MFSA Meeting on Thursday, September 14

Persist!  Transgender Justice

On Thursday, September 14, at 7pm, Rio Texas MFSA will begin our 2017-2018 year with the program focus, Persist!  This topic is not a political challenge as much as it is an encouragement to work for social justice in areas impacting persons marginalized by society.

Our first meeting will focus on justice for transgender individuals. Robin Richard will speak on the ups and downs of learning that her child is transgender. Robin and her husband Dale have been members of University UMC, Austin for several years. Their son, Connor, was confirmed as a member of the United Methodist Church last year and also “came out”.  Connor has been living as a female for this past year and is keeping the name Connor. We appreciate Robin sharing this personal information to help us better understand the challenges their family has faced.

We invite you to join us at Saint John’s UMC, 2140 Allandale Rd. for this special discussion. Contact Rowland Curry rcurry@austin.rr.com with questions.

Join us at 6:30p for snacks.  The program begins at 7p.  All are welcome.

Persist! Resist Unreasonable Discrimination!

Chorus of Opposition Helps Prevent Anti-Transgender Bill
from Becoming Law in Texas

Today, HRC released a new graphic highlighting the many voices that joined together to successfully stop anti-transgender legislation that was considered in the Texas legislature. It can be viewed here.

Due to the outpouring of opposition from Texans from all walks of life, anti-transgender legislation is dead for this session. HRC is proud to have worked throughout the regular session and special session with a coalition of organizations, including Equality Texas, the ACLU of Texas, the Texas Freedom Network and the Transgender Education Network of Texas.

A summary of the range and diversity of opposition to these discriminatory efforts can be found on the graphic. Those who helped stop these anti-transgender measures include:

  • Ordinary Texans, including transgender people and their families
  • Faith leaders [including many of our UMC and MFSA members!]
  • Educators
  • Advocacy groups
  • Child welfare groups
  • Law enforcement
  • Business leaders and companies
  • Financial investors
  • Economic development
  • Travel and tourism
  • Arts and entertainment
  • Sports

“It’s official: Texas legislators have adjourned without passing a new anti-transgender bill this special session,” said JoDee Winterhof, senior vice president of policy and political affairs. “First and foremost, these bills were defeated because of the many voices that came out in opposition, raising their voices in one chorus to say, ‘don’t discriminate in the Lone Star State.’ To be sure, these same voices that opposed discrimination this session will make the same level of noise in the future if lawmakers attempt to discriminate against any members of our communities again.”

iACT Red Bench

The Red Bench: Vulnerability

Join us on Tuesday September 19 for a courageous conversation on

the topic of Vulnerability at Saint John’s United Methodist Church

If you plan to attend, please RSVP

NAMI Walk Austin

Saturday, September 23, 2017 Long Center – Austin, TX

Join us for the largest mental health awareness event in Central Texas!

Join the movement that’s changing the way our community addresses mental health! When you register as a Team Captain or Walker with NAMIWalks Austin, you’re helping provide exceptional no-cost mental health education,  support  and  advocacy  programs in the Greater Austin area.

Invite your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers and join us at the Long Center on September 23 for Central Texas’ largest fun-filled, stigma-busting mental health awareness event of the year. You won’t want to miss it!

iACT – A Night Under One Sky 2017

Join us for a night of music, dinner and dialogue in celebration of the relationships we have, and those we hope to build. Over the past year, events in our world have shined a light on the vital importance of iACT’s mission: to cultivate peace and respect through interfaith dialogue, service and celebration. Let us come together to appreciate our unity.

Our Guest Speaker for this year is Flint Sparks, a Zen Buddhist and Resident Teacher at the Appamada Center in Austin. With nearly four decades of experience in the practice and teaching of mindfulness-based psychotherapy, Flint is a beloved spiritual leader in the Austin community and beyond.

A Night Under One Sky – Tuesday, September 26, 2016

Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum (605 Robert E Lee Rd.)

6:30 to 7:15 PM – Registration and Reception

7:15 to 9:00 PM – Dinner & Program

Austin Pride Parade Rescheduled

Austin PRIDE Festival & Parade

Rescheduled Dates Announced

***PARADE & FESTIVAL RESCHEDULED DUE TO HURRICANE HARVEY: PARADE WILL BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 30TH & FESTIVAL WILL BE HELD ON OCTOBER 21ST***

In addition to our Featured Beneficiaries this year (Transgender Education Network of Texas and the upcoming Austin LGBTQ Center), a portion of Austin PRIDE Proceeds will be donated to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

 You have come to expect amazing entertainment from Austin PRIDE and this year will be no exception!! Due to rescheduled dates, entertainment line up is being re-confirmed. Once all entertainment is confirmed, we will announce the complete line up.

Discounted tickets will be available online! This year, Festival Tickets purchased in advance will be able to enter the Festival at ANY entrance, including a new Family Zone Entrance.

 Discounted tickets are on sale NOW! Please note: Previously purchased tickets for the 2017 will still be valid for the rescheduled dates.

Want to get into the Festival for FREE? Volunteer! Volunteer registration is currently OPEN! You can register online at austinpride.org

PRIDE EVENT UPDATES:
Austin PRIDE announcements will be released via our Official Austin PRIDE App! Download the Austin PRIDE App for iPhone and Android!

Formed in 2010, The Austin Gay and Lesbian Pride Foundation (AGLPF) is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to managing and organizing Austin’s annual PRIDE celebration and Stonewall Tribute.

