Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 2

39] The Ache for Home – Nov. 13

40] Get on Bridge for Peace – Nov. 13

41] THIRD WORLD CALIFORNIA – Nov. 13

42] Book talk: BLOOD ON THE TRACKS – Nov. 13

43] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Nov. 13

44] Focus on Military Families – Nov. 13

45] Honor Jeni Stepanek – Nov. 13

46] Red Emma's Meeting – Nov. 13

47] Pentagon Vigil – Nov. 14

48] Nicaraguan speaker in D.C. & Baltimore – Nov. 14

49] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Nov. 14 – Nov. 17

50] Protest the death penalty – Nov. 14

51] Parks & People grants workshop – Nov. 14

52] How to Start a Nonprofit – Nov. 14

53] Book talk: BLOOD ON THE TRACKS – Nov. 14

54] Pledge/Fund Our Communities meeting – Nov. 14 

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39] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore, MD 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.  On Sun., Nov. 13, the program will look at "The Ache for Home" with Hugh Taft-Morales, a leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society.  This talk coincides with National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week—Nov. 12-20--will also focus on the meaning and importance of "home" and the history of the Ethical Culture movement. Call 410-547-7798 or visit the website to be sure at www.baltimoreethicalsociety.org.

 

40] – Maryland Bridges for Peace welcomes you to stand for peace Sundays from noon (or thereabouts) to 1 PM on the Spa Creek Bridge in Annapolis.  Contact Lucy at 410-263-7271 or mdbridgesforpeace@toadmail.com. Signs are not allowed to be on a stick or pole.   If there is interest, people will be standing on the Stoney Creek Bridge on Fort Smallwood Road in Pasadena [410-437-5379 or magicalgodmom@aol.com]. Go to http://BridgePeace.blogspot.com/

 

41] – On Sun., Nov. 13 at 2 PM, see THIRD WORLD CALIFORNIA, part of the Sundays film series at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St.  This documentary is about undocumented immigrants, Native American plights, and poverty in California. The ticket price is $8, kids 7-17, students, seniors $6, while members, kids 6 & under, MD public school teachers get in free. Call 443-263-1800 or go to http://www.africanamericanculture.org/.

 

42] – On Sun., Nov. 13 at 3 PM, hear S. Brian Willson, author of "Blood On The Tracks: The Life and Times of S. Brian Willson," at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Brian is a Viet Nam veteran whose wartime experiences transformed him into a human rights activist. He gained renown as a participant in the 1986 veterans fast on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.  On September 1, 1987, he was run over by a U.S. Navy Munitions train while engaging in a nonviolent protest of weapons bound for El Salvador and Nicaragua (for counter revolutionaries), Central America.  Since the 1980s he has continued with his efforts to educate the public about U.S. policies of war while striving to "walk his talk" on two prosthetic legs and a three-wheeled hand cycle.  His book documents his journey from high school athlete and Viet Nam commander to a hand-powered cycling peace activist, environmentalist and writer. Go to http://bloodonthetracks.info/.  After the talk there'll be a reception where the author will sign his book and there will be drinks and light snacks.  This talk is sponsored by The Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee and the Phil Berrigan Memorial Chapter, #105, Veterans for Peace. Email garygillespie80@gmail.com.

 

43] – Every Sunday, 4 to 5 PM, there is a Quaker Peace Vigil at Independence Mall, N. side of Market between 5th and 6th Sts., Philadelphia. Call 215-421-5811.

 

44] – On Sun., Nov. 13 at 4:30 PM, enjoy the Brandywine Peace Community Monthly Potluck Supper & Program @ University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St., Phila., PA. (Bring main dish, salad, or dessert to share). At 5:30 PM the program will focus on Military Families and The Movement to End the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with Oskar Castro, national executive director of Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), former coordinator of American Friends Service Committee's National Youth & Militarism Program. There will also be a special guest: Celeste Zappala, Gold Star Mother for Peace and member of MFSO, whose son, PA National Guard Sgt. Sherwood R. Baker, was killed in Iraq on Apr. ?, 2004, guarding the unit looking for weapons of mass destruction. Call 610-544-1818 or go to www.brandywinepeace.com. 

 

45] – On Sun., Nov. 13, starting with a Mass at 6 PM, enjoy the 2011 Peacemaker of the Year Dinner honoring Jeni and Mattie Stepanek at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 2700 S. 19th St., Arlington, VA, 22204.  Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore is hosting a celebratory evening of peace and remembrance by first honoring the six Jesuits of Central American University, their housekeeper, and her daughter, who were brutally assassinated by Salvadoran soldiers on the night of Nov. 16, 1989. The Mass will be celebrated by Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace Rev. Joe Nangle, OFM, with music by the Our Lady Queen of Peace Young Adult Choir. The award dinner follows.  Contact Jack McHale at jjmchale@verizon.net or 703-772-0635 for dinner reservations.  Suggested dinner donation is $25.

