MORGANTOWN civilian police review and advisory board update
Morgantown City Council has appointed Bryan Church and Catherine Fonseca to the board. There is still one vacancy. The board has organized and has elected Rich Burks as chair, Rachel Fetty as vice chair, and Nicole Lauffer as secretary.
MORGANTOWN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
The next regular meeting should be Thursday, June 15th 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.
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS of morgantown / monongalia County (LWV-MM)
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.
GREATER MORGANTOWN INTERFAITH ASSOCIATION (GMIA)
You can follow GMIA on Facebook or on the web. Their email address is morgantowninterfaith@gmail.com.
MORGANTOWN NOW CHAPTER
The group will be meeting on June 13th at 7:00 p.m. to discuss "upcoming events, how to support our friends at Morgantown Pride, and much more.”
Email this group at morgantownnow@gmail.com. Follow the group on Facebook.
Morgantown-Kingwood Branch of the NAACP
The next meeting will be on Tuesday, June 20th at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. See below for more details. Contact the NAACP at 3241naacp@gmail.com for more information and to learn how to participate.
The branch has a Readings on Race and Rights group that is publicized through the NAACP listserv.
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the branch sponsored a program on “Advocating for Mental Wellness” via Zoom on May 30th that is now available on the Facebook page here here. It featured Felicia Hooper, Mark King, and Fanica Payne as speakers. Yvonne Shaw was the moderator.
"The president and CEO, asked to share our organizational structure with people in another state who were trying to organize around similar issues."
The branch will have a half-page ad that highlights its some of work during the past year in the Juneteenth issue of Black by God: The West Virginian.
Follow the NAACP on Facebook.
WEST VIRGINIA COALITION FOR TRUTH IN HISTORY
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.
The group is now deciding how to move forward. Follow them on Facebook.
MORGANTOWN CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN-MENNONITE
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.
Sunday services are held at 10:30 a.m. in person and via Zoom, with the link available here. Masks are no longer required.
Morgantown Church of the Brethren will meet for Sunday potluck picnics in Wiles Hill Park after Sunday services (around 11:45 or 12:00). People of the neighborhood and community are warmly welcomed.
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.”
UNITARIAN-UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF MORGANTOWN (UUFM)
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Morgantown, at 429 Warrick Avenue, Morgantown, WV, 26505 is now meeting in person at 10:45 a.m. on Sundays.
"We are a Welcoming Congregation and support the Community Coalition for Social Justice."
For more information go to the UU website or Facebook or email UUFMWV@gmail.com or call 304-216-5535.
PFLAG
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.”
DISMANTLING RACISM TOGETHER
This group will not be meeting in June.
Stay tuned for a planned program with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) on Tuesday, August 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at OLLI at the Mountaineer Mall on Greenbag Road.
The program will start by viewing the video “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America.” The video is described as “ Interweaving lecture, personal anecdotes, interviews, and shocking revelations in the documentary, WHO WE ARE: A Chronicle of Racism in America, criminal defense/civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-black racism in the United States from slavery to the modern myth of post-racial America.”
The two-hour documentary presentation will be followed by a lunch break, then an opportunity to interact with a panel of distinguished guests. Mavis Grant and George Lilley will be facilitating this program as co-facilitators of Dismantling Racism Together.
The program will require advance registration and a fee of $12 at the time of registration. OLLI members will be able to register when summer registration begins on June 20th at OLLIatwvu.org. No information was yet available at “press time” about registration for people who are not OLLI members.
For more information please go to their website or Facebook or email dismantlingracismtogether@gmail.com or contact rebeccarodd@yahoo.com.
MORGANTOWN PRIDE
Some details of future events and of the Morgantown Pride Parade and Block Party are shown below.
For information on this group, go to their Facebook page or their website. Morgantown Pride has an Instagram page here.
Morgantown Pride will be having the annual parade and Block Party on June 23rd and 24th, respectively. The parade will go down High Street, ending with a show at 123 Pleasant Street and an after party after that at Vice. Our Block Party will occur at Hazel Ruby McQuain Park from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. on the 24th with an after party at the Apothecary afterwards where all proceeds will go to Project Rainbow, West Virginia’s first LGBTQ friendly homeless shelter.
