Late May events

A Meeting of the Waters:  Nurturing Our Watershed

The Booker Creek Watershed Alliance is holding a meeting at the Chapel Hill Public Library in Room B Wednesday, May 25th, 5-7pm.  There will be exhibits, discussion, and Tom Grizzle will make a presentation on climate change.  Booker Creek is a tributary of Bolin Creek in Chapel Hill, which joins Little Creek in Durham.  Their website is www.bookercreekalliance.org and their email is info @ bookercreekalliance (dot) org. 

There will be a birding hike with Friends of Bolin Creek at UNC's Mason Farm Biological Preserve Sunday, May 22nd at 7am ( bolincreek.org/blog/events/ ).  Participants should be over 6 years old and dogs are not allowed in the Preserve. 

Some Durham County Library events

Plant-a-palooza:  Saturday, May 21st at 8:30am in the parking lot at the Main Library NCTomatoMan Craig LeHouiller will give away vegetable plants (and apparently not just tomatoes).    
For information about the seed library program, see diggingdurham.org .

May is National Bike Month, and several events are listed at durhamcountylibrary.org . 

There will be an event celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sister Cities International, Sunday, May 22nd at 3pm in the Main Library's 1st floor conference room. 

BORDC petition

At bordc.org under the take action tab - online actions there is a petition demanding that the Senate Torture Report be completely declassified and preserved from CIA efforts to shred it. 

Events from an activist calendar in Chapel Hill:

"4TH ANNUAL UNDOCUGRADUATION: Join American Friends Service Committee - Carolinas in support of instate tuition and to recognize NC 31,000 students qualifying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Renewal Process.  9:30 am -11:45 am, Thursday, May 19, 106 W Jones St, Raleigh. afsc.org/greensboro. More information:  336-854-0633.

BUILDING PEOPLE POWER FOR CLIMATE & ENERGY JUSTICE:  Invitation to NC WARN Spring Cookout for an evening celebrating spring.  4:30-6:30 p.m., Friday, May 20, NC WARN Office, 2812 Hillsborough Road, Durham (parking across street behind Food Lion). Hear update on major projects, enjoy food and take some to share. Take chair. 919-416-5077, Lynette at ncwarn (dot) org.

CIRCLES OF HEALING: RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN ACTION:  Kacey Reynolds and Leah Wilson-Hartgrove, leaders of Capital Restorative Justice Project, discuss efforts to promote healing and nonviolent responses within NC communities torn apart by murder and executions. 1:15 p.m., May 23, Carol Woods Community Room, 750 Weaver Dairy Rd, Chapel Hill. Elders for Peace, 919-918-3432.

A MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATION FOR VICTIMS OF WAR: Hearing the Voiceless: Refugees at Home and Abroad. Speaker: Manzoor Cheema, co-founder of Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia. Proclamations from Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger.and Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle, songs for peace and justice by the Raging Grannies. Danny Gotham. 2 – 3:30 p.m., Monday, May 30, Extraordinary Ventures, 200 S. Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill. Sponsored by Orange County Peace Coalition, 919-929-3316, 919-419-1261.

 

ONGOING VIGILS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE: Raleigh: Stop the Arms Race and Build a Culture of Peace Vigil, 1st Wednesday of every month, Noon to 1 PM, Century Post Office on Fayetteville St (919-782-0667); Raleigh: End the death penalty (PFADP, AI-USA, NC-ACLU), 5 - 6 PM, Mondays, Central Prison, corner of Hunt Dr and Western Blvd (919-779-1912); Chapel Hill: 5-6 PM EDT [4:30 - 5:30 PM EST], Fridays, corner of Elliott Rd and East Franklin St; bring your sign(s) to show your concern or take one from collection (919-942-2535)."

