FEBRUARY EVENTS: Arts & Action

JUSTICE KNOX with Leon Evans, 6-8 pm, Thursday, Feb. 13. First Presbyterian Church, 620 State St., Knoxville. Speaker Leon Evans, retired President and CEO of The Center for Health Care Services in Bexar County, TX where he oversaw a dramatic system change in the county mental health care system that also decreased jailing the mentally ill. He will also meet with public officials, health care providers, executives and other stakeholders.

BEAUFORD DELANEY FREE FILM SCREENING, 3-4:30 pm, Sunday, Feb. 16, 202 Randolph St., Knoxville. A documentary of the Knoxville son of a preacher, who became one of the world’s most influential abstract expressionists. Post film discussion. Snacks will be provided. Kids welcome! Hosted by Black in Appalachia and East Tennessee PBS
This is in a series of lectures, movie screenings, performances, and Socratic seminars. Visit thedelaneyproject.org,

The Word Players:JACKIE ROBINSON STEALS HOME, 4-6 pm, Sunday, Feb. 16; Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, 2500 E. 5th Ave., Knoxville. FREE, a reception with finger foods will follow. The play chronicles the life story and achievements of Jackie Robinson, who, in 1947, became the first African-American athlete to break the color barrier in Major League baseball.

Beauford Delaney and Knoxville’s Red Summer Free movie screening, 7-8 pm, Thurs. Feb. 20, Central Cinema, 1205 N. Centeral St, Knoxville. The Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS) and Black in Appalachia presents a free screening of two short documentaries focused on Knoxville’s African American history. The new short film “Beauford Delaney” tells the story of the Knoxville-born artist who became one of the world’s most influential abstract expressionists. “Knoxville’s Red Summer: the Riot of 1919” explores the civic unrest that took place in Knoxville following the near lynching of Maurice Mays. Both films include historic archival footage that was recently preserved in a partnership between TAMIS and East Tennessee PBS.

Social Justice Movie Series: I Am Not Your Negro, 5-8 pm, Sat., Feb., 22; TVUUC, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville. I Am Not Your Negro is a 2016 documentary film directed by Raoul Peck, based on James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript Remember This House. Narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, the film explores the history of racism in the United States through Baldwin’s reminiscences of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his personal observations of American history. There will be a potluck at 5 pm and te movie begins at 5:30 pm. Open to the public. Hosted by Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church

Cocktails & Conversation, 5:30 pm, Knoxville Museum of Art. Tuesday, February 25. Come for Cocktails & Conversation with Maurita N. Poole, PhD, Director of the Clark Atlanta University Art Museum will discuss “Delaney and Baldwin Collection.” FREE and open to the public. Cash bar.

Hurt, Help and Hope: A Community Conversation About Suicide, The Women’s Support Group is hosting a community-wide open conversation about suicide. We’ll provide childcare and refreshments. The program is free and open to the public and includes info and printed resources for those in crisis, as well as information and sign-up for those who want to be trained to help people in crisis. A question-answer session and opportunities to talk to the speakers one-on-one will follow.
Speakers: Dr. Ann O’Connor, psychologist: Depression isn’t a character flaw; how to know when you need help; surviving a suicide loss.  CONTACT Care Line and Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network: What resources are available if you need help? What types of training can you take to prepare you to support people in crisis? • Rev. Jimmy Sherrod, Central United Methodist Church: How should we talk about suicide and depression in a church setting? How do we bring up hard topics? How do others react when we break the silence?

ShadowLight, 7:30 pm, Friday and Sat., Feb 28 & 29, Beck Cultural Exchange Center. Art, light, and friendship tell the story of celebrated African-American painter Beauford Delaney, who left the segregated South for the heady freedom of the Harlem Renaissance and Bohemian Paris. Frequently suicidal, plagued by poverty and schizophrenic voices. Art became his lifeline, and he filled hundreds of bright canvases with joy and hope. Hosted by Marble City Opera and Kathryn Frady. Tickets at shadowlight.brownpapertickets.com

FAITH, ACTIVISM, and DEMOCRACY, 8:30 am-1pm, Sat. Feb. 29, TVUUC, 2931 Kingston Pk, Knoxville. , So what can we do? Join us to learn from the faculty of Meadville Lombard, our UU theological school in Chicago, how we can activate our UU theology and values to create a more democratic society. Hosted by Meadville Lombard Theological School and Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.