Baltimore Activist Alert - Feb. 25-27, 2014

21] Israel Apartheid Week – Feb. 25 -27
22] Performance Oversight Hearing - Feb. 26
23] Tunisia's Democratic Transition - Feb. 26
24] Labor Rights in Colombia – Feb. 26
25] African Refugees in Israel – Feb. 26
26] The Futures Commission – Feb. 26
27] American Studies Association Academic Boycott – Feb. 26
28] Report Back from Palestine – Feb. 26
29] Music for Peace – Feb. 26
30] Middle East Dialogue 2014 – Feb. 27
31] Legacy of Hugo Chavez – Feb. 27
32] People-Centered Human Rights – Feb. 27
33] Race, Policing, and Criminal Justice Mayoral Forum – Feb. 27
34] Resisting the Keystone XL – Feb. 27
35] A Dream Foreclosed – Feb. 27
36] Greening Your Coffee Hour – Feb. 27
37] Film "Inequality for All" – Feb. 27
38] South African and Israeli Systems of Apartheid – Feb. 27
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21] – The Students for Justice in Palestine is holding Israel Apartheid Week at Johns Hopkins University. On Tues., Feb. 25 from 7 to 8 PM, hear Palestinian Solidarity, Anti-Zionism and BDS," a panel discussion with members of SJP and the Baltimore chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace in Charles Commons MPR. Go to
https://www.facebook.com/events/400538703416641/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming.

On Wed., Feb. 26 from 7:30 to 8:30 PM, see a screening of “Two Schools in Nablus,” followed by a discussion about JHU and the academic boycott of Israel in Charles Commons MPR. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1439345092969140/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming.

On Thurs., Feb. 27 from 6 to 7 PM, Laila El-Haddad will be giving a talk on education under occupation in Charles Commons MPR. See
https://www.facebook.com/events/294529730694177/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
Call 972-598-346-809.

22] – The Department of Employment Services will hold a Performance Oversight Hearing on Wed., Feb. 26 at 10 AM at the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Room 412. At this hearing, folks will have the opportunity to testify to make sure that the paid sick days and minimum wage laws are funded in the D.C. budget and to discuss the shortcomings of DOES. If you can't make it on the 26th, feel free to submit written testimony. Call Naomi at 202-645-5364 or e-mail niser@dcejc.org.

23] – Rached Ghannouchi will focus on Tunisia's Democratic Transition on Wed., Feb. 26 from noon to 1:30 PM at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy will host Ghannouchi, co-founder and president of Tunisia's Ennahda Party. Carnegie's Marwan Muasher will moderate the discussion. Contact Nadia Mughal at 202-939-2205 or nmughal@ceip.org.

24] – Labor Rights in Colombia: Real Progress or Broken Promises? Get answers on Wed., Feb. 26 from noon to 1 PM at the Washington Office on Latin America, 1666 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 400. Three years after the signing of the U.S. - Colombia Labor Action Plan, the agreement that paved the way for the passage of a free trade agreement between the two countries, labor rights violations continue unabated in Colombia. Mass firings, illegal subcontracting, and anti-union violence continue to undermine Colombian workers’ rights to form unions and exercise their right to free association, and union leaders are regularly killed for their work. The event will be available via live stream at www.wola.org. Contact Adam Schaffer at aschaffer@wola.org or 202-797-2171.

25] – African Refugees in Israel: The plight of non-Jews in the Zionist State will be examined on Wed., Feb. 26 from 12:30 to 2 PM at the Palestine Center, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW. Starting in 2006, out of the millions of sub-Saharan Africans that have fled ethnic cleansing, political persecution and environmental collapse on the continent, 60,000 have sought refuge in Israel. The Israeli government let most of them in, hesitant to be seen as outright forcing refugees back to the horrors they experienced. But to ensure that they would leave as soon as possible, the government conducted a campaign to incite racial hatred against them, passed laws to criminalize them and is now rounding them up off the city streets and incarcerating them in what can be accurately described as a desert concentration camp. The government openly admits that its objective is to "make their lives miserable" so that they will relent and agree to self-deport. Go to http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/RegisterForEvent/i/44301.

26] – Tell your friends to make calls and write their state senators and delegates to express support for the bill (SB493/HB738) Economic Development: Commission on Maryland’s Future.” The Futures Commission is a first step towards creating a roadmap which will keep Maryland workers prepared for the jobs of tomorrow. Help reprioritize federal spending, away from military waste and towards our communities’ needs.

There is a House Hearing (Economic Matters) on Wed., Feb. 26 at 1 PM in Room 231 House Office Building. Contact Susan at susank@capconcorp. Go to the Fund Our Communities web site - http://www.ourfunds.org/.

27] – Be at the discussion on the American Studies Association Academic Boycott on Wed., Feb. 26 at 5:30 PM at American University, Ward Building, Room 1, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Join American University Students For Justice in Palestine for a discussion with Craig Wills, George Mason University professor and American Studies Association member. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/506873189421412/.

28] – Report Back from Palestine will take place on Wed., Feb. 26 at 7 PM at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, 5301 North Capitol St. NE. Rev. Graylan Hagler and activist Bill Fletcher, Jr. will report back on their January trip to Palestine. Call 202.723.5330.