Democracy Spring March & Rally in Raleigh and other events

Democracy Spring March & Rally

This is part of the Democracy Spring movement that organized the march from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to the US Capitol, followed by 8 days of civil disobedience in April (see www.democracyspring.org ).  There will be a march and rally at the NC Capitol (1 East Edenton Street, Raleigh) starting at noon, Saturday, May 14th.  [This is an unpermitted march, but the organizers say people on sidewalks should be fine, and they will document interactions with police and have created a fund to help anyone who is arrested.]  From the Facebook event ( www.facebook.com/events/1014192068662706/ ): 

"This is a POLITICAL REVOLUTION! WE ARE THE PEOPLE OF THIS REVOLUTION! Rise up! Get loud! Push back! Start demanding the WHOLE LOAF instead of just CRUMBS! MAY 14th…. Beginning at NOON at the State Capital in Raleigh, NC. We MARCH! I want to see you all there! I want you to wake others who have been asleep too long! Please share this with EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE!! #democracyspring #democracyspringnc #democracyawakening #riseup
In solidarity with #nuitdebout "

[9th Annual Pollinator Day in Pittsboro

This celebration of honey bees and other vital pollinators will be May 14th, 9am-1pm at Chatham Mills (480 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro), whether it rains or not.  This is organized by the Chatham County Center of the NC Cooperative Extension Service, Chatham County Bee Keepers' Association, and sponsors, and there will be beekeeping, mead making, and cooking demonstrations; beeswax candle making; a tour of Chatham Mill's pollinator garden featuring more than 180, mostly native perennials; plant giveaways; and other events.  For the schedule, see  growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/2016/04/9th-annual-pollinator-day-celebration-may-14-in-pittsboro/ .]

[Nakba Day

May 15th marks the past and continuing mistreatment and dispossession of Palestinians by Israel.  For more information see: 

endtheoccupation.org/section.php?id=224
electronicintifada.net/content/resisting-nakba/7518  ]

Repeal HB2 Moral Monday

Monday, March 16th at the Legislative Building (16 West Jones Street, Raleigh) at 4pm.  There will be a non-violent civil disobedience training session at 3pm, location TBA.  The Facebook announcement is at:  www.facebook.com/events/470197463175635/ .

A Day for Democracy!

In honor of the fight against the state government's voter suppression efforts, Ben & Jerry's is launching a new ice cream flavor Tuesday, May 17th at NCCU in Durham (exact location TBA) at 11am.  The plaintiffs in NC NAACP v McCrory, Rev. Barber, and Ben & Jerry will speak and there will be free ice cream.  The Facebook event is at: https://www.facebook.com/events/472662102929745/ .

[NCBG Endangered Species Day 5/20 and Festival 5/21

There will be a presentation at the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill on the 408 plant species (10% of the State's floral biodiversity) that are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern, and an additional 286 that are significantly rare.  It will be Thursday, May 20th 12-1pm; registration is required but it might be a free event (see their online calendar). 

They are holding a native plant sale and festival Saturday, May 21st 4-8pm.  Admission is free and both the Botanical Garden and several nurseries will be selling plants, along with a book sale, raffle, tree climbing with Piedmont Tree Climbing (this seems to require buying a ticket), live music, and food trucks.  Check out the NC Native Plant Society and other groups may be tabling.  For details see:  ncbg.unc.edu/native-plant-sale/ .] 

Peace and Justice Vigils

The area peace vigils continue, but the one every Friday at the corner of East Franklin and Elliot in Chapel Hill (Village Plaza) is on its summer schedule, from 5-6pm. 

Elections

North Carolina's congressional primary is June 7th, and I think that is also the end of the presidential primaries.  [Actually, the last Democratic contest must be Washington, DC on June 14th.]  The composition of the Congress is important, even more so if you don't like the person occupying the White House, and need a counterbalancing force.   

[Pollinator Week in RTP

There is supposed to be a pollinator festival or something like that in RTP June 22nd 2-4pm, but I don't have details about the location yet.] 

[Seed Library

The Durham County Library's free seed exchange program continues this year; details at www.durhamcountylibrary.org.  I think they also have a tool library now, but their website seems to be down at the moment, so I cannot check.]