly in areas where obesity rates are among the highest, can make a difference.

The ABA also disputes the contention that there's a link between obesity and soda.

Beverages are not driving obesity rates," the organization said. "Obesity has been going up steadily for years while soda consumption has been going down steadily. Shouldnt obesity rates have gone down with the reduction in soda consumption if the two are connected?

But companies such as Coca-Cola do still market more to Latino and black communities a function of the fact that they drink sugary beverages at a greater volume than whites.

Multiplestudies by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut have found that soda advertisements appear more frequently during TV shows targeted to black audiences. Black teens see three times as many Coca-Cola ads than white teens do. Billboards and other signs for low-nutrient foodsshow up more in black and Latino neighborhoods.

And yet, minority communities have historically been stalwart allies of large soda-makers, Coca-Cola included. As New York University professor Marion Nestle details in her book Soda Politics, those companies have been major funders of minority advocacy groups, including the NAACP, since the 1950s a strategy initially intended to expose soda to new demographics.

Advocacy groups representing people of color, including local chapters of the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation, have since become instrumental in beating back soda taxes in places such as New York, Richmond, Calif., and Santa Fe, N.M. When the American Beverage Association sued to prevent the implementation of Mayor Michael Bloombergs soda tax in early 2013, both the NAACP and Hispanic Federation filed a brief in support of it.

Lamar said he was grateful that companies such as Coca-Cola had supported these organizations but that their philanthropy did not negate the science or the fact that their marketing is mendacious.

This campaign of deception has also been bestowed on the leadership of our major Latino and black organizations, Coates added. The leaders of many of these organizations, like the average lay person, is just not aware of the science.

That represents a shift that Nestle calls highly significant.

In the past, this community has supported the soda industry in opposing public health measures even though the health impact of sugary drinks is higher in that community, she told The Washington Post. It is highly significant that this community is joining the CSPI lawsuit. It should put the soda industry on notice that it needs to stop targeting African Americans who are at high risk of chronic diseases encouraged by sugary drink consumption.

But it is unclear whether the suit will ultimately have more than a glancing impact on the beverage industry. Coke and the American Beverage Association do not need to respond to the complaint until September. At that point, Maia Kats the litigation director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and one of the lawyers on the case said she believes they will push for dismissal.

In the meantime, Lamar and Coates say, they will continue visiting hospitals, and overseeing funerals, for members of their churches suffering from obesity-related illnesses.

I am disgusted by the number of hospital visits I make, Lamar said. It just adds to the injustices all around us.

Read more:

Study: Black children are exposed to junk-food ads way more than white kids are

Americans were cutting back on sugary drinks. Now that's stopped.

When soda companies target minorities, is it exploitation?

More here:

'We're losing more people to the sweets than to the streets': Why two black pastors are suing Coca-Cola - Washington Post

The grand renovation will preserve the 100-year-old historic building while making room for the innovations that will define the organizations next chapter.

Each year since its inception in 1999, Town Hall Seattle has opened the doors of its home at Eighth Avenue and Seneca Street to tens of thousands of Seattleites for musical performances, political debates, spelling bees, and more. The Roman-revival-style building has since become a cornerstone of the citys civic life, growing to host 400 events each year, for which 110,000 people cross the threshold. The people who walk through the doors have helped shape that programming, but so too has the 100-year-old building itself.

Town Hall, from the beginning, was founded as a shared community resource, says Town Hall Seattle advancement director Kevin Malgesini. Between community input and community use, the opportunities and limitations of the building have really shaped our programming.

Now, though, the Great Hall has been darkened and the doors have been closed as the organization undertakes a year-long renovation to modernize its home and make it accessible for even more of the citizenry. The renovation is the fruit of the organizations deep bond with its community, allies and thousands of donors having helped Town Hall in a $25 million capital campaign that will ensure that the vital educational resource thrives for years to come.

Managed by Point32, designed by the architects at BuildingWork and acousticians at Jaffe Holden, and realized by RAFN Construction, the top-to-bottom renovation will give Town Hall a long-awaited upgrade, enhancing the buildings modern functionality and making it more accessible than ever before. The renovation will transform the building, explains executive director Wier Harman. Its going to be a very cool mix of very familiar and utterly new.

