PHOTO: The Rev. Jesse Jackson visited the Pacific Northwest this past week, initially to push forward his campaign for greater diversity in the high-tech field – but in the end Jackson spoke before protests against the lack of indictment in the police killing of Michael Brown in Missouri. Jackson and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee together announced new investments in science, technology, engineering and math for Washington students. Jackson met with members of the Seattle NAACP and singled out Seattle civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Samuel McKinney, 87, retired pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church. Susan Fried photo

#FreshestRoots Talks Ferguson: Open Mic

In response to the grand jury decision whether to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in the Ferguson, Missouri; Freshest Roots, in partnership with Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (LHPAI), will present a place for spoken word dialogue on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.

The event will feature four artists performing in honor of Michael Brown and teens and young adults everywhere with words, music and poetry of power and remembrance. All ages, doors open at 7 p.m.

Freshest Roots is a Seattle native, urban, all ages open mic that occurs the first Friday of every month at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. Freshest Roots began in 2009 and is one of the most well-known open mics in the Seattle area. “The key to keeping Freshest alive and thriving is to keep things centralized and accessible to the community, and to stay humble on things that can, and cannot be changed,” Eddie Martinez, Freshest Roots co-founder. Freshest features art exhibits, cappella singing, folk guitar, music sampling, dancing, hip hop music and spoken word.

For more information about the open mic, or how to get involved, check out www.freshestroots.com.

Health Insurance Workshop at The Central Library Dec. 6

Individuals with personal laptops, tablets or smartphones can get help signing up for health care from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday Dec. 6 at The Seattle Public Library, Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium.

Those planning to attend and enroll in an insurance plan should have:

• Laptop, tablet or smartphone (if available)
• Social Security numbers for all household members
• Birth dates for all household members
• Most recent income information
• Green Card number (if applicable)
• Attendees must bring their own devices, fully charged. The Library will not be lending devices, and the auditorium does not have outlets available.

This program is presented in partnership with Public Health-Seattle & King County.

Library events and programs are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $7.

To find more dates for health care sign-up help, visit the Library's Affordable Care Act page. For more information about programs offered by the Affordable Care Act, visit www.wahealthplanfinder.org.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

Create Greeting Cards at the Central Library Dec. 7

The Seattle Public Library invites teens and adults to take a break from holiday crowds and cold weather by crafting handmade greeting cards from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 3, The Norcliffe Foundation Living Room.

An art instructor will show attendees how to make greeting cards using basic printmaking techniques. Art supplies will be provided and all skill levels are welcome.

Musical entertainment will be provided by the students of Shulamit Kleinerman Violin Studio. Light refreshments will be served.

Library events and programs are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $7.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

Immaculate Celebrates 110th Anniversary Dec. 8

Immaculate Conception Church invites all friends, parishioners, past and present and former students and their families to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the life of the Parish. The celebration will be on Dec. 8, starting with a Mass at 6:30 p.m. with fellowship reception to follow.

The Immaculate Conception parish was founded in 1891 by Jesuit Fathers where Seattle University is now located. In 1904, the parish was moved to its present location and the Church was built in just six months.

Immaculate Conception Church is home to numerous multi-cultural families steeped in faith, service and civil rights advocacy. The Church is located at 820 18th Avenue in Seattle. Let us reconnect and celebrate the life of the Parish.

For more information, contact Hazel Mendoza at mbjumpstart@msn.com (206) 322 5970.

Northwest Coast Native American Art at the Central Library

Burke Museum curators Robin Wright and Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse will discuss and present slides on art made by Northwest Coast Native Americans from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11 at The Seattle Public Library, Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium.

This program will focus on Wright and Bunn-Marcuse's new book, "In the Spirit of the Ancestors: Contemporary Northwest Coast Art at the Burke Museum."

Library events are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $6 after 5 p.m.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

Computer Science Workshop for Middle School Students

The Seattle Public Library is hosting Hour of Code computer science activities from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Central Library, Level 4, Washington Mutual Foundation Meeting Room 1.

Hour of Code was launched in 2013 by the non-profit organization Code.org. It is a global effort to expand opportunities for students to learn about computer science. It is designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics of coding and computer science.

For this year's Hour of Code activities at the Library, staff from the Pacific Science Center have developed brand new activities focused on students in grades six through eight. Students may drop-in anytime during the two-hour session, and activities will include:

Hardware: Chip’s Challenge - Ever wondered how computers keep getting faster and better? The answer is in the design of their microchips. Become a hardware engineer and learn about transistors, Moore's Law, and how it’s possible to fit all that computing power on one tiny little chip! It's a puzzle solving challenge sure to get your imagination working.

Software Development: A-mazing Robots - Help a robot get through a maze! Become a computer programmer and use a paper prototype to write code to navigate your robot through the maze. Using the software development cycle, edit your code to get the robot through more complex mazes and additional challenges!

Binary Bracelets - Learn the basics of binary code, which computers use to communicate numbers, letters, commands, images and sounds. Create a personalized beaded bracelet with your initials expressed in binary code.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or go to www.spl.org.

Find more news and events in Portland and Seattle on The Skanner News Community Calendar