Special Film Screenings in Chicago: "London River"

For one week only, the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago will be screening the film London River:

A 2005 terrorist attack brings two worried parents to London--a Guernsey widow (Blethyn) who hasn't heard from her daughter, and an African immigrant (Kouyaté) in search of the son he abandoned long ago. Their paths cross and unexpectedly intertwine as they ride a roller-coaster of hope and dread in search of their lost children. This bittersweet, immensely touching drama showcases two great performances, with the flighty Blethyn (SECRETS AND LIES) and the dignified Kouyaté (DIRTY PRETTY THINGS) counterpointing each other beautifully. 

London River is showing from February 17-23, 2012 at Gene Siskel Film Center - 164 N. State Street, Chicago, IL. Show times at Film Center Website.

Tickets are $11 for general admission, $7 for students, $6 for Film Center members. Tickets can be bought through Ticketmaster.

UAO shows strong presence at ICIRR recent summit

United African Organization at ICIRR Immigrant Integration Summit

Earlier this month, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) hosted its 2nd annual Immigrant Integration Summit - “One Nation, One Dream”. The Summit included workshops for community leaders and advocates, citizenship clinics, a youth civic leadership academy meeting and a resource fair. United African Organization had a strong presence at the Summit (see above).

More than 1,500 people attended the summit, joined by 50 of Illinois’s most powerful elected officials and dignitaries, including Governor Pat Quinn, US Senator Dick Durbin, US Representatives Luis Gutierrez and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, and Senate Republican Caucus Chair Senator Matt Murphy.

More images and reports are available on the ICIRR website.

Talk on DRC on Feb 15, 4:30pm at UIC

The UIC Department of French and Francophone Studies, in coordination with Congonova, the Center for Research on the Congo and several other UIC Departments, PRESENTS:

"Thresholds of Ideology in Congolese Youth: Afrocentrism, Europhilia, and Nothingness"

Speaker: Emmanuel Bueya, S.J.

Bueyla is a Jesuit priest, Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at Boston College, and a founding member of Congonova, a group of young Congolese intellectuals and activists devoted to the edification of the DRC. Father Emmanuel’s dissertation research is focused on United States Foreign Policy in Congo. 

This is the 5th Lecture in the Year-Long Series THE CONGO: RECLAIMING ITS DESTINY

WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 15th | 4:30 p.m.

Institute for the Humanities

(lower level of Stevenson Hall, 701 S. Morgan St.)

Reception to follow

Film Screening about Somali Refugees Tonight

TONIGHT:

Join Partnership for the Advancement of Refugee Rights (PARR), the African and Caribbean Students Association (ACSA), and Invisible Children at University of Chicago for a screening of "Rain In a Dry Land"!

When: Wednesday, February 8th at 8:30pm

Where: Harper Building, Room 103, 1116 E 59th street, Chicago, IL

Samosas will be served

"In 2004, thirteen thousand Somali refugees realized their dream of coming to America. They are now living in fifty cities across the country, becoming the largest African group from a single minority to settle in the United States at one time. RAIN IN A DRY LAND chronicles two years in the lives of two extended Somali families as they leave Africa to face new challenges in a strange new land. The film begins in January, 2004, at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where our featured families are stunned by what they learn about America in their "Cultural Orientation" class: refrigerators, stoves, bathtubs, elevators, stairs, buildings taller than one storey, schools. How will these families who speak no English manage to survive in America?"

One Africa Campaign - Momentum is Building!

Have you signed our One Africa petition? If so, thank you! If not, click HERE now to take action! Keep the momentum going!

Even if you live outside the US, this campaign affects you. U.S. Foreign Policy affects us all - join us and tell the US State Department loud and clear to make North Africa part of its Bureau of African Affairs!

Alie Kabba chosen among top 100 African American leaders in US!

UAO's Alie Kabba chosen among The Grio's top 100

UAO Executive Director Alie Kabba has been chosen as one of the top African American leaders in the U.S. by MNBC's The Grio. Congratulations Alie! See The Grio's feature on Alie Kabba!

CAN TV Tonight, 6:30pm CT: UAO and ICIRR's Immigration Integration Summit

Tonight on CAN TV (Channel 21, Cable Television) at 6:30pm (Central Time), UAO Executive Director Alie Kabba will talk to staff from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).

ICIRR is hosting its 2nd Annual Immigration Integration Summit on Saturday, February 4, 2012, from 9am-1pm at Malcolm X College, 1900 West Van Buren, Chicago, IL.

Don't miss tonight's show!

For previous show, check out the UAO video channel.