Calendar

IRTFDonate – use this code and Equal Exchange donates 10% of your purchase to IRTF

We’re excited to announce that Equal Exchange will be donating a portion of their sales to IRTF when you shop their online store. 

To shop Equal Exchange click here. Find organic and fairly traded coffees, teas, chocolate, cocoa, nuts, dried fruits, and even olive oil—all from small farmer co-ops, available by the case for stocking up.

Promo code:  IRTFDonate . Enter this code when you check out and Equal Exchange will donate 10% of your purchase back to IRTF!

Equal Exchange was founded as a solidarity organization in 1986 to support small farmers in Nicaragua by importing their coffee despite the US embargo.  Forty years later, this worker-owned co-op continues to prove that a more democratic food system is possible.

To shop Equal Exchange click here

Young Latino Network & Avanzamos Unidos is hosting the first Civic Community Dinner of 2026  focusing on "Introduction to Local Politics" in partnership with Cleveland Votes.

We invite our neighbors from all around Cleveland to join us for an evening of food and civic power. This event is designed to support our comunidad with the tools needed to navigate local government and make an impact in our community.

to register click here

JOIN US AT THE FREE STAMP ON MARCH 28TH FOR THE THIRD TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT FASCISTS KNOW THEIR PLACE.

On March 28 we'll take to the streets, ready to bring millions of new allies along with us to declare, in one voice: NO thugs terrorizing our neighborhoods. NO troop deployments in our streets. NO imperial wars of conquest. NO KINGS.

Our movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, carried by millions in chants and on posters, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.

The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty. Grow our movement and join us.

https://www.mobilize.us/opalmissionvote/event/893355/

About this event

We have the power and are claiming it together. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.

What began in 2025 as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city centers and across every community determined to defend democracy. Our peaceful movement is bigger than ever.

When our families are under attack and costs are pushing people to the brink, silence is not an option. We will defend ourselves and our communities against this administration’s unjust and cruel acts of violence.

On March 28th, rise up, take to the streets, and say it loud: no thrones, no crowns, no kings. We’re not watching history happen—we’re making it. Join us.

A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.

Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights are joining together to fight to terminate our cities' Flock Camera contracts. Learn why we must terminate these contracts (not just limit front door access to federal agencies) if we want to keep  immigrants safe in our communities and live our historical values of racial justice. Then we will begin some joint organizing to get it done. Sign up below to attend.

Flock is a license plate tracking camera system that both Cleve. Hts. and Shaker Hts. have contracts with. It is dangerous for immigrant rights because it facilitates mass surveillance, enabling federal immigration authorities (ICE/Border Patrol) to bypass local sanctuary city policies and track undocumented immigrants, often without warrants. Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights both spend lost of money on contracts with Flock.  Learn about Flock, why we must terminate these harmful contracts, why just limiting formal  or front door access to our data to ICE will not keep us safe ultimately, and organize to terminate these contracts in our cities.

to rsvp click here

A free training for community members to learn practical skills and nonviolent discipline strategies for navigating the current landscape.

The Civil Disobedience + Resistance Training will provide historical grounding, practical skills and nonviolent discipline strategies anyone who wants help navigating the current landscape. Participants will leave the training with a deeper understanding of direct action, policy change and solidarity building strategies for sustaining long-term movements for justice.

The event is free to attend but you must register. Lunch and light refreshments will be provided.

to register click here

Following the training, you will also have the opportunity to continue your learning via our Community of Practice sessions. More information on the Community of Practice will be shared during the training.

Have questions about the training? Please reach out to Gloria Craig, Civic Engagement Strategist at Cleveland VOTES, at gloria@clevotes.com.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are attending on behalf of an organization, please send 1 representative per organization so that more people/orgs can benefit from the training.

A Note on the Location: For security reasons, the exact address for the training will be shared upon registration. The location is in the West Bank of The Flats.

Parking: There is a free parking lot on the property. Additional parking info will be shared upon registration.

