Herland Sister Resources

If you are already a human rights activist, or just interested in the state of our world, you won’t want to miss the Amnesty International Film Festival on Saturday January 14 and Sunday January 15. The festival features 7 compelling and powerful films that examine some of the most important issues in the world today. Challenging and inspiring, these real life stories bring us together with concerns we face as citizens of the world.

On Saturday January 14 the films will focus on international topics, starting at 11 am with information and coffee followed by “Dreaming of Tibet,” an intimate documentary that follows Tibetan exiles on their arduous journey. The story of Tibetan exiles turns around one very dramatic scene: the flight from Tibet over the Himalayas. A group of exiles describe how this pivotal moment has defined their lives, and how, despite apparently living ordinary lives, they are deeply involved in working for the survival of their culture outside of their homeland. Three equally powerful human rights films follow and the day ends with a discussion and closing at 4:45 p.m.

Sunday January 15 the films shown will be in support of Amnesty’s global campaign to stop violence against women. The festival starts at 1 pm with information and coffee, followed by a feature length documentary that tells the story of Nepalese girls trapped in the international child sex trade. “The Day my God Died” is followed by two additional thought provoking films. Following the final discussion the festival closes at 5 pm.

Amnesty International is the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization with over 1.8 million members worldwide. Amnesty International researches and takes action to prevent and end human rights abuses, promotes the freedom of conscience and expression, and works to ends discrimination, all within the context of their work to promote all human rights.

The film festival is free and will be shown at the Ronald J. Norick Library, located in downtown Oklahoma City at 300 Park Avenue. For more information contact Katy Berrecloth at (405) 608 0383.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Herland New Year’s Day Potluck & Games Sunday Jan 1 3 pm
• PFLAG Tuesday Jan 3 Church of the Open Arms 7 pm
• OGLPC Monthly Meeting Monday Jan 9 Neighborhood Alliance 1236 NW 36th 7 pm
• PFLAG Norman with guest speaker Keith Smith, lobbyist, civil rights activist Thursday Jan 12 St Stephens Church McGee & W. Brooks 7 pm
• Herland Supper Club Saturday Jan 14 OCU v. SNU basketball at Freede Center 6 pm followed by dinner at Cafe de Brazil 8 pm
• Family Pride Sunday Jan 15 Church of the Open Arms 4 pm
• Herland Board Meeting Sunday Jan 15 4 pm
• MLK Jr Day Parade Monday Jan 16 St Paul’s NW 7th & Robinson noon
• Herland Scrabble Night Saturday Jan 21 6 pm
• Herland Video Night Saturday Jan 28 7 pm
• State of Our Community 2006 Monday Jan 30 Epworth Church 7 pm

supper club
The owners of More Than Muffins, on Classen, closed that popular restaurant this year and have recently opened a new one, Cafe de Brazil, on NW 11th and Walker. It opened to rave reviews in November and we will sample their fine South American cuisine on Saturday, January 14, at 8 pm. Our activity for the evening will be before Supper Club. We will also go to the 6 pm OCU v. SNU basketball game at OCU’s Freede Center, NW 27th between Kentucky and Blackwelder. These are two of the top ranked women’s teams in the NAIA and it will be an exciting game. If you would like to carpool to the game and then to dinner, show up at Herland at 5:30 pm.

video night
Join us on Saturday, January 28th at 7 pm as we view WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price, a brilliant new film by Robert Greenwald that tells the real story of the corrosive effects that Wal-Mart wreaks upon the communities in which it operates and the men and women it employs.

This is an engrossing, muckraking documentary … but if you’re expecting an angry diatribe, you’re going to be disappointed. WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price takes the viewer on a deeply personal journey into the everyday lives of families struggling to fight goliath. From a small business owner in the Midwest to a preacher in California, from workers in Florida to a poet in Mexico, dozens of film crews on three continents bring the intensely personal stories of an assault on families and American values.

scrabble night
Did you know a Canadian mathematician won the 2005 World Scrabble Championship by scoring 140 points for the word twistier? We might not have any plays that score quite that high, but you never know. Join us on Saturday, January 21, at 6 pm as we hit the boards for an evening of fun and mental challenge. Remember, pizza is ordered as soon as most of the players have arrived.

Amnesty International

“The Journey Inward: Women’s Autobiography” is the theme for the Let’s Talk About It Oklahoma reading and discussion series hosted by Oklahoma City University with support from the Oklahoma Humanities Council. A dancer, a scientist, and a pioneer are a few of the fascinating women participants will encounter, joining them on their journeys (both literally and figuratively) into the heart of personhood. These five provocative and entertaining writers are some of our country’s finest and most entertaining modern autobiographers, and their works will challenge us to explore the relationships among their lives and ours.

Oklahoma City University invites the community to come enjoy this five-part series of lively book discussions. Although participants may attend several sessions, all are encouraged to participate in the whole series to grasp the richness in this series theme. At each session, a humanities scholar will make a 30-40 minute presentation on the book in the context of the theme. Small group discussion will follow with experienced discussion leaders. At the end, everyone will come together for a brief wrap-up.

Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to pre-register and borrow the reading selections. To reserve your books, contact Harbour Winn at (405) 208-5472, or via e-mail at hwinn@okcu.edu. Information can also be found on the web site of the Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film & Literature: www.okcu.edu/film-lit/.

The series will be held in room 151 in Walker Center on the Oklahoma City University campus from 7 to 9 PM on Tuesdays, beginning January 10 and continuing on alternate Tuesdays through February 21. The final session will then be one week later on February 28. Books, theme materials, and services for this series are provided by “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma,” a cooperative project of the Oklahoma Library Association and the Oklahoma Humanities Council. Funding for this series is provided by a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Read the rest of this entry »