From government forums to town-hall meetings, there are more ways than ever to become engaged in Knoxville’s civic and social discourse. Each week, we’ll round up noteworthy public events that come to our attention.

APRIL 22

Knoxville March for Science
Place: Ayres Hall, South Lawn, UT
Time: Saturday, April 22 at 11 AM – 2 PM
A demonstration for science — especially “Evidence-based public policy and regulations that serve public interest and protect vulnerable communities rather than further corporate greed and political gain.” Info here. 

April 24

UT Outsourcing Protest
Place: Torchbearer statue, UTK campus
Time: Noon
Organized by #TNisNOTforSale and the union United Campus Workers, employees of the University of Tennessee (UTK) will join with students, community leaders and other allies on Monday at noon to challenge “claims about outsourcing made by Governor Bill Haslam’s key outsourcing operatives in closed-door meetings last week.”

Nehemiah Action
Place: Central United Methodist Church
Time: 7 p.m.
Justice Knox, a coalition of congregations of different faiths, will “challenge Knox County’s public officials to create a more just city.” Justice Knox leaders will be asking: 1. the school board to implement Whole School Restorative Practices to improve school climate by reducing racial disparities; 2. the police chief and sheriff to give all officers Crisis Intervention Training in regard to recognizing situations involving mental illness.

April 27-29

Conference: New Directions in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies
Place:  Panhellenic Building, 1531 Cumberland Ave., and the UT College of Law, 1505 Cumberland Ave.
Time: see website
Hosted by UT’s Department of Sociology, this conference will address some of the most pressing current issues surrounding racial inequality in the United States. “Critical race theory has transformed academic, political and general national discussions about the contentious issues of race and racism. Keynotes for the conference will feature many of the biggest names in the critical race theory movement, including founders Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, Duke University Professor and American Sociological Association President Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, nationally recognized immigration expert Tanya Golash-Boza and renowned intersectionality scholar Mary Romero.” Info here. The conference is free and open to the public but registration is required.

APRIL 29

March and Rally for Climate, Jobs, and Justice
Place: Downtown
Time: 10 a.m.
“On April 29th, we will march for our families. We will march for our air, our water, and our land. We will march for clean energy jobs and climate justice. We will march for our communities, the people we love, and for peace.
“We will gather for the March between 9:30 and 10 am at the East Tennessee Tribute to Country Music Park on the NE corner of Summit Hill and Gay street. At 10 am, we will march down Gay street and down Clinch Ave to come down World’s Fair Park Dr., ending at the Amphitheater in World’s Fair Park for a Rally from 11am-12pm.” Info here.

People’s Climate Teach-in
Place: Church of the Savior, 934 N. Weisgarber Rd.
Time: 1-5 p.m.
Sponsored by Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light (TIPL) and the People’s Climate Movement, this seminar will feature a wide-ranging discussion of the social and environmental consequences of climate injustice. 

Coury Turczyn

Editor Coury Turczyn guided Knoxville's alt weekly, Metro Pulse, through two eras, first as managing editor (and later executive editor) from 1992 to 2000, then as editor-in-chief from 2007 to 2014. He's also worked as a Web editor at CNET, the erstwhile G4 cable network, and HGTV.