Bike to Lunch event set for May 20 at Smith Park in Jackson

 

May is National Bike Month, which is sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, celebrated in communities nationwide and observed in Jackson where Mayor Tony T. Yarber has issued a proclamation.

As a part of this celebration, Bike to Lunch Day will be held May 20, at Downtown Jackson Smith Park. Residents are encouraged to ride their bikes to Smith Park for the event, which will feature a Play Streets Jackson demonstration, music, food trucks and other activities. Pedestrians are also welcome.

The Play Street Program involves closing a specific street or streets to traffic and opening that space to the community to create an area where kids can safely play and be active. Citizens can fill out an application with the city to designate a play street.

The city is seeking volunteers to help host activities for the Play Streets Jackson DEMO. Volunteers can help spread the message of active living and play by helping to demonstrate to citizens what Play Streets Jackson can look like for those who have never attended. Suggested activities include a fitness class, skateboarding, cycling, hula hooping or rollerskating. Volunteers can hold a jump rope contest, bean-bag toss, relay race or play hopscotch. Also welcome are teams or classes giving active demos on cheerleading, martial arts, flag football, step teams, flash mob and salsa dancing.

Volunteers for demo activities are needed from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 20, at Smith Park. For more details about the Bike to Lunch event, contact Ramina Aghili at (601) 960-1857 or e-mail raghili@city.jackson.ms.us.

 

Civil rights workshop for teens planned

 

A six-day workshop designed to teach youth about contributions and sacrifices made by people who were their age during the Civil Rights Movement is set for 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 13-18 at the COFO Civil Rights Education Center, 1017 John R. Lynch St., on the campus of Jackson State University.

The Southern Civil Rights Movement: The Pivotal Role of Young People workshop is for middle and high-school students in seventh through 12th grade. The cost is $150.

Participants in the intensive workshop will be guided through the history of the movement via lectures, oral history panels, and group and individual work. The workshop will also explore the nature of American democracy and how engaged citizens can advance democratic ideals in the face of resistance and oppression.

The workshop will feature field trips to civil rights landmarks in Jackson, the Mississippi Delta and Memphis. Students will also be encouraged to participate in a service learning project. Other benefits of the workshop include notebook and learning materials, lunches, T-shirts and a workshop ending program conducted by the Hamer Institute faculty and students.

For more information and to sign-up for the summer workshop, visit: www.jsums.edu/hamerinstitute/SCRM.