Doors open at 9:15am

The 2026 Maya Angelou and Professor Calvin Sharpe Distinguished Lecture
Black resistance to white supremacy is often reduced to a simple binary, between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence and Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary.” In her lecture, "We Refuse," historian Kellie Carter Jackson looks beyond this false choice, offering an unflinching examination of the breadth of Black responses to white oppression, particularly those pioneered by Black women, with emphasis on gun ownership. The dismissal of “Black violence” as an illegitimate form of resistance is itself a manifestation of white supremacy. Force—from work stoppages and property destruction to armed revolt—has played a pivotal part in securing freedom and justice for Black people for centuries. But force is only one tool among many. Carter Jackson examines other, no less vital tactics that have shaped the Black struggle, from the restorative power of finding joy in the face of suffering to the quiet strength of simply walking away. This lecture will provide a deeper historical insight and understanding of how power, violence, and state authority shape legal and social outcomes.

About the Speaker

Kellie Carter Jackson is the Michael and Denise Kellen ’68 Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. She studies the lived experiences of Black people with a focus on slavery, abolitionism, the Civil War, political violence, Black women’s history, and film. She is the author of the award-winning book, Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence, which won the SHEAR James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize. Force and Freedom was also a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, a finalist for the Museum of African American History Stone Book Prize, and listed among 13 books to read on African American History by the Washington Post. Carter Jackson is also co-editor of Reconsidering Roots: Race, Politics, & Memory. Her essays have been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, and other outlets. She has also been interviewed for her expertise on Netflix, Apple TV, Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, MSNBC, PBS, Vox, CNN, the BBC, the History Channel, Al Jazeera, Slate, and a host of documentaries.

Carter Jackson is also a Historian-in-Residence for the Museum of African American History in Boston. She also serves as a commissioner for the Massachusetts Historical Commission, where she represents the Museum of African American History in Boston.

Carter Jackson's latest book, We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance (Seal Press), examines a radical reframing of the past and present of Black resistance—both nonviolent and violent—to white supremacy. She is also working on the story of the only Black passenger on the Titanic, which examines the unexplored aspect of race, migration, and our obsession with one ship thought to be supreme.

Lastly, Carter Jackson loves a good podcast! She is the co-host of the podcast, “This Day in Esoteric Political History” with Jody Avirgan and Niki Hemmer, and serves as the Executive Producer and host of "You Get a Podcast," formerly known as "Oprahdemics: The Study of the Queen of Talk" by Radiotopia with Leah Wright Rigeuer. You can follow her on Twitter @kcarterjackson. She currently resides in the suburbs of Boston with her husband and three children.

to register click here

Join us in Geauga County for focused training on immigrant rights, realities, and community defense. This event is co-hosted by: the InterReligious Task Force On Central America, Chagrin Falls Federated Church, Community Life Collaborative, Bainbridge UCC, Community Church of Chesterland, Red Wine and Blue members, and concerned residents of Geauga County. Together, we’ll look closely at how U.S. policies affect communities facing violence, displacement, and environmental harm.

This session offers practical tools for local action: from contacting decision‑makers to supporting grassroots movements. Your registration helps us build a consistent, informed presence for justice—here in Ohio and across the region. ✍️🌎

to register click here

Cleveland Tree March: Plant trees, not war.

The Cleveland Tree March (a half-mile walk) will step off from the Langston Hughes Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (10200 Superior Ave) at 10am on Saturday, April 11. The public is welcome to join us.

The march, sponsored by the Cleveland Nonviolence Network, is inspired by women in Kenya who planted trees in eastern rural Africa to counter deforestation—a major threat to subsistence farming. Wangari Maathai, one of the leaders and the first  African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, broadened her work to foster peace and democracy in Africa, igniting a grassroots movement focused on environmental conservation and women's rights. The Green Belt Movement spread across the continent, resulting in the planting of over 30 million trees.

