COCC announces lineup for 16th Season of Nonviolence, featuring speakers, book conversations

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Central Oregon Community College’s 16th annual Season of Nonviolence — held mid-January through early April — will feature an engaging lineup of free events, with notable activists and New York Times-bestselling authors.

Events include a talk by activist Jodie Patterson (Jan. 23), a keynote event by author Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts (Feb. 20), a virtual conversation with the Oregon Humanities Conversation Project (March 6), a modern history dance performance (March 13), and a presentation by author TJ Klune (April 9).

Visit cocc.edu/snv to register for events and learn more about the 2024 Season of Nonviolence at COCC, presented by COCC’s office of diversity and inclusion and the Nancy R. Chandler Lecture Series.

In anticipation of the Feb. 20 keynote event with Lewis-Giggetts — and held in conjunction with Black History Month — the college is convening six community book discussion groups across Central Oregon in January and February, beginning Jan. 2, centered on her New York Times-bestselling “Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration.” Visit cocc.edu/snv to join a community book conversation.

“Black Joy,” which received a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, is a collection of essays that offers redemptive strength of joy in Black culture, challenging the one-note narrative of Black life as solely comprised of trauma and hardship. Lewis-Giggetts has published 22 books and her work has appeared in Oprah Daily, the Washington Post, Essence Magazine and other publications.

Participants are encouraged to begin reading or rereading the book now to be ready for discussions beginning next month. Obtain a copy of the book at the COCC Barber Library, local libraries or local independent booksellers. The community book groups are being presented in partnership with The Father’s Group, Trinity Episcopal Church and the Unity Spiritual Community of Central Oregon.

Full programming for the 2024 Season of Nonviolence at COCC includes the following:

Jodie Patterson will present “Allyship, Genderless Mothering and Self-Transformation” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at Wille Hall on the Bend campus, with a livestream option available. Genderless mothering is a unique form of social activism that embraces feminism, Black pride and LGBTQIA+ activism. Patterson will share her own story as a mother of five, and introduce attendees to the Human Rights Campaign for an overview of America’s state of affairs on LGBTQIA+ issues.

The keynote event is with author Lewis-Giggetts, who will speak at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, in Wille Hall on the Bend campus about redemptive strength of joy in Black culture. A livestream option is available.

A virtual facilitated conversation with the Oregon Humanities Conversation Project, “Music as a Tool for Social Justice,” will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6.

“Modern World History through Dance,” a collaboration with the Bend Contemporary Dance Company, will take place at 5:30 p.m., on Wednesday, March 13, in the Pinckney Center for the Performing Arts on the Bend campus. The program will explore the stories of what modernization looks like, focusing on the impact on the Islamic world.

“An Evening with TJ Klune,” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9, in Wille Hall on the Bend campus, will feature the award-winning and New York Times-bestselling fantasy fiction author sharing why it’s more important than ever to have accurate, positive queer representation in literature.

COCC’s Season of Nonviolence is inspired by the work of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, honoring their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world. For more information, contact Charlotte Gilbride, coordinator of the Nancy R. Chandler Lecture Series, at 541-383-7257 or cgilbride@cocc.edu, or Christy Walker, director of diversity and inclusion, at 541-383-7412 or cwalker2@cocc.edu.

Sponsors for COCC’s Season of Nonviolence include First Story, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Brooks Resources Corporation, Cascades Academy of Central Oregon and the Oregon Community Foundation’s Casey Family Fund.

In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability should contact Caitlyn Gardner at 541-383-7237. For accommodation because of other disability, such as hearing impairment, contact disability services at 541-383-7583.