World Refugee Day 2021 Event, June 30

Sharing the Journey Together: Celebrating World Refugee Day
WEDNESDAY June 30TH 6:30PM to 8PM

Reformation Lutheran Church
1118 Union St.
Columbia, SC 29201
outside event. 
Join us for an evening of cultural sharing and networking in celebration of World Refugee Day.  Hear an update from Lutheran Services Carolinas about the expected increase of new refugees arriving in Columbia this summer and how you can get involved.  Lutheran Services Carolinas is the agency that receives and resettles all new refugees in Columbia.  Learn about the refugee experience and the cultures of refugee communities through sharing. 
Mask wearing and social distancing encouraged.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
RSVP/Share on Facebook

Sponsored by the Carolina Peace Resource Center and Lutheran Services Carolinas.
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CALL FOR CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS…
There is still space in our program for cultural contributions that reflect the refugee experience and/or the culture of resettled refugee communities, including:
    •    Personal Stories/ Storytelling
    •    Poetry, your own or from others.
    •    Songs/Musical Performance
    •    Dance Performance or Teach us Your Dance!
    •    Fashion show of traditional dress.
    •    Due to Covid precautions, we are NOT asking for food contributions this year.
    •    Anything else you think would be a good idea.
Cultural sharings should last about 5 to 10 minutes to allow us to hear from many voices.  Please share only as your are comfortable sharing with a public audience.
CONTACT: David, david@carolinapeace.org or text/call 803-215-3263.

“Remembering Hiroshima, Preventing Nuclear War” Sunday Aug 4th at the State Museum

Remembering Hiroshima, Preventing Nuclear War:
An Educational Experience
SUNDAY Aug 4th, 2PM-4PM

The State Museum, Gervais Room (2nd Floor by Main Staircase)
301 Gervais St. Columbia, SC 29201
Join us for the 29th Annual Hiroshima Vigil/Remembrance in Columbia, SC.  This year we’ll feature an interactive exhibit featuring storytelling, arts and craft making (peace cranes, lanterns), video and more remembering the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and highlighting efforts to prevent nuclear war.  Drop in!
Free and open to the public.  $1 Admission to the rest of The State Museum.
Facebook Event
Sponsored by the Carolina Peace Resource Center and the Columbia Friends Meeting (Quakers)

City of Columbia to Proclaim Aug 4th Hiroshima Vigil/Remembrance Day

 

 

 

 

City of Columbia Council Meeting

TUESDAY July 16th 6PM

1737 Main St. Columbia, SC

Please join us in support of the Columbia City Council passing a proclamation declaring Hiroshima Vigil/Remembrance Day on August 4th. There will also be a resolution on the agenda in support of the “Ban the Box” campaign.

Check out the full text of the Hiroshima resolution here…

Continue reading “City of Columbia to Proclaim Aug 4th Hiroshima Vigil/Remembrance Day”

Learning Circle on Honduras Tuesday April 2nd 7:30PM at Tapp’s

Learning Circle, Focus Honduras:
Roots of Exile, Militarization, ICE and Asylum in the US
TUESDAY April 2nd 7:30PM
Tapp’s Art Center, 1644 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
Featuring Debbie Billings (Witness for Peace Honduras Delegation Member), Azadeh Shahshahani and Manzoor Cheema (Project South), Luis Garcia (asylum-seeker from Honduras), Nina Cano Richards (Cano Law LLC) and Laura Cahue (Grassroots Alliance for Immigrant Rights). Free and open to the public.
Facebook Event
Sponsored by Witness for Peace Southeast, Project South, Palmetto Luna Arts, Cano Law LLC and the Carolina Peace Resource Center

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See also “Central American Asylum-Seeker Crisis” Panel Discussion WEDNESDAY April 3rd 4PM-5PM at USC, Gambrell Hall, Room 431

https://carolinapeace.org/2019/03/22/central-american-asylum-seeker-crisis-wednesday-april-3rd-4pm-at-usc/

Our Picks for Indie Grits 2019

13th Annual
INDIE GRITS FESTIVAL 2019
THURSDAY March 28th-SUNDAY March 31st
Columbia, SC
Indie Grits is a 4-day event celebrating the visionary and experimental culture of the Southeast through film, art, music, and bits in Columbia, SC. In partnership with the Nickelodeon Theatre. Festival passes are available or tickets for films can be bought individually.  #IndieGrits2019

