Sunday, July 26, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert July 26 - 28, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert July 26 - 28, 2015

 "I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.
The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center.  Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com.  If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.  Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists  
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] Two friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore
6] Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibition – through Aug. 16
7] WPFW needs volunteers – July 26
8] Stop the Youth Jail – July 26
9] Film “Time Is Illmatic” – July 26
10] Celebrate Cuban Revolution – July 26
11] The Great Equalizer – July 26
12] Pentagon Vigil – July 27
13] Marc Steiner on WEAA – July 27 – July 31
14] Art of Political Campaigning -- July 27 - 28
15] Solar Energy – July 27
16] Pledge of Resistance meeting – July 27
17] Generation ADA: Rise Up! -- July 28
18] Peace vigil in Chester, PA – July 28                                      
19] No JHU Drone Research – July 28
20] " The Sisters are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America" – July 28

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/.  Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR].  It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed.  It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq.

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski at Verizon.net.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe.  It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing.  To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed.  If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.

4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale.  For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.

Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month.  Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered.  Send it to Francine Sheppard at 5639B, Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia 21044. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Francine at 410-992-7679 or FrancineMSW@aol.com.

5] – Janice and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore.  Let Max know if you have any leads—410-366-1637 or mobuszewski@verizon.net.

6] – Come to American University, Katzen Arts Center, Third Floor, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC 20016-8031to see the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibition. Go to http://www.american.edu/calendar/?id=6383062.

See the Maruki Panel exhibit. Six of the world-famous panels will be exhibited outside Japan for the first time in many years. There will also be a display of artifacts from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as 24 of the All Souls Church Honkawa School Children's drawings.  See the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Exhibition through Aug. 16. In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the attacks, this powerful show will include 20 artifacts collected from the debris of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as 6 large folding screens that depict the horrors of the event. The 1995 Nobel Peace Prize nominees, Iri and Toshi Maruki, created a total of 15 screens over 32 years from 1950. This exhibition, made possible by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, is meant to deepen understanding of the damage wrought by nuclear weapons and inspire peace in the 21st century. Call 202-885-1000.  Email museum@american.edu. Admission is free, and the exhibit hours are Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 AM to 4 PM.

7] – WPFW has Volunteer Opportunities for its fund drive. For example, phone volunteers are needed on Sun., July 26 from 9 AM to 10 PM.   Email volunteers@wpfw.org or call 202-588-0999 x360. 

8] – 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 July 26 the platform address is “Choosing Concrete Solutions – Over Concrete Plans.”  Tyrone Barnwell will report on the efforts of the 3 C’s Youth Initiative to block the proposed juvenile detention facility in Baltimore City (“Youth Jail”). 3 C’s is winning support from lawmakers at both the City and State levels. The State of Maryland commissioned the prestigious National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) to study the need for a Youth Jail. NCCD produced a report that identified specific scenarios with recommendations that if implemented would avoid needless costs to build any Youth Jail. The State is intentionally ignoring its own report and opting to push for more incarceration for more generations of African-American youth. None of the five NCCD Report scenarios requires any capital or construction costs. The recommendations would cost only a fraction of prison guards and other operational costs. Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Maynard admitted his agency had not even considered the NCCD Report. He said he’d welcome the opportunity, but wasn’t given authority to do so. NCCD showed proven approaches to beat back racist policies, but Governor O’Malley keeps pushing to incarcerate African-American youth.

Barnwell is the Founder and Director of the 3 C’s Youth Initiative, a new African-American youth-led organization. The three C’s stand for Choose, Change, and Control. The 3C’s are committed to mobilizing other youth to be involved in the Choice, the Change, and the Control to speak on what will affect their education, empowerment and outcomes of their lives in Baltimore City. He believes that ending the cradle to prison pipeline that fuels mass incarceration of people of color means not just stopping bad policies and practices, but starting new ones that invest in ourselves and our communities. Learn more at http://www.3csyouthinitiative.org. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

9] – On Sun., July 26 from 5 to 7:30 PM, come to Busboys and Poets, 5th and K Sts., 1025 5th St. NW, WDC, for a film screening and panel discussion on Nas’s landmark debut--“Time Is Illmatic.” The cost is $10, and it will get you a free copy of the WBL Journal and an exclusive WBL t-shirt.“ The event is brought to you by Words Beats & Life, Busboys and Poets, and The Hip-Hop Education Center.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1601725490117299/.

