The following meeting information concerning local news, activities, and events organized by groups other than the CCSJ is generally updated at the beginning of each calendar month. Please check with the originating organization because of likely cancellations or changes since they were originally posted here. See Regional News for non-CCSJ news, activities, and events organized and/or taking place outside the Morgantown area.
The City of Morgantown has scheduled an orientation meeting for the members of this board who have been appointed to date.
The next regular meeting should be Thursday, March 16th at 6:30 p.m. You can get information on the commission, including information on filing complaint forms here and copies of the agendas and minutes for the commission meetings here. You can find a calendar of annual human rights observances here. Observances for the current month are included here.
The League of Women Voters is a constituent member of West Virginia Women Vote (WVWV).
Follow this group on Facebook and contact them by email at lwvmorgantown@gmail.com. Interested in joining the League of Women Voters? Join online.
You can follow GMIA on Facebook or on the web. Their email address is morgantowninterfaith@gmail.com.
NOW is alternating mixers and meetings so the next meeting should be on March 14th.
Email this group at morgantownnow@gmail.com. Follow the group on Facebook.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 21st at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. Contact the NAACP at 3241naacp@gmail.com for more information and to learn how to participate.
The branch is planning a “Know Your Rights” seminar on Thursday, March 2nd, at 6:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 456 Spruce Street, Morgantown. All are welcome to this free event. See here for more details.
The branch has a Readings on Race and Rights group that is publicized through the NAACP listserv.
The next blood drive is scheduled for April 27th.
The branch is also planning a Community Day at the BOPARC Marilla Center from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 7th. Stay tuned for more details.
Follow the NAACP on Facebook.
This group organized in 2022 in response to proposed legislation at the state level dealing with the way history is taught in our public schools. It is again meeting on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. To participate, you must register to receive the Zoom link, email wvtruthinhistory@gmail.com.
The group is currently tracking five bills before the legislature:
The branch has a Readings on Race and Rights group that is publicized through the NAACP listserv.
SB 130: Anti-Racism Act of 2023. This passed the Senate the first day of the current session as a revision of the bill that did not pass in the last seconds of the 2022 legislature. It passed the House Education Committee on Monday, January 30, and now goes to the House Judiciary Committee. It was not on the Judiciary Committee’s agenda as of March 1st. The Coalition is opposing this bill.
SB 33: Prohibiting certain divisive acts or concepts from schools, state agencies and any groups receiving state funding. This bill has been assigned to the Senate Education Committee and then the Senate Finance Committee. At “press time,” there has been no action on this bill.
SB 216: Requiring all schools to instruct students on Holocaust and other genocides. This bill has passed the Senate and was sent to the House Education Committee and then to the Finance Committee. At “press time,” the House Education Committee has not acted on this bill.
HB 2347: Establishing the Anti-Stereotyping Act. This bill has been assigned to the House Education Committee and, if it passes there, to the House Judiciary Committee. At “press time,” there has been no action on this bill.
HB 2423: Prohibit “divisive concepts” from schools, state agencies and any groups receiving state funding. This bill has been assigned to the Workforce Development Committee, then to the House Education Committee, and then to the House Judiciary Committee. At “press time,” there has been no action on this bill.
Please see here for information on other bills, how to contact legislators, and the legislature’s calendar. Bills can move quickly at times.
The church has a Blessings Box outside the church at 464 Virginia Avenue, where you can drop off extra food you may have or take some if you need it, or swap food. Feminine hygiene products are also welcome.
Follow them at their website or on Facebook. Sunday services are held at 10:30 a.m. in person and via Zoom, with the link available here. "We ask that everyone wear a mask inside the building.”
1. How to Respond to Ukraine at this Time
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is firmly committed to supporting communities already facing oppression as they flee from Ukraine.
Partnership—Building trusting relationships with grassroots organizations supporting communities facing injustice.
Welcoming Communities—Preparing and mobilizing congregations in the US to sponsor asylum-seekers
and refugees fleeing the violence in Ukraine.
Collaboration—Working with fellow funders to pool resources for grassroots groups organizing for
positive change in Ukraine in the medium and long terms.
Changing the Narrative—Challenging and dismantling disinformation and misinformation about
asylum-seekers and refugees and reframing the narrative around displacement and its impacts.
Providing Resources—Connecting asylum-seekers and refugees with legal representation to navigate
the immigration process, whether in the nations surrounding the Ukraine or in the United States.
Get Active & Donate to UUSC’s Emergency Response Fund.
2. Ukraine Children’s Action Project
“Life-saving, hope-delivering, resilience-reinforcing programs, services and essential humanitarian support for Ukraine’s displaced and refugee children – extraordinary young people in the cross-hairs of an out of control superpower…” Go here for more information.
3. Provide Sanctuary for Those Forced to Migrate
Learn more about the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Congregational Accompaniment Project for Asylum Seekers (CAPAS). This project is a great model for organizations to provide a safe, welcoming, and healthy environment for people exercising their right to migrate, whether from Ukraine or any
other nation. Go here for more information.
Check their web site or the Facebook page for information and updates.
The closest chapter now is in Fairmont, with information available here. According to its website, “PFLAG Fairmont meets each month, usually on the first Thursday of the month at 7pm on the 2nd floor of the Ruth Ann Musick Library on the campus of Fairmont State University.”
