Baltimore Activist Alert - October 16 - 18, 2014

42] Pay a living wage – Oct. 16
43] Coffee Fundraiser – Oct. 16
44] Racism & capitalism – Oct. 16
45] Hear from a nonviolent Palestinian activist – Oct. 16
46] Vigil for peace at White House – Oct. 17
47] Vigil for Justice in Palestine – Oct. 17
48] Silent peace vigil – Oct. 17
49] Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation conference – Oct. 17 - 18
50] A study – THE LONG SHADOW – Oct. 17
51] See the film “Congestion Death” – Oct. 17
52] Ballroom Dancing – Oct. 17
53] Celebrate the grassroots movement to restore civil rights and civil liberties - Oct. 17
54] Women’s issues conference – Oct. 18
55] Olney Peace vigil – Oct. 18
56] West Chester, PA demo – Oct. 18
57] Silent peace vigil – Oct. 18
58] DC Fair Budget Coalition’s Community Listening Forum – Oct. 18
59] October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Oct. 18
60] Ronda Cooperstein on social media
61] Sign up with Washington Peace Center
62] Join Fund Our Communities
63] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records
64] Do you need any book shelves?
65] Join Global Zero campaign
66] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale
67] Join Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil
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42] – U.S. income inequality is now the highest since 1928. Corporate profits are at an all-time high; meanwhile wages are at the lowest point since 1948 – even as productivity increases. Men and women, moms and dads across the country are looking for fair pay for their hard work, but big, profitable corporations are keeping them from making a decent living. On Oct. 16 – National Boss Day – at 11 AM at 815 16th St. NW, WDC, join with workers and allies from across the city in calling out our country’s most shameful employers for the reckless role they’ve played in driving and deepening inequality in the US. Call for an end to the deteriorating standards of the Wal-Mart economy. We call on the Walton Family to pay a living wage and to give workers consistent and fair scheduling. Go to https://actionnetwork.org/events/low-wage-economy-exposed-inequality-in-the-dc-area.

43] – The Emergence Community Arts Collective, 733 Euclid St. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Oct. 16 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM, help ECAC have a successful coffee fundraiser as part of the Howard University Homecoming. The purpose of this event is to foster community reinvestment by HBCU alumni, by incorporating visual arts and African heritage into the Howard University Homecoming. The ECAC serves as the ideal bridge connecting Howard University and the surrounding community. The night's program will include an art show by visual artist, designer and performer Zsudayka Nzinga. This will be followed by African traditional drumming and dancing featuring the renown Senegalese master drummer and griot Aly M'baye; who will be accompanied by the Capoeira Angola Foundation. For every $10 you will receive one pound of Haitian Towo Supreme coffee, excluding shipping and tax. Go to www.ecacollective.org.

44] – On Thurs., Oct. 16 at 6 PM, the Department of Economics at Howard University, Howard University, 1840 7th St. NW, Room 123, WDC, is sponsoring a forum on the connections between racism and capitalism, the vast inequalities they cause, and what approaches we might take to overcome these inequalities. Scholars from Howard University and North Carolina A&T will offer analyses and strategies for change. Contact rgreen@howard.edu.

45] – The AU Students for Justice in Palestine invite you to Batelle Tompkins Atrium, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Thurs., Oct. 16 at 7 PM to meet Bassem Tamimi, a Palestinian activist and an organizer of protests against Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. He was convicted by an Israeli military court in 2011 for "sending people to throw stones". The organizer of the Popular Resistance Committee in Bil'in, Tamimi, has a very strong background in nonviolence organizing and his 2011 arrest drew international attention with Amnesty International calling him a "prisoner of conscience." The Tamimi Family was depicted in the Academy Award-nominated film "5 Broken Cameras." Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/547046162107815/?ref=25&sid_reminder=4995880695709564928.

46] – On Fri., Oct. 17 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! The vigil takes place at the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contact Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416.

47] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia, across from Israeli Consulate. It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.

48] – There is usually a silent peace vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul St. The Oct. 17 vigil, sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, reminds us that War Is Not the Answer and that there is the need to stop torture.

49] – On Fri., Oct. 17 from 6 to 10 PM, the 2014 Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) AWARDS will be presented at the HCEF Awards Banquet. To learn more about HCEF's 16th International Conference & Awards Banquet award winners, click the following link http://hcef.org/events/16th-international-conference/awards. Then on Sat., Oct. 18 from 8 AM to 5:30 PM, the 16th International HCEF Conference will be held at the Washington Marriott, 1221 22nd St. NW, WDC 20037.

