Peace Education and Action Center

Upcoming Events

We list all events of interest to the Peace and Justice Community on our Events Page, not just those sponsored by the Peace Education and Action Center. If you would like to submit an event for posting, please email it to peacenter@gmail.com. Events sponsored by the PEACenter appear first, followed by other events of interest.

If you are an educator, please take the time to review the resources available at the Peace Center
Library and the links to many other educational resources available on our website.

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Tuesday, February 2nd, 7pm
Film Screening: Greensboro: Closer to the Truth
Friends Meetinghouse, 3139 57th Street, Sarasota
Sponsored by the Peace Education and Action Center

On November 3, 1979, members of the Communist Workers Party were holding a Death to the Klan rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. Suddenly a caravan rounded the corner, scattering the protesters. Klansmen and Nazis emerged from the cars, unloaded an arsenal of guns and began firing. Five people were killed in what became known as the Greensboro Massacre.

Greensboro: Closer to the Truth reconnects 25 years later with the players in this tragedy—widowed and wounded survivors, along with their attackers—and chronicles how their lives have evolved in the long aftermath of the killings. All converge when the first Truth and Reconciliation Commission ever held in the United States is convened in Greensboro from 2004-2006 to investigate the Massacre. As the Commission struggles to uncover what actually happened and why, the participants confront the truth of their past, and struggle with the possibility of hope and redemption.

Bonnie Beth Greenball, Associate Director of USF's Institute for Public Policy and Leadership, will lead the discussion following the film.

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February 10th, 4-6pm
Connect with Respect: A Introduction to Nonviolent Communication for Educators
Location: Friends Meetinghouse, 3139 57th Street, Sarasota
Wednesday February 10, 2010
4pm-6pm

Learn the simple basics of Marshall B. Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication language process which nurtures mutually satisfying relationships. This is a 2-hour mini-introduction on NVC, which will support respectful relationships within yourself, your classrooms and beyond.

Sliding scale: $10-40*
Please pre-register by calling 941-492-9279

The Peace Education & Action Center sponsors this training during the 2010 Season of Nonviolent and as a precursor to their 2nd Annual Teach Peace Conference at New College Sarasota, April 9-11.

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April 9-11, 2010
2010 Teach Peace Conference

Theme: Rethinking the Three R's
Rethinking Education, Restoring Justice, Respecting Environment

"Why rethink education? Those now being educated will have to do what we, the present generation, have been unable or unwilling to do: stabilize world population, stabilize and then reduce the emission of greenhouse gases; protect biological diversity; reverse the destruction of the forests; and conserve soils. They must learn how to use energy and materials with great efficiency. They must learn how to utilize solar energy in all of its forms. They must rebuild the economy in order to eliminate waste and pollution. They must learn how to manage renewable resources for the long run. They must begin the great work of repairing, as much as possible, the damage done to the earth in the past 200 years of industrialization. And they must do all of this while they reduce worsening social and racial inequities. The skills, aptitudes, and attitudes necessary to industrialize the earth, however, are not necessarily the same as those that will be needed to heal the earth or to build durable economies and good communities."
-- David W. Orr, "Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect"

Keep Checking this site for more details on the conference.

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The Sarasota Unitarian Universalist Church hosts Forums every Sunday from 9:30-10:30am prior to the Sunday service. Upcoming forums are listed below.

February 7

“What Civics Class Didn’t Teach You About the Legislative Process“
Rep. Fitzgerald represents a Sarasota district in the Florida legislature and is a professor of political science at New College.
Moderator: John Foster

February 14

“Give Peace Some Plants“
What do peace and plants have to do with one another? Come hear Laurel Schiller, conservation biologist, co-owner of Florida Native Plants, and former Sarasota County Planning Commissioner, show the connections between peace and plants. Each person who attends this forum will receive a gift plant from Laurel’s nursery.
Moderator: Lea Hall
Presenter: Laurel Schiller

February 21

“Whither American Newspapers“
Explore the decline of this great American institution and possible future directions. Monte Hayes is a retired AP bureau chief with a long career in the news business.
Moderator: Marie Keeney
Co-Presenters: Marie Keeney and Monte Hayes

February 28

“What Has Been the Effect on the Community of Obama’s First Year?“
Has Obama lived up to the expectations of voters in the first year of his presidency? What has been accomplished? Has the local community felt any beneficial effects from the Obama program?
Moderator and Presenter: Leroy Sims

March 7

“Is it Possible to Eliminate War?“
A war is against everyone living in the area. War has varied over time from moderation and consideration to conventional specifics. Is it possible for peace to prevail without periodic of continuous war? At present, we have a different kind of war in the form of terrorism without clear objective interests in many locations.
Moderator and Presenter: Mitch Zavon

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Pipeline Politics: Becoming Critical in the Global Energy Sweepstakes
2/2/10
Speaker: Steven Dachi

The setting is the Caspian sea and environs. The stakes are riches of oil and natural gas. Steven Dachi asks, "Will there be enough to go around and will it reach those who need it?"