 

Jeni Stepanek, Ph.D., is executive director of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, devoted to carrying on the work of her son, the late bestselling poet and peace advocate, Mattie J.T. Stepanek (see www.mattieonline.com). The author of "Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek" and "Heartsongs," she is a noted advocate for personal and world peace, as well as for children's and families' needs and rights in health and education.

 

Like her son, Jeni has a rare genetic neuromuscular disease, and relies on a ventilator and wheelchair for breathing and mobility.  Mattie is the youngest of Jeni's four children. All four died during childhood due to complications of the disease Jeni unknowingly passed on to them before she was diagnosed. Mattie died 3 weeks before his 14th birthday.

 

46] – Red Emma's needs volunteers.  Stop in to the weekly Sunday meeting at 7 PM at 800 St. Paul St. or email info@redemmas.org.  The next meeting is Nov. 13. There is no meeting on the first Sunday of the month.  Call 410-230-0450. If you would be interested in volunteering or becoming a collective member of 2640, send an email to 2640@redemmas.org.

 

47] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop.  The next vigil is Mon., Nov. 14, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Call 202-882-9649.

 

48] – Few people can speak to the impacts of U.S. military and economic policy like Uriel Carazo, a coordinator and founding member of The Promoters of Peace and Development (Red de Promotores de Paz y de Desarrollo) in Nicaragua. As a result of the U.S. backed Contra war in Nicaragua in the 1980s, Uriel was forced to migrate to Honduras. Later he was deeply involved in a broad movement in his country against the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and facilitated community-level dialogue on its potential impacts. Needless to say he is well acquainted with the ties between U.S. foreign policy and how it pushes and pulls people to migrate.

 

Migration and its root causes have been an integral part of the post-war reconciliation process. The Peace Promoters have found that most Nicaraguans, no matter their political leaning or past military involvement - Contra or Sandinista - are facing many of the same issues. Working closely with families as a conflict mediator, a lawyer, and a disability rights activist, Uriel has increasingly come across a single issue: migration. He will talk about this migration, and the large systematic dynamics behind it, especially in terms of Nicaragua's often-contentious relationship with the United States.

 

Uriel will speak at a Brown Bag Discussion on Mon., Nov. 14 from noon to 1:30 PM at the Institute of Policy Studies Conference Room, 1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600, WDC.  At 3 PM, he will speak at American Univ.  Email Todd Miller, Witness for Peace, at wfpma@witnessforpeace.org.

 

And then at 7 PM, he will be at Red Emma's Bookstore/Café, 800 St. Paul St., Baltimore. Go to witness@witnessforpeace.org.

 

49] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Thursday from 5 to 7 PM on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org.   The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.   

 

50] – There is usually a vigil to abolish the death penalty every Monday from 5 to 6 PM, outside the prison complex and across the street from Maryland's Super Max Prison, at the corner of Madison Ave. and Fallsway in Baltimore.  Recently death row was moved out of Baltimore, but it was decided to continue the vigil. The next one is scheduled for Mon., Nov. 14. Call 410-366-1637.

 

51] – On Mon., Nov. 14 from 6 to 8 PM, consider going to the Parks and People Neighborhood Greening and Clean Water Spring 2012 Grant Workshop @ Parks and People, 800 Wyman Park Dr., Suite 010. Email CPHA at info@cphabaltimore.org.

 

52] – On Mon., Nov. 14 at 6:30 PM, there will be a Community Law Center Workshop: How to Start and Maintain a Nonprofit Organization @ 3355 Keswick Road, Suite 200.  Understand the legal and practical considerations of running a nonprofit organization, including starting one, maintaining its legal status, writing and revising articles of incorporation and bylaws, and applying for tax exemption. The registration fee of $40 must be paid in advance. Call 410-366-0992 or go to http://communitylaw.org.

 

53] – On Nov. 14 at 7 PM, catch The Unimaginable Journey of an American Peacemaker, a book talk with S. Brian Willson, a Vietnam veteran and trained lawyer, first gained renown as a participant of 1986 veterans fast on the steps of the US Capitol in Washington, DC.  One year later, he reentered the public eye when he was run over and nearly killed by a US Navy Munitions train while engaging in a nonviolent blockade in protest of weapons shipment to El Salvador. Contact Paul Magno at 202-321-6650 or pmagno@igc.org. This event, sponsored by the Washington Peace Center, the Center on Conscience & War, SOA Watch, Witness for Peace and Catholic Worker Bookstore, takes place at  St. Stephens Church, corner of 16th and Newton Sts., WDC.   

 

54] – The Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings now take place at Max's residence.  The next meeting takes place on Nov. 14.  The proposed agenda will include a review of the strategy to pressure the Super Committee to cut military spending, continuing reports on Occupation Baltimore & the Freedom Square occupation, an update on the trial of Bradley manning protesters and Veterans For Peace on the march.  Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions.

 

To be continued.

 

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

 

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs