The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating to so many people and small businesses. When Short North resident, Susie Wroble, lost her job in the fashion industry due to the mass layoffs, she noticed two things: a vacuum in the market for Short North apparel, and a desperate need of help for the small businesses in the area.

“We need to protect these businesses at all cost” Wroble pleaded when remembering that a majority of the businesses in Short North are small and/or family owned. In January when she attended a fundraiser for the Short North Alliance, which supports local small businesses, wearing a sweatshirt of her own design, she not only received compliments, but also inquiries of where one might buy one.

Tuesday, June 8, 11am-12noon, this on-line event requires advance registration

The Our Voices Together Coalition invites you to turn up the heat on anti-protest bills by lighting a fire under Ohio Legislators. Every Tuesday, we will come together as a community, train up, listen to music, and enjoy each other’s company as we take action together.

This coming “Turn Up Tuesday,” we will be emailing legislators and letting them know what we think about H.B. 109, H.B. 22, and S.B. 41. This is a work session and we’ll give helpful tips. Come ready to type and we’ll help you do the rest.

RSVP for this event by using this link.

Hosted by Stop Ohio Anti-Protest Bills.

Well, for the first time since the lockdown began, after about 15 months of streaming cinema online, your peripatetic film critic finally attended his first screening in person. The event took place June 3 at the Landmark Pico Theater, a major West Los Angeles theatrical venue where arthouse and blockbuster movies alike are shown. The occasion was the directorial debut by Ensenada-born actress Magi Avila, Altitude Not Attitude, which was preceded by a red carpet in the Landmark’s lobby. The celebs who walked the red carpet included supermodel/actress Kelly LeBrock, who was the titular The Woman in Red in that 1984 Gene Wilder romcom.

This was followed by a well-attended reception inside one of the multiplex’s theaters, where a bartender provided libations and servers made the rounds with delicious appetizers that were each adorned by mini-flags from the countries of origin for the hors d’oeuvres, catered by Chef Stacie Rauch of The Personal Palate. For instance, chocolatey mini-mousses were topped by diminutive French Tricolours.

Why does the US advocate a free market while doing its utmost to stifle it? The current US-China economic war is a perfect example of this perplexing question. 

The legacy of Milton Friedman, the founder of America’s modern political economy, was a representation of this very dichotomy: the use, misuse and manipulation of the concept of the free market.

Through the Chicago School of Economics, whose disciples have proved most consequential in the formation of the American approach to foreign policy, especially in South America, Milton constantly championed the virtues of the free market, emphasizing a supposed link between freedom and capitalism and insisting that governments should not micromanage markets. 

Sunday, June 6, 5-6pm, Mayme Moore Park, 867 Mt. Vernon Ave.

Recent events in Columbus and in the world may have you feeling ready to get involved, but uncertain of how to get started.

Join us at Mayme Moore Park to learn about the basics of being a community organizer and how to grow connections, plan an action, and work towards a better movement ecology with other organizations!

Water and snacks will be provided. All ages are welcome, and a playground is on site!

Hosted by Black Queer and Intersectional Collective [BQIC].