Lectures are held at Players Theatre, 838 N. Tamiami Trail and start at 10:30 am. For more information, go to www.sillsarasota.org. Cost is $7. Call 941-365-6404 for additional information. This number connects to an answering machine. Leave a message and we will respond to your call as quickly as possible, usually within 24 hours.

China's Global Pursuit of Oil and Gas
2/3/10
Speaker: Steven Dachi

China's innovative strategies and relentless search for new energy resources to fuel its rapidly growing economic and industrial growth is a central priority of its foreign policy. Steven Dachi discusses this policy and its impact on world affairs.

Can the European Union and the Euro Survive?
2/4/10
Speaker: Martin Walker

Martin Walker examines the EU where its coherence is being sorely tested by a recession even deeper than America's, by deep divisions over management of the euro currency, by Russia's selective use of its energy weapon and by a longer-term demographic fear that its ethnic and social structures are unsustainable.

Saturday, February 6, 2010, 10 AM to 2 PM Human Trafficking Awareness Forum
St. Boniface Episcopal Church 5615 Midnight Pass Rd, Sarasota FL 34242 Featured speakers: Nola Theiss, Director, Human Trafficking Awareness Network Ft. Myers; George Koder, Clearwater Task Force on Human Trafficking;, and Jordan Buckley, Interfaith Action of Soutwest Florida. Advance registration online: bonifacechurch.org/peace_justice or call (941) 349-5616 x 5

Is China Rising or Falling? And What Does This Mean for Us?
2/9/10
Speaker: Gordon Chang

Nearly everyone thinks China will dominate the 21st century. Yet the Chinese state is just as likely to fall as take over the world. Gordon Chang questions why is the Communist Party so weak? What will happen to China during turbulent times? How will China's course affect the United States?

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The Dragon and the Bear: The Emerging Partnership of Two Assertive States
2/10/10
Speaker: Gordon Chang
Chang
China and Russia are deeply suspicious of the West. They see themselves as rising powers. They want to reorder the international system. They share the same friends. They identify the same adversary. They are, unfortunately, working together to undermine the United States at a critical time in history. Gordon Chang looks at what will they do in the coming years? What should we do in response?

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Saudi Arabia: The End of Progress without Change
2/11/10
Speaker: Amb. Charles Freeman

Saudi Arabia is famous for its social conservatism but under King Abdullah, it is undergoing a quiet revolution both internally and in its relations with the outside world. Amb. Charles Freeman reports on how the king seems to have come up with the only effective answer to the arguments of the religious extremists who dominate the politics of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Palestine.

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HANDS ACROSS THE SAND: Join Floridians for an hour beginning at 1:00 PM eastern/12:00 PM central on Saturday, February 13 for Hands Across the Sand, a statewide rally to oppose offshore oil drilling. People will gather at beaches across the state, including several in the Tampa Bay area. FMI, including a list of beaches, promotional materials and local contact people, go to http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/index.php

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EVAN GREER: Join singer/songwriter, community organizer, and educator Evan Greer and Gepetta for “High Energy Queer Music and Puppetry” at 8:00 PM on Sunday, February 14^th at The Box Social, 1507 Main Street in Sarasota. Playing music that ranges from pop-punk to bluegrass, the 24-year-old singer/activist has shared stages with Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, Chumbawambe and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. The show is sponsored by WSLR-LP 96.5. FMI: http://wslr.org/events/; tickets can be purchased online at www.wslr.org or by calling (941) 894-6469.

The Potential of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to Meet All U.S. Energy Needs
2/16/10
Speaker: Scott Sklar

In the last two years, no less than 32 studies have confirmed the percentage that renewable energy technologies can contribute to the US and global energy mix. Scott Sklar explains how these energy options can meet ALL energy needs and maintain our quality of life while increasing employment and decreasing energy imports and emissions.

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What Chinese Power Means For America
2/18/10
Speaker: Dr. David Lampton

Dr. David Lampton will examine how Chinese have thought about power over the ages, most particularly how they are acquiring, thinking about and using their many new capabilities today.

He will examine Beijing's growing military capabilities, and even more importantly China's growing economic and intellectual strengths, the most probable challenge for our children and grandchildren.

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EVAN GREER: Join singer/songwriter, community organizer, and educator Evan Greer and Gepetta for “High Energy Queer Music and Puppetry” at 8:00 PM on Sunday, February 14^th at The Box Social, 1507 Main Street in Sarasota. Playing music that ranges from pop-punk to bluegrass, the 24-year-old singer/activist has shared stages with Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, Chumbawamba and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. The show is sponsored by WSLR-LP 96.5. FMI: http://wslr.org/events/; tickets can be purchased online at www.wslr.org or by calling (941) 894-6469.

SOA WATCH FOUNDER TO SPEAK: Father Roy Bourgeois, M.M., founder of SOA Watch and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, will speak at Lakewood United Church of Christ, 2601 54^th Ave. S. in St. Petersburg on Friday, Feb. 19, at 7:00 PM. Fr. Bourgeois founded SOA Watch (http://www.soaw.org/) in 1990 to close the School of the Americas, renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in 2001 (SOA/WHINSEC), at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. The SOA/WHINSEC trains Latin American security personnel in counterinsurgency techniques, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. In 1998, the Pentagon was forced to release the school’s training manuals which advocated torture, extortion, and execution.

Fr. Bourgeois will speak on SOA Watch’s campaign and the school’s role in last year’s coup in Honduras . Chief Staff Commander General Romeo Vasquez and Air Force Commander General Luis Javier Prince, the leaders of the Honduras military coup, are SOA/WHINSEC graduates. Fr. Bourgeois and SOA Watch have visited Honduras , and he will report on human rights conditions there. He will also speak on the role of SOA/WHINSEC graduates in Haiti . The talk is free and open to the public. Donations for SOA Watch will be accepted.

Fr. Bourgeois is a Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient. After leaving the Navy, he entered the seminary of the Mary knoll Missionary Order and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1972. Bourgeois worked with the poor in Bolivia for five years before being arrested and forced to leave the country, then under the rule of dictator and SOA/WHINSEC graduate General Hugo Banzer. He has spent over four years in US federal prisons for nonviolent protests against the SOA/WHINSEC. In December 1998 he testified in Madrid before Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon seeking the extradition of Chile ' s ex-dictator General Augusto Pinochet. In 2009, Fr. Bourgeois and SOA Watch were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

FMI: (813) 643-3673, fuchsfl@yahoo.com, (727) 573-2935 or arichter58@msn.com.

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Pir Zia will lead a retreat Saturday & Sunday, February 20 & 21,

9.30am to 4.30pm both days.

~Opening the Heart~

What would it mean to think, speak, and act from the heart? How would such a reorientation affect our way of life, our relationships, our perceptions and emotions, and our identity itself? In this retreat, through conscious breath, sacred sound and movement, prayer, and meditation, we will explore the transformational implications of focalizing consciousness in the heart.

$200 for Friday evening talk & Weekend retreat. Pay on-line or mail check to Rising Tide.

See www.RisingTideInternational.org for young persons discount.

Tara Anne Muir : RTIseminars@comcast.net 941-926-3398 [Friday evening only $15]

Pir Zia Inayat Khan is the spiritual leader of the Sufi Order International, a mystical and ecumenical fellowship rooted in the visionary legacy of his grandfather, Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is also the President of the Suluk Academy and Executive Editor of Elixir magazine. Pir Zia holds a Doctoral degree in Religion from Duke University and is a recipient of the U Thant Peace Award.

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PRISONER’S FAMILIES CONFERENCE: The second annual National Prisoner’s Family Conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Orlando Airport from February 25-26. The conference will include prisoners’ families, former prisoners, therapists, ministers, academics, prison officials, and organizers. Topics covered will include dealing with incarcerated family members, re-integrating prisoners into society, parenting from prison, surviving addiction, ministering to those in and out of prison, the impact of incarcerated parents on children, and more. A complete list is available by clicking here; click here for a registration form. FMI: http://solutionsforelpaso.org/, solutionsforelpaso@juno.com or (915) 861-7733.

Obama's First Year: What the Public Thinks and Why
2/23/10
Speaker: Dr. Susan MacManus

Dr. Susan MacManus will examine changes in presidential performance ratings across different political, racial, gender, and age groups and compare U.S. and international opinions, focusing on the style vs. substance debate. What is the public's view of the "the permanent campaign"?