Registration for the parade and block party has closed, but there is a wait list available if there are cancellations. You can access that form here.
“It’s … #PrideMonth so #PhoenixBakeryWV is making a lil sumpin sumpin to celebrate! It’s a #QueenCake! Based loosely on #KingCakes, our Queen Cake is a #Brioche with a #Cinnamon filling, #Rainbow sprinkles, & your very own #Bear baked inside! Available every Saturday in June (3rd, 10th, 17th, & 24th) and are $16 each. Call in to preorder one today!! (304) 381-4772 #WVBakery #Pride”
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.
WVU Council for Gender EQuality
For information please go to their website or email cge@mail.wvu.edu.
MONONGALIA COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER EVENTS
If you have any questions, please reach out to Taylor: 304.598.0344, or email tshultz@moncocac.org.
MCCAC will be participating in the following community events:
· Mason Dixon Craft Show at Mason-Dixon Historical Park, Saturday, June 10th from 10am-3pm
· Freedom Day (Resource Fair) at Mylan Park, Saturday, July 1st from 11am-3pm
WVU NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES Program
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.
WVU CENTER FOR BLACK CULTURE AND RESEARCH
For more information about the WVU Center for Black Culture and Research, please go here.
WVU LGBTQ+ CENTER
See their website for more information on this and other monthly and weekly activities, and to register for events, or follow them on Facebook.
Below is the statement posted on the Center’s Facebook page in response to Coach Huggins’s comments on a recent radio program about people connected to Xavier University in Cincinnati.
Music at the Scotts Run Museum and Trail
“Put the last Monday of every month at 6pm on your calendars to join us at the Scotts Run Museum and Trail in Osage to join in our spontaneous, no experience needed, Osage Gospel and Soul Community Choir led by Al Anderson and Aristotle Jones. We'll just have fun being together, sharing music as part of the Scotts Run Resonance—Passing It Forward project of events and classes funded by the Mid Atlantic Arts Central Appalachia Living Traditions initiative. As with all of the events and classes, it's free.” You can hear a “sample” featuring Danni Reese (15) and Al Anderson (86) at www.facebook.com/ScottsRunMuseum
West Virginia Public Theatre presents The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
A Contemporary Masterpiece Inspired by MLK Jr’s I’ve Been to The Mountaintop Sermon: "West Virginia Public Theatre is thrilled to announce the first show of its highly anticipated 2023 season that features an emphasis on diversity, inclusivity, as well as exceptional entertainment with the play The Mountaintop by Katori Hall. And we’d love to see you there!
"The Mountaintop is set for June 8th-11th at the Gladys G. Davis Theatre, Canady Creative Arts Center, Morgantown. This stunning drama is a fictional retelling of the last night of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. The play is sure to leave audiences moved, inspired, and in awe of the power of the human spirit.
“The play is inspiring, and we believe will leave our audiences in awe of the power of the human spirit... We are beyond thrilled to bring this incredible production to our audience," said Jerry McGonigle, Artistic Director of West Virginia Public Theatre. “For more than 30 years, West Virginia Public Theatre has provided audiences in Morgantown and surrounding communities with classical and contemporary productions that showcase the talents of local and national actors, directors and designers,” he added.
One such talent is The Mountaintop director Mya Brown, whom West Virginia Public Theatre has been delighted to collaborate with across multiple projects. Brown most recently led our past Radio Theatre For Our Time project, a series we crafted during COVID to keep theatre production alive, and in direct response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Her leadership and vision for The Mountaintop is sure to create a lasting impact on our patrons.
"West Virginia Public Theatre is committed to providing exceptional theatrical experiences to its community, and its 2023 season promises to deliver on that promise. Don't miss out on this stunning, important show. Tickets are on sale now with adult, senior, child and group rates available. Additionally, we’re offering a special opportunity for 20% off tickets with the promocode “Juneteenth”. To purchase tickets, visit the WVU CCAC box office at wvucca.universitytickets.com or call 304-293-TKTS.
