Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with Central New Yorkers Jim McKeever and Nina Wickett, both of whom have made several volunteer trips to the US-Mexico border to work with migrants and the organizations that support them. They have volunteered in Tijuana and San Diego, and Jim has also worked with Team Brownsville in Texas. In this insightful talk, Jim and Nina will share their experiences, including working alongside migrants in a community kitchen in Tijuana, escorting recently released ICE detainees to the San Diego airport to reunite with loved ones across the U.S., placing life-saving water and supplies in the desert, and delivering groceries to shelters in Tijuana. Jim and Nina say they have witnessed the extraordinary courage, resilience and gratitude of the migrants who are hopeful that the U.S. will welcome them. A brief Q&A will follow their presentation.
This event will be held on Thursday, April 13th at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About Jim McKeever and Nina Wickett
(L-R) Jim McKeever, Nina Wickett, and two young men who are migrants and who work at a community kitchen in Tijuana.Photo from ArtRage Gallery.
Jim McKeever was a staff writer for The Post-Standard in Syracuse for more than 20 years and has volunteered at the US-Mexico border numerous times since 2019. He is a co-founder of senseofdecency.com and shares the stories of asylum seekers and other migrants, including many who live in Central New York.
Nina Wickett spent most of her career in finance and accounting. She was the bookkeeper for the Syracuse Peace Council for 10 years. She volunteers with local immigration assistance efforts and since 2019, has been going down to the border with Jim McKeever to help asylum seekers.
Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with Rob Boston, Senior Adviser at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, for an important discussion of the role the separation of church and state has played, and continues to play, in American life. “The ‘wall of separation between church and state’ is,” American United argues, “an American original—an American invention born in the Enlightenment, but first implemented in the great ‘American Experiment.’ Until then, no other nation had sought to protect the people’s right to think freely by separating religion and government.” Mr. Boston will provide a historical overview of this “wall of separation,” and highlight the ways in which Americans of all religions, creeds and political persuasions have sought to defend or compromise this uniquely American ideal. A brief Q&A will follow Mr. Boston’s talk.
This event will be held on Wednesday, February 22nd at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.
Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with Abbey McHugh and Heather Cogan of Common Cause NY, as they discuss gerrymandering, voter suppression, and the recent work of Syracuse’s independent Redistricting Commission. Syracuse is one of only a handful of governments in the nation to adopt an independent redistricting model and is believed to be the first city east of the Mississippi River to do so. Onondaga County’s process was largely criticized as partisan and messy, resulting in district maps that are currently facing legal action. Ms. McHugh and Ms. Cogan will highlight the importance of Syracuse’s independent model, its potential impact on Syracuse’s voting districts, and ways average citizens can engage in this unique, once-in-a-decade process.
This event will be held on Thursday, June 2 at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. Common Cause works to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process. Common Cause New York is one of the most active state chapters in the country, representing tens of thousands of New Yorkers throughout the state. With over 64,000 members, Common Cause NY is a leader in the movement for election administration reform, campaign finance reform and upholding ethics laws to impact systems that undermine people’s faith in democracy.
Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for a timely discussion of the ongoing war in the Ukraine, featuring Syracuse University Political Science Professor and Russia expert, Dr. Brian Taylor. Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine on February 24, 2022 sent shock waves through the international community and threatens to irrevocably upset the existing geopolitical order. What does the ongoing war mean for Europe? For NATO? And for the United States? Is this the start of a new Cold War? And if so, how will Putin respond? What impact will Russia’s actions have on the norms of international behavior? Can we ever go back? And, perhaps most importantly, how will this conflict end? Is there a peaceful solution to be found? Or must force be met with force? You won’t want to miss this incredibly important lecture. A brief Q&A will follow Dr. Taylor’s talk.
This event will be held on Thursday, May 19th at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.
All Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library’s events are now available on YouTube!
Click below to watch historian Eric Persons speak on the Central Current project and the role of local journalism in creating an informed and engaged citizenry.
Join the Strathmore Speakers Series and Onondaga Free Library for an evening with Central Current, Inc. co-founder, Eric Persons. Central Current is a new nonprofit, nonpartisan, and independent digital news agency based in Syracuse. Eric will discuss the Central Current project and the role of local journalism in creating an informed and engaged citizenry. A brief Q&A will follow.
This event will be held on Thursday, October 14th at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About Eric Persons
Eric is supporting Central Current, Inc. because of journalism’s renewed focus on citizenship and community engagement. As a broadcast journalist, he witnessed violent crime, economic failure, and a decline in social capital, and he became frustrated that his work had little impact in helping his hometown of Buffalo, NY address those conditions. Now, local news can no longer survive and thrive without having a strong, responsive relationship with its audience. He believes that online journalism provides opportunities for innovation and creative storytelling that can strengthen an understanding of issues, create engaged citizens, while also preserving journalistic objectivity and integrity.
