WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14
6:00 to 8:00 P.M.
WHOLE FOODS MARKET, 5600 Magazine Street - Arabella Station Uptown New Orleans

CHARITABLE FILM NETWORK
A Monthly Film Industry Event

* Entertainment provided by Side by Side
* Refreshments provided by Whole Foods Market

PLEASE JOIN US at the Charitable Film Network (CFN), a unique charity and networking event for media professionals, film enthusiasts, and newcomers to the film, video, and broadcast community. Connect with others in the film community, discuss creative and collaborative opportunities, and contribute to the community-at-large.

CFN accepts voluntary donations for a pre-selected local charity at each networking event. All monetary donations are earmarked, and given directly to a designated Charity of the Month. Network participants may also volunteer services to the charity during the event. This month's networking event will benefit the MARDI GRAS SERVICE CORPS/FAMILY MATCH.

For more information please visit: charitablefilmnetwork


SATURDAY, JUNE 10th, 2006
African American Leadership Project

Policy Summit on Katrina Rebuilding/Equity Ordinance:
12:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Please RSVP by visiting www.aalp.org

The objective of the summit is to bring together organizations and individuals who have been working on aspects of rebuilding and reconstruction to initiate the development of a citizen oriented policy Agenda. Since the Katrina disaster, the AALP and other organizations have worked on numerous aspects of rebuilding which are appropriate for policy consideration. Now that the elections are over, it is especially appropriate to enter into dialogue with the city council (and eventually other elected officials as well) on the development of citizen sensitive policies for rebuilding and reconstruction. Members of the city council are expected to join the conversation from 3 to 5 pm.

The June 10th Summit is the first step of a multi- phased process that hopefully will lead to the passage and implementation of relevant policies. The Summit will also explore how to implement newly adopted policies such as the Neighborhood Rebuilding Equity Ordinance (NREO). The range of summit policy issues will include:

1. Housing,
2. Health Care,
3. Environmental Clean-up,
4. Police/Public Safety,
5. Jobs/Economic Development,
6. Neighborhood Planning/City Services and the Neighborhood Redevelopment Equity Ordinance (NREO).

Additional issues will be considered at subsequent follow up Summits.

The AALP is a broad based nonpartisan network of community, religious, business, and academic leaders, organizers, activists, planners and citizens focused on policy research analysis and advocacy, strategic dialogue on critical issues, community planning and neighborhood development, and consensus based Agenda building. It has been in existence for 3 1/2 years

For more information, contact AALP Chairperson, Mrs. Gail Glapion, or AALP Project Manager, Mtangulizi Sanyika at 504-242-8353 or 713-376-3364 / e-mail: wazuri@aol.com.

Mtangulizi Sanyika, AALP Project Manager / Gail Glapion, AALP Chairperson

THURSDAY, JUNE 8TH
Jose Torres Tama & ArteFuturo Productions Present:
"RAISING THE SPIRIT: SELF-PORTRAITS PERFORMED"

AN ENSEMBLE THEATER PIECE WITH MEN FROM "LIVING WITNESS"
PERFORMING STORIES OF REDEMPTION & REINVENTION OF THE SELF
Thursday & Friday, June 8 & 9, 2006 @ 5:30PM
Suggested contribution for the show is $5 at the door.

"RAISING THE SPIRIT: SELF-PORTRAITS PERFORMED" is an ensemble theater piece with six African American men who are trying to repair their lives and spirit after incarceration, substance abuse problems, and the trauma of displacement after Hurricane Katrina. The piece has developed through a series of theater and performance workshops conducted by Jose Torres Tama, a New Orleans theater and performance artist.

The ensemble is comprised men from the Living Witness Social Services Program. Tama guided the participants in developing improvised stories that explore their personal trials of redemption after drug addiction and the effects of a troubled past on their present journey to reinvention. The workshops evolved into a theater piece called "Raising the Spirit: Self-Portraits Performed."

The show will be accompanied by a short film documentary of the workshop process as filmed by Afro Cuban filmmaker William Sabourin O'Reilly. The film of "Raising the Spirit" documents the creation process that developed into the performance, and it serves as sort of "anatomy of lives unfolding," as it captures the theater exercises that engaged the
participants in revealing their secret selves.

For additional information Contact: Jose Torres Tama at (504)232.2968 or www.torrestama.com.

This program is supported by a grant from The Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.