Baltimore Activist Alert - April 13 - 15, 2015

36] Meatless Monday – Apr. 13
37] State of the World 2015 – Apr. 13
38] Indigenous rights – Apr. 13
39] Film THE HOMESTRETCH - Apr. 13
40] Affordable housing – Apr. 13
41] Pledge of Resistance/FOC meeting – Apr. 13
42] Peace vigil – Apr. 14
43] No JHU Drone Research -- Apr. 14
44] Exploring Islam in America – Apr. 14
45] How do environmental harms unevenly impact minority groups? – Apr. 14
46] The Kashmir Conclave – Apr. 14
47] Celebrate with the ACLU – Apr. 14
48] "More Than a Score" – Apr. 14
49] Stories from South Central – Apr. 14
50] Film BRODER – Apr. 14
51] Prison industrial complex in the United States and Israel – Apr. 14
52] Representation Day – Apr. 15
53] Bring workers' message to the National Restaurant Association! – Apr. 15
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36] – On Mon., Apr. 13 from 11 AM to 1 PM, enjoy some FREE samples of vegan and vegetarian food from local DC restaurants while exploring how your food choices affect the environment. Meatless Monday is part of Earth Justice Week (https://www.facebook.com/events/784675774949678/), an event series sponsored by the American University Society for Ethics, Peace, and Global Affairs to bring human rights and social justice into the environmental conversation. Come to the quad in front of MGC. Check out some of the restaurants, stores, and organizations that will be at the event: http://www.2armadillos.com/, Compassion Over Killing: http://cok.net/, DC Vegan Catering: http://www.dc-vegan.com/, Native Foods: https://nativefoods.com/, Nourrie Cuisine: http://nourriecuisine.com/, and Whole Foods Market Tenley: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/tenley. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/381566042026657/

37] – On Mon., Apr. 13 at 1 PM at the Resources & Conservation Center, 1400 16th St. NW, 1st Floor Conference Room, WDC, the Worldwatch Institute will release State of the World 2015: Confronting Hidden Threats to Sustainability, the latest edition of its signature book series, on April 13. Experts explore eight hidden threats to sustainability and how to address them. Key issues are addressed in depth, along with the central question of how we can develop resilience to these and other shocks. Visit http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eatirtcx0eea8d8b&llr=bfd6o5dab.

38] – Be at American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Kay Spiritual Center, WDC 20016 on Mon., Apr. 13 from 1:30 to 3:30 PM as several speakers will discuss indigenous rights relating to the environment during Earth Justice Week. Contact EPGA Coordinator Lauren Reese at epga@american.edu. Visit www.american.edu/ocl/kay.

39] – Come to the WHUT Studio, 2222 4th St. NW, WDC on Mon., Apr. 13 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM. SPACE IS LIMITED. RSVP TO RESERVE A SEAT: http://thehomestretch.splashthat.com/. The evening begins with a pre-screening reception with complimentary food and beverages. At 6:30 PM, see the screening of THE HOMESTRETCH, followed by a panel discussion. Consider #TheHomestretchDC.

40] – On Mon., Apr. 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, join Jews United for Justice at their campaign meeting to learn how affordable housing programs work in D.C., what low-income tenants need from the city's budget and how to get it. RSVP at http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5483/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=73943.

41] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence. The next meeting will be on Mon., Apr. 13. The proposed agenda will include anti-drone activities, lobbying in Annapolis, lobbying John Sarbanes, Tax Day, David Swanson speaking at the PSR dinner, Yemen, ISIS, Spring Walk for disarmament, a march from the EPA to the Pentagon, , May Day and dealing with US warmongering. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net.

42] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is Apr. 14. Call 215-426-0364.

43] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on Apr. 14 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

44] – On Tues., Apr. 14 from 7 to 9 PM attend a session on the Exploring Islam in America series - The Role of Women in Islam What do Muslims believe and what is the history of Islam in the US? This session, led by Dr. Altaf Husain, assistant professor for the School of Social Work at Howard University, will focus on Islam as a faith tradition and the coming of Islam to America through immigration, missionary activity, intellectual pursuits, conversion, and U.S. security interests. Does Islam preach a cultural imperative for women? This session, led by Manal Omar, Acting Vice President for the Middle East and Africa Center, will address America’s misunderstandings with the role of women in Islam. Explore the Qur’anic teachings and Muslim interpretations of gender roles in Islam. Space is limited. RSVP at www.cathedral.org/islam to attend in the Perry Auditorium, Washington National Cathedral.

45] – How do environmental harms unevenly impact minority groups? How are issues such as climate change linked to poverty and racism? At American University, Battelle Atrium, WDC on Tues., Apr. 14 from 1:30 to 3:30 PM hear some answers from David Hunter, AU WCL Professor, Malani Ranganathan, AU SIS Professor, and Brentin Mock, Grist Justice Editor. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1427171377578094/.

46] –The Kashmir Conclave at 1311 N. Central Expy., WDC on Tues., Apr, 14 from 3:15 to 4:45 PM consists of both a conference featuring panels on various issues pertinent to Kashmir (security, development, and identity) followed by a keynote address by Mr. Abdullah at Georgetown University's historic Gaston Hall. You can find a detailed schedule to the Kashmir Conclave and the registration link at www.guindiadialogue.com. You must register to attend the keynote address.

47] – Celebrate spring on Tues., Apr. 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM with the ACLU-NCA by meeting interesting people and sharing in drinks, food, and conversation regarding the state of civil liberties in the District of Columbia at The Laughing Man Tavern 1306 G Street, NW, WDC 20005. Food & drinks will be provided. Contact Melanie Bates at 703-508-5892 or melanie@aclu-nca.org. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-into-justice-tickets-16465210889.

