On Tuesday, 11 January 2022 from 7:00-9:00pm a panel discussion will be held via Zoom as a joint initiative of The Wei LLC’s EJ Chat Series, Diversity United and Ahavas Sholom Jewish Congregation on ways that residents of Newark, New Jersey and communities around the globe are being impacted by environmental justice issues which affect their health, lifestyles and economic well-being. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a live question and answer session following the panel, which will be led by Kimi Wei.read more
What: Our Voices, Our Future: What Residents and Civic Leaders Want in Local Media
When: Wed., June 7th, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Where: Johnson Public Library, 274 Main St, Hackensack NJ
Here’s what you can expect at the event: Free Press members, residents, journalists, and community leaders will be gathering to share ideas on how local media can better serve the public. You’ll get a chance to meet others like you, take action to address New Jersey’s local news crisis, and brainstorm about the steps we can take together to improve coverage in your community.
The New Jersey Hispanic Research and Information Center @ The Newark Public Library and the Friends of HRIC are co-hosting the launch of the new book, Nationalists Heroines: Puerto Rican Women History Forgot 1930s-1950s, by Dr. Olga Jiménez de Wagenheim, Professor Emerita in History, Rutgers University. The public is welcome at this event.
A book signing and reception will follow the talk and reading.
Book Release Event for Nationalists Heroines:
Puerto Rican Women History Forgot, 1930s-1950s
Wednesday 29 June | 6 PM
@ The Newark Public Library
Centennial Hall
5 Washington Street, Newark, NJ
973-733-3637 or 973-733-7772
Historians have largely overlooked the roles of the Puerto Rican women who were active members of the island’s Nationalist Party and fought to end what they considered to be the U.S. government’s illegal occupation of Puerto Rico. Dr. Wagenheim’s latest book seeks to rescue the stories of these courageous women who gave up their freedom in search of their homeland’s independence. Attached is a brief note from the publisher’s site.
Olga Jiménez de Wagenheim is author of Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History, El Grito de Lares: sus causas y sus hombres, Puerto Rico’s Revolt for Independence: El Grito de Lares and co-editor with Kal Wagenheim of The Puerto Ricans: A Documentary History.
From the moment the United States seized Puerto Rico, in 1898, to the 1950s, the islanders employed various forms of resistance to the imposition of American colonial rule. A group of Nationalists led by Pedro Albizu Campos made it clear that they would free Puerto Rico, by armed struggle if necessary. A confrontation between the Nationalists and the colonial police in October 1935 left four Nationalists dead. A few months later two Nationalists killed the Chief of Police, Francis E. Riggs. Albizu Campos and seven of his aides were convicted on seditious charges and sent to a federal prison in Atlanta, Georgia. His followers attempted to hold a demonstration in Ponce, Albizu Campos’s hometown, and were gunned down by the police: nineteen unarmed men, women, and children were killed and more than one hundred and fifty wounded. Dominga de la Cruz ran from a place of safety to rescue the flag from a wounded comrade.
Back in Puerto Rico in 1947, Albizu Campos began to plan for a revolution, which he launched on October 30, 1950. A commando unit of five attacked the Governor’s residence while others assaulted police stations in half a dozen cities and towns throughout the island. One woman, Doris Torresola, was shot while protecting her leader. The same day Blanca Canales was one of three to lead the revolt in Jayuya. Two days later, two Nationalists, residents of New York, attempted to kill President Truman at Blair House, his temporary residence. Massive arrests followed and forty-one women were detained on suspicion that they had conspired with the rebels. Two of the fifteen women indicted were sentenced to life in prison. Then, on March 1, 1954, another woman, Dolores Lebrón, led three male companions in an attack on the U.S. House of Representatives in which five congressmen were shot for keeping Puerto Rico in bondage.
Historians have largely overlooked the roles of these Nationalist women. Nationalist Heroines: Puerto Rican Women History Forgot, 1930s-1950s seeks to rescue the stories of the women who gave up their freedom in the quest to free their homeland.
Dr. Olga Jiménez Wagenheim is Professor Emerita in History, Rutgers University, Newark Campus, where she taught 27 years and where she received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award (1991), the Humanitarian Award (1998) and many others.
Dr. Jiménez Wagenheim has published several books and numerous articles on Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans. Among her books are: Puerto Rico: An Interpretive History From Pre-Columbian Times to 1900 (Markus Wiener Pub., 1998), Puerto Rico’s Revolt for Independence: El Grito de Lares (Westview Press, 1984), El Grito de Lares: sus causas y sus hombres (Huracan, 1984), and co-edited with Kal Wagenheim, The Puerto Ricans: A Documentary History (Praeger, 1973, Markus Wiener, 2013).
The NJ Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA) will convene the 2016 Urban Agriculture as an Economic Development Tool Conference in Trenton, NJ this coming Thursday on May 5. The event is open to the public and is free, but we ask that you register.
Municipalities and partners across the state will be introduced to the economic possibilities that exist through urban agriculture. Participants will gather and demonstrate their commitment to the shared goals of creating jobs, growing our economy and improving our quality of life.
This conference is intentionally designed to attract and facilitate interaction, learning, and information exchange among a diverse group of stakeholders in New Jersey’s urban and rural economic development future.
Urban Agriculture as an Eco-Dev Tool Conference:
Sponsored by The NJ Urban Mayors Association
Thurs 05 May 2016 8a-5p
The War Memorial
1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, NJ 08608
Cost: free
Register, see the agenda and get other information here.
Kimi Wei and Ivan Wei have had the pleasure of helping to plan this conference and The Wei will be an event tabler.
Purim sameach! Book of Esther Megillah readings for Northern New Jersey, Purim 2016:
Source: The Washington Megillah (Megillat Esther, The Book of Esther), Scroll on Parchment, Illuminated, Italy eighteenth century Hebraic Section. Library of Congress Photo
Paterson Federation Building Megillah Reading and Light Breakfast
Learn more about the last of the Jews of Paterson and enjoy a light breakfast/seudah with these seniors, so come with costume, come with ruach! Parking is available on the street and just across the street at Rosa Parks School (former Yavneh Academy)
Free Press wants to help Atlantic City community members tell your stories to the press:
We’ve heard what outsiders have to say about Atlantic City. Now it’s your turn. Meet with journalists in a community forum and tell YOUR story about life in Atlantic City.
My Atlantic City – What’s Your AC Story?
Tues 08 Dec 2015 | 6–8:30 pm
(light refreshments will be served) Noyes Arts Garage at Stockton University
200 Fairmount Ave
Atlantic City NJ RSVP today
We hear from Creative New Jersey that some stories may get into a PBS documentary and that free training on media platforms will be offered to all participants.
To facilitate a real dialog about topics important to women in business, the New Jersey Small Business Development Center at Brookdale Community College will hold its second annual “Women Entrepreneurs Rock” (aka WeRock) at a legendary music venue in Asbury Park on Monday, October 19. The event is free and open to the public.
19 October 19 2015
6-9pm (networking until 10) The Stone Pony
913 Ocean Ave, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
A report in The State of Women Owned Businesses, 2014 from American Express OPEN says:
It is estimated that, as of 2014, there are nearly 9.1 million women-owned enterprises, employing nearly 7.9 million workers and generating over $1.4 trillion in revenues … Between 1997 and 2014, the number of women-owned firms grew at 1½ times the national average.
Jackeline Mejias-Fuertes, Director of the New Jersey SBDC at Brookdale Community College says, “This is by far, not your standard business function. From the topics, to the venue (one of the nation’s best known and loved music venues), to the speakers, our goal is to meet entrepreneurs where they live and offer current and candid insight – as we did in our inaugural 2014 event. No formalities and no canned responses … just real information from those who have successfully navigated the process of launching and growing a business.”
Panelists will discuss their backgrounds, successes and the challenges they’ve overcome and offer advice to fellow business owners, followed by a Q & A session.
Keynote is Kellie LaDet, Regional Administrator for the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Panel moderator, DonnaLyn Giegerich, President of DLG Consulting. Panelists include:
Holly Migliaccio – Co-Founder/Owner Rook Coffee
Marilyn Schlossbach – Restaurateur and International Hospitality Consultant
Julie Goldman – Founder & CEO The Original Runner Co
Stephanie D. Burroughs – President of StephanieSpeaking LLC
Katherine O’Neill – Executive Director of Jumpstart New Jersey Angel Network
Space is limited at this free event so attendees must pre-register. There will be door prizes and a cash bar.
#PeoplesClimateMovement in demanding #climateactionI’m joining the #PeoplesClimate Movement on Oct 14 to demand bold #climateaction from our leaders. Will you join me?
People’s Organization For Progress (POP) will hold a community forum on Monday 24 August on “The Obama Years and the 2016 Election.” This event is sponsored by POP and Marlo’s Cocktail Lounge. The program is free and open to the public.
Chairman Lawrence Hamm extends his personal invitation:
This is a community speakout. There are no guest speakers. Anyone in attendance who wants to give an opinion on the topic will be given an opportunity to do so. All are invited. Please make every effort to attend. Thank you. Power to the people!
Africa Salon, Yale’s first annual contemporary African arts and culture festival — featuring some of today’s top artists from the continent and diaspora — will take place on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28.
