One World One Family Newsletter
April 2023
April seems to be hanging on a little longer – at least in the cold, dreary weather. We’re still calling it April for this newsletter too!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR – GENERAL OWOF MEETING!
Join us on Sunday, May 7 from 1-3 pm at Pierce Park Pavilion. It will be a time for all seekers of social justice to meet, share ideas, connect with friends, and make new acquaintances. OWOF will be trying to have these general meetings more often. Bring ideas and concerns. All are welcome. See you then!
#WearOrange
End Gun Violence Awareness Day
Chelsea City Council just designated Friday, June 2 as End Gun Violence Awareness Day in keeping with the national call for action on gun safety. There will be a rally on June 2 at Pierce Park. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for further details. If you are interested in helping to plan the event, come to a meeting on Saturday, May 6 at 9am at Council Chambers.
Chelsea Pride Event
Saturday, June 3, Noon at the rock in Pierce Park. March through town and gather for lunch at St. Barnabas Church right after. Come out and show your colors!
We still have flags being stolen from yards and houses in town. Recently the police have identified some suspects, but the attitude behind the thefts go beyond the young men in the most recent incidents. We need to continue to express our support – fly the flags, get educated, speak out against discriminatory laws and practices, talk to your children with the idea that all people, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation, should be treated with dignity and respect. A community proudly displaying pride flags has been shown to impress visitors to town and to indicate our level of support for our LGBTQIA+ citizens and neighbors.
We can discuss further action at the May 7 General Meeting.
Interest in Chelsea PFLAG Chapter?
From their information: “PFLAG has been around for almost 50 years and is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families. PFLAG and all its chapters are non-partisan, meaning we do not affiliate with any one political party. Some chapters are more active in working against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in their communities, but the main purpose of a chapter is to fulfill all three parts of our mission; support, education, and advocacy.” LeAnn Seto is exploring starting a Chelsea chapter. If you are interested, please email OWOF with your contact info and we will pass that to her immediately.
Chelsea Public Safety Strategic Planning Group – Ongoing meetings for Police Reform
A public kick-off was held on April 19 with a presentation on goals and plans for reforming Chelsea Police operations and policies. They are working with SMART – a criminal justice research and facilitation group whose members are professors from Eastern Michigan University. Members of SMART also shared their roles and goals. They will be facilitating many of the meetings of the SPG. One of the activities was a “gallery walk” where the members of the community wrote their comments to such topics as “what does Chelsea PD do well?” “what doesn’t CPD do well?” “what are the obstacles to change?” The group will be compiling the answers and using them to direct their planning. Regular public sessions are planned. All meetings of the SPG are open to the public and are posted on the City website. Next regular meeting is Wed, May 3 at 2pm in Council Chambers. The next public community engagement is set for 7:00 pm on May 17 at Beach Middle School media center.
OWOF Presentation to Chelsea Kiwanis
Chelsea Kiwanis was a major supporter of this year’s MLKJr. Days of Service and Social Action Events. Recently, Carolyn Stilwell and Joanne Ladio reported on the event and shared some of OWOF’s history and projects. The article is here. It has some history that you might not know!
Chelsea EXPO was a success
The EXPO was well-attended and we were pleased with the number of people we met and talked with. As our area grows, we need to keep up our outreach. We added 25+ names to our mailing list. Welcome new followers! Please like us on Facebook
Email us One World One Family
DON’T FORGET THE OWOF GENERAL MEETING
Sunday May 7 at 1pm at the Pierce Park Pavilion. See you there!
Thank you for your time. Stay engaged!
Your OWOF Team
