This week's calls to citizenship include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.)
After former President Bill Clinton nominated Lani Guinier to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, criticism of her opinions about race in America caused him to withdraw her nomination. Guinier and Gerald Torres, a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, co-authored "The Miner's Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting Power, Transforming Democracy." Both will give talks next week at the University of Rochester: Torres at 3 p.m. Monday, April 16, at Rush Rhees Library and Guinier at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, at the Interfaith Chapel.With more than 1,000 events planned across the country, "Step It Up" may become the largest protest of global warming in US history. A local rally to urge Congress to pass legislation cutting carbon emissions will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at Twelve Corners in Brighton. Another rally begins at noon in front of the library at Finger Lakes Community College.The UR will host Pathways to a Sustainable World, a two-day conference on sustainability, on Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Among the speakers: Michael Shuman, author of "Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities for the Global Age," and Lois Gibbs, who fought for the clean-up of Love Canal. Topics will include the role of local business, food production, and sustainability issues. Fees range from $65 to $140. The complete schedule of workshops and information on fees and registration are available at www.ecotransformation.com.New York Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Frazee will discuss the need for reform of the state's court system at a League of Women Voters program on Thursday, April 12, at Hawthorne's Restaurant, 3500 East Avenue. Frazee will speak at 5:30 p.m. Her talk is free and open to the public, but a buffet dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. for $25 per person. Dinner reservations: 262-3730 or 889-4763.The annual "Day of Silence" brings attention to bullying, harassment, and assaults against LGBT youth in schools. For this year's event, on Wednesday, April 18, area students will arrive in silence at the Gay Alliance Youth Center at 4 p.m. There will be a performance by the Geva Comedy Improv at 4:30 and live music from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Center is located in the Auditorium Theater, 875 East Main Street. The entrance is on Prince Street.The US generates 55 percent of its electricity from coal-fired power plants, which has led to the environmentally devastating practice of mountain-top removal in the Appalachians. Julia Bonds and Patty Sebok of Coal Mountain Watch will discuss the politics behind the practice on Saturday, April 14, at Corpus Christi Church, 80 Prince Street, downtown. The event, sponsored by the Sierra Club of Rochester, begins at 7 p.m. The program also includes a showing of the documentary film "Black Diamonds."New Yorker magazine architecture critic Paul Goldberger will discuss "The Importance of Cities in Cyber-world" as part of the "Reshaping Rochester" lecture series at 7 p.m. Monday, April 16, at Geva Theatre. The programs are sponsored by the Rochester Regional Community Design Center, the Rochester chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Preferred Care. Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 in advance and can be purchased at Wegmans and Parkleigh or by calling 271-0520.This year's Holocaust commemoration, "Transforming the Generations: Enduring Lessons of the Holocaust," will be held on Sunday, April 15, at 4 p.m., at the Jewish Community Center, 1200 Elmwood Avenue. Daan Braveman, president of Nazareth College, is the keynote speaker.