Goal: At least 200 marchers will carry tree saplings to Brookdale Orchard*, with at least 100 committed to planting, nurturing, and reporting on the well-being of their adopted saplings. Marchers might plant the trees at their homes, at their place of worship, at their community garden, or other public space with permission.

*southwest of the starting point at the library, the urban orchard is bounded by E 86th, E 88th, Brookdale Court and Wade Park Ave. Rain location for the ending point is St Matthew United Methodist Church, 8601 Wade Park Ave., Cleveland 44106

Why a tree march? Our country and planet are facing dire challenges.  As we mark the anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (April 4, 1968), we are reminded of the “triplets of evil” that he so aptly identified: racism, poverty, and war. Today, the successors of MLK’s campaigns to overcome these entrenched systems of injustice have rightfully added ecological destruction to the list.   As we approach Tax Day (April 15),  we admit our complicity in supporting the $1.5 trillion US war budget that fuels the US military—the largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet. MLK warned that our nation—spending many times more on the military than on programs of social uplift—is approaching spiritual death.

Planting a tree is an act of hope. With each step forward on April 11, we’ll say YES to life and NO to death. YES to trees and NO to war.  With our trees we are investing in a future liberated from the evils of racism, extreme materialism, militarism, and environmental degradation. We are taking a concrete step toward climate restoration. We are planting our vision for the future.

Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1yBJY4F6H-h2bEAoFJs2qhfycinJ3OZWlraihRFQ1W9s/viewform?edit_requested=true&fbzx=-5869456267905502917

Organizer: Cleveland Nonviolence Network. Co-sponsors to date include: Brookdale Orchard, Carl Stokes Brigade, Cleveland Peace Action, Creation Care Team of St Patrick Parish with St Malachi Oratory, East Side Creation Care Alliance, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Northeast Ohio Community Resilience Centre, Northeast Ohio Sierra Club, St. Matthew United Methodist  Church, West Side Creation Care Team

IRTF initiated our annual Social Justice Teach-In (aka Liberation Lab) in 1999. This spring we feel a great need to call together justice-minded folks who are committed to human rights, liberation, and respect and dignity for all people. 

Every year for the past 26 years, this event has been an informative and inter-generational day of community building and education for high school and college students and other community members seeking ways to take positive action for social justice. 

This year we will have panels on:

• International imperialism and war resistance
• Art,  Joy & Resistance

And a keynote

Dr Rima Vesely-Flad, The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde

We’re honored to host a panel with Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad, the Visiting Professor of Buddhism and Black Studies at Union Theological Seminary, author of The Fire Inside, a groundbreaking work that reimagines the writings of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde through the lens of Buddhist practice. This conversation invites us to explore how mindfulness, embodiment, and inner work can sustain movements for justice and liberation.

To buy tickets or become a sponsor click here

The ticket price also includes a delicious lunch! 

SCHEDULE

11:30am - doors open

noon: printmaking with artist Ape Bleakney

12:30pm: lunch

1-2pm: keynote Dr Rima Vesely-Flad, The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde

2-3pm: panels

3:15-4:15pm: workshops and skills shares

4:30-5pm: liberation music

other opportunities to meet Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad:

Thursday, April 9 at 6:30pm - Loganberry Books 13015 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44120

Friday, April 10 at 7pm- Third Space Action Lab. 1464 E. 105th St. #302 Cleveland, Ohio 44108

Founded in 1977, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is a leading cultural institution dedicated to showcasing the power of film to educate, entertain, and celebrate inclusive human
experiences. For 50 years, CIFF has curated socially conscious and artistically significant films fromaround the globe, fostering dialogue, connection, and cultural understanding.

This year the InterReligious Force is honored to be prsented as a community partner for the CIFF50 screening of the film Yanuni: 

YANUNI is a cinematic portrait of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon who rises from a remote village to the frontlines of climate justice. After surviving six assassination attempts, she is appointed Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights—while her husband, a federal IBAMA agent, leads dangerous operations against illegal gold miners. As Juma navigates political power, growing threats, and impending motherhood, she is forced to confront the personal cost of resistance. At once intimate and epic, YANUNI is a powerful story of Indigenous sovereignty, love, and the urgent fight to protect the planet we call home.

to purchase tickets for the creening click here 

Promo Code: IRTF  

$1 off any ticket, with the exception of Opening Night, 7x7 Retrospective and Day Pass purchases.

