Our Black, Brown and Latinx siblings are being attacked, imprisoned, deported, and worse. The few in power are using hate speech, violence, and distrust to divide and conquer. In these moments of separation and chaos, the Center for Participatory Change (CPC) creates space for communities to build trust and heal together.

CPC’s interCAMBIO/exCHANGE program is a space for Black, Brown, and Latinx people to learn about each other’s languages, identities, and cultures and build meaningful relationships together. They recently completed their first session, and are planning the next. This is an opportunity to make a donation to support it.

A donation to CPC helps ensure healing spaces are available for communities most affected by structural inequities. With your help, CPC can raise enough funds to continue creating these potent spaces, advancing their mission of igniting collective power, transforming systems of oppression, and healing in community.

The goal of this campaign is to raise $20,000 by November 15. All gifts during this time frame will be matched by an anonymous donor. Click here to donate.

You can join CPC at their annual celebration this Saturday, October 19 from 11 – 3 pm at the Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center, 133 Livingston Street.

I am deeply inspired and motivated by CPC for countless reasons (including their great writing which I drew from above). Thanks in advance to all who choose to take this opportunity to give a gift to sustain this essential work.

Also coming up this week (Oct. 17, 18, 19) is the 6th Annual UNC Asheville African Americans in WNC & Southern Appalachia Conference. The conference schedule is packed full of great content. Find details and register at aawnc.unca.edu.

On Saturday evening (in partnership with the conference), CoThinkk will hold its annual Awards Celebration. “We will dance, uplift the amazing initiatives in Asheville and Western NC, and hear from some game-changing speakers like Nicole Townsend, Tony Shivers, Tracey Greene-Washington and MORE!” CoThinkk is another transformative initiative in our community, I am proud to be a founding member. Reserve celebration tickets here: cothinkk.org/2019-award-night

Better Buses Together and Just Economics of WNC are inviting us to voice our support for transit: “Access to transit benefits the entire community by supporting local businesses, relieving traffic and parking congestion and getting folks to work, school and everywhere else they need to go with a lower environmental impact. 

As part of the implementation of the Transit Master Plan for the City of Asheville, there are hopeful changes to the transit system coming in January 2020. These changes are intended to address on time performance and frequency; however, City Council did not allocate funding for extended evening bus hours. In order to build a system that works for more people, we need the buses to run more often, more reliably and more hours of the day and night.

Community members are invited to sign a petition and contact City Council by emailing AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov before their meeting on Tuesday, October 22 to show support for a budget amendment to extend evening hours by the end of the current fiscal year.”

Onward!

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