Longbeards to meet Tues.

The Alpena Longbeards will meet in person at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the Moose Lodge on Werth Road.

If you have questions, call Edith at 989-354-4964.

MLK Committee hosts ‘Creating A Beloved Community’ Saturday

ALPENA — The Martin Luther King, Jr., Committee of Alpena is pleased to announce an interactive workshop designed to promote learning and open discussion about race and racism. The workshop, “Creating a Beloved Community,” features three interactive sessions beginning at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m. with a lunch break. The workshop will be held virtually on Saturday.

“We’re hopeful that many people throughout Northeast Michigan find this to be an important discussion and will plan to participate in the workshop,” said long-time committee member Pastor Tom Orth. “We believe programs that offer opportunities to learn about race and racism in a safe environment without blame or guilt are the fundamentals to creating an inclusive community.”

The virtual six-hour workshop will be presented by nationally acclaimed storyteller La’Ron Williams. The workshop material is designed to help its participants begin to recognize and understand the pervasive and profound invisible results of the United States’ national history with racism. Using a blend of storytelling, participatory exercises, lecture and dialogue, Williams will focus on concept building; increasing awareness of personal racial identity development within an already racialized social milieu, and on identifying several stumbling blocks that prevent individuals from achieving the goals that have been repeated so often throughout history: “all men are created equal” with “liberty and justice for all.”

There is no cost to participate in the workshop, but pre-registration is required. To obtain a Zoom meeting link, contact the MLK Jr. Committee of Alpena by email at abelovedcommunity.alpena@gmail.com. The committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan volunteer organization dedicated to promoting diversity in Alpena and the surrounding communities of Northeast Michigan. Visit Facebook.com/creating-a-beloved-community.

Williams is a nationally acclaimed, award-winning storyteller who for many years, has toured extensively presenting highly participatory, music-spiced programs composed of a dynamic blend of original and traditional tales. He is known for his pronounced commitment to justice and peacemaking — a commitment made concrete through his involvement with the Racial and Economic Justice Caucus of the Ann Arbor based Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, and via his work with Washtenaw Faces Race, an all-volunteer, interracial, interdisciplinary group that consciously and consistently works to dismantle racial hierarchy and promote racial equity in local institutions within Washtenaw County.

Free virtual breastfeeding classes

Free virtual breastfeeding classes are on the second and third Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m. The virtual breastfeeding classes are free, open to all pregnant and breastfeeding mothers in Alpena, Cheboygan, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties.

The breastfeeding class at 10 a.m. on the second Wednesday of the month focuses on the Breastfeeding Basics– benefits of breastfeeding, positioning and latching baby, and more.

The breastfeeding class at 10 a.m. on the third Wednesday of the month is titled Pumping 101. This class discusses how to use, assemble and clean your pump, breast milk storage guidelines, returning to work/school, paced bottle feeding and more. Each class is about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes in length depending on how many questions are asked. Attendees that attend both classes receive a free gift — either a Boppy breastfeeding pillow or a Boppy baby/toddler carrier, thanks to a grant.

For a link to join, call Heather at 989-255-4730 or Brandy at 989-590-3654.

The free virtual breastfeeding moms group, open to all moms in Alpena, Cheboygan, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties, meets virtually from 2 to 3 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of the month. This group offers moms the opportunity to receive breastfeeding information, ask breastfeeding questions, address breastfeeding concerns, share a success story or as a great place to meet other moms that are about to begin their breastfeeding journey or are currently breastfeeding. To register to receive a link to join, call Heather at 989-255-2730 or Brandy at 989-590-3654. They can be added to the email list to receive a link for each group and can drop in if they can.