Eric stepped into a newsroom over 30 years ago with interest in covering sports, local news and politics. As a television photojournalist, he covered breaking news overnight while spending his days covering the NFL, NHL and college sports. His news stories involved countless homicides, weather events and car accidents while also contributing to stories on local government, the economy and cultural events. In 1996, his coverage of a suspect’s death in police custody contributed to an investigation and homicide charges filed against a Buffalo police lieutenant.
In 1997, he traveled overseas to learn more about the political, economic, and social changes occurring in Central and Eastern Europe. The experience turned into a career developing programs in higher education and public affairs. He directed university programs on political and economic reform in Washington, DC, the Czech Republic and Greece until arriving at Syracuse University in 2002. He has been a resident of Central New York ever since, where he has developed community initiatives involving urban planning and design, public health and economic development. He also represented Syracuse University at the local, state and federal levels of government, and has been an advocate for innovation and community engagement in higher education.
About Central Current
Mission: Strengthen Civic Engagement and Democratic Governance
Central Current, Inc. is working to launch a nonprofit digital news publication that will provide balanced, fact-based news, opinion and analysis about the issues, events and happenings that impact life in Central New York. At a time when commercial interests and political interference are limiting quality journalism, we strive to fulfill a need for independent news with thorough and investigative coverage of issues to help residents be well-informed citizens. Our objective is to strengthen civic engagement and democratic governance, and to foster a prosperous and healthy community.
As a digital multimedia news organization, Central Current, Inc. will take an entrepreneurial approach to online journalism that redefines the relationship between news media and its audience. We will publish quality journalism and produce meaningful stories through writing, video, photography and other forms of media. As a mission‐centered nonprofit organization, we are exclusively focused on serving and engaging the community to enhance civic dialogue and understanding of issues. We will uphold the highest standards of journalistic integrity and creative storytelling while ensuring news coverage reflects the needs and diversity of the region.
Our motivation is our love for Central New York, but knowing we can do better. Our region is an attractive place to live and raise a family. But we also have one of the highest rates of poverty and racial segregation in the country. And while having a strong industrial heritage with dynamic anchors in higher education and health care, we struggle to drive investment and growth in our economy. It is necessary more than ever to have a better understanding of the issues that impact our entire community and resolve any disconnect we have to realizing a better future.
We are also driven by an entrepreneurial spirit that is rooted our region’s diversity and talent. The people we employ and others who support our work will be more than representative of our community; they also will have an ownership in our enterprise. Our work culture will be defined by a collaborative group of individuals and partners from different backgrounds, experiences and skill sets who are willing to try new approaches and learn from each other and from the community we serve.
We strive to be a reliable and trusted resource for journalism and to set the standards for integrity and creativity that other news organizations will want to replicate. Our content will be free and accessible to everyone, and we will offer programs and events to foster dialogue on the issues we cover.
At a time of great transformation in journalism and digital media, we are well positioned in Central New York to make the most of that opportunity. We are rich in talent, and have a young and entrepreneurial generation of professionals living in Central New York who want to make an impact in their community. Our journalists will include writers, photographers and great storytellers, all of whom will be committed to quality standards and practices to advance their craft.
The Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library and delighted to announce our June 2021 event, an evening with Joee Patterson, marine technician in the U.S. Antarctic Program and tall ship sailor. Ms. Patterson will share stories of life on an icebreaker, the scientific expeditions she has facilitated and close encounters with wildlife. This lecture will give an overview of marine operations for the U.S. Antarctic Program and a discussion of the science conducted on these missions (from the perspective of a layperson) combined with personal stories and observations from her nine Antarctic expeditions. A brief Q&A will follow Ms. Patterson’s discussion.
This event will be held on Thursday, June 10th at 7 pm on Zoom. Like all Strathmore Speaker Series and Onondaga Free Library events, this presentation is free and open to the public.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
About Joee Patterson
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Joee Patterson began sailing traditionally rigged vessels in 2003 while working at the South Street Seaport Museum aboard the schooners Pioneer and Lettie G. Howard. In 2007, she moved to Linconville, Maine to pursue her passion for tall ships while rigging and painting at the Rockport Marine and O’Donovan and Dole Traditional Wooden Boatworks. In 2014, Ms. Patterson served as a crew member on the 38th voyage of the then 173-year-old Charles W. Morgan, America’s last remaining wooden whaleship.
In 2016, Ms. Patterson was offered a dream position as a Marine Technician in the U.S. Antarctic Program, which allowed her to pair her love of the sea with her fascination with the intricacies of the natural world. Since her initial voyage, Ms. Patterson has made eight more trips to Antarctica. Most recently she journeyed to the Thwaites Glacier as one of four marine technicians aboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer research vessel, part of an international research collaboration between the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, and Germany.
When not participating in sailing voyages or science expeditions, Ms. Patterson resides in Lincolnville and can be found indulging her passion for nature through photography and contributing to science education and environmental stewardship in Maine.
Read more about Joee Patterson, the Thwaites Glacier Collaboration, and the United States Antarctic Program:
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