The buildings 100-year-old facade will get a face-lift, while still preserving its historic charm. The renovation will also add a downtown-facing entrance on the lower level of Town Hall. There will be major restructuring of the downstairs space to allow more natural light, better versatility, and flow. A flexible, moveable stage will be bookended by a library and a pub, optimizing the space for both intimate events and interactive participatory civic discussions alike. There will also be more accessible meeting spaces, improved multimedia capabilities, and acoustic improvements, changes that will literally break down barriers and allow a broader audience to experience its community-sourced programming.

Weve always worked to make our stages accessible and to remove barriers wherever we can find them, says associate director of development and messaging Missy Miller.

The project has been a long time coming. Since Town Halls inception, it has solicited feedback from dozens of community partners to determine how the building might better serve the community. Going into the project, we knew we really needed to make sure the choices we were making were facilitating their needs too, says Malgesini.

Seventeen new gender-neutral restrooms are planned for the main lobby area, in addition to seismic retrofitting, a new climate control system, and acoustic and AV improvements to the Great Hall. The project will also add infrastructure for a new digital stage, giving Town Hall more broadcast options and enabling more live streaming. Even people who cant physically gather in the space with us can still participate in our programming, says Miller.

The impact of the renovation will go beyond the walls of the building in another way as well. Town Hall will be using its experience to create a how to guide for sustainable historic renovations. This project reflects a core tenet of the organizations missionits commitment to education. The guide will include comprehensive project research findings on green building practices and offer the community another unique way to engage directly with the project.

What, though, are Town Halls patrons supposed to do in the year that the building is off-line? Well, in what theyve aptly named Inside/Out, Town Hall will continue to produce events during the renovation, at venues throughout Seattlein neighborhoods as far south as Columbia City, all the way up to Phinney Ridge. Along with its full range of regular programming, Town Hall plans to engage with communities on a more grassroots level. [Inside/Out] is an opportunity for us to throw the doors open even wider. To welcome in even more voices. To be even more intentional about reflecting the entire community, says Malgesini.

This latest chapter in the two-decade evolution of Town Hall should serve to strengthen the citys artistic, intellectual, and civic-minded population. And when the doors open again at Eighth and Seneca, it will be to an even larger community that will bring with it a new era.

At its core, Town Hall believes that every voice matters, says Malgesini. Now is the time has been the message so clearly and loudly spoken by the community.

Town Hall Seattles historic building is turning 100, and it needs some love. A top-to-bottom renovation will preserve the landmarks historic look and feel while making critical infrastructure, seismic, and performance advances. With state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, a new downtown-facing entrance, and new multilevel restrooms, Town Hall will be more accessible, more comfortable, and more vibrant than ever. Learn more and get involved at townhallseattle.org.

Read more from the original source:

Town Hall Seattle's $25 Million Renovation Breaks Ground | Seattle ... - Seattle Weekly

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Posted 07-13-2017 by Sherrel Stewart.

Sherrel Wheeler Stewart,WBHM 90.3

Randall Woodfin, right, meets with campaign workers before canvassing a neighborhood in west Birmingham

Birmingham lawyer Randall Woodfin grew up in different parts of Birmingham. The 36-year-old is now running for mayor. He says hes connected to communities from North Birmingham to Southtown. And if elected, he says he would revitalize those neighborhoods outside of downtown.

Who is Randall Woodfin?

I am a son of the city of Birmingham. Birmingham is home born and raised here. My family literally lives all over the city not just growing up but still today. With that I feel connected to the entire city.

You talk of a need for revitalization. Why is that needed?

Its good to see Birmingham as part of a national trend of people wanting to be in the city center. Theres growth in our downtown like a lot of other cities in the South. But what I like to tell people is that there is real life in people and resonance west of 65, north of Uptown, east of Carrigans and over the First Avenue bridge where there are real issues around people not feeling safe on their porch or in their front yard. Their property values are either going down or staying the same versus going up.

If we dont focus on neighborhood revitalization for all of the neighborhoods, what we see is only aesthetic, cosmetic. We really have to invest in and support all of our neighborhoods.

