"What is #J20 Anyways?" An Info-Sharing Session on Mass Resistance to the Inauguration

Next Monday, January 2nd 2017, at 7pm, at Gallery5 (200 West Marshall Street, Richmond VA), ASH (Antifascists of the Seven Hills) is holding an info-sharing session on mass resistance against the presidential inauguration, which is coming up on January 20th. Protests, a national general strike, and more are being planned around the country. This event will be a chance to share news, get informed, make connections, and plan. 

Free, open to the public. Street parking only. 

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google calendar, click here. 

Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment Help at the Hull Street Library

Every other Tuesday and Thursday from December 13th, 2016 to February 7th, 2017, from 10am-12pm, at the Hull Street Library (1400 Hull Street, Richmond VA), staff from the Daily Planet will be on site to answer your questions about the Affordable Care Act and the enrollment process. 

If you need to apply to enroll in health insurance through the state marketplace for 2017, the deadline is January 31st. On December 31st 2016, your 2015 coverage will end, and if you don't take action to change or drop it, you will be automatically re-enrolled. 

To add this item to your Google calendar, click here. 

March on Monument: a local demonstration in support of the Jan. 21st Washington DC marches

Saturday, January 14th 2017, from 1-4pm, on Monument Avenue, there will be a local march to support the January 21st Women's March on Washington, which is protesting the ascending Trump administration's hostility towards women, people of color, immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ people, the disabled, assault survivors, Natives, and the working class in general. 

The march will depart from the Robert E. Lee memorial at Monument Avenue and North Allen Street at 1pm, and proceed to North Boulevard. The organizers haven't released a route, but if the march ends at the Stonewall Jackson statue, that will be a distance of 0.8 miles. 

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your calendar, click here. 

Free College Financial Aid Assistance at Belmont Library

The Richmond Public Library is partnering with GRASP to provide free, confidential college financial aid assistance to families. An adviser will be available every Monday until March 27th 2017, from 6-8pm, at Belmont Library (3100 Ellwood Avenue, Richmond VA). The adviser will help fill out the FAFSA application for aid, find scholarships, and make a plan for affording college. 

The venue is wheelchair accessible. Call 804-527-7743 to schedule an appointment.

People's Congress 2016, with Virginia New Majority

Saturday, December 10th 2016, from 10am-3pm, at the Sacred Heart Center (1400 Perry Street, Richmond VA), Virginia New Majority is holding their 2nd annual People's Congress to discuss the current political crisis, strategize, and plan to mobilize for the 2017 Virginia General Assembly, beginning in January. The event will include workshops, trainings, discussion, and speakers. From the event description: 

"Voting is important, but it’s only the first step. To win the changes our communities need we must ACT NOW and build a mass movement to secure rights and justice for immigrants, expand health care, stop sea level rise, end mass incarceration, lower student debt, and put an end voter disenfranchisement."

Free, open to the public, but you must RSVP. Lunch will be provided. For details on childcare and transportation, see the link. 

For more information and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google calendar, click here. 

December Volunteer Meeting with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network

Monday, December 12th 2016, from 7-9pm, at 33 South 13th Street, Richmond VA, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network is holding a meeting to welcome volunteers. The meeting will cover CCAN's current campaigns, plans for 2017, and how to be involved in this grassroots organization's work against climate change. 

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google calendar, click here. 

Beginner self-defense workshop with River City Aikido instructor Brian Hill

Saturday, December 10th 2016, from 9am-12pm, at River City Aikido (3421 Hawthorne Avenue, Richmond VA), there will be a beginner's self-defense workshop specifically designed to address the post-election rise in right-wing antagonism. From the event description: 

"This workshop is designed to respond to the recent increase in verbal and physical assaults, to teach participants (respecting race, gender, LGBTQ, religious, or political beliefs) skills for de-escalating verbal and physical aggression, and for responding physically to the threat of assault through awareness, escape, and ultimately physical martial arts techniques.

"Designed for beginners, what makes this self-defense workshop unique is that the instructor is a therapist with 23 years of experience, who brings sensitivity, empathy, and compassion to a potentially fearful and challenging subject: personal safety. The skills will be based on aikido, a martial art focused on resolution and reconciliation rather than aggression and violence."

Minimum suggested donation is $20, and the organizers are encouraging attendees who can do so to sponsor another person. Each participant will receive a voucher for 4 free classes at River City Aikido, and 50% off registration should they choose to join and continue training. 

This is a little more expensive than what I usually share, but I thought it might be of use if any of you have been wanting to check out training of this kind (which I recommend generally). As I'm sure they'll tell you at this workshop, the ability to respond reliably in a crisis depends on practice- going once might help you know what to do in a bad situation so you're not at a loss, but especially for the physical elements, if you want it to stick one class isn't enough. I have no experience with this venue, so I can't say whether you'd want to do so there, but this seems like a good way to find out. 

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. You can contact the instructor, Brian Hill, at 804-387-2279 or bthill70@gmail.com. To add this event to your Google calendar, click here. 

Preparing for the Trump Era: an Anarchist Perspective

Next Wednesday, December 14th 2016, from 6-9pm, at 3110 West Leigh Street, Richmond VA, the Antifascists of the Seven Hills (ASH) are hosting contributors to the CrimethInc Ex-Workers Collective, a decentralized anarchist collective active globally since the 1990s, for an evening of presentations and discussion on the 2016 Presidential election. From the event description: 

"How did Trump come to power, and what does that tell us about the era we are entering? What strategies will be effective in countering repressive government policies and the rise of grassroots nationalism? Framing Trump's victory in a global context, the presenters will explore various approaches to self-organization and self-defense, drawing on the principles of mutual aid and direct action."

Dinner will be served to attendees. Street parking only. Donations are requested. 

This looks like a really fabulous opportunity; the best fix for feeling powerless is to figure out how you're going to link up and fight back. 

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google calendar, click here.