Carolina Peace’s Indie Grits Picks for 2019…

THE UNAFRAID
THURSDAY March 28th, 4PM
Nickelodeon Theatre
1607 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
Shot over a period of four years, this observational documentary feature follows Alejandro, Silvia, and Aldo, three DACA recipients for whom attending college in their home state of Georgia is all but impossible, given the government’s refusal to grant them entry or offer in-state tuition. Rather than giving in, the three students deftly navigate the political maelstrom that surrounds them, not only fighting for their own rights but for the rights of their families and their communities as well. Film by Heather Courtney & Anayansi Prado, Los Angeles, CA. Running time: 87 min.
$6 Student/ $8 Nick Member/ $11 General Admission
More info/Reserve Tickets:
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/features/the-unafraid/

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RESILIENCE Short Films Block
FRIDAY March 29th 1:30PM
SATURDAY March 30th 7PM
Nickelodeon Theatre
1607 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
The figures that populate these documentary shorts refuse to be confined, or defined, by their oppression. If anything, the challenges they’ve faced are an opportunity. An opportunity to embrace, without reservation, who they are and what they believe. Gun control advocates, sanctuary-seekers, the wrongfully imprisoned: these courageous individuals mine painful pasts and contemplate uncertain futures, but remain steadfast in their resolve to resist at any cost.
$6 Student/ $8 Nick Member/ $11 General Admission
More about the shorts/ Reserve Tickets:
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/shorts/resilience/

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LUMPKIN, GA
FRIDAY March 29th 6:30PM
This timely documentary feature–a lyrical exploration of indifference and isolation in today’s divided political climate–zeroes in on a poverty-stricken community in rural Georgia that plays host to one of America’s largest immigrant detention centers.
Screened with Walker’s (12 min) and Uniontown (16 min)
More info/Reserve Tickets:
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/features/lumpkin-ga/

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AMERICA FIRST: THE LEGACY OF AN IMMIGRATION RAID
SATURDAY March 30th 1PM
Nickelodeon Theatre
1607 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
It’s been a decade since Postville, Iowa suffered the largest immigration raid at a worksite in US history–389 immigrants were arrested in the biggest kosher meatpacking plant in the country. This documentary feature sheds light on the repercussions of such massive raids. America First marks the return of Indie Grits alum Andrea Patiño Contreras to this year’s festival. Film by Andrea Patiño Contreras & Almudena Toral, Miami, FL. Running Time 39 min. Screened with Gutk’odau (Yellow) (8 min) and A Line Birds Cannot See (9 min).
$6 Student/ $8 Nick Member/ $11 General Admission
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/features/america-first-the-legacy-of-an-immigration-raid/

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SILENCE SAM (FINE CUT SCREENING)
SATURDAY March 30th 3PM
Richland Library, 2nd Floor Theatre
1431 Assembly St Columbia, SC 29201
Since its dedication in 1913, students, staff, faculty, and community members at UNC have advocated for the removal of Confederate monument Silent Sam, standing at the entrance of campus. Silence Sam, a documentary short produced by students of UNC’s School of Media and Journalism, follows the most recent student-led movement to remove the statue, as well as their silencing by university administrators. Jeremiah Rhodes & Courtney Staton, Chapel Hill, NC. Running time: 40 min. Followed by free Impact Producer Workshop.
FREE SCREENING.
More Info: http://indiegrits.org/silence-sam/

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JADDOLAND
SUNDAY March 312st 3PM
Nickelodeon Theatre
1607 Main St. Columbia, SC 29201
In this vivid, wistful documentary portrait, filmmaker Nadia Shihab returns to her hometown in the Texas panhandle to visit her mother, an artist from Iraq; her mother’s increasingly isolated life–and dynamic creative process–become the object of her attention. Soon, Shihab’s grandfather arrives from Iraq, prompting a deeper engagement with questions of place, migration, and the spaces we call home. Documentary Film by Nadia Shihab, Oakland, CA. Running Time: 90 min.
$6 Student/ $8 Nick Member/ $11 General Admission
More Info/Reserve Ticket:
http://indiegrits.org/festival/film/features/jaddoland/