So is there a plan that you can share with us at this time?

There is much I can do as mayor. When youre over a budget thats close to a half a billion dollars 426 million in your general fund, $75 million in your capital you can do a lot to be intentional about improving peoples quality of life.

When it comes down to neighborhood revitalization, its going to start with basic services. Im defining that as street paving, walkable curbsand sidewalks, lights, parks. Is anything about that necessarily sexy? Absolutely not. That is the job of a city. A new mayor has to address that.

Youre saying that people dont feel safe on their porches. What can the mayor do about that?

I think there are a couple of things. Now I will say that we dont have enough beat officers actually in the field, in the street to respond to crime. Our response time is not where it needs to be. And I think theres too much of a criminal element that knows our response time is not where it needs to be. Is that the same as not having enough total number of police officers on the force? Maybe not. Many will tell you its not a matter of not having enough police. Its how the police are being used.

What Im finding out when Im in the criminal courtroom, looking at whos committing crime the 16, 17, 18 year olds that are picking up guns weve got to replace that with some form of employment.

We need to make sure young people actually finish high school. If they dont want to go to college, if they dont want to go to the military. They have the option to finish high school with some form of workforce certification.

Randall Woodfin

Sherrel Stewart,WBHM 90.3 FM

You talk about jobs and jobs are part of the economic development. How then do we develop our economy in a way thats equitable?

Birmingham is the largest in the state of Alabama, but its also the fourth largest populated city of blacks. There is an overwhelming amount of concentrated poverty in our city. Thats an issue.

My concern is industry, job placement, job recruitment and workforce training. There is no intentionality around any of the things Ive just named.

Some cities provide more funds from the city budget for schools than we do. What do you think?

I compare us to Huntsville in how we spend money. The current administration has zero priorities on how they spend money. They just burn through tax dollars. All you have to do is look at a neighboring city within our state, similar in size etc.

The city of Huntsville has 189,000 residents; we have 211,000. They have a $311 million budget. Our budget is $426 million. Size up those two cities. Huntsville gives its school system $20 million. Birmingham with the $426 million gives our school system $1.8 million.

Education is not a priority to this current administration. With all the issues in Birmingham, with poverty, crime, lack of jobs, its all rooted in making education a priority.

He is a child of the civil rights movement and came of age as his father and uncle battled racial injustice. But Woods, now running to unseat Birmingham Mayor William Bell, has had different struggles that have shaped his own vision for the city. Woods sat down with our Sherrel Wheeler Stewart.

The veteran Birmingham educator, who was interim school superintendent but passed over for the permanent job, is running for a seat on the Birmingham Board of Education. Contri qualified Friday to run in District 3. Mary Drennen Boehm, the former executive director of A+ College Ready Alabama, has also qualified for that race.

Continued here:

Randall Woodfin Wants to Revitalize Birmingham Communities - WBHM (press release) (blog)

(The following is an open letter to Sinclair Broadcast Group, its board members, shareholders and decision makers. Ed)

We the people of Humboldt County, on the Redwood Coast of California, would like to welcome you to our community. With your recent acquisition of four local television channels, you are now a major part of our media landscape. We may be a small market demographically, but we support our local news outlets and we have high standards and expectations for corporations that control access to information in our communities.

As the comedian John Oliver pointed out recently on his show Last Week Tonight, Sinclair has earned a somewhat unsavory reputation for biased coverage and inflammatory must-run segments that routinely misrepresent facts in order to benefit right-wing political agendas (more on this at tinyurl.com/LWT-Sinclair). While this behavior may stem from a legitimate belief that you are doing the right thing, you should be aware that it often comes across as cynical manipulation and intentional distortion of the truth.

From past experience, we know that consolidated absentee ownership reduces competition, threatens media localism and harms information diversity. For example, when the digital television transition modified the transmission systems for local TV broadcasters, coverage in large swaths of Humboldt County was significantly reduced.

While Bonten has made substantial investments in local origination, Sinclair has a reputation for requiring their owned affiliate stations to air non-local editorial content during local newscasts. This must air practice reduces local origination of news and information programs that address controversial issues of public importance. To become a trusted local broadcaster, your policies need to provide reasonable opportunities for local and opposing views to be expressed.

