Tickets On Sale Now For The 33rd Annual International Dinner & Performance Night

Press Release/PSA

For Immediate Release

February 9, 2016

For media inquiries, contact: 

Megan Flowers, University YMCA Communications Director

[217-337-1500; megan@universityyymca.org] 

CELEBRATE

Tickets On Sale Now For 33rd Annual International Dinner & Performance Night

​The University YMCA and the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) announce the 33rd Annual International Dinner & Performance Night, which will take place on Sunday, March 13, 2016 from 6pm to 8pm at the University YMCA. Tickets are on sale now for $15 at the front desk of the University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL. (checks payable to the University YMCA). Please plan to purchase tickets early, as seating is limited and tickets sell out 
fast. Hours of operation at the University YMCA are from 9am to 9pm, Mondays-Thursdays and Fridays from 9am to 5pm. Call us at 217-337-1500 if you have any questions.

  

For over three decades, families, students, and faculty have gathered at the University YMCA for the International Dinner & Performance Night. Enjoy an evening of great food and live music in celebration of the diverse cultures that make up Champaign-Urbana.

​The University YMCA and ISSS is also pleased to announce Jean René Balekita and Bomoyi as the performance headliner for the evening. Jean René Balekita and Bomoyi is a professional musical ensemble featuring Congolese rumba with flavors of gospel, jazz and African rhythms. Bomoyi means “life” in the native language of Lingala. In addition to Lingala they sing in English, French, Kikongo, Swahili and Tshiluba. Well known in the Congo, Jean René Balekita and Bomoyi have recently gained enthusiastic audiences in the United States. Watch one of their official music videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=349hzY3E3mQ

At this event, you should expect to enjoy cuisines from over 20 countries and performances from members of the campus and community. Past International Dinner menus have included dishes from Vietnam, Hawaii, Korea, Brazil, Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, Romania, Ghana, Peru, Russia, Malaysia, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Israel and several other countries. 

A finalized menu and performance program is To Be Announced. For more information and updates on the menu and performance schedule, visit: http://www.universityymca.org/global/dinner/

What: The 33rd Annual International Dinner & Performance Night

When: Sunday, March 13, 2016 from 6pm to 8pm

Where: University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL

(On the corner of Wright and Chalmers)

Video: What is The International Dinner & Performance Night?

Pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/universityymca/sets/72157650852388058/

The University YMCA also invites campus and community members to participate as a cook in the International Dinner & Performance Night. Individuals and groups can volunteer to cook either a main dish or a dessert from their country of origin. All cooks are asked to cook enough for 200 very small portions (think a spoonful or a bite), and the University YMCA will reimburse you up to $50/main dish and $25/dessert for items purchased to prepare your dish. If you would like to volunteer to cook, sign up using the link below or contact intldinner@universityymca.org for more information.

To volunteer as a cook, click here. The deadline to sign up to cook is February 19, 2016.

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Press Release/PSA: Co-Founder of the National Black Lives Matter Movement Visits C-U

Press Release/PSA

For Immediate Release

January 27, 2016

For media inquires, please contact:

Megan Flowers, University YMCA Communications Director

[megan@universityymca.org; 217-337-1500]

#BlackLivesMatter

Opal Tometi, Co-Founder of the

National Black Lives Matter Movement Visits C-U

[Champaign-Urbana, IL] The University YMCA hosts Opal Tometi, Co-Founder of the National Black Lives Matter Movement on Friday February 19, 2016. Opal Tometi introduced the world to the Twitter hashtag and launched the Black Lives Matter Movement, along with Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors.

With personal perspective as a first generation American and an experienced community organizer, Tometi reveals raw insights on the adversities inflicted by social injustice, anti-black bias and uninformed views on immigration, educating and inspiring audiences to organize and stand together to transform society into a world where the lives and contributions of all individuals are recognized equally.

A Conversation with Opal Tometi will begin at 12:00pm in Allen Hall (1005 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL) on the UIUC campus. This event is free and open to the public.

