Date:
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 - 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location:
First Congregational U.C.C., 724 E South River St, Appleton
You are invited to participate in an impactful, experiential activity called the Blanket Exercise at First Congregational United Church of Christ, Appleton, on Tuesday, April 12 at 5:00 PM. This activity will foster truth, deeper understandings, and mutual respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. We will learn about the original inhabitants of this area, the U.S. Doctrine of Discovery, and the lasting repercussions that the Indian Boarding Schools have had upon Native Peoples into the present. This is an event you won’t want to miss!
Up to 60 people may participate in the Blanket Exercise. This experience is available to persons aged 13 and older. Please know that registration is required and can be done online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevyTyQTvE1ZGIabtqqjSnlzLQq5q9V4DV3SK1mDzvtCwV8CQ/viewform. The link is also on the church website.
There will be an optional meal at 5:00 PM in Fellowship Hall before the event. The activity itself will begin promptly at 6:00 PM.
The meal will be traditional indigenous food catered by Waqsecewan Indigenous Catering, a Native-owned business. For those who attend the meal, please consider providing a freewill donation to offset the cost of the food and to invest in this important work (see below). However, persons unable to contribute monetarily are still invited and encouraged to attend this powerful activity.
Please be aware that you do not need to attend the meal in order to participate in the Blanket Exercise. We hope you can join us!
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of going to the state capital in Madison for EXPO’s Empathy Day of Action. We spent the day learning from EXPO leaders, senators, and representatives on Unlock the Vote and AJR 107. Using the information we learned, we got to have conversations with our legislators, representatives, and their staff. We met with those who voted in favor of AJR 107 which is a constitutional amendment that was created after the Waukesha parade tragedy. 
One of the women who joined us was Felicia Turner-Walton, who is the CEO and Founder of Healing Our Hearts. This is a non-profit based out of Madison that provides support to those that have experienced loss. This organization is committed to providing an understanding of grief that is centered around black and brown communities. 
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Calumet has started the process of installing solar panels on their roof. In total, there will be 125 panels and the process should be completed in the next month or two. This project has been in the works for the past three years with extensive planning and fundraising. 
We would like to invite you and your congregation to Community Conversations: A Faithful Response to Housing Needs. This event is being co-hosted by Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church and ESTHER Oshkosh to allow faith community leaders and members to connect and learn more about how we can respond to housing needs in our community.
Please join the Equity Network and Fox Valley Thrives for a virtual workshop that will connect the dots between health equity and our civic engagement. Lynnsey Erickson and Stephanie Gyldenvand, Community Health Strategists with Winnebago County Health Department, will share about social determinants of health and how upstream factors produce and reproduce health inequities across populations.
Starting Friday, March 4, rallies will be held in cities across Wisconsin for eight consecutive weeks as activists unite to demand a more just, equitable, and liveable future. Our time to act is now! JOIN US!
a great way to learn about organizing.
