Baltimore Activist Alert - June 21-22, 2014

48] Fundraiser at Charles – LE HAVRE -- June 21
49] Leadership training workshop -- June 21
50] Arab Women Rising -- June 21
51] FREE HER Rally – June 21
52] Olney Peace vigil – June 21
53] West Chester, PA demo – June 21
54] Silent peace vigil – June 21
55] Latino Fest in Patterson Park – June 21-22
56] Volunteer with the ACLU at the African American Festival. – June 21 & 22
57] No U.S. military intervention in Iraq! – June 21
58] Trans 201: Becoming a Trans ally – June 21
59] Protest caste-based discrimination – June 21
60] Grand Opening of The Real News Media Center – June 21
61] Film "The Lord is Not on Trial Here Today" – June 21
62] "Theorizing Native Studies” - June 21
63] Love Songs from the Liberation Wars – June 21
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48] – The Episcopal Refugee and Immigrant Center Alliance (ERICA) will host a fundraiser screening of Aki Kaurismäki's award-winning film LE HAVRE on Sat., June 21 at 9 AM at the Charles Theater, 1711 N. Charles St. Enjoy breakfast fare, film notes by Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday, and a lively discussion of the film and the experience of refugees in our local community. The French port city of Le Havre is home for this warm-hearted, hopeful tale of Idrissa, (Blondin Miguel), a young boy from Gabon eluding deportation, and Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a self-described bohemian who organizes his community to shelter the youth. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $10 for students with an ID. Go to http://www.erica-baltimore.org/fundraiser.html.

49] – There is a need for leaders in the ONE Maryland community - folks who are ready to step up and lead in the fight against extreme poverty. On Sat., June 21, be at an all-day training that will cover everything you need to know to become one of the top volunteers. Dive into the issues, learn how to plan events, build a team, and talk about meeting your members of Congress. The ONE leadership training is at 9 AM at the Central Presbyterian Church, 7308 York Road, Towson. RSVP at http://act.one.org/event/generalevent_attend/11093?t=2&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&akid=5339.1600447.nF7L7h.

50] – In the Cullen Room, Busboys & Poets, 5th and K Sts. NW, on Sat., June 21 from 9:30 to 11 AM, Middle East Cafe presents Arab Women Rising. Join a discussion of Arab Women Rising: 35 Entrepreneurs Making a Difference in the Arab World. In Arab Women Rising, Nafeesa Syeed and Rahilla Zafar share the entrepreneurial journeys of 35 women, from a flower farmer tending her fields in the Tunisian countryside to a Saudi royal advocating for expanded women's rights throughout the kingdom. Syeed, an award-winning multimedia journalist, is based in Washington. Zafar helped build and develop an entrepreneurship education curriculum for youth. In addition, she has worked in international development and spent several years reporting from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Colombia, China and across the Middle East. The moderator is Caryle Murphy, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "A Kingdom's Future: Saudi Arabia Through the Eyes of Its Twentysomethings." Go to http://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/event/middle-east-cafe-presents-arab-women-rising.

51] – Thousands of concerned citizens and dozens of national organizations from across the country will converge on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Sat., June 21 to demand an end to the mass incarceration of women. The FREE HER Rally will assemble at the Sylvan Theater on the National Mall, Independence Ave. & 15th St., from 10 AM to 2 PM. The Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW), a leading research, policy and advocacy organization, along with its sister grouping, The Black Family Summit and their 24 national organizational affiliates (list of affiliates below) are strongly supporting the "Free Her" rally.

"On April 23, 2014, the Justice Department announced President Obama's intention to commute the sentences of eligible people serving federal non-violent sentences," says Andrea James, founder and director of Families for Justice as Healing, the principal organizer of the rally. "Now is more important than ever to stand together and join our voices as one to encourage the President to commute the sentences of women serving non-violent sentences. Allow them to return to their children and communities." Email mail@ibw21.org.

52] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. [Route 97] in Olney, MD. The next vigil is June 21. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.

53] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.

54] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., June 21. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It.--Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com.

55] – Casa Baltimore/Limay and the Nicaraguan Cultural Alliance invite you to stop by their tent at the Latino Fest in Patterson Park on Sat., June 21, noon to 4 PM and Sun., June 22 from 3 to 8 PM. Featured items include carved soapstone by sculptors in San Juan de Limay, oil paintings by Nicaraguan artists, posters and note cards based on Nicaraguan paintings, jewelry and friendship bracelets and many more items. Call 410-662-6292. Proceeds from Casa Baltimore/Limay sales will benefit development and aid projects in Baltimore's friendship community, San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua. See http://www.CasaBaltimoreLimay.org. Proceeds from Nicaraguan Cultural Alliance sales will promote Nicaraguan culture within the United States, and provide fair compensation to Nicaraguan artists for their work. See http://www.NCAfairtrade.org.