The Lunch Reception with Opal Tometi and members of the local chapter of Black Lives Matter will follow her talk at 1:30pm at the University YMCA, 1001 S Wright St., Champaign. Available by registration only, the lunch reception with Opal Tometi is an opportunity for people to learn more about the state of the movement and how the movement is playing out in Champaign-Urbana. Tickets for the lunch reception with Opal Tometi are available for purchase for $50 at http://www.universityymca.org/blacklivesmatter/ or by calling 217-337-1500. Community members are encouraged to sponsor a student ticket at $25. Space is limited. Please RSVP by February 15, 2016. Note: A limited number of sponsored tickets will be available for free; please contact kasey@universityymca.org or call 217-337-1500 to ask about sponsored tickets by the RSVP deadline of Monday, February 15, 2016.

WHEN & WHERE: Friday, February 19, 2016

12:00pm
A Conversation with Opal Tometi: Allen Hall, 1005 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL

(Free and open to the public) 
Follow the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1690005827882685/

1:30pm-3:00pm

Post-Lecture Lunch Reception with Opal Tometi: University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 

(Purchase tickets at universityymca.org/blacklivesmatter or by calling 217-337-1500) 

Follow the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1147961355229132/

WHO: A dedicated activist working at the intersection of racial justice and immigrant rights for more than a decade, Opal Tometi was incensed by the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin—and inspired to take action. Starting the Twitter hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, Tometi (with Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors), prompted activism nationwide and introduced the banner under which this generation’s civil rights movement marches.

An established immigration rights advocate and community organizer, Tometi’s passionate interest stems from experience as the child of Nigerian immigrants. Recognized as a rising leader in the movement, she was named a “New Civil Rights Leader” by the Los Angeles Times for her work building movements that bridge immigrant and human rights initiatives to the ever-growing black liberation movement. In 2015, Tometi and her fellow Black Lives Matter co-founders were honored with inclusion on The Root’s Top 100 List for the movement’s social and political impact.

Website: http://www.universityymca.org/friday_forum/

Additional Information: Opal Tometi’s visit is a part of the Spring 2016 Friday Forum lecture series, “Breaking Down Down Racism: Fighting Racial Injustice in the U.S.” Her visit marks the third event in the series that builds upon discussions of young people’s experiences with racism by highlighting specific tools, campaigns, and changes necessary to combat racism and break down the institutional barriers to equality. 

Opal Tometi's visit is sponsored by Amnesty International-UIUC, Black Lives Matter: Champaign-Urbana, Bruce Nesbit African American Cultural Center, Central Black Student Union, and the University YMCA. Funding by SORF.

The Friday Forum lecture series is a program of the University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright St, Champaign.​ The views expressed by the speakers do not necessarily reflect the views of the University YMCA, co-sponsors, or the Friday Forum committee. A sign language interpreter is available with a 72 hours notice (contact Carol Nunn at 217-337-1500). All forums are radio broadcast at 6:00 p.m. on WEFT 90.1 the Monday following the lecture. You may also find archived Friday Forum lectures on the Y's YouTube channel.

All Friday Forum lectures at the University YMCA are free and open to the public.

The Spring 2016 Friday Forum lectures series, “Breaking Down Racism: Fighting Racial Injustice in the U.S.” is sponsored by: Anne Robin, Atmospheric Science, Black Lives Matter: Champaign-Urbana, Bruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, Center for African Studies, a National Resource Center under the U.S. Department of Education's Title VI Program, Central Black Student Union, Channing Murray Foundation, The Chapel of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Counseling Center, C-U AAUW, Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, Diversity and Social Justice Education, First Mennonite Church, First Presbyterian Church of Monticello, Friedman Law Group, LTD, Human Development and Family Studies, League of Women Voters of Champaign County, LGBT Resource Center, McKinley Presbyterian Church and Foundation, New Covenant Fellowship, Prairie Research Institute, The School of Social Work, Social Action Committee of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Speech and Hearing Science Department, UC Books to Prisoners, Urbana-Champaign Friends Meeting, Wesley Foundation of the University of Illinois, Wesley United Methodist Church, YWCA of the University of Illinois. Funding by SORF.