29] – Music for Peace takes place on the last Wednesday of the month at 7 PM at the HI Baltimore Hostel, 17 W. Mulberry St. Discover music as a means to communicate and connect across cultures. Listen, play, or learn. The event will feature an open mic forum, guitar lessons, and the chance to meet and connect with other musicians in the city. Call 410-576-8880 or visit http://www.baltimorehostel.org.

30] – Middle East Dialogue 2014: Strategies for Change in the Middle East is happening on Thurs., Feb. 27 from 8 AM to 5 PM at the Whittemore House, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW. The Policy Studies Organization, in association with the Digest of Middle East Studies, invites you to attend the Dialogue. This is a gathering of policy makers, scholars, civic, and business leaders, with a common interest on policy and social issues in the Middle East. Speakers from Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Germany, China, and across the U.S. will be present, ensuring generative and international dialogue. This year’s event focuses on issues such as educational, social, economic, and political reform, regime politics, interfaith dialogue, women's rights, peace initiatives, and other crucial matters during these critical times. Register at http://www.ipsonet.org/conferences/middle-east-dialogue.

31] – The Legacy of Hugo Chavez at Home and Abroad is hosted by Institute for Policy Studies. Board member James Early will moderate a timely and dynamic panel about Venezuela on the 1st anniversary, March 5, of the passing of the late Venezuelan President. Pay tribute to him and the legacy he left the world. A panel discussion will focus on the political, social and economic impact that this Latin American leader had on the poor, social movements and governments alike in the U.S., Venezuela and the region. The panelists are Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Dan Kovalik, adjunct professor of International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh, and a Venezuelan official. The event is on Wed., Feb. 26 from 7 to 9 PM at Bolivarian Hall, 2443 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC. Go to http://www.ips-dc.org/events/the_legacy_of_hugo_chavez_at_home_and_abroad.

32] – IPS Associate Fellow, Ajamu Baraka visiting from Colombia, South America on a U.S. tour will speak about "why the fight must be for people-centered human rights" on Thurs., Feb. 27 from 6:30 to 8 PM at the IPS Conference Room, 1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600, WDC. A professional human rights industry has developed that shares a worldview informed by the assumptions of classical Western liberalism. What distinguishes the people-centered approach from prevailing schools of human rights theory?

Ajamu Baraka will share the component parts of the people-centered framework for human rights. He has taught political science at various universities and is currently editing “The Struggle for People-Centered Human Rights: Voices From The Field.” Call 202-234-9382, email info@ips-dc.org or go to www.ips-dc.org.

33] – A Race, Policing, and Criminal Justice Mayoral Forum is happening at McKinley Technology High School, 151 T St. NE, WDC 20002, on Thurs., Feb. 27 from 7 to 9 PM. The co-sponsors of the event include the American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation’s Capital, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, the DC National Lawyers Guild, et al. All of the mayoral candidates have been invited to this forum with an independent moderator. Contact Ed Elder at edelder@mindspring.com.

34] – Resisting the Keystone XL: Fighting for Climate Justice on Thurs., Feb. 27 from 7 to 8 PM at La Casa Community Center, 3166 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. Join the D.C. branch of System Change not Climate Change (SCnCC) for a panel discussion on the Keystone XL Pipeline (panelists TBA). They will meet to both prepare for the rally on March 2nd and to discuss the next organizational steps after the rally takes place. See http://systemchangenotclimatechange.org/.

35] – "A Dream Foreclosed: Black America and the Fight for a Place to Call Home" takes place on Thurs., Feb. 27 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201. Laura Gottesdiener, a Brooklyn-based investigative journalist, offers a thoroughly researched picture of the housing crisis within the context of the broader financial collapse, showing that the true cost is not in real estate value but in human tragedy—especially the mass displacement of American families and dreams.

Through real-life stories of four American neighborhoods fighting against foreclosure, "A Dream Foreclosed" gives voice to the silenced population most affected by the global economic crisis. What makes the book so compelling is that Gottesdiener profiles four heroic families who not only challenge the big banks when threatened with foreclosure and eviction—they organize their neighbors and win.

36] – Greening Your Coffee Hour is happening on Thurs., Feb. 27 at 7:30 PM EST. Join Interfaith Power & Light (D.C., MD. NoVA) for its first-ever green sheep webinar to learn from others who have helped their congregation switch to reusable dishware, purchased fair-trade coffee and more local, organic food, and composted their food waste! Register at http://karen5.enterthemeeting.com/m/D87TM9P2.

37] – Watch Robert Reich's award-winning film, "Inequality for All" at 9929 Woodburn Rd., Silver Spring 20901 on Thurs., Feb. 27 at 7:45 PM. Sec. Reich will join in for a special conference call to change the conversation on income inequality. Go to http://act.democracyforamerica.com/event/inequality_watch_party_attend/542/signup/?t=3&akid=4464.1784006.wM85M-.

38] – There’s a Panel on South African and Israeli Systems of Apartheid and the BDS Movements on Thurs., Feb. 27 at 8 PM at American University, Ward Building, Room 1, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Moorosi Mokuena, active against the South African apartheid regime, Mohammed Abu-Nimer, SIS professor and founder of Salam Peacebuilding and Justice Institute in D.C., and Ramah Kudaimi from the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation will speak about apartheid and BDS. See https://www.facebook.com/events/642058552508157/.

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