Founded in 1977, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is a leading cultural institution dedicated to showcasing the power of film to educate, entertain, and celebrate inclusive human
experiences. For 50 years, CIFF has curated socially conscious and artistically significant films fromaround the globe, fostering dialogue, connection, and cultural understanding.

This year the InterReligious Force is honored to be prsented as a community partner for the CIFF50 screening of the film Yanuni: 

YANUNI is a cinematic portrait of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon who rises from a remote village to the frontlines of climate justice. After surviving six assassination attempts, she is appointed Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights—while her husband, a federal IBAMA agent, leads dangerous operations against illegal gold miners. As Juma navigates political power, growing threats, and impending motherhood, she is forced to confront the personal cost of resistance. At once intimate and epic, YANUNI is a powerful story of Indigenous sovereignty, love, and the urgent fight to protect the planet we call home.

to purchase tickets for the creening click here 

Promo Code: IRTF  

$1 off any ticket, with the exception of Opening Night, 7x7 Retrospective and Day Pass purchases.

"Protecting People, Peace and Planet"

In 2026, our nation faces massive upheaval and multiple crises. But as Christians, we remain hopeful as we persevere in the midst of fear and uncertainty. We remain true to the gospel, true to Jesus’s call to love our neighbor as ourselves. Given the many challenges we face, it is critical that people of faith come to Washington D.C. to raise our voices. Psalm 24 declares that “the Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it”. This Psalm reminds us that we are bound to one another in responsibility, and can only be human together.

Join us in Washington D.C., April 20–22, 2026, as we draw on our shared faith traditions to inspire one another, and call on Congress to commit to Protecting People, Peace, and Planet! Through worship, workshops, solidarity and Congressional visits, we will bring together a diverse group of Christians to remind Congress of our shared responsibility to care for all that belongs to God. Register today.

to register click here

How can members of a community take back control of the resources that shape their lives? Join us on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 7:00-8:30pm ET, for a free webinar with co-op developer and community organizer Jonathan Welle to explore this question. Jonathan will share stories and lessons from Cleveland Owns, the economic democracy incubator he co-founded that enables neighbors to build cooperative businesses and organize campaigns for community control of land, energy, and other vital resources in Cleveland, Ohio. Participants will hear concrete examples of co-ops building working class power, and will be invited to connect the idea of economic democracy to the struggles and hopes in their own communities. This conversation is especially for people who believe another economy is possible and want tools and inspiration to help build it.

This 90-minute webinar is free, but registration is required.

to register click here

source: MayDayCoalition

May Day March 2026

March for workers’ rights!

Stand up against ICE!

Friday, May 1, 4-6pm

Gather at Public Square (southwest quadrant in front of Terminal Tower)

Organizer: May Day Coalition-Cleveland. 

essed Trinity Catholic Church invites Greater Clevelanders to join them on a day trip to Oberlin, OH, to explore the abolitionist history of the town.

Oberlin played an important role in the abolitionist movement, serving as one of the most important abolitionist communities in the United States and a key site of the Underground Railroad. Oberlin was home to courageous Christians who risked their lives and freedom to oppose slavery. Together we will explore this powerful history through a guided tour, walking pilgrimage, prayer, and fellowship.

Trip includes:

• Guided tour of the Oberlin Heritage Center  

• Abolitionist history walking tour  

• Prayer and reflection in Tappan Square  

• Lunch and group dinner in Oberlin

Date: Saturday, May 2 2026

8am departure from Blessed Trinity (Cleveland’s Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood)

8:30pm: return to Cleveland

Estimated cost: $50–75 per person.  Sponsors are welcome to make donations to defray the cost for those who find it unaffordable.  

