Urban Action 2/24 

This week's calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.)

Passing on cars

ReconnectRochester.org will present a lecture by author Sam Schwartz on Wednesday, February 24. Schwartz's "Street Smart: the Rise of Cities and the Fall of Cars" gives the history of transportation in American cities. He is also the principal of Sam Schwartz Engineering. Schwartz's lecture will be held at the Little Theatre, 240 East Avenue, at 6:30 p.m. Reservations: www.reconnectrochester.org/sam.

Understanding Islamic extremism

Peace Islands Institute, Nazareth College, and SUNY Geneseo will present two events examining Islamic extremism on Wednesday, March 2. The first, "Combatting Extremism Cancer," will be a talk given by Hakan Yesilova, chief editor of Fountain Magazine. Yesilova speak at SUNY Geneseo's MacVittie College Union, at 12:30 p.m. Later that day, Nazareth College's Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue will host "ISIS Theology of Violence and Counter Theology in Islam," a discussion in which Yesilova will be joined by Thomas Gibson, professor of anthropology at the University of Rochester, and Sharon Murphy, professor of political science at Nazareth. The second event will be held in Naz's Otto Shults Community Center, at 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Saving public schools

Several labor organizations will host a panel discussion with David Hursh on Saturday, February 27. Hursh is a professor at the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education and is the author of "The End of Public Schools: The Corporate Reform Agenda to Privatize Education." Hursh will be joined by Paul Hetland, treasurer of the Rochester Teachers Association; Eamonn Scanlon, organizer with Metro Justice; and Ericka Simmons, chairperson of the Rochester City School District Parents Advisory Council. The event will be held at NYSUT Hall, 30 Union Street, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Fracking fact-finding

ColorBrightonGreen.Org will show the documentary film "Triple Divide" on Wednesday, March 2. The film, which was directed by Joshua Pribanic and Melissa Troutman and narrated by actor Mark Ruffalo, is often described as presenting all sides of the fracking debate factually. The film will be shown at 6:30 p.m. at the Brighton Memorial Library, 2300 Elmwood Avenue.