We are proud to announce that we will be honoring the community groups "Youth vs. Apocalypse" as well as "Friends of Scott and Taun Hall" with our Local Heroes for Peace Award for 2019. Youth vs. Apocalypse is a youth-led group of climate justice activists who are working together to lift the voices of youth, in particular youth of color, and fight for a livable climate and an equitable, sustainable, and just world. The Center has been inspired by the movement they have been working tirelessly to build and maintain in the Bay Area this year. We are also proud to recognize the work of Friends of Scott and Taun Hall, a community group founded in Walnut Creek this past summer in response to the shooting and killing of Miles Hall, a young African-American man who was a member of our community. The group is demanding accountability from the Walnut Creek Police Department as well as resources and training to be expanded in the realm of mental health. They want to cultivate a community where mental health is addressed and resources are made available for individuals, friends, and family who are impacted by it. Paul Larudee will be our keynote speaker for the evening and will also receiving our Lifetime Peacemaker Award for his long-standing commitment to peace work. He is co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement and led the Northern California chapter for ten years. Larudee was a key organizer of the Boats to Gaza campaign, the key organizer of the Syria Solidarity Movement and has been an organizer of many tours and projects in the Middle East. Larudee has also served as a steering committee member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance