Freethought Cafe Field trip to the Jim Crow Museum of Racial Intolerance

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Carpool to Big Rapids (less than an hour drive) and tour the museum at Ferris State. We will meet to discuss what we saw and felt in two weeks on October 9.
Please RSVP to me, Laura email hidden; JavaScript is required  for the museum’s sake! We may or may not qualify for a special tour.
Meet at 11 a.m. in the lot on the corner of Ann NE and Monroe NW. We will want to get to the museum before the homecoming football crowds come in.

Vision For Black Lives: Discussion & Action Group

Thursday, September 29 at 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

at Institute for Global Education, 1118 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI

Centering Black voices, let’s come together to review the incredible document “A Vision for Black Lives”, a massive collaborative effort initiated by The Movement for Black Lives.

Let’s discuss how this could work in Grand Rapids based on priorities and goals of local Black leadership, and collaboratively work towards creating an action plan.

Please review the demands document at https://policy.m4bl.org/beforehand.

IMPORTANT: White SURJ participants: come to listen, bring a snack to share, drinks to share, and notepads and pens to share.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1679440722375882/

Contact Marie at (616) 446-3622
or email hidden; JavaScript is required

Justice for Rasmea Odeh–Tuesday, September 22 update, 7:00pm at IGE

Institute for Global Education is at 1118 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Rasmea Odeh is the target of U.S. government repression because she stands for equality, freedom and justice. Rasmea Odeh is a “serve the people” leader of the Arab American community in Chicago, an icon of the Palestinian liberation movement, and a determined activist for equality and justice for women and all oppressed peoples.

Two years ago the U.S. government raided and arrested her, put her on trial for a minor immigration paper work problem, and is attempting to imprison and deport her. In an unfair trial where she was not allowed to talk about being tortured by the Israeli Military, she was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison and then deportation to a country other than her own. This trial was overturned by an appeals court in Cincinnati.  A victory for the movement in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh.

At 69, Rasmea Odeh embodies the life long struggle of the Palestinian people to be free from colonization and occupation. We ask you to come here a report on her case, build the solidarity movement with Rasmea Odeh, and attend her next court hearing in Detroit on Tuesday, November 29 in front of Judge Drain.

Tom Burke with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression at www.StopFBI.net will make a short presentation and then discuss organizing solidarity with Rasmea Odeh.

Dunbar’s Number Theory on Sunday from 12-2pm

Does Dunbar’s Number theory offer insights into why humans act as we do?

Are there implications for our cities, workplaces, or government? This discussion will have no formal moderator and may go anyplace! Will Free Will be pondered? You bet!

Potluck as usual!

Everyone is welcome 🙂

Dunbar’s number is a suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is and how each person relates to every other person.

Upcoming Free Thought events:

September 25, 2016 we will road trip to the museum in Big Rapids

We will have a discussion on Sunday, October 9, 2016 from 12-2pm