Since we would like to give you the benefit of the doubt as a new player in town, we have developed a short list of suggested actions that would help to demonstrate your commitment to becoming a responsible provider of high-quality information:

Ensure Localism with meaningful investments in local news and information programming to support public interests of local and tribal jurisdictions:

Station broadcasts should identify must air non-local content on-screen.

Provide equal airtime for local editorial content expressing opposing views.

Ensure that Spanish language channel(s) include equivalent local program origination as other channels, and that tribes have in-language programming available on-air.

Promote Universal Access with investments in new infrastructure for our least served people and places:

Install and maintain additional translator/repeater facilities to ensure full multi-casting coverage over the entire Designated Market Area served.

Transparency and accountability to local jurisdictions through community-based participation in local programming:

Maintain public files, including annual reports on compliance with contractual promises available at every local library location.

Dedicate multi-cast channel(s) programmed entirely with locally originated non-commercial content from local jurisdictions. (Note: This could be accomplished in coordination with Public-Education-Government access community media available now through the counties, cities and tribes served.)

While we would love to see all of the above actions incorporated into Sinclairs local operations, we dont hold out much hope that these issues will be addressed.

After all, were just one small piece of a growing monopoly, and there is lots of money to be made through media manipulation and control. Still, we promise to do everything in our power to make sure that you deliver services that meet local needs and community interests.

The North Coast is a very special place to its residents, and we sincerely hope you will thoughtfully consider these and other ways that we can work together to develop and support community-based media.

Think of this as a golden opportunity to improve your reputation and become a trusted and reliable source of news across the Redwood Coast region.

Welcome to Humboldt County, and rest assured that we will be watching closely and working tirelessly to help keep you accountable to the high standards of our community. Thats one piece of local news you can definitely count on.

Sean Taketa McLaughlin,

executive director, Access Humboldt

Eureka

See the original post:

Letter: Hey, Sinclair, we'll be watching closely - Mad River Union

Durham Herald Sun

Chapel Hill wants affordable housing, but creates an unaffordable town Michael Jacobs Durham Herald Sun ... consequence of many conscious decisions, which other Triangle communities should avoid. Chapel Hill boasts the highest all-in property tax rates in the state. It has the most expensive housing, caused by an intentional lack of supply of single ...

The rest is here:

Chapel Hill wants affordable housing, but creates an unaffordable town Michael Jacobs - Durham Herald Sun

The Next Idea

Parents of children on the autism spectrum face significant challenges in getting the right education, support and other life tools for their kids. But the difficulties dont go away when these kids grow up. Can they live alone, support themselves, be a part of society? And what happens when their adult caregivers age out of watching over them?

Mary Douglass is one of many working to combat these challenges. Douglass is the president of Lansing Intentional Communities, or LINCS. The organizations goal is to promote the creation of spaces, called intentional communities, where adults with developmental disabilities live together.

Were putting these individuals in close proximity with each other so we can help them create community together and support them as they create community with their surrounding neighborhood, Douglass said. "Really the individual is making their own self-determined choices about where they live, who they live with, how they get supported, what the neighborhood looks like."

Douglass says there's no one model or format the communities must follow. LINCS recently bought its first house for three people, but several apartments, for example, could work just as well.

"It doesnt matter how we acquire that housing. What really matters is that were being intentional about keeping ourselves close together and creating community with each other.

LINCS then inserts what it calls a community builder, Douglass said, to live within the community. They might plan outings, or just help out when needed.

I like to think of it as an RA, like when you go to college, Douglass said.

The intentional community model is different from a group home. It purposefully has less of a rigid schedule to give as much independent choice as possible to individuals. This is a fluid model that can change and improve with different circumstances, Douglass said, but its a distinct improvement from the past.

Stateside's conversation with Mary Douglass, president of Lansing Intentional Communities (LINCS).

The Next Idea is Michigan Radios project devoted to new innovations and ideas that will change our state.

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Link:

Lansing group helps adults with disabilities live on their own, in community with others - Interlochen