50] – Karl Alexander presents "The Long Shadow" on Fri., Oct. 17 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's. This groundbreaking study, 25 years in the making, followed a group of almost 800 predominantly low-income Baltimore school children, correlating their adult outcomes with the effects of an early life in communities of poverty. Painting a grim picture confirming many of our fears about dwindling intergenerational mobility, the study also conclusively demonstrates the effects of race and gender discrimination on the lives of children coming of age in Baltimore's disinvested communities, in addition to the formidable challenges posed by class. Alexander and his colleagues have provided an essential reference point for political activism and policy making that needs to be reckoned with by anyone working for economic justice in Baltimore City.

51] – The Lamont Street Collective -- 1822 Lamont St. NW, WDC, on Fri., Oct. 17 at 7:30 PM asks you to see a 30 minute documentary on a massacre perpetrated with chemical weapons that shocked the whole world -as true evidence of Al Assad brutality. In only one night, more than 1500 civilians were killed, and survivors live with the devastating memory of lost loved ones and the nightmarish atrocity they had witnessed. The international community, human rights organizations and NGOs have admitted it is currently impossible to rescue, support or save all the victims of the 21st of August massacre. But the memory of the massacre remains alive as basic human rights are still denied to the Syrian population and unjustifiable massacres keep occurring. Watch “Congestion Death” and hear Musaab Balchi, the journalist who documented the Syrian war. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1487483374839057/?ref=6&ref_notif_type=plan_user_invited.

52] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM. Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St. Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be Oct. 17. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

53] – Celebrate the grassroots movement to restore civil rights and civil liberties on Fri., Oct. 17 at 9:30 PM at the Zeba Bar in Columbia Heights, 3423 14th St. NW, WDC 20010, with FUNK the Police. Get down to get your rights up! This is a dance party with drink specials, live percussion, and DJs from several DC house music collectives. RSVP athttps://www.facebook.com/events/1468561510098828. Get www.bordc.org.

54] – On Sat., Oct. 18 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC, participate in a day of constituency building, empowerment and solution finding on issues of importance to women in the District of Columbia. It will feature panel discussions on women's health, economic security, education, and more. The keynote speaker will be Carol Thomson Cole, president & CEO of Venture Philanthropy Partners. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dc-commission-for-women-inaugural-policy-conference-tickets-13014246963?ref=enivtefor001&invite=NjkyMTIwNS9pbmZvQHdhc2hpbmd0b25wZWFjZWNlbnRlci5vcmcvMA%3D%3D&utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=inviteformalv2&utm_term=attend&ref=enivtefor001.

55] – 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 Oct. 18. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.

56] – 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.

57] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., Oct. 18. 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.

58] – At the New Community Church, 614 S St. NW, WDC, on Sat., Oct. 18 at 1 PM, catch a listening forum for a chance for the community to provide its input and to help the DC Fair Budget Coalition make their budget recommendations this year. How should the city spend its money? Make your voice heard at the DC Fair Budget Coalition’s Community Listening Forum. Email Monica Kamen at monica@fairbudget.org or call her at 202-986-9580.

59] – At the Washington Peace Center, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC, on Sat., Oct. 18 at 6:30 PM, hear how every nine seconds a woman in the United States is beaten or physically abused. Every day three women are murdered as a result of domestic violence. Globally, according to the UN, up to 7 in 10 women will experience forms of violence against women in their lifetime. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and in order to commemorate DVAM, WPC is holding a community forum focused on how do we build a community-driven and victim-centered movement to end domestic violence in our local Muslim communities. This forum will feature Haruka Nobukuni from Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project and Darakshan Raja from Falling Walls Initiative. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/307821452756736/?fref=ts.

60] -- Ronda Cooperstein has taken to social media, and is recording her opinion pieces on You Tube. Check out her latest essay - THE WASHINGTON POST WITH TOAST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffj-Scno-5Q.

61] -- The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org.

62] -- Fund Our Communities campaign is a grass roots movement to get support from local organizations and communities to work together with their local and state elected officials to pressure Congresspersons and senators to join with Congresspersons Barney Frank and Ron Paul, who have endorsed a 25% cut to the federal military budget. Bring home the savings to state and county governments to meet the local needs which are under tremendous budget pressures. Go to www.OurFunds.org.

63] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs or records, contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

64] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

65] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees. This is an historic window of opportunity. With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

66] -- WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER signs from Friends Committee on National Legislation are again for sale at $5. To purchase a sign, call Max at 410-366-1637.

67] – A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

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/.

"One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan