Rio Texas Methodist Federation for Social Action

12:30-3:30, March 11, 18, and 25
First United Methodist Church – Austin
1300 Lavaca Street

12:30-3:30, May 13, 20, and 27
Saint John’s UMC – Austin
2140 Allandale Rd.

Attendance is free, but registration is required.

Reserve your spot today at http://ubeaustin.blogspot.com/

The Annual Community March celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy while uplifting diversity and multi-culturalism in our city. The MLK Community March kicks off on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 9 a.m. with a short program at the MLK Statue on the University of Texas campus.

We will then march to the south steps of the State Capitol for a short program and marchers will continue on to the historic Huston-Tillotson University, where exciting activities are planned. All businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals are invited to march and celebrate Dr. King’s legacy.

More information on the Austin events here.

Information on the San Antonio events here.

Austin Friends – Join Rio Texas MFSA at the MLK Statue and march to the Capitol with us!
Contact Janice Curry – jlcurry@austin.rr.com with questions.

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is November 12-20, 2016, sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless

First UMC, Austin

Sunday, November 20

10:00 a.m. Wesley Hall

The General Commission on Race and Religion of The United Methodist Church (GCORR) has created a series of Vital Conversations on Realities of Race and Racism. This Vital Conversations series features contemporary theologians, sociologists, laity, clergy, and other thought-leaders dealing with challenges of race, culture, and oppression in the Church and world today.

On November 20, we will continue these vital conversations with a video and discussion of “Church: Building the Beloved Community” with Rev. Dr. Miguel De la Torre, professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. Discussion will be led by Dr. Adama Brown and Pastor Cathy Stone.

Please contact Pastor Cathy with any questions at cathy@fumcaustin.org.

The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) plans to build a national memorial to victims of lynching and open a museum that explores African American history from enslavement to mass incarceration. Both the museum and memorial will be located in Montgomery, Alabama. Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy and founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, talked about this when he spoke to 900 people in Austin, TX. There is interest in Austin to participate in this project. Stay tuned for more information.

From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration will be situated within 150 yards of one of the South’s most prominent slave auction sites and the Alabama River dock and rail station where tens of thousands of enslaved black people were trafficked. The museum will contain high-tech exhibits, artifacts, recordings, and films, as well as comprehensive data and information on lynching and racial segregation. The museum will connect the history of racial inequality with contemporary issues of mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and police violence.

The Memorial to Peace and Justice will sit on six acres of land in Montgomery and become the nation’s first national memorial to victims of lynching. The massive structure will contain the names of over 4000 lynching victims engraved on concrete columns representing each county in the United States where racial terror lynchings took place. Counties across the country will be invited to retrieve duplicate columns with the names of each county’s lynching victims to be placed in every county.

In February 2015, EJI released Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror, a ground-breaking report that documents more than 4000 lynchings of black people in the United States between 1877 and 1950. EJI identified several hundred more lynchings than had previously been recognized. For a copy of the full report, please contact EJI. A summary of the report is available here.

The national memorial to lynching victims will be one of the nation’s most ambitious projects relating to the history of racial terror lynchings. EJI has purchased six acres of land atop a rise that overlooks the City of Montgomery and out to the American South, where terror lynchings were most prevalent.

Join us on Tuesday, September 20 at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church for a courageous conversation on the topic of Privilege.

Please RSVP in advance!

September 20, – 6:30 pm – 8:30pm

VITAL CONVERSATIONS on Realities of Race and Racism

The General Commission on Religion and Race of The United Methodist Church (GCORR) presents Vital Conversations on Realities of Race and Racism: A Guide to Small-group Discussions about the Video Series. This Vital Conversations series features contemporary theologians, sociologists, laity, clergy, and other thought-leaders dealing with challenges of race, culture, and oppression in the Church and world today.

http://www.gcorr.org/series/vc1/

Rio Texas MFSA is sponsoring the One Human Race Series on three Saturdays in April (16th, 23rd, and 30th) at St. Luke UMC, 1306 West Lynn, Austin, 78703. We will meet once a week for three weeks to create a safe environment to communicate about race using the following resources: ·     Watch PBS Series: “Race: The Power of An Illusion” in one hour segments; ·     Participate in group discussions with trained group leaders; ·     Examine the American concept of race; ·     Share feelings and experiences with a goal of building community and common ground. You do not have to attend all three sessions. If you miss a session, you can register for it later at another location. Registration will be available soon. Contact Anne Mund, ennadnum@hotmail.com, if you have questions.

We look forward to seeing you on April 16, 23, and 30th