48] – As students, teachers, and administrators across the country are taking an active stand against high stakes, standardized testing, hear Jesse Hagopian talk about "More Than a Score" which he helped launch this national movement. For too long so-called education reformers, mostly billionaires, politicians, and others with little or no background in teaching, have gotten away with using standardized testing to punish our nation's youth and educators.

This event at Busboys and Poets Teaching for Change Bookstore, 2021 14th St NW, WDC on Tues., Apr. 14 from 6 to 8:30 PM will be moderated by journalist Dave Zirin. See http://www.tfcbooks.org/book/9781608463923.

49] – On Tues., Apr. 14 at 7 PM, join Georgetown Solidarity Committee, GU Fossil Free, and the Justice and Peace Studies program at White-Gravenor 206 - Georgetown University, WDC for a presentation by Stories from South Central (SFSC). The presentation will address the prison-industrial complex and its development in Appalachia, connecting it the exploitation of workers, repression of organized labor, rural poverty, and the "war on drugs." It will provide an overview of the history of coal mining (dispossession, mechanization, chemical contamination, and "economic justifications"), the MCHM chemical spill last January, community response, and prisoner-led resistance.

Stories from South Central (SFSC- http://storiesfromsouthcentralwv.com/) is a prisoner support and organizing project based in southern West Virginia, founded in response to the mistreatment and deprivation of clean water to prisoners in Charleston, WV’s South Central Regional Jail, during the January 2014 MCHM chemical spill. SFSC is a project of RAMPS (Radical Action for Mountains’ and People’s Survival- http://rampscampaign.org/), a collective formed in 2011 to take action against mountaintop removal mining in the southern coalfields of West Virginia, which has grown to work on building resistance movements and organizing our communities around environmental justice issues. Last January, when a chemical spill crisis brought poisoned water to 300,000 people in West Virginia, one group was forcibly prohibited from getting clean water -- the people locked up in Charleston's South Central Regional Jail. Email smb273@georgetown.edu.

50] – At Bloombars, 3222 11th St. NW, WDC 20010, on Tues., Apr. 14 from 7 to 9 PM, BloomBars presents “Bróder” (2010, 93 min), by Jeferson De. Old ties and new schemes intertwine at the birthday party of Macu when he reunites with buddies Pibe and Jaiminho. While the others compare career notes, Macu doesn't tell about the credit jam he's in -- and how Jaiminho figures in his plan to get out. In this Brazilian drama, local drug dealers take over Macu's home and make Jaiminho, a rising pro footballer, their next mark. Now Macu must decide whose life he values more -- his friend's or his own. Some scenes depict violence and are not suitable for younger audiences. Watch it in Portuguese with English subtitles. Go to http://tinyurl.com/broder-trailer.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Khalil Shahyd, a PhD candidate in Urban Political Ecology and a Program Manager in the Urban Solutions program with the Natural Resources Defense Council. The suggested donation is $10. Proceeds support both the Washington Portuguese Language Meetup and BloomBars. Savor free organic popcorn. BloomScreen Indie Film Night is a weekly series of independent and foreign films, accompanied by discussions with filmmakers, experts and other guests. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/929652083735441/.

51] – Come to American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC on Tues., Apr, 14 at 8 PM for a discussion on the prison industrial complex in the United States and Israel. The prison industrial complex (PIC) is a term used to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems (from Critical Resistance). Talk about actual political prisoners and current campaigns. This event is part of CASJ's Radical Rush Week. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/449343231885888/.

52] – 2,944 people and counting will gather at Representation Day events across the country to launch the next wave of the movement. Gather on Wed., Apr. 15 at 7 AM at Starbucks, 100 E Pratt St., Baltimore 21202. Bring your walking shoes! RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/447043262129873/ or by emailing RepDay@Represent.Us. Just one year ago, Rockford, IL members were there for Representation Day. Since then, they've passed Anti-Corruption Resolutions in three Illinois counties. They started with just a few passionate individuals determined to fix corruption, then grabbed the attention of everyone in their area – petitioning, writing op-eds, speaking at local meetings, and even appearing on TV.

In 2014, seven Anti-Corruption Resolutions were passed nationwide, and the first binding Anti-Corruption Act in Tallahassee, Florida. Over 35 chapters of Represent.Us will be hosting local events, demonstrations and info sessions on the perfect day, TAX DAY! Tell our represented officials to REPRESENT US, not the highest bidder! At Starbucks, help coordinate and then demonstrate on the triangle sidewalk where Light St splits at Pratt St until roughly 9-10 AM. Take a short break before walking to City Hall, 100 Holliday St, Baltimore 21202 at lunch time.

53] – Be at Freedom Plaza, 1455 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC on Wed., Apr. 15 at 7:30 AM and join ROC DC and other organizations for an action to bring workers' message to the National Restaurant Association! Workers around the nation will take action to improve the restaurant industry, calling for higher wages and an increased voice for workers to shape the future of the sector. From fast-food to fine-dining, people are tired of poverty wages and a corporate restaurant industry that puts profit over people -- not just in the workplace, but throughout the food system -- in a way that affects our health, our environment, and our economy.

The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, together with a coalition of organizations working together to Stop The Other NRA, is headed to DC to take action during the National Restaurant Association’s annual Public Affairs Conference. ROC believes in principles of respect and dignity in the restaurant and food industry that include good jobs for all, food-sourcing transparency, a sustainable food system, and an inclusive democracy. Join ROC DC over coffee and donuts at the same time the other NRA are having their breakfast inside the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Come be a player in colorful street theater to broadcast the Pledge of Respect and Dignity in the Restaurant and Food Industry to the NRA, the media, and policymakers. RSVP to Ariel at ariel@rocunited.org.

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