Greetings!
Tomorrow, come celebrate Vaisakhi, one of the biggest Sikh holidays, with Sundeep "Sonny" Singh. Learn about the historical and current relationship between Sikhism and Social Justice and participate in shabad with Sonny on harmonium and Nisha Mistry on dholak.
Our April Field Trip is to the Manhattan Sacred Harp Sing in "Alphabet City" and our Field Trip is to the NYC Grows festival in Union Square.
The end of April and beginning of May will bring two Islamic Living Rooms - beginning with an exploration of Salat, the pillar of prayer five times a day for Muslims, and then exploring what Islam teaches about protecting the planet with a community organizer and activist.
Read on below for full details... we look forward to seeing you soon!
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LIVING ROOM
The Sikh Revolution: A Vaisakhi Dialogue
on Sikhism and Social
Justice
 Wednesday, April 14, 2010
6 pm Doors, 7 pm Program
Intersections, 274 5th Ave
Btwn 29th and 30th Sts
With Sundeep "Sonny" Singh
On April 14, 1699, a day that's today honored as one of the biggest Sikh
holidays, Guru Gobind Singh (the tenth Sikh guru), along with thousands
of other Sikhs, created the Khalsa, a collective body of armed
revolutionaries, warrior-saints, whose mission it was to overthrow
tyranny in all its forms. Marking the 311th anniversary of the creation
of the Khalsa and the codification of Sikh identity, this Living Room
will explore the revolutionary foundation of Sikhism and provide an
opportunity to discuss the modern day relevance of Sikh philosophy and
poetry-scripture.
Facilitated by musician and activist Sonny
Singh of the Sikh Coalition, we will celebrate Vaisakhi 2010 by
discussing the Sikh approach to social justice through learning about
Sikh history and philosophy and through singing and discussing the
meaning of a shabad (Sikh devotional verse) together. Sonny will lead
the shabad on the harmonium, accompanied by Nisha Mistry on the dholak.
Sundeep "Sonny" Singh is a musician, activist, and
educator based in Brooklyn, New York. He has been involved in movements
for social and economic justice since he was in high school, and has
worked as a Community Organizer at the Sikh Coalitionsince 2008. Sonny
also plays trumpet and sings in the bhangra brass band Red Baraatand
is a freelance trumpet and dhol player. Since moving to NYC in 2003,
he has worked in the labor movement for the union UNITE HERE, was a
Community Organizer at the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project
(CHAMP), and is a member of the Left Turn Magazine collective.
Sonny
received his M.Ed. in Social Justice Education from the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst in 2003, where he studied and practiced the art
of popular education, using education as a tool for transformation and
liberation. Sonny grew up in Charlotte, NC and Phoenix, AZ.
RSVPs welcome, but not required, on Facebookor Meetup |
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FIELD TRIP
Manhattan Sacred Harp Sing
 Sunday, April 18, 2010
2 - 5 PM
5C Cafe
68 Avenue C @ 5th StreetCome sing-along to early American music! Participatory, a capella, sacred. We will join one of the groups that gather monthly for Sacred Harp Singing in New York City. "Shape note singing is a centuries-old, living American tradition of social singing. The Sacred Harp is the most popular of the shape note tunebooks, and there are many groups across the United States, as well as Canada and the U.K., that sing from it regularly. Sacred Harp singing is at turns stirring, cathartic, and haunting. It is the center of scores of regional communities, which in turn form a nationwide community united by song and fellowship that crosses all socio-political and economic boundaries. All are welcome to any Sacred Harp singing regardless of musical experience or religious affiliation. There is no admission fee to any Sacred Harp event." from Manhattan SingRSVPs welcome, but not required, on Facebookor Meetup.com |
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SERVE TOGETHER
NYC Grows - Green Festival Outing
 Sunday, April 25, 2010
1:30 - 3:30 PM
Union Square
We will meet at the corner of
14th & University Place at 1:30
Our April Serve Together is going to be a little different than usual.
Instead of participating in a one day hands on activity, we will be
attending a fair where we can gain information that will help us
contribute to the earth throughout the Spring.
