Celebrating the OIC

A celebration to mark the revival of the OIC, an urban services center that operated in Providence for nearly 25 years, will be held Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Community College of Rhode Island, the OIC’s new partner.

The Opportunities Industrialization Center opened in 1967 to provide job training and employment services for disadvantaged residents. The center moved into a new building at One Hilton St. in l980, where it remained until shutting down in 1991. The building eventually became the home of the Liston campus of CCRI.

The OIC and CCRI will now work together to help inner-city residents meet their educational and employment goals.

The 2 to 5 p.m. celebration will feature music, a youth dance performance and the unveiling of a plaque to recognize that the OIC’s headquarters became a college campus.

Those who would like to attend should call Walter Crocker at (401) 455-6011 or e-mail him at wacrocker@ccri.edu.

Reaching out to artists

Elena Calderón Patiño, new community arts program director for the State Council on the Arts, has been given the mission of reaching out to artists and audiences from Rhode Island’s culturally diverse neighborhoods and communities.

An artist, she has been coordinator of family programs at the Rhode Island School of Design’s Museum of Art. She is a member of the Latino Community Celebration planning committee, a board member of Providence CityArts for Youth and the vice president of the Hispanic Heritage Committee of Rhode Island. She recently was curator for the first State Multi-Cultural Art Exhibit, “Celebrating Diversity,” in Providence.

African Community

Chinua Achebe, prominent Nigerian author who recently joined the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University, will hold a public conversation with Brown’s president, Ruth J. Simmons, at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov.10, in room 101 of the Salomon Center for Teaching. Achebe’s first novel, “Things Fall Apart,” has sold more than 12 million copies in more than 50 languages. The event is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible.

African-American Community

Young women of color who would like to be considered as Rhode Island’s representative in the Miss Black Teen USA pageant are urged to submit a photograph to the local organizers. Contestants must be between the ages of 13 and 18.

For details, call Denise Johnson at (401) 226-7669. Or, find out how to sign up by visiting www.missblackteenusa.com.

Gay Community

Youth Pride is looking for volunteers to help staff its community food pantry. Call (401) 421-5626 or e-mail Marilyn@youthprideri.org for details.

The deadline to register for the first meeting of the Gay Professional Network of Rhode Island, a new LGBT networking group, is Friday, Nov. 13. The event will be held at DownCity Diner, 50 Weybosset St., from 6 to 8 pm. A $50 donation to Equity Action is requested by the network. Hors d’oeuvres will be served. For more information, call Frank Maher at (401) 453-9276 or e-mail him at fmaher@trinityrep.com.

Tickets are still available for Youth Pride’s fundraiser, “Kick Up Your Heels,” at the Providence Biltmore from 6:30 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13. The event includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, dinner and dancing.

Tickets are $60. For more information or tickets, call (401) 421-5626 or e-mail james@youthprideri.org or Marilyn@youthprideri.org.

Two accountants and a lawyer will discuss the topic “Obstacles to Opportunity - Financial and Legal Guidance for Same Sex Couples,” on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Nathan Bishop Middle School, 101 Sessions St., Providence.

Speakers will include Richard Streitfeld of Aaronson Lavoie Streitfeld Diaz & Co, Karen Melo of Oceanstate Financial Services and Philip Laffey of Marshall & Laffey Ltd. State Rep. Frank Ferri also will speak.

Registration is at 6 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 6:30. The cost is $10 per person, $15 per couple. Contact Karen Melo (401) 432-8805 or kmelo@oceanstatefinancial.com to reserve a seat.

Southeast-Asian Community

The Socio-Economic Development Center for Southeast Asians is accepting applications for a position that includes tutoring,being a role model and teaching fundamentals of volleyball. Those interested in this after-school job should e-mail cover letters and resumes to rlaporte.sedc@ verizon.net.

pjnews@projo.com