Press Release/PSA: Friday Forum Series Connects Community To Racial Justice Activism

Press Release/PSA
For Immediate Release
January 12, 2016

For media inquiries, contact:
Megan Flowers, University YMCA Communications Director
[megan@universityymca.org; 217-337-1500]

BREAKING DOWN RACISM

Friday Forum series organizes community discussions with racial justice activists, provides opportunities for action 

In response to the building public awareness of racial injustices in the United States with the gaining momentum of nation-wide grassroots movements to combat racism, the Friday Forum committee of the University YMCA has organized a year-long discussion with opportunities for action with this year’s Friday Forum program theme, “Breaking Down Racism.” The Spring 2016 series builds on the Fall 2015 series by highlighting specific tools, campaigns, and changes necessary to combat racism and break down the institutional barriers to equality. Throughout the series, the audience will be offered opportunities to learn how to fight back against inequalities.

The YMCA of the University of Illinois is pleased to announce the full line up of the Spring 2016 Friday Forum lecture series, Breaking Down Racism: Fighting Racial Injustice in the U.S. The series will be headlined by A Conversation with Opal Tometi, one of the original founders of the Black Lives Matter movement on Friday February 19. Recognized as a 'New Civil Rights Leader For The 21st Century' by the LA Times, Opal Tometi introduced the world to the Twitter hashtag and expanding network, #BlackLivesMatter, along with Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors. For the full list of series speakers please visit, universityymca.org/friday_forum.

When & Where: All lectures unless otherwise noted are on Fridays at 12:00pm in Latzer Hall of the University YMCA, 1001 S. Wright Street, Champaign, IL 61820. Please note that on February 19, A Conversation with Opal Tometi, will take place at Allen Hall Main Lounge, 1005 W Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL. The event will begin at 12:00pm.

Additionally, the University YMCA invites the public to learn more about how communities are taking a stand. Please mark your calendars for Thursday, January 28; Art @ the Y hosts the exhibition opening of the “Unforgotten: Humanizing the Tragic Consequences of Gun Violence." On view in the Y’s Murphy Gallery through February 2016. For more information, please visit: universityymca.org/art.

The Spring 2016 Friday Forum lecture series sponsors include: Anne Robin, Atmospheric Science, Black Lives Matter: Champaign-Urbana, Bruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, Center for African Studies, a National Resource Center under the U.S. Department of Education's Title VI Program, Central Black Student Union, Channing Murray Foundation, The Chapel of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, College of Fine and Applied Arts, Counseling Center, C-U AAUW, Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, Diversity and Social Justice Education, First Mennonite Church, First Presbyterian Church of Monticello, Friedman Law Group, LTD, Human Development and Family Studies, League of Women Voters of Champaign County, LGBT Resource Center, McKinley Presbyterian Church and Foundation, New Covenant Fellowship, Prairie Research Institute, The School of Social Work, Social Action Committee of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Speech and Hearing Science Department, UC Books to Prisoners, Urbana-Champaign Friends Meeting, Wesley United Methodist Church, Wesley Foundation at the University of Illinois, YWCA of the University of Illinois. Funded by SORF.

Friday Forum is a weekly lecture series held during the fall and spring semesters that strives to raise awareness about national and international trends and events. Friday Forum has been continuously running for over 80 years at the University YMCA, continually adapting to the times while remaining committed to providing talks that address topics of relevance and urgency in our society.

Additional Information: The views expressed by the speakers do not necessarily reflect the views of the University YMCA, co-sponsors, or the Friday Forum committee. A sign language interpreter is available with a 72 hours notice (contact Carol Nunn at 217-337-1500). All forums are radio broadcast at 6:00 p.m. on WEFT 90.1 the Monday following the lecture. You may also find archived Friday Forum lectures on the Y's YouTube channel.

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