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The Medias Coverage of the Obama Presidency
2/24/10
Speaker: Dr. Susan MacManus

Dr. Susan MacManus will examine the mediaâ€™s role in creating the "celebrity" President and First Lady, tracking the relative coverage of Obamaâ€™s personality and policies (domestic and foreign) -- the style v. substance dichotomy. Recognizing Americansâ€™ changing media habits, what real impact on presidential politics is created by the mediaâ€™s ideological segmentation and bias?

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Sunday, February 28th - Humanity Working to End Genocide Annual Rally - Hyatt Regency, Sarasota. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Michael Abramowitz, Director of the Holocaust Museum's Committee on Conscience

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Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 12:30 PM

Film Screening: USA vs Al-Arian
www.usavsalarian.com

Sarasota Friends Meeting House
3139 57th Street

All are welcome to attend a screening and discussion of this important, award-winning documentary, filmed in Tampa, Florida, by Norwegian film-maker Line Halvorsen. USA vs Al-Arian chronicles the effects of a terrorism trial on the family of the accused. The film will be presented by Melva Underbakke, PhD, of Friends of Human Rights, and followed by discussion.
Attendance is free; donations will help take the film to other locations.

Israel/Palestine Panel Discussion
3/2/10
Speaker: Mark Rosenblum and Ghaith al Omari

The Continuing Search for Palestinian-Israeli Peace

This panel discussion with Prof. Mark Rosenblum, long-experienced in Middle East peace discourses, and Mr Ghaith al-Omari, a long-time advisor to the Palestinian Authority and participant at Oslo , will probe the impediments and opportunities in the ongoing search for a Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement in 2010.

Panel discussion will be held at Players Theatre, 838 N. Tamiami Trail. This discussion will start at 10am. For more information, go to www.sillsarasota.org. Cost is $7. Call 941-365-6404 for additional information. This number connects to an answering machine. Leave a message and we will respond to your call as quickly as possible, usually within 24 hours.

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Islam and Secularism in Turkey
3/4/10
Speaker: Dr. Soner Cagaptay

What is the future of democracy in Turkey given the rise of the Islamist Justice and Development (AKP) government? Dr. Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow and director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Water - The New Oil
3/9/10
Speaker: Steven Solomon

Fresh water is overtaking oil as the worlds scarcest -- and most explosively contested -- resource. Author and journalist Steven Solomon explores how water scarcity is recasting global politics, the international order, and added to Americaâ€™s foreign policy challenges.

Thicker Than Blood: Water and Conflict In the Bone-Dry Middle East
3/10/10
Speaker: Steven Solomon

"The next war in the Middle East will be fought over water", former UN Secretary General Boutros-Ghali once warned. Steven Solomon examines how the struggle to control the scarce water resources of the Nile, Jordan, Tigris-Euphrates and regional aquifers is altering regional power balances -- and the prospects of war and peace.

Abu Dhabi: A Small Gulf Emirate Punching Well Above Its Weight
3/11/10
Speaker: Steven Dachi

Abu Dhabi has giant oil reserves and sovereign wealth funds engaged in "greening" its own energy base and going nuclear. One of the goals: To become an asset rather than a liability as a counterweight to a dangerous Iran. Steven Dachi and some Americans ask: Friend or Foe?

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Saturday, March 13th - 16th Annual Leaven Conference, St. Thomas More Parish, Sarasota. Theme: “Human Dignity and Economic Justice,” will be sponsored by the Peace and Justice Office of the Diocese of Venice. Call 941-484-9543.

Rediscovering Central Asia
3/16/10
Speaker: Dr. Fredrick Starr

Once a region considered the Center of the World -- today it is seen mostly as a harsh backwater or an arena in which Russia, China, the E.U and the U.S. compete for resources and influence. However, to imagine Central Asia's future, we must journey into its remarkable past with Dr. Fredrick Starr.

Afghanistan and the future of Asia and of Europe
3/17/10
Speaker: Dr. Fredrick Starr

Dr. S. Frederick Starr, Founding Chairman and Director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute will sketch the three main possible outcomes of developments in the Afghanistan region and suggest the implications for the U.S., NATO and the region itself.

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Obama's National Security Policy in the First Year: Wins and Losses
3/18/10
Speaker: Dr. Lawrence Korb

Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Lawrence Korb will discuss President Obama's national security policy, including efforts to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq and reengage in Afghanistan, evaluating Obama's success in implementing his ambitious foreign policy agenda and discussing what to expect from the President in the next year.

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Friday, March 20th - Amp Your Voice Concert, sponsored by Humanity Working to End Genocide

Location: Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Beatrice Friedman Theatre. Time will be from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm, with 5 confirmed bands performing.