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Commemoration of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Sun, Aug 6, Columbia, SC

Join us next Sunday August 6th in remembering #Hiroshima and renewing our commitment to work toward a more peaceful world where nuclear weapons will never be used again. Featuring music, poetry, dance, and children’s activities including making origami peace cranes. 2:30pm-4:30pm at Edventure’s Canal Room, 211 Gervais St. FREE.
Sponsored by Carolina Peace and the Columbia Friends Meeting (Quakers)
More details: https://www.facebook.com/events/204584853388254/

Refugee Task Force Holds Winter Clothing Drive

South Carolina is famous for its mild winters.  But we still have to bundle up for the cold, which can be a problem for those from even warmer climes…  or those forced to leave everything behind.

Carolina Peace’s Refugee Task Force is holding a Winter Clothing Drive for Refugees now through Friday March 10th.  Most refugees arrive with very few possessions.  Please donate winter clothes of all sizes.  We also welcome donations of children’s clothing.  Items benefit refugees resettled here in South Carolina.

DROP OFF LOCATIONS:

Redeemer Lutheran Church
WEDNESDAYS 6PM-8PM
(February)
525 St. Andrews Rd Columbia

2931 Blossom St.
Columbia, SC
Please leave items  in box on porch.
Look for sign saying REFUGEES WELCOME!

Reformation Lutheran Church
FRIDAY March 10th 10 am-Noon
1118 Union St. Columbia, SC
If you would like to give your donation directly to a refugee family, please join us 10am at Reformation Lutheran Church.

Another Location, Arrange a Pick Up
Text 817.881.8199 for Katrina.
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Email: Refugee Task Force, rtf@carolinapeace.org
Facebook: South Carolina Welcomes Refugees

Thousands gather at Jan. 21 “Stand Up” rally


Thousands of South Carolinians of all ages, genders and races joined together at Columbia’s State House and Music Farm concert venue with millions of others worldwide to rally for women’s rights and other causes on Jan. 21, one day after the inauguration of now-President Donald Trump.

The rally was in partnership with the Women’s March on Washington
D.C., and was also part of the South Carolina Progressive Network (SCPN) Stand Up Rally. The event advocated for progress in a number of social justice areas, and attendees were encouraged to be engaged and become involved in making this progress happen.

Continue reading “Thousands gather at Jan. 21 “Stand Up” rally”

A Thousand Protest Trump Executive Orders on Refugees, Travel Ban

On Tuesday January 31, the Carolina Peace Resource Center held a United We Stand: Immigrants and Refugees Welcome Rally at the South Carolina State House. The rally was a protest against the executive orders signed by President Trump that curtail refugee resettlement and indefinitely suspended resettlement of refugees from Syria as well as instituting a travel ban from seven nations into the United States.
Close to a thousand people attended the protest, forming an expansive sign line across the State House grounds. Carolina Peace provided materials for protesters to craft their own signs, and the finished products combined with signs brought by other attendees to make a visually stunning show of support for immigrants and refugees.

Carolina Peace President David Matos led the crowd in cheers that welcomed immigrants and refugees. After his initial remarks, the protesters lined Gervais St. to chant and hold signs for nearly two hours.

Local voices for peace attended the march, such as poet Nikky Finney, pictured above. The crowd made an impressive sight to passersby and vehicles driving by the State House.

As the sun began to set, the crowd relocated to the grounds in front of the State House grounds to listen to several informational speakers including a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union and Omari Fox from Simple Justice: Black Lives Matter.

The crowd continued to rally and cheer on the grounds and the overall mood was one of goodwill and acceptance. Several local press sources covered the event. Below are links to articles about the event:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2017/01/31/donald-trump-statehouse-protest-sc/97289334/

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/crowd-of-about-gathers-in-columbia-to-protest-president-donald/article_690c23b4-e80f-11e6-b6d7-273522ccd18d.html

http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article129896284.html

Overall, the event was an exciting show of support for immigrants and refugees and an inspiring event for Carolina Peace. We are grateful for the outpouring of support that was shown and are excited to see what we can accomplish together in the future.