All are welcome and do not have to belong to the parish to join us. To register or learn more, please contact me, Briyant Hines <bhines@blessedtrinitycleveland.org>, pastoral assistant at Blessed Trinity Church, a Catholic community committed to faith, justice, and nonviolent discipleship.

Celebrate 7 years of Cleveland Owns at our Annual Celebration: Growing the Fruits of our Labor!

We'll share some big updates, announce the 2026 Cleveland Owns Cooperator of the Year, have games, including a get to know you bingo, music and all the brunch vibes with plenty of vegan options. Latecomers and early-goers welcome!! RSVP above!

Here's a tentative run of show. Speakers and music to be confirmed.

11AM to 12PM - Trickle in, Grab Food, get to know you co-op bingo!

12PM to 1PM - Come together to share important updates & celebrate economic democracy wins

1PM - The fun continues with music, dancing and great vibes.

Two years ago, we started our fundraising campaign and we currently have $1278 in monthly recurring donations from sustaining donors. This year, we want to accelerate our shared struggle for economic democracy--we're asking our communities' to deepen their support and help us to raise $1,550 in monthly recurring donations. 

If you believe in the power of collective ownership to build community wealth and power, we ask that you become a Sustaining Supporter of Cleveland Owns. Your monthly recurring donation will help keep economic democracy cooking!

source: Third Act Ohio

The Great Ohio Climate March (GOCM) will start on Saturday, May 16, at the farmers market in Athens, Ohio.  From Athens we’ll work our way northeast, largely following the Buckeye Trail, over 7 days to Salt Fork State Park where we’ll have a day of educational events, fun, and rest for marchers.  From Salt Fork we’ll march west, over 5 days, to the Statehouse in Columbus, for an ending rally, celebration, and legislative day on May 28.  Most of this portion of the route is on small rural roads, bike trails, and sidewalks.

Marchers will be able to sign up to hike the full route (approx 120 miles of walking), or any portion they choose (a week, a couple days, or even a couple hours).  Most hiking days will be about 10 miles, with a couple days of fewer miles at the start and finish, and a few days that are closer to 12-13 miles.  Don’t worry if that sounds like a lot, this is a supported march with shuttles to carry your gear and you – if you need a shorter hiking day. 

And about the Climate – The Other Big Picture: 

Along the march route there will be many opportunities to see and learn about how the oil and gas industry has been welcomed with open arms by Ohio’s politicians into Ohio’s beautiful landscapes.  We will see the frack pads, compressor stations, and injection wells associated with the fracking industry which is wreaking havoc on and poisoning our air and waters.  We’ll also see other fossil fuel infrastructure such as gas pipeline buildouts that scar the lands and disrupt everything from community peace and quiet, to native plant and animal species.  We’ll also witness the newer phenomenon of energy guzzling data centers rapidly popping up throughout Ohio, competing with residents for electricity while supercharging climate chaos causing greenhouse gas emission.

But don’t despair, there is also good news and lots of potential in Ohio for clean, renewable energy.  We’ll have the opportunity to see and understand more about Ohio’s buildout of renewable energy as we visit some large solar arrays.

More March Details:

There is a registration fee that is prorated based on the number of days hiking. The registration fee includes: meals, water, either camping or budget hotel accommodations, sag wagon, and transport of hiker’s gear.

https://greatohioclimatemarch.org/

When: May 16-28 of 2026 – participate in all or part of it!
Where: Southeast and mid-Ohio, Athens to Salt Fork to Columbus
How: A detailed route map is coming soon.
Who: The Great Ohio Climate March is being organized by Third Act Ohio, with the help of many other organizational and individual friends
Why: To draw broad attention and public awareness to:

• Fracking on Ohio public lands & parks
• Ohio politicians making greedy deals with the oil & gas industry that have turned our beautiful state into a sacrifice zone
• Environmental justice for Ohio communities
• Impacts of the climate crisis globally, as well as in the US, Appalachia, and Ohio
• The benefits to all Ohioans of clean, renewable energy