Controlling Deviant Corporate Behavior
3/23/10
Speaker: Jonathan Macey

Jonathan Macey examines various market and regulatory mechanisms to improve corporate governance and concludes that our emphasis on regulations and those that have developed are because shareowners are not well organized into effective political coalitions, while managers are. He will discuss how aggressive behavior by activist shareholders has enhanced shareholder returns.

Pakistan: Turning Around, or Headed for Disaster?
3/25/10
Speaker: Amb. Teresita Schaffer

Pakistan is enmeshed in the insurgency in Afghanistan, and is also battling its own internal insurgency. Its relations with India have been in trouble since the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008. Amb. Teresita Schaffer will look at what Pakistan is doing, and what the United States can do, to turn this situation around.

ONGOING EVENTS

Compassionate Living with NVC
Winter Sessions in Sarasota & Venice

Welcome to 6 weeks of learning, practice, coaching and living the Nonviolent Communication consciousness.

Some of the sessions may include the topics below while all evenings allow space for empathy & working with what is most alive for the participants during that particular evening.

Come with an open heart prepared to share in this, nurturing, safe & growing NVC community.

During weeks we do not meet in person participants will receive emails with suggested NVC practices, meditations, readings, audios files or related articles that will encourage staying centered in the practice of compassion.

Enjoying "Difficult" People ... Emerging strategies ... Stepping Stones to Life ... Asking for what you want ... Don't Just Do Something, Stand There! ... Working with Enemy Images

2010 Dates: Wednesdays 7pm sharp to 9pm

venice       &       sarasota
January 6th                            January 13th
January 20th                          January 27th
February 3rd                           February 10th
February 17th                            February 24th
March 3rd                           March 10th
March 17th                            March 24

Fee Scale: $10-30 per evening (joyfully contribute within the scale where it feels good).
Email to Sign up for either or both threads: compassionflower@gmail.com

Venice Location: Call for directions to Mercedes' Venice home 941-492-9279.
Sarasota Location: Friends MeetingHouse 3139 57th St @ Lockwood Ridge, just south of University Pkwy.

Facilitator requests: Read Nonviolent Communication A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg, PhD., attend one foundations workshops* or have a minimum of 4 hours of training from another NVC practitioner/trainer within the past 2 years. No one will be turned away from attending; however, this request honors the commitment, growth & flow of the sessions for the whole group. The focus is to practice fluency and deepen or hone already learned skills rather than teach basics. If you are uncertain call Mercedes.

SILENT PEACE VIGIL IN SARASOTA: Join the Southwest Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice for a silent vigil for peace on Fridays from 4:00-5:00 PM at the Sarasota Bayfront (near Marina Jack's) off Route 41, just after the Ringling cutoff. FMI: http://www.swfcpj.org/

FRIDAY PICNIC AND SHARING IN ST. PETE: The St. Petersburg Friends (Quakers) sponsors a picnic and sharing of food beginning at 7:00 PM each Friday in Williams Park at the corner of 2nd Avenue North and 4th Street in downtown St. Petersburg. Volunteers, supplies and food are needed, especially food that is easy to carry and slow to spoil, such as peanut butter sandwiches, cheese and crackers, etc., as well as T-shirts and blankets. The need for volunteers and financial aid is still great. FMI: (727) 647-6929.

BRADENTON PEACE GATHERING: Join the Green Bridge Patriots to protest the war every Sunday at the base of the Green Bridge beginning at 11:00 AM in Palmetto. FMI: alvinlevie@hotmail.com or (941) 747-0941. After a summer break, this vigil will resume September 9, 2009.

First and Third Tuesdays at 9:00 A.M. on WSLR 96.5 FM, Peace & Justice Report moderated by Russ Mahan and John Walsh or Don Thompson and Bob Connors. Also listen to Democracy Now with Amy Goodman from 6:00-7:00 P.M. on the same station. www.wslr.org

JUSTICE RADIO: Overnight Underground is a new radio program featuring lively socially conscious and politically provocative music, announcements of local peace and justice events, good news about those in the struggle for peace and justice, and listings of social services in the Tampa Bay area. The show is broadcast from 1:00 AM-4:00 every Tuesday morningWMNF 88.5 FM. Each show is available online for the week following the broadcast at http://wmnf.org/programs/329

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE MEETING: 4th Wednesday of the month at 4pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road.

HUMANITY WORKING TO END GENOCIDE: We are a coalition of civic, religious, business and community organizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties having the mission: To create and maintain a community of conscience calling for action to stop genocide in Darfur and throughout the world. Please contact us at information@humanityworkingtoendgenocide.org or call 941-378-8837.