In October the weather is generally gorgeous in Houston and it’s time to Disrupt Whiteness outdoors. Please see the Sept post about volunteering to maintain African American cemeteries and blockwalking. On rainy days, evenings or when you can’t get outside, you can write GOTV letters and postcards (ask and I’ll get you going). It’s also a good time to train for being a part of election protection. I plan to do election protection throughout early voting and my partner and our son will join me on election day.

October 1 -October 13 at Stages:  Miss Rhythm about Grammy award winning Ruth Brown     

October 1 – October 13 at Ensemble Theater:  Stew  

October 1-6 Holocaust Museum Houston The Bias Inside Us.

October 1-31 Kindred Stories book clubs and book signings

October 1 – Nov 9 Agatha Babino: a Narrative of the Formerly Enslaved exhibit at Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park

October 1 – Nov 9 Straight Flexin’, no Plexin’ – a HipHop exhibit at Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center, presented by Rice CERCL

October 1 – Nov 16 Diverseworks The River on Fire

October 2 Palestinian Youth Movement Houston Houston Art Build

October 2-6 Stages Theater presents the Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote

October 3-4 Miller Outdoor Theater Chicano Festival

October 4 – November 5 Dia del los Muertos visual arts 

October 5 Sunnyside Peace Pop-up

October 5 Nigerian Culture Festival 

October 5-6 Sacred Springs Powwow in San Marcos

October 7 last day to register to vote in the presidential and etc November election

October 8 10:00 City of Houston Public Safety Committee meeting

October 9 Trapped: Transforming The Criminal Justice System For Restoration and Liberation

October 9 screening of After Stonewall at the Center for the Healing of Racism.

October 9-10 UpEND movement annual convening re abolition of child welfare system

October 10 Woori Juntos nonpartisan candidate forum

October 10 American Constitution Society presents Life After Justice in Houston

October 10 Brennan Center for Justice presents Latinos and the Far Right (virtual)

October 11 Miller Outdoor Theater Gangstagrass

October 12 Miller Outdoor Anahuac

October 12 MECA Dia de Los Muertos at IKEA

October 12 and 19 Dialogue:Racism at Center for the Healing of Racism

October 12 Phillip Pyle II’s Wave Check at Houston Museum of African American Culture

October 13 Indigenous People’s Day sunrise ceremony at Antonio Marron Park

October 14 Indigenous People’s Day Discovery Green noon

October 15 Houston Climate Movement virtual National Night Out

October 16 virtual The Healing Wisdom of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers

October 17-19 National Black Book Festival  in Houston 

October 17 Houston Heritage Society Lunch and Learn – a presentation on the history of Houston’s gayborhood.

October 17 virtual Beyond White Privilege with author Heather McGee (The Sum of Us)

October 18 noon virtual info session for the RE Collective Ukombozi Fellowship

October 18 Aida Cuevas Queen of Mariachi at Jones Hall

October 18-27 Topaz Film Festival for women in film (Dallas / virtual) 

October 19 Festival en el Jardin – Houston Botanic Garden  

October 19 Casa Ramirez class on the Traditions of Dia de los Muertos and Ofrendas

October 19 Drag Bingo at Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church

October 19 panel on Underrepresented Voices in Election Reporting

October 20 virtual Toward Right Relationship with Indigenous Peoples

October 22 State of Harris County every month on the 4th Tuesday

October 23 Gayest and Greatest Awards Ceremony

October 24 O’Donnell (bail reform) consent film screening THIS IS FREEDOM

October 25 Ruthie Foster at Heights Theater 

October 25 virtual RadComs How to Measure Narrative Change

October 25-27 virtual The Trauma Cure with Dr. Alauna Trauma Recovery Institute 

October 25 and 26 Intersex Day of Visibility – Illuminations in purple and yellow on City Hall

October 27 Houston Ebony Opera Guild Brilliant Gems of Grand Opera at First Unitarian Universalist Church

October 28 Indivisible Group Phone Bank from home (virtual) with Podcasters Elect Harris

October 28 virtual The White Supremacist Roots of US Wars and Foreign Policy

October 31 Check Casa Ramirez for Dia de los Muertos observance. They typically have several ofrendas/altars and a live celebration. If you find official info, please let me know.

October (and every month) (I don’t know the date) free LGBTQIA+ community self defense class at Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu.

October clases GRATUITAS de inglés y de educación cívica para empoderarlo en su camino hacia la ciudadanía estadounidense

October Woori Juntos Young Advocates Program application

FUTURE HAPPENINGS TO PLAN FOR NOW

November 2 Voices of Houston The Escape Concert of Negro Spirituals at Grace Presbyterian Church

November 2 Dia de los Muertos East End Houston

November 3 Rising Jazz Stars – Da Camera (series)

Nov 8-10 It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing! at the Houston Symphony

January 16 Killer Mike & the Mighty Midnight Revival at the Houston Symphony

LGBTQIA+ HISTORY MONTH AND DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH

Fiction – True Biz by Sara Novic and The Great Believers by Rebeccah Makai

Nonfiction –   It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful by Jack Lowery and 12 books on disability inclusion

Memoir – Being Heumann by Judith Heumann, Nobody Needs to Know by Pidgeon Pagonis, Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

Poetry – 4 Bold Trans Poets, Pandemic Poems by Ethan Michelle Ganz, Poetry by several disabled folks

Audiobook – 25 audiobooks featuring disabled characters for young readers

Podcast – Disability Visibility, 8 LGBTQIA+ podcasts

Film – Spork, Cassandro on Prime Video, Moonlight, 11 movies with authentic disability representation, Rotten Tomatoes 100 Best LGBTQ+ films of all time, 13 films with trans characters, cinematic gems on intersex topics, 12 shows and movies that feature disability

TV – Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix. Possibly my favorite TV series ever.