Progressives gather in Harrisburg
The first-ever statewide conference for Pennsylvanians committed to grassroots progressive activism will be held Jan. 29-30 at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey.
The Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, organized by Keystone Progress, The Service Employees International Union and the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, will feature more than 40 workshops and panels throughout the weekend.
Workshops will focus on a variety of hot-button issues, like the legalization of medical marijuana and healthcare reform, and will also center on best practices for lobbying and the use of social-media outlets to encourage progressive change.
Numerous panel discussions will focus on LGBT issues, with panelists such as chair of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Stephen Glassman and Equality Advocates Pennsylvania managing director Jake Kaskey, as well as allies such as Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Frankel (D-23rd Dist.) and Sen. Dailyn Leach (D-17th Dist.). The LGBT documentary “Out in the Silence” will also be shown.
The summit will also host a debate among Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial candidates Chris Doherty, Joe Hoeffel, Tom Knox, Dan Onorato and Jack Wagner, and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, who will square off in this spring’s primary, have both been invited for a debate.
The cost for attendance and all meals is $100. To register, visit www.paprogressivesummit.org.
Witnesses wanted for school-violence hearing
The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations will host a series of public hearings about intergroup violence in city schools, the first of which will take place from 4-7 p.m. Jan. 28 at Guerin Recreation Center, 2201 S. 16th St.
The commission is looking for students, parents and other community members to testify about their experiences with pervasive school violence motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation or other characteristics.
Interested participants can register to testify by contacting Naarah’ Crawley at [email protected] or (215) 686-4674. Written testimony can also be submitted to [email protected].
Lobby days for ENDA
The National Center for Transgender Equality is calling on the LGBT community to head to the nation’s capital in March to advocate for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban discrimination against LGBT individuals in the workplace.
The NCTE is hosting a conference and lobby days March 14-16 in a concerted effort for LGBTs and allies to meet with their leaders in Congress and lobby for the bill. The three-day event will feature phone banking, meet-and-greet with activists and an awards ceremony to recognize leaders in the fight to pass ENDA.
On March 16, participants will have the chance to meet with their senators and representatives, as well as their staff members, to explain the need for ENDA.
Interested participants can register on NCTE’s Web site, www.transequality.org.
Nominate an NJ leader
Nominations are being accepted for exemplary community leaders in the Garden State for the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards.
The awards honor New Jerseyans who volunteer their talents in a variety of fields — such as emergency services, healthcare, youth services and faith communities — and also recognize lifetime achievements and volunteer organizations.
To nominate an individual or group, submit a 300-word essay about why the person or organization should be recognized to www.njgovernorsawards.com. Nominations will be accepted until Jan. 31.
Philly seeks screenwriters
The Greater Philadelphia Film Office recently launched its 2010 Screenwriting Competition and is this year looking for writers whose works can be shot in the City of Brotherly Love.
“Shoot in Philadelphia” is looking for feature-length or TV-pilot-length pieces of all genres. Submissions will be judged on overall quality and their “shootability” in Philadelphia.
Prizes range from $1,000 to $10,000.
The early deadline for submissions is Feb. 1, and the final deadline is March 1.
For complete submission details, visit www.film.org.
— Jen Colletta