Baltimore Activist Alert - May 2 - 5, 2015

27] “Spiritual Development and Community Advocacy” – May 2
28] Rally for Freddie Gray – May 2
29] New Economy movement – May 2
30] Stand in Solidarity with Children and Mothers in Family Detention Centers. – May 2
31] DC Labor Choir – May 2
32] "The Israeli Election and Prospects for Peace" – May 3
33] Mass for Peace – May 3
34] Talk then Action – May 3
35] Discussion about Maryland's women, men, and families – May 3
36] Tom Hayden at the Pratt – May 3
37] World Press Freedom Day – May 3
38] Paid family leave option – May 3
39] Pentagon Vigil – May 4
40] Marc Steiner on WEAA – May 4 – May. 8
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27] – On Sat., May 2 from noon to 3:30 PM at the Church of Jesus Christ, 3456 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, WDC 20020, begin with a Unity Walk leading up to the venue, and ending at 3:30PM. The keynote speaker will be one of our Nation’s decorated and actively serving military officers, Lieutenant Colonel Consuello A. Hodges, United States Army. He is the founder of Life Giving Christian Ministries; a Global Outreach Foundation located in Atlanta, GA committed to “Spiritual Development and Community Advocacy.” Holy Land Peace Fellowship Foundation is a non-profit organization of civil society and faith leaders, representing multiple faiths, races and nationalities that believe in promoting a culture of lasting peace through fellowship and public service. RSVP at www.hlpff.org/events.

28] – On Sat., May 2 from noon to 6 PM, rally for Freddie Gray at City Hall, followed by a march through downtown Baltimore sponsored by Black Lawyers for Justice and other groups.

29] – Come to the University of Baltimore, 21 W. Mt Royal Ave., Baltimore 21201 on Sat., May 2 from 1:30 to 9 PM and celebrate a movement designed to change the way we engage with our planet and each other! There will be interactive workshops that will explore core elements of the New Economy movement. Each session will connect local, national, and global issues. You will learn together about the compelling conceptual framework that unites all of these various pieces and get ideas for creative constructive action. There will be several workshops and a multigenerational dialogue on Maryland’s Future. Hear from Greenpeace USA Director and Story of Stuff founder Annie Leonard, the Democracy Collaborative’s Gar Alperovitz, Progressive Maryland’s Larry Stafford, and Climate Change MD Coordinator Larissa Johnson. Through dialogue among these leaders and with the audience, the panel will chart futures for Maryland that are good for workers, climate, and democracy. Go to http://act.ips-dc.org/site/Calendar/1644622396?view=Detail&id=100301.

30] –Stand in Solidarity with Children and Mothers in Family Detention Centers. Join an interfaith prayer vigil in Lafayette Square Historic District, WDC on Sat., May 2 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM for the hundreds of mothers and children from Central America held in detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania. Gather to prayerfully urge President Obama to close all family detention facilities and end this inhumane practice. See https://www.facebook.com/events/1429400257363287/. Contact Elizabeth Nye, Advocacy Associate, Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, at enye@columban.org, 202-635-5812.

31] – Join the DC Labor Chorus and women's a cappella ensemble In Process... in a celebration of International Workers' Day with songs to lift the spirits, including traditional labor and civil rights song at First Trinity Lutheran Church, 501 4th St. NW, WDC on Sat., May 2 at 7:30 PM. The cost is $20. Go to www.laborheritage.org.

32] –– On Sun., May 3 at 10 AM, members of J Street DC Metro will assemble at Beth El Congregation, 3830 Seminary Rd., Alexandria, VA 22304, for a forum discussion "The Israeli Election and Prospects for Peace" that will look at the landscape post-election to discuss policy pathways forward. This panel will feature Rachel Lerner, J Street's Senior VP of Community Relations and Tamara Cofman Wittes, Director of the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, and will be moderated by the host of NPR's All Things Considered Robert Siegel. RSVP at http://act.jstreet.org/signup/dc_050315/?t=4&akid=3833.10478.HxjxHl.

33] – On Sun., May 3, there will be a Mass for Peace at 10:45 AM at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, 1546 N. Fremont Ave., Baltimore 21217. “A Peaceful Demonstration” at City Hall is happening on Sun., May 3 at 3 PM. “People from all faith traditions will gather to promote the belief that we are ‘One Baltimore’ and that it is time for a change.”

34] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 AM to noon. On May 3, hear an address “From Talk To Action.” Ms. Diamonte Brown will lead a community conversation on action for justice. Issues will include empowerment of youth, opportunities for ex-offenders, and the worth and dignity of individuals (Black Lives Matter). Small group discussions will focus on approaches to solving these problems, with each group assigned a different topic.

Brown is the Director of Out For Justice. Out For Justice is an ex-offender, member-led organization that promotes the reform of policies that adversely affect the ex-offender re-entering into society successfully. Out For Justice strives to change the perception of the ex-offender by promoting the 3 Es of Education, Empowerment, and Engagement. Learn more at out4justice.org. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

35] – Join an important discussion about Maryland's women, men, and families! Hear from leading candidates for US Senate--Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards. The event, moderated by Terry O’Neill, president, National Organization for Women, will be at Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), 12 Taft Ct., Rockville 20850 on Sun., May 3 from noon to 4 PM. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/344699335731670/.

36] – Writers LIVE with Tom Hayden who will discuss his book “Listen, Yankee! Why Cuba Matters” on Sun., May 3 at 1:30 PM at the Central Library, Poe Room, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201. The book is an account of Cuban politics and a memoir of a U.S. revolutionary leader and founder of SDS. The book is based in part on conversations between Hayden and Ricardo Alarcon, a top leader of the Cuban Revolution, foreign minister, and U.N. representative. A leader in the student, antiwar, and civil rights protests in the 1960s, Tom Hayden served in the California legislature for 18 years. He is the director of the Peace and Justice Resource Center in California. The Ivy Bookshop will have copies of the book for sale at a book signing following the program.

37] – Go to the Shaw Library, 1630 7th St. NW, WDC on Sun., May 3 from 2 to 4 PM to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. Amnesty MENA DC is hosting a panel discussion on press freedom in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and Pakistan to raise awareness. In 2014, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, Reporters without Borders, and numerous other human rights organizations pointed to Syria, Iran, Bahrain and Pakistan as being some of the most dangerous countries in the world to operate as a journalist, and the threats are increasing year after year. The discussion will also address new perspectives around press freedom including women in journalism, citizen journalism, and satire.

38] – It's time to bring family values into the offices! Come out on Sun., May 3 at 3 PM at St. Stephen's Church, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC to kick off the DC campaign fighting for all DC workers to have a paid family leave option for their loved ones. Joanna Blotner, the campaign coordinator, can be reached at joanna@jufj.org. Go to http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5483/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=73831.

39] -- 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., May 4, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro. By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr., and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM. No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

40] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon 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.

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