Friday • November 1 • 4 – 9 PM • Wheelchair Accessible • FREE
Watsonville Plaza • 358 Main St • Watsonville

DIA DE MUERTOS – Everyone is invited to participate in this beautiful tradition!
This year will be bigger and better than ever! With film screenings under the stars, community ofrendas, live music performances, hands-on activities, and food, this beautiful tradition honoring our ancestors and dearly departed has something for everyone. For complete program, see Watsonville Film Festival website.

DAY OF THE DEAD FILMS IN THE PLAZA • 7PM
Our community chose the film EL LIBRO DE LA VIDA / THE BOOK OF LIFE to celebrate Día de Muertos this year! Along with this fantastic Mexican movie, WFF will present the world premiere of the short film ETERNIDAD, directed by Ignacio Muñoz, local emerging filmmaker and WFF Cine Se Puede grantee.

MERCADO DE MUERTOS
Artists and artisans will showcase their unique creations at Arte Del Corazón’s Mercado de Muertos on the Romo Lawn, across the street from the Plaza.

Saturday • Oct 26 • 4:00 -6:30 PM • Wheelchair Accessible 
Resource Center for Nonviolence • 612 Ocean St • Santa Cruz

La Ofrenda, a community event and fundraiser honoring RCNV’s social justice past, present, and future will take place on Saturday, October 26, 2024 from 4-6:30 pm at the Resource Center for Nonviolence. They are looking to raise funds, shine light on those who have passed, and build community.

Keynote speaker Jonathan Cruz, former Chief Deputy Public Defender for Santa Cruz County and the first Filipino-American executive in Santa Cruz County Government, now serves as an attorney for the State of California. In this pivotal role, Cruz is spearheading the creation of California’s first state wide post-conviction unit to review claims of innocence. His keynote at the RCNV event will challenge attendees to consider new avenues for advocacy and reform, drawing on his extensive background in legal defense and civil rights.
Whether you sponsor a full or half table or come with a friend, by giving to La Ofrenda, you are not only helping us create a memorable community centered celebration but you are supporting the work of the center. The RCNV has served the community since 1976 in the areas of peace, nonviolent action, and social justice and is committed to providing accessible, high caliber education, training, and support to community-based, grassroots efforts as a way forward.

Tickets available through Eventbrite

Rebecca Belmore and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Friday • October 18 • 6 – 8 PM • Wheelchair Accessible 
Institute of the Arts and Sciences • 100 Panetta Ave • Santa Cruz • FREE

Join us for a conversation between internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist Rebecca Belmore, member of the Lac Seul First Nation (Anishinaabe), and renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer, and artist Leanne Betasamosake Simpson.

This unique conversation, mediated by Professor Gina Dent and IAS Director and Chief Curator Rachel Nelson, will focus on Belmore’s and Betasamosake Simpson’s practices as they reflect on the multi-sited exhibition Seeing through Stone. The exhibition, a portion of which is at the Institute, features the works of more than 85 international and national artists across 3 venues, including Belmore’s “At Pelican Falls,” which is on view at the San Jose Museum of Art.

More info on all of the Seeing through Stone exhibits here

Saturday • October 12 • 3-6 PM • Wheelchair Accessible 
RCNV • 612 Ocean St • Santa Cruz • $25 Suggested Donation

Join Santa Cruz Black for a deep dive and learn more about the impact of the Clotilda’s recovery, its descendants and what’s next for the folks of Africatown.

Black divers were central to the reclamation of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to transport kidnapped Africans to the United States. The event features Kamau Sadiki, a master diver with the Slave Wrecks Project, and Joycelyn Davis, a direct descendant through Charlie Lewis of the 110 Africans who were violently uprooted from their homes and communities.

A multigenerational conversation will be facilitated by Santa Cruz Black with Black Studies students at UC Santa Cruz in partnership with representatives from John Lewis College and the Humanities Institute. Topics will include how the reclamation of the wreck was an act of resistance to the world-shattering racialized and colonial violence of chattel slavery, an act of remembrance prompting us to consider waterways as a Black geography, and an act of community resilience and rebuilding. Some purposeful questions to be held are: How does the resurfacing of the wreck challenge generations of secrecy and silence? How does it upend the presumption of closure and healing?

Tickets on Eventbrite

Saturday • Oct 5  • 4 – 7 PM
Maraquita Farm, Linden Road • Watsonville  

Savor a farm-to-fork organic, plant-based 4-course meal in a stunning open space. Tickets include local non-alcoholic drinks, a farm tour and more. For more information please click here.

Thursday • Sept 26 • 6:30 – 8 PM 
UCSC Institute of the Arts and Sciences • 3rd Floor
100 Panetta Ave • Santa Cruz  • Wheelchair accessible • FREE

The Institute of the Arts and Sciences hosts Dr. Gina Dent, Rachel Nelson, Sara Gozalo, Engrid Hamilton, and Willow Katz for discussion and screening of the short documentary film Plantations and Prisons: a History of Forced Labor in Louisiana. The short documentary explores the direct link between slavery and mass incarceration, focused on Angola State Prison & the state of Louisiana. 

This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. 

RSVP required

Thursday • Sept 26 • 5:30 – 8 PM • Wheelchair Accessible • Ticketed Event
Resource Center for Nonviolence • 612 Ocean St • Santa Cruz

How do you respond when you hear a prejudicial statement in the workplace and social situations? Afterwards, do you regret what you said, or the fact that you didn’t say anything at all? This workshop will explore ways of speaking up against bias as an ally, with the aim of inviting reflection and dialogue, rather than shaming, blaming, or alienating the speaker (who may be your close colleague or loved one).  Examples of unintentionally biased statements, culled from actual conversations, will provide material for discussion and practice.

• A minimum of eight participants are required for the training to proceed. If date is changed, registration fee can be refunded or moved to the next training.
   

REGISTER HERE

Wednesday • Sept 25 • 6 – 7 PM • All Ages • FREE
The Diversity Center • 1117 Soquel Ave • Santa Cruz • Wheelchair accessible

Expressions of Hope: A Poetry Slam, hosted by The Diversity Center is a platform for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to express their thoughts, feelings, and visions for healing, love, peace, authenticity, and safety.
Whether you’re a poet, a writer, or an audience member, this is your opportunity to connect, engage, and share in a supportive environment. Participants are encouraged to share their original poetry or short stories that reflect on themes of unity, acceptance, and queer joy. Participants are also welcome to share works from authors who inspire them. 

RSVP here!