RACE & PRIVILEGE Last August, the Rev. John Gibbons of First Parish in Bedford and his parishioners hung a Black Lives Matter banner in front of their church. “The point was to initiate a conversation within the congregation and with the larger community about race,’’ Gibbons said.
When the banner was twice vandalized, the conversation grew ever more animated as parishioners and townspeople contemplated the ramifications of white privilege in the Boston suburbs.
The dialogue that the banner sparked continues on Sunday, April 3, at 3 p.m., when racial justice educator and author Debby Irving offers a free public lecture at the church.
“As a Winchester native, Debby has a perspective not unlike the perspective of many of the people in our congregation and our community,’’ Gibbons said. In her much talked-about book, “Waking Up White,’’ Irving deploys historical and media images as well as personal narrative to explore the ways in which her past experiences opened her eyes to what she calls her own “white-skewed belief system.’’
Intended to help people take an honest and authentic look at their own racial assumptions, Irving’s presentation will include time for dialogue with the audience and Q&A, plus a reception and book-signing afterward. For more information, call 781-275-7994 or go to www.uubedford.org. First Parish is at 75 The Great Road, Bedford. All facilities at First Parish are handicapped accessible.
JAZZ THURSDAYS Benny Sharoni (above), a saxophonist who was raised in Israel and studied at Berklee College of Music, headlines in the Jazz Thursdays series at Primavera Ristorante at 20 Pleasant St., Millis, on Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m., joined by guitarist Mike Mele, bassist Todd Baker, and drummer Steve Langone. Cover price is $10. For more information, call 508-376-2026 or go to www.primav.com.
GLUTEN-FREE GOURMET Pantry, the onsite restaurant of the Crowne Plaza Natick, offers a four-course gluten-free meal of gourmet fare paired with wine prepared by executive chef Alastair Mclean on Thursday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m. Delicacies include lotus and taro chips with pickled vegetables, octopus salad, porchetta, prime rib, smoked yams, and a white and dark chocolate dessert. The Crowne Plaza is at 1360 Worcester Road, Natick. Cost is $75 per person (tax and gratuity not included). Reservations are required; call 508-416-1352.
MILL TOURS On Saturday, April 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Old Schwamb Mill in Arlington holds its annual spring open house, with tours of the mill, a demonstration of 19th-century frame turning by David Graf, a classic rock performance by the Undercovers at 2 p.m., and the opening reception for the mill’s spring art show, “Six Visions: Photography and Sculpture.’’ The Old Schwamb Mill is at 17 Mill Lane in Arlington. For more information, call 781-643-0554 or go to www.oldschwambmill.org.
ESSENTIAL RING The Lexington Symphony, conducted by maestro Jonathan McPhee (above), joins forces with Symphony New Hampshire and a cast of experienced vocalists to present “The Essential Ring, Part I,’’ a selection of the greatest music from Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, on Saturday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. at Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington. The concert will be preceded by a conductor’s talk at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $39 to $65, with student discounts available, at www.lexingtonsymphony.org, at 781-523-9009, or at the door.
BLUEGRASS PERFORMANCE The Boston Bluegrass Union presents the Claire Lynch Band, performing Saturday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington. Lynch previously led the pioneering bluegrass Front Porch String Band and has since formed her own Claire Lynch Band. Tickets are $27. For more information, go to bbu.wildapricot.org.
LOCAL LANDSCAPES A collection of recent oil paintings by Sherborn artist Kristiina Almy, who paints landscape scenes inspired by the surrounding natural spaces in Sherborn and other locations in New England, is on exhibit at the Sherborn Library through April 9. The library is at 4 Sanger St., Sherborn. For hours or more information, call 508-653-0770 or go to library.sherbornma.org.
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