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The DC Environmental Network Invites All Metro-Based Environmentalists to a BROWN BAG LUNCHEON:
BEATING HEART: An Important Book for Environmental Justice Advocates!
featuring:
- Anna El-Eini, Author, Beating Heart
- Chris Weiss, Director, DC Environmental Network (moderator)
Join us, Wednesday, March 16th at Noon at Global Green USA, for a DCEN LUNCHEON featuring former DC Environmental Network Director Anna El-Eini as she talks about her important new book BEATING HEART.
From the author:
"The book grew from the injustices I observed and fought against while working to stop a for-profit prison from being built on National Parkland in Ward 8, in the heart of the poorest neighborhood in DC. BEATING HEART isn't a manual or a handbook on how to change the world, it's a message of hope about what it really takes to make a difference in other people's lives."
From a DC teacher:
"I've been using the novel BEATING HEART in a reading class at Academy of Hope, in DC. We're talking about the dominant narratives around racism and power and a series of counter narratives. My students are adults who do not hold a high school credential yet. Half are homeless. All of them are black or latino. They have loved it, and the discussions we have around it."
BEATING HEART is a book you need to read if you work on social justice and environmental issues in Washington, DC.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT!
Synopsis:
Behind the marble monuments and elegant suites of the Washington, D.C. seen on the news, there’s a city where 1 in 5 live in poverty, nearly half the children fail high school, and 41 percent of young black men spend time in prison.
This is where Linda Thurston, a young community organizer, lives and works. She must help stop a new prison from being built in the heart of the city’s poorest neighborhood, and prevent eight hundred residents from being evicted. But to do this, Linda needs to believe in herself again after her brother’s death, and she must win the trust of the community’s leader, Anita Douglas, who is secretly wrestling with her once unshakable faith in God. And together they need to help Luther Shaw, the campaign’s lawyer, injured by gang violence, to overcome his bitterness. As Linda, Anita and Luther are forced to confront their own prejudices and fears, they come together across the black-white divide to heal a neighborhood.
BEATING HEART is a profound and vivid journey into the neighborhoods that lie close to the White House, shut out from the American Dream. As you walk the streets with Linda, meet the residents and power-brokers who vie for control of the city and explore the city’s forgotten river, you’ll discover what it takes to make a difference in the lives of others, and the rewards and losses that come from having tried.
Author Bio:
Anna El-Eini was born in Sudan and grew up in England. While working towards a PhD in molecular neurobiology she volunteered at a local community center and saw first-hand the struggles faced by low-income, minority communities. She became a policy analyst and community organizer in Washington, D.C., and worked with communities across the city. She is a former Director of the D.C. Environmental Network and has worked for Scenic America and Friends of the Earth. A selection from BEATING HEART, her first novel, received an Honorable Mention in the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition 2010.
All are welcome.
DATE: Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
TIME: 12:00 NOON to 1:30 PM
PLACE: Global Green USA (offices of Friends of the Earth), 1100 15th Street NW, 11th Floor. Near Farragut North & McPherson Square Metro Stations
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT!
CALL-IN NUMBER: 775-269-3893 When prompted enter 399602
For more information contact Chris Weiss at 202-518-8782.
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