In celebration
of Earth Day, which is a few days earlier, we will be heading to NYC Grows, an outdoor fair in Union Square with information about
gardening, urban farming, organic cooking and sustainable living. The
event is family friendly and includes demonstrations, workshops,
eco-friendly products, local produce, etc.
We will spend
time exploring the fair together and also spend time sharing our own
experiences (and future goals) with urban gardening, local cooking and
more. Don't worry if you have no previous experience with these things.
It's a great opportunity for everyone to come together, enjoy being
outside, and pick up a few ideas for Spring.
Please
RSVP to Bara at bara4987@gmail.com, so we know to wait for you to
arrive. Hope to see you there. It should be a wonderful
afternoon. ~ Bara
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LIVING ROOM
Salat: The Beauty of Prayer in Islam
 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
6 pm Doors, 7 pm Program
Intersections, 274 5th Ave
Btwn 29th and 30th Sts
With Sabeeha Rehman
Five times a day, Muslims around the world turn towards Mecca and
perform Salat - the ritual of prayer to God. Men, women, and children -
they pray in mosques, they pray in public places, and they pray in the
privacy of their homes; they pray in congregations, and they pray in
solitude; they pray at dawn, and they pray at dusk. Throughout the
centuries and across the globe, the ritual of prayer has remained
constant and uniform. What is the genesis of prayer in Islam? What
does the performance of prayer signify? Join us with our host, Sabeeha
Rehman, and through her lens, visualize the beauty of salat, listen to
the voice of recital, and experience the ritual of prayer.
Sabeeha Rehmanis the Director of Interfaith Programs at the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA), and is a member of the Shura Council of
the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE), a
program of ASMA.
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Living Room
Green Deen:
What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet
 Wednesday, May 12, 2010
6 pm Doors, 7 pm Program
Intersections, 274 5th Ave
Btwn 29th
and 30th Sts
With Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
From childhood, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin was taught that "the Earth is a
Mosque," leading him to his belief that the planet is a sacred place
where prayer and worship happen and therefore, we are responsible for
protecting every aspect of it. You are invited to an interactive
evening with the author of "Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet", Ibrahim Abdul-Matin. The evening will include
his story of becoming an environmental justice activist and organizer,
discussion of Islamic scriptural passages that describe a faith-based
mandate to protect the planet, role plays and story telling on how faith
relates to waste, water, watts (energy), and food.
Ibrahim
Abdul-Matin is the author of "Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet", coming to you in Fall 2010 by Berrett-Koehler publishers.
He is currently a Senior Policy Advisor in the New York City Mayor's
Office on issues of long term planning and sustainability. Most
recently, Ibrahim was a consultant for Green City Force, a green jobs
training program for young people of color living in economically
depressed neighborhoods of Brooklyn. He is also a member of the Interfaith Leaders for Environmental Justiceand frequently represents the
environmental viewpoint on faith-based panels. His interest in
environmental justice began as Director of Youth Programs with the
Prospect Park Alliance where he was instrumental in establishing the
Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment, a charter school by New
Visions. His skill working with youth led him to Outward Bound - an
organization dedicated to developing young people's self esteem and
appreciation for the Earth.
In 2007, Ibrahim was accepted into
the National Urban Fellows program, completing a Masters in Public
Administration from Baruch College and a fellowship with SchoolNet where
he learned vital product marketing skills. He then joined Green For
All to organize the "National Day of Action" resulting in the inclusion
of green jobs and environmental policy in the Obama campaign platform.
In college, Ibrahim was an all-star linebacker, Political Science major,
and finalist for the prestigious NCAA scholar-athlete award in 1998.
Today, he is the sports contributor on WNYC's nationally syndicated news
show, "The Takeaway."He continues to intersect sports,
politics, and the environment on his blog, Brooklyn Bedouin.
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Sponsor a Faith House Living Room
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Sponsor one of our Living Room gatherings with a donation of $500 or be a Co-Sponsor by giving $250. Sponsor an upcoming Living Room or suggest a topic you would like to sponsor in the future. For full info, visit our new Donate page online. |
May & June
Living Rooms
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May 26
Austin Dacey, Author of The Secular Conscience
June 9
Peter Rollins,
Founder of Ikon and author of How (Not) to Speak of God
June 23
Carole Forman on Spiritual Storytelling
More information on Upcoming Living Room Gatherings
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