For more information on this and other Austin PRIDE Week events visit austinpride.org

Festival Vendor and Parade Registration is now OPEN. To register, visit: austinpride.org

*all acts subject to change without notice

 

Notes From Third Coast Activist

BUILDING GREEN JUSTICE FORUM: ORGANIC ACTIVISTOLOGY

Date: September 28, 2017

Time: 8:30 am  to  4:00 pm

Huston-Tillotson University will host the fourth annual Building Green Justice Forum, this year focusing on “Organic Activistology.” Presenters and participants will reflect on their roles as organic activists – thinkers and doers who reflect their community’s history, values, and knowledge and who engage to direct the community as leaders and organizers. This exploration includes an analysis of the broader frame of environmental justice work, including tensions, conflicts, power sources, intersectionalities, and motivations.

Keynote speaker will be Mustafa Santiago Ali, Senior Vice President of Climate, Environmental Justice & Community Revitalization for the Hip Hop Caucus. In March 2017, Ali resigned his position as a top environmental justice administrator in the Environmental Protection Agency in protest of Trump administration policies. Ali worked at the EPA for more than two decades, starting in the administration of George H.W. Bush.

Other presentations and workshops will feature activists, community members, students, and researchers working on issues of environmental justice.

Registration and coffee begins at 8:30 am, with speakers, panels, and workshops throughout the day.

The forum—which is sponsored by Green is the New BlackThe Dumpster Project, and the Third Coast Activist Resource Center—is free but please register online.

For more information on sponsorship, contact Karen Magid, kmagid@htu.edu, or Amanda Masino, ammasino@htu.edu.

Location: Dickey-Lawless Science Building, Huston-Tillotson University, 900 Chicon St., Austin, 78702, with free parking in the Chalmers Avenue lot and free street parking around campus.


AI-JEN POO SPEAKING ON “IMMIGRATION AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN FAMILIES”

Date: October 19, 2017

Time: 5:30 pm  to  7:00 pm

Ai-jen Poo will discuss the role of immigrant women in the American care economy, featuring the stories and solutions of immigrant women for a more caring economy and democracy.

Poo is Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Co-director of Caring Across Generations. She also was a co-founder of Domestic Workers United and led a seven-year legislative campaign that resulted in the nation’s first Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights in New York City. Her 2015 book, The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in Changing America, outlines a road map to create a more caring nation, providing solutions for fixing our fraying safety net while also increasing opportunities for women, immigrants, and the unemployed.

The lecture, sponsored by the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice, will be followed by a reception. Free registration and more information online.

 Location: Eidman Courtroom, University of Texas School of Law, 727 E Dean Keeton St., Austin, 78705

Justice For Our Neighbors

Mark your calendars, you are invited to JFON Austin’s 3rd Annual Benefit Dinner!
Take a Stand with Austin Region Justice for our Neighbors!

 

Stand with Us!

3rd Annual Benefit Dinner

Sat, November 11, 2017

6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Asian American Resource Center

8401 Cameron Road

Austin, TX 78754

 

Austin Region Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON Austin) is a non-profit law office, welcoming refugees and immigrants into our communities by providing free, high-quality immigration legal services, education, and advocacy.

In the last year, JFON Austin provided twelve Know Your Rights Information sessions and over 80 individual immigration legal consultations. We also represented 110 refugees and immigrant clients in 140 cases. Our core programs offer consultations, emergency preparedness, and immigration legal representation to immigrants across Central Texas. JFON Austin aims to strengthen our individual representation of clients and our education to the immigrant community regarding steps to mitigate harm to their families in the event of raids, detention, or removal.

We invite you to experience how JFON Austin keeps immigrant families together. We hope that you will be able to join us for this event!

 

Foundation for the Homeless Fundraiser

8th Annual Spirit of Compassion Awards
Saturday, November 19, 6:00 p.m.
Archer Hotel at the Domain

This awards ceremony recognizes donors, community leaders and business leaders who make a difference in our community. Spirit of Austin Honors donors who have modeled a spirit of generous giving to Foundation for the Homeless and other community organizations engaged in the fight against hunger, homelessness and poverty.

There is a good seed in every heart. Attend to it with compassion. Shower it with hope. Warm it with love. And it will grow and bloom abundantly for generations to come.

Southern Poverty Law Center – Ten Ways to Fight Hate

When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime. Most hate crimes are inspired by race and religion, but hate today wears many faces. Bias incidents (eruptions of hate where no crime is committed) also tear communities apart and can escalate into actual crimes.

Since 2010, law enforcement agencies have reported an average of about 6,000 hate crime incidents per year to the FBI. But government studies show that the real number is far higher — an estimated 260,000 per year. Many hate crimes never get reported, in large part because the victims are reluctant to go to the police. In addition, many law enforcement agencies are not fully trained to recognize or investigate hate crimes, and many simply do not collect or report hate crime data to the FBI.

The good news is, all over the country people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance and inclusion. More often than not, when hate flares up, good people rise up against it — often in greater numbers and with stronger voices.

This guide sets out 10 principles for fighting hate in your community. https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/com_ten_ways_to_fight_hate_2017_web.pdf

Message from ACLU of Texas

Thanks to the hard work of our ACLU legal team and partners, a federal court decided to block most of Texas’s anti-immigrant law Senate Bill 4 (SB4) that was scheduled to take effect Sept. 1. This is an enormous victory for immigrants and their families.

Learn what the SB4 ruling means for Texas immigrants.

This victory is a direct result of the combined efforts of affected communities, cities, and counties. If SB4 had gone into effect on Sept. 1, it would have forcibly enlisted local law enforcement officers into Trump’s deportation force and targeted people of color, at a time when our community is recovering from one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.

But this fight is not over. The State has already filed its appeal. We will continue to be vigilant of civil rights abuses by local officers.

Read the key parts of the Court’s decision.

Sincerely,

ACLU of Texas