United 2017: Community Activism & Organizing In An Age Of AltReason
One Day LGBTQ Conference Coincides With First 100 Days Of Trump Administration
Jersey Pride parade producers are partnering with Garden State Equality hold United 2017: Community Activism & Organizing in an Age of AltReason.
The one-day conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at The Asbury, located at 210 Fifth Avenue.
Intended to inspire and inform, the conference comes at a critical time in the wave of resistance efforts across the country and coincides with the ending of the new administration’s first 100 days in office, organizers said.
“Our goal is for attendees to leave the conference with an understanding of and confidence in how to engage with the activism community,” said Laura Pople, conference organizer and president of Jersey Pride, Inc. “We also hope they learn how to prioritize issues they feel strongly about, how to use and interpret messaging and language, and, essentially, what to do with the energy, frustration and despair many are currently experiencing under the current administration, especially.”
The conference will kick off with featured speaker Cathy Renna, a nationally recognized media and communications expert and LGBT leader.
During the morning, the event will feature a ‘political carousel,’ offering an informal Q & A with local politicians.
City resident Rev Gil Caldwell, a retired United Methodist minister and lifelong Civil Rights activist, will close the conference with a presentation about his documentary From Selma to Stonewall.
Other featured guests include Kathy O’Brien and Axel Torres Marrero of Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, Aaron Potenza and Ben Fisher of Garden State Equality, trainer Lori Tarke, Michelle Julet of The Business of Doing Good, Carol Watchler of GLSEN, author Seth Rainess, Sue Doster of National Equality March for Unity and Pride, Gordon Sauer of SAGE, Michael Billy of Jersey City Stands, and Frank Van Dalen of Interpride.
The conference is sponsored by The Asbury and Out in New Jersey.
Attendance is $75, with discounts being offered to seniors and students, and scholarships in an effort to increase accessibility, organizers said.
For more information and to register, visit united.jerseypride.org.
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