56] – The ACLU of Maryland is looking for volunteers to table at the African American Festival on Sat., June 21 from noon until 10 PM and Sun., June 22 from noon to 8 PM at Camden Yards Sports & Entertainment Complex. Visit www.africanamericanfestival.net. All ACLU of Maryland volunteers will receive a free ACLU t-shirt! Sign up to volunteer with the ACLU! Go to https://www.aclu.org/secure/md-volunteer-summer-festivals?etname=MD_summer_festivals&etjid=1477468.

57] – Join CODEPINK on Sat., June 21 at 1 PM in front of the White House for a rally to call for no U.S. military intervention in Iraq! President Obama stated that he will not send US troops to Iraq, however now he is sending 275 U.S. forces to Iraq for embassy security. He is also "exploring other options." Those options clearly include air strikes, increased weapons shipments, and there are ominous reports that the US is moving an aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf. Email ashleylopez.codepink@gmail.com.

58] – Trans 201: Becoming a Trans ally takes place on Sat., June 21 from 2 to 5 PM at The Peace House, 1233 12th St. NW, WDC 20005. Becoming a Trans Ally will be an informative and interactive learning experience to help activists gain a deeper understanding of transgender issues and advocacy. Look at how the Trans community experiences oppression, including high rates of incarceration, harassment and hate crimes and high unemployment rates. Participants will be challenged to gain a deeper understanding of gender and how it influences their lives as well as what it means to be a transgender ally. Join us for this workshop and build a community of transgender allies! Each activity builds on the next, so we are asking that participants commit for the entire workshop. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/784260751607265/.

59] – On Sat., June 21 from 2 to 4 PM, protest caste-based discrimination, an extreme injustice that impacts hundreds of millions of people worldwide and stagnates their social, political, economic, and educational development. March in Washington, D.C. to support the end of this serious violation of human rights. The goal of the global march is to show solidarity for the Dalit population, strengthen the caste freedom and human rights movements, and to advocate for serious change. The exact march step-off location is TBD and will be made available ASAP. Contact Brian Hill at brian@icdrintl.org.

60] – Come to the Grand Opening of The Real News Media Center, which will host town halls, lectures, and other cultural events, on Sat., June 21 from 5 to 10 PM. The Center is at 235 Holliday St. Call 410-800-4295 or go to http://therealnews.com.

61] – On Sat., June 21 at 7:30 PM, join the Baltimore Coalition of Reason and the Maryland Chapter of Americans United for a screening of the film "The Lord is Not on Trial Here Today" at the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St. Before the film at 6:30 PM, there is a potluck dinner and a celebration of World Humanist Day! See https://www.facebook.com/events/643747389028281/. Sign up for the potluck dinner at http://ur1.ca/hiwpq. If you would like to contribute towards pizza rather than bring a dish, sign up for that on the form.

In 1945, Vashti McCollum would file a historic lawsuit that would forever change the relationship between religion and public school in America – and turn this young housewife from central Illinois into an unlikely champion of the separation of church and state. "The Lord Is Not On Trial Here Today" is a Peabody Award-winning documentary that tells the compelling personal story of the late Vashti McCollum, and how her efforts to protect her ten year-old son led to one of the most important and landmark First Amendment cases in U.S. Supreme Court history - the case that established the separation of church and state in public schools. The case is little-known by the contemporary American public, yet the McCollum decision continues to have important ramifications for current conflicts over the role of religion in public institutions - from displays of the Ten Commandments in government buildings to student-led prayers at public school graduation ceremonies. The film is written, produced, and directed by Jay Rosenstein with narration by former M*A*S*H TV actor David Ogden Stiers.

62] – On Sat., June 21 at 7:30PM @ Red Emma's, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, renowned anti-colonial feminist Andrea Smith presents "Theorizing Native Studies," a new collection on the key role of theory as a resource for contemporary indigenous politics. Within the field, there has been understandable suspicion of theory stemming both from concerns about urgent political issues needing to take precedence over theoretical speculations and from hostility toward theory as an inherently Western, imperialist epistemology. The editors of Theorizing Native Studies take these concerns as the ground for recasting theoretical endeavors as attempts to identify the larger institutional and political structures that enable racism, inequities, and the displacement of indigenous peoples. Taken together, the essays demonstrate how theory can serve as a decolonizing practice.

Smith is an associate professor of media and cultural studies at the University of California Riverside. Her publications include: Native Americans and the Christian Right: The Gendered Politics of Unlikely Alliances and Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide. She is also the editor of The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Nonprofit Industrial Complex, and co-editor of The Color of Violence, The Incite! Anthology. She currently serves as the U.S. Coordinator for the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians. Call 443-602-7585. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

63] – Love Songs from the Liberation Wars is a jazz opera about the 1941 tobacco workers' movement. It will be performed at the Washington Ethical Society, 7750 16th St. NW, by the D.C. Labor Chorus and the Steve Jones Trio on Sat., June 21 at 8 PM. Tickets can be obtained at www.laborheritage.org. Call 202-215-2902.

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