March 2010: Aurora's Poetry Readings and Presentations in March

Sunday March 14, 2010: For Angie Smith's event for the U.S Social Forum.Central United Methodist Church on Woodward and Adams in downtown Detroit. 4pm-8pm See this link: http://ussf2010.org/
Another World is Possible Concert

Date: 
Sun, 2010-03-14 23:00 - Mon, 2010-03-15 03:00
Location: Central United Methodist Church (23 E. Adams, Detroit)

The concert is hosted by the USSF Faith and Spirituality Committee, and guest performers include Aurora Harris, The Workshop Dancers, African Dance troupe, Take No Prisoners reggae group, United Voices of Detroit Choir, Lynn Marie Smith, Wardell Montgomery Jr., Jim Perkinson, Paul Robeson Chorale, and Gardenia.

Tuesday: March 16 at U of D Mercy Presidential Room
I will be presenting my Masters Paper from 7pm-9pm with the activist educators that I interviewed, Dr. Gloria House and Lolita Hernandez. Unfortunately Emily Lawsin and Michele Gibbs will not be able to attend.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 7:00-9:00pm 
the UDM Women’s and Gender Studies Program
presents

"Female-Artist-Scholar-Activist"?
What is that?

 President’s Dining Room, Student Center, Second Floor
U of Detroit Mercy, McNichols Campus
Free and open to the public, Refreshments

Are academia and activism incompatible? Can your art inform your politics? Your politics your art? What motivates artists and educators to spend their lives working for social justice? Why is there so little information available on the lives of minority women who choose to do so? What strategies and inspirations can today’s young artists, activists, and educators draw from their experiences?

Ms. Aurora Harris will discuss these and other intriguing questions in a presentation drawn from her interview-based study of the consciousness-shaping experiences and lives of Ms. Michele Gibbs (Russell), Ms. Lolita Hernandez, Dr. Gloria House, and Ms. Emily Lawsin--four minority women artists and educators deeply engaged in our local, national, and international struggles over race, gender, and class.
Ms. Harris’s talk will be followed by roundtable with Ms. Hernandez, Dr. House, and Ms. Lawsin and an audience discussion. For more information contact Rosemary Weatherston, Co-Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program (weatherr@udmercy.edu  / 313.993.1083).

About the Speaker:

Aurora Harris was born in Detroit, Michigan and is of African American Filipina heritage. She received a M.A. in Social Foundations of Education with a concentration in Cultural Studies from Eastern Michigan University and a B.A. in Sociology from Wayne State University. Ms Harris is an award winning, internationally known published poet, educator, mentor, and community worker. Her poetry regarding women, labor, jazz, African American and Filipino life appears in several poetry anthologies. Ms Harris serves as a Board member for Broadside Press and is the hostess of the Broadside Press Poets’ Theater at the University of Detroit-Mercy.

1. Aurora's Poetry Reading/ Event Schedule for 2010

I am celebrating my Civil Rights on this glorious Dr. Martin Luther King Day!

I will be reading at the following event in February.
This is the press release from the Michigan National Lawyers Guild:

On Wednesday, January 13, 2010, Michigan National Lawyers Guild wrote:
For Immediate Release   January 13, 2010
Contact:
Bruce Peterson
National Lawyers Guild
Detroit & Michigan Chapter
P.O. Box 311458
Detroit, MI 48231
(313) 963-0843
michigannlg@michigannlg.org
www.michigannlg.org
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> Title:  Community Violence, Police Brutality and Political Incarceration
> Focus of Detroit Black History Month Event

The National Lawyers Guild and the National Conference of Black Lawyers
have teamed up to produce a free public awareness event to be held on
Saturday, February 6, 2010.  The event, "From Chaos to Community," will be held to commemorate Black History Month and serve as a follow up to the "Police Brutality Panel Discussion and Public Forum" being held on January 14th.

The focus of the event will be on three issues people of color in the Detroit area continue to face; police brutality, political incarceration, youth and community violence.
The purpose is to raise awareness and to educate citizens as to their rights under the law and to offer alternatives to violence and police intervention.

From Chaos to Community will be held at the International Institute Hall
of Nations from noon to 5pm, and will include food vendors, music, poetry,
and political tabling.

Some of the initiators of the dialogue will include;
Attorney Jeffrey Edison-National Conference of Black Lawyers,
Ron Scott-National Lawyers Guild & Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality,
Cora Rene Mitchell- Mother of slain Robert Mitchell,
Raphael Johnson-Muhammad Mosque #1,
Joe Williams-Transition of Prisoners (T.O.P.),
Yusef Shakur-Community Activist & Founder of Urban Network Bookstore,
Kwasi Akwamu-H.O.P.E. (Helping Our Prisoners Elevate),
Sandra Hines-Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality
Attorney Julie Hurwitz-Goodman & Hurwitz, P.C. Attorney Jeffrey Haas-Author of “The Assassination of Fred Hampton,”
and many more.

Poets for the event include, Aurora Harris, Wardell Montgomery, Jr. and
Pitch Black with Ivy Riley and Millard Porter.  The music will be provided by Khary Frazier.  The short film, "Black Panther," will also be shown.
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