Hosted by the Yale Africa Initiative, the interactive event will include a series of panels, readings, exhibits, and performances.
The event will open on Friday evening with a panel moderated by Michael Veal, professor of music and African American studies. Saturday’s events will include a series of panels — each accompanied by a performance or visual presentation — highlighting key artists and their work in contemporary African literature, visual art, film, music, fashion, and dance. At each panel, faculty and students who are producing artistic work on Africa will be featured.
A free-to-the-public concert will held at Battel Chapel, located at 400 College Street, New Haven. Other events take place at the Afro-American Cultural Center, 211 Park St. Registration is $20 for the public and $10 for students.
View the full schedule and register for Africa Salon at africasalon.org. More information about the festival at YaleNews.
Nyack Village Theatre celebrates Black History Month in Film. The theatre is located upstairs at 94 Main Street in the historic Woolworth Way, built in 1905 and today presenting film, music, theatre, dance and poetry in an intimate 49 seat space in the heart of Nyack.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6th – 8:00pm
“Hidden Colors” – The Untold History of People of Aboriginal, Moor and African Descent
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7th 7:30pm
“Cabin in The Sky” – starring Ethel Waters, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Lena Horne, Louie Armstrong, Rex Ingram, Duke Ellington & The Hall Johnson Choir
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13th 7:30pm
“St. Louis Blues” – The Story of W.C. Handy, starring Nat King Cole, Eartha Kitt
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14th 7:30pm
“Cameleon St.” – a 1989 independent film written by, directed by and starring Wendell B. Harris, Jr.. It tells the story of a social chameleon who impersonates reporters, doctors and lawyers in order to make money.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd
2:00pm – “Classified X” – Explore the representation of African Americans in the History of American cinema through the eyes of Melvin Van Peebles.
3:30pm – “Sweet Sweetback’s BaadAsssss Song” – Directed by Melvin Van Peebles
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27th 7:30pm
Mo’ Better Blues – Directed by Spike Lee, starring Denzel Washington
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28th 7:30pm
“To Sleep with Anger” – Charles Burnett’s beautiful, poetic masterpiece is novelistic in its narrative density and richness of characterization. Starring Danny Glover.
General admission tickets $7 on line and $10 at door (cash only at the door) or call box office for information 201-694-0610.
A Movement or a Moment panel discussion on police brutality, racial profiling and the matter of black lives will be presented on Monday as part of the Fireside Chat Series at Essex County College.
Monday, February 2 2015 6-8pm
ECC Fireside Chat Series Panel: A Movement or a Moment,
on the Matter of Black Lives
Siegler Hall, Essex County College
303 University Avenue, Newark, NJ
Cost: free
This free program is being offered in response to the high-profile deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, and the subsequent court rulings and responses. It will center on whether the matter of black lives is an event of the moment, or an ongoing and growing movement.
Scheduled panelists include writer and activist Darnell Moore, activist Walter Fortson Jr., community advocate Laquan Thomas, criminal defense lawyer Ada Nunez, activist Michael Kramer, a representative from the Newark Police Department, and Michele Kamal, whose son was shot and killed last year by Irvington police. Essex Associate Professor Linda McDonald Carter, director of the College’s Paralegal Studies Program, will serve as moderator.
The discussion is presented by the College’s Urban Issues Institute and sponsored by Alpha Rho New Jersey Alumnae Chapter of Omega Epsilon Rho Service Sorority, Inc. Additional information is available from the Urban Issues Institute at 973-877-3239.
On Sunday, February 15 2015, the community is invited to the JCC on the Palisades to attend a conference on navigating the changing systems of Developmental Disabilities. This timely conference will address the critical needs that so many families of individuals with disabilities face – including housing, medicaid / entitlements, advocacy, employment and planning for adulthood.
Sunday, Feb 15
Registration 8:30, Program 9am-1pm
Kaplan JCC on the Palisades
411 E. Clinton Avenue
Tenafly NJ 07670
NJ State Senator Loretta Weinberg, D.O. Majority Leader will open the conference and the keynote will feature Ms Elizabeth M. Shea, Assistant Commissioner of Division of Developmental Disabilities followed by a panel conversation about housing options in NJ by Gail Levinson, Executive Director SHA, and Tom Toronto, President United Way of Bergen County. Additional speakers will include: Leizer Gewirtzman, Holly Martins, Jennifer Joyce, and Teresa Herrero-Taylor. Speakers will be addressing: Employment, SSI/Medicaid Eligibilities, Advocacy for Parents, and Life Care Planning and Support.
The conference is being organized by J-ADD, OHEL & JCCOTP, with many local community organizations participating as well including JFS Clifton-Passaic, Bergen County Y/JCC, JFS Bergen in Wayne, and Sinai. Register here.
