Building community, sharing hope, and standing for justice since 2004

Oshkosh City Council Candidates Forum

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Date: 
Thursday, March 26, 2026 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: 
Becket's Restaurant, 2 Jackson St, Oshkosh

Hear directly from candidates on housing and community priorities

ESTHER housing advocates will be asking questions of candidates for the three open positions on the Oshkosh City Council, with a focus on

Affordability • Availability • Accessibility

Hosted by Oshkosh ESTHER Housing Advocates

Free and Open to the Public

Candidate Forum to be followed by Dessert and Discussion

Help us plan! Please register at esther-foxvalley.org/forum2026

Zoom option available; register for link.

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Menasha Candidate Forum

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Date: 
Thursday, March 26, 2026 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: 
Elisha D. Smith Public Library, 440 First St, Menasha


Sponsored by League of Women Voters of Winnebago County

The Spring General Election is April 7, and LWV Winnebago County has what you need to be an informed voter! Save this date for our Menasha candidate forums. Attend live or find the recordings on our FB page, our website, or YouTube. We welcome questions from voters, either submitted via email before the event (wclwvinfo@gmail.com) with the location and race in the subject line, or at the event. LWV reserves the right to choose questions and edit them for clarity and brevity. Candidates will answer questions from the audience.

Forum will be recorded.

  • 6:00 pm: Menasha Common Council Districts 2 & 8
  • 7:00 pm: Menasha School Referendum

More information at https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1M1wQB5pRm/

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Life After Incarceration: A Reentry Simulation - Rescheduled

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Date: 
Monday, March 23, 2026 - 5:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: 
First Congregational United Church of Christ, 724 E. South River St, Appleton

Reentry Simulation Rescheduled Due to Weather

Due to the blizzard forecast for this weekend and concern for safe travel conditions, the organizers have decided to postpone Life After Incarceration: A Reentry Simulation by one week.

The event will now take place on:

Monday, March 23
Registration: 5:30–6:00 PM
Simulation: 6:00–7:30 PM
Panel Discussion: 7:30–8:00 PM
First Congregational UCC
724 E South River St, Appleton

This interactive experience invites participants to step into the shoes of someone returning to society after incarceration and face the real-life challenges of securing housing, finding employment, accessing social services, and rebuilding life after release.

We made this decision early so participants, volunteers, and partner organizations have clear notice and can plan safely.

Registration remains open, and both participants and volunteers are welcome.
Visit esther-foxvalley.org/reentry to learn more and register.

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you will join us on March 23 for this important community learning experience.

Register Now

Participants and volunteers needed. Learn more on the registration page. Registration Required.

 

Organized by ESTHER, JOSHUA, RUTH, and FREE

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Immigration: How We Got Here

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Date: 
Saturday, March 21, 2026 - 12:30pm
Location: 
Appleton Public Library, 2nd Floor, 200 N Oneida St, Appleton


“Immigration: How we got here,
a better path forward”

Presentation by Kat Griffith

Know Your Rights & Supporting Immigrants in Our Community

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Date: 
Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: 
First Congregational UCC Fellowship Hall, 724 E South River St, Appleton

Make plans now to participate in this multi-church immigration training event.

Learn about your rights to support and advocate for immigrants in our community.

Presented by Molly Smiltneek, JD, an immigration attorney.

Part of the Palm Sunday Path events series.

 

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ICE Statement

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January 30, 2026

Dear Friends,

The state of our country feels catastrophic right now. Many people are saying that what we are witnessing looks like Nazi Germany. While that comparison is chilling and, in many ways, accurate, we must also remember that Nazi Germany took notes from the United States. This nation was founded on the genocide of Indigenous peoples and the kidnapping and enslavement of Africans. Even after the formal abolition of slavery, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) have continued to face violence, terror, and state-sanctioned oppression. A more accurate analogy for what we are seeing today is that the logic and function of slave patrols are once again — or more truthfully, still — operating in our society.

BIPOC communities have never been fully free or safe in this country. For centuries, government systems have killed people of color with impunity. What we are witnessing in the murders of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti follows a long and brutal pattern: facts are denied, victims are dehumanized, and narratives are manipulated to justify state violence. It is telling that Keith Porter was killed first, yet his death received little attention until after two white people were killed. The order of coverage reveals the order of value in our society — whose lives are centered, whose deaths are mourned publicly, and whose suffering is rendered invisible. For many white Americans, this reality feels shocking and unbelievable. For BIPOC communities, it is tragically familiar.

Housing Policy Institute

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Date: 
Sunday, February 1, 2026 (All day)
Location: 
Richard Mauthe Center, 2418 Leon Bond Dr (UW-Green Bay), Green Bay

POSTPONED

This is a two-day training for those who are housing-impacted and wanting to learn how to advocate. The training is free and open to the public with meals provided. Participants are asked to attend both days. Please contact us if there are barriers to attendance so we can assist.

Your voice matters! Register to attend the two-day Housing Policy Institute, a training for people who have experienced housing challenges in Northeast Wisconsin to learn how to advocate for solutions. The training will be held on a future date, TBD.

Participants are asked to attend both days. Meals will be provided, and we are able to assist with barriers that may prevent participants from attending. Please do not hesitate to ask questions prior to submitting your registration.

Questions? Please contact: info@joshua4justice.org

 

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Recovery in Our Community

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Date: 
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 9:30am - 3:00pm
Location: 
UW-Oshkosh Culver Family Welcome Center, 625 Pearl Ave, Oshkosh

Plan now to attend the third annual We Heart You: Recovery in Our Community event, a day dedicated to hope, connection, learning, and action. This gathering brings together professionals, families, people in recovery, and community partners from across the region to strengthen our collective response to substance use and mental health challenges.

Register Here: https://solutionsrecoveryinc-bloom.kindful.com/.../we...

This year’s event features a powerful lineup of regional and local presenters, storytellers, and breakout sessions. CEUs will be available.

Immigration Community Action Night

Date: 
Wednesday, February 4, 2026 - 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Location: 
ESTHER Office, 874 E South River St, Appleton

Join us for a hands-on community action night focused on protecting immigrant families and advancing local advocacy. Together, we will assemble whistle packets to support ICE preparedness, share know-your-rights information and practical tools for community safety, and take collective action by writing letters to local sheriffs and legislators.

This gathering is designed to be accessible for both new and experienced advocates. You’ll receive guidance, materials, and talking points, and you’ll be in community with others committed to immigrant justice.

All are welcome!

Help spread the word - download abnd share the attached flier.

Songs of Justice, Songs of Peace Singalong

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Date: 
Sunday, February 22, 2026 - 6:00pm
Location: 
First Congregational United Church of Christ, 724 E. South River St, Appleton


First Congregational UCC, Appleton, invites the wider Fox Cities to an evening of singing songs of justice and peace in community led by Karma's Mailbox. The band will draw from the rich tradition of peace hymns, protest songs, and rock anthems of resistance as we raise our voices together in song. All are welcome and wanted. No charge.

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