The meeting will be on March 20th at 7:00 p.m. by zoom. Information on the purpose and activity of the newly formed Morgantown Civilian Police Review and Advisory Board will be presented by board member, Bob Cohen. The zoom link to join the presentation and discussion following is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85962493623
For more information please go to their website or email dismantlingracismtogether@gmail.com or contact rebeccarodd@yahoo.com.
No information about a March meeting was available at “press time.”
For information on this group, go to their Facebook page or their website. Morgantown Pride has an Instagram page here.
Raising Trans Kids Community Group: "The Raising Trans Kids Community Group is for West Virginia parents, guardians, and families who are raising transgender or gender diverse kids (of any age), or have kids who might be transgender or gender diverse." Email raisingtranskids@gmail.com to get information on the next meeting.
The next MCCAC “Girls’ Night Out” will be May 19, 2023. “Take a Vacation to the Tropics with MCCAC at Tropics in Cheat Lake. Join us for another fun night of dinner, dancing, auctions, and more! Keep an eye out for a Girls' Night Out email with more details and a link to purchase tickets.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Taylor: 304.598.0344, or email tshultz@moncocac.org.
For information, please contact Bonnie M. Brown, Coordinator of the Native American Studies Program, West Virginia University, PO Box 6284, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6284, NAS.WVU.EDU, @WVU_NASprogram, or call 304-293-4626.
As part of its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the WVU Honors College is launching a new seminar series this spring. “The Honoring Diversity Series will feature engaging diversity and inclusion topics presented by WVU faculty and staff experts. Seminars will be held on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. via Zoom. To register for the Zoom link, go here.
March 7th: “Affirming Spaces and Inclusive Practices" Natalie Shaffer, adjunct professor of music
March 21st: “Shifting Perspectives on Disabilities: Strategies to Move Forward” Andrea Taliaferro, associate professor of physical education and kinesiology
March 28th: “Marginalization and the Ethics of Disbelief” Sharon Ryan, professor of philosophy
Marginalized people are wronged through acts of violence and discrimination. Frequently, we find ugly and irrational attitudes in the minds of wrongdoers and their cultural accomplices. When attempting to articulate their experiences in the dominant culture, marginalized victims frequently face skepticism and disbelief. Is this skepticism and disbelief, by its nature, wrong? Or is moral wronging just a matter of our actions toward others. If beliefs do wrong others, what are our responsibilities toward shaping beliefs?
April 4th: “Histories of Pride & LGBTQ+ Publics in West Virginia” Jacob Kopcienski, WVU alum and doctoral student at Ohio State University
In this presentation, Kopcienski will discuss the history of LGBTQ and feminist movements, provide a timeline of key events in West Virginia, discuss LGBTQ music and performance and share research resources for LGBTQ history.
April 11th: “LBGTQ+ Youth Suicide Prevention and Intervention” Bridget Bailey, assistant professor of social work
Bailey will discuss suicide risk in LBGTQ+ youth, prevention and intervention of suicide in LBGTQ+ youth and treatment using dialectical behavior therapy with LBGTQ+ youth.
April 18th: “Microaggressions are not so Micro” Marla Gladstone, doctoral student in coaching and teaching studies and Rachael Purtell, doctoral candidate in communications studies
This exhibit will be available through May 2023 (print and online) at the WVU Downtown Library and from June through December 2023 at the WVU Beckley Campus Library. It will be at the Appalachian State University Library from January through July 2024 and at the Marshall University Library from August through December 2024.
The exhibit will also become a digital exhibit living on the WVU Libraries' website and archived on the Research Repository at WVU here.
This project is being presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Other sponsors are the WVU Office of the Provost and Humanities Center, The Antero Foundation, The Oakland Foundation, MPB Print & Sign Superstore, Marshall University Libraries and Online Learning, Appalachian State University University Libraries, and West Virginia Library Commission.
For further information, please contact Sally Brown Deskins, WVU Libraries' Exhibits Coordinator, at sally.brown1@mail.wvu.edu or 304.293.0369
For more information about the WVU Center for Black Culture and Research, please go here.
See their website for more information on this and other monthly and weekly activities, and to register for events, or follow them on Facebook.
“Lost and Found: What's Next for the West Virginia Feminist Activist Collection” On March 9, 2023, 7:00-9:00 PM, via Zoom. Join WVU Professor Emerita Judith Stitzel and members of the Artemis Sisters Collective in a conversation about the importance of women collecting and preserving the herstory of their local, state and regional activities for future generations. Artemis was formed in the 1980s by
women living in Morgantown who were interested in fostering and promoting opportunities for creative, social and political engagement. Artemis members will share their experiences of donating materials to the Archive and taking part in oral history interviews. This is a follow up to the 2021 program, “Don't Throw It Out.” Register for the Zoom link here.
A reading by writer and alumna Valerie Nieman – Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 7:30 PM, Milano Room,
Downtown Wise Library.
A guided discussion of Melissa Bank’s The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing – Thursday, March 23, 2023, 5:00 PM, Downtown Library Classroom 104 (lower level)
Residents who live within the City of Morgantown city imits are eligible to vote in the city council election on April 25th if they are registered.
This year, there will be elections for candidates in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th wards for four-year terms. The candidates who will be on the ballot are Joe Abu-Ghannam and James Guiliani (1st ward), Louise “Weez” Michael (3rd ward), Danielle Trumble and Marly Ynigues (5th ward), and Brian Butcher and Ben Mayle (7th ward). Write-in candidates must file by April 11th to have votes counted that are cast for
them. While candidates run from a ward, voters can vote for someone from each ward.
Information on registering to vote, absentee voting, and polling places is available here.