10] – On Sun., July 26 from 5 to 7 PM, go to Baltimore Workers World Party, 2011 N. Charles St,, 1st Floor, Baltimore 21218 for a Celebration of Revolutionary Cuba.  See a special segment of the film “Fidel” by Estela Bravo with rare footage of the early days in Cuba’s revolution. Hear from David Card, a youth organizer with Workers World Party and FIST, and Leslie Salgado, Howard County Friends of Central America.  On July 26, 1953 a group of young men and women led by Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba while another group attacked the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks in the city of Bayam.  Although this was a defeat for the revolutionaries, this event paved the way for the insurrection against Batista. It marked the beginning of the July 26th movement and is celebrated in Cuba and around the world.

In addition, this July 20, 2015, we witnessed the historic occasion of the reopening of the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. and the formal hoisting of the Cuban flag. This followed the freedom of the Cuban 5. Call 410-258-2240.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/139879376345711/.

11] – Come to 625 Monroe St. NE, WDC on Sun., July 26 from 6 to 8 PM for the Edtech: The Great Equalizer? A panel of experts will discuss the educational inequities in the Washington, D.C. region.  The event will also highlight how technology is being used to address the region’s education challenges, as well as new and innovative technologies that could yield promising results. Organizations that will be represented on the panel include Teach for America DC, Quad Learning Inc., Critical Exposure and the D.C. public schools.  Before the panel discussion, there will be demonstrations and presentations from leading innovators in Edtech on the potential of their product to reduce educational disparities. 
 
Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the panelists during a post event networking session. Attendees will also receive promotional offers from cove and Impact Hub DC. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/edtech-the-great-equalizer-tickets-17393096219.

12] -- 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., July 13, 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. 

13] – 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.  

14] – You can’t win without the proper fundamentals. So join Campaigns & Elections for The Art of Political Campaigning (AOPC) to strengthen your campaign’s foundation and join the conversation on where the campaign industry is headed at the House of Sweden, 2900 K St. NW, WDC, on Mon., July 27 from 11:15 AM to Tues., July 28 at 11:30 AM. 

Registration includes two complete days of panel discussions and workshops, as well as access to exclusive networking events. Register now to join the lineup of political consultants, candidates, technologists and public affairs professionals for two days of discussions on what’s next in political campaigning. Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/1653675491510689/.

15] – Join the Brother Sun* solar purchasing group! Want to go solar at home? This summer, caring homeowners from congregations across Baltimore are coming together to form a solar buying coop. If you've ever wanted to go solar at home, now is your chance to do so in good company!

Based on the same principle as buying in bulk, the group will go through the process of purchasing home solar systems together. Guided by the Community Power Network, which has successfully organized several such coops previously, the group will select a contractor to install systems on all of the homes. Each participant will own their system and will sign their own contract with the chosen installer. By going solar as a group, participants will save up to 20% off the cost of a solar electricity system, and will have the support of the coop throughout the process instead of having to go it alone. This buying group is being sponsored by Interfaith Power & Light in partnership with several of Baltimore’s Catholic parishes and is open to any Baltimore-area homeowner.

Learn more about the basics of solar and how the coop works on Mon., July 27 at 7 PM at Notre Dame of Maryland University, 4701 N Charles St, Fourier Hall Room 103, adjacent to parking lot at Homeland entrance. RSVP to Clara Summers at clara@gwipl.org.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/1658661857678777/ or go to www.mdsun.org/brothersun.  The "Brother Sun Solar Coop" is a program inspired by Pope Francis' recent encyclical teaching on ecology, which in turn quotes Saint Francis' "Canticle of the Creatures." The Canticle praises "Brother Sun ... who is the day and through whom You give us light."

16] – 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 is on July 27. The proposed agenda will include anti-drone activities, Freddie Gray, John Sarbanes/Ben Cardin, the Pride Parade, the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration and a September action in D.C. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net.

17] – Generation ADA: Rise Up! Join the 2015 March & Rally from the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1000 H St. NW, to the U.S. Capitol on Tues., July 28 from 10 AM to 12:30 PM.  This annual tradition is an opportunity to take grassroots advocacy to the streets! Participants will march carrying signs and chanting in support of disability rights! Then, marchers will converge in front of the Capitol for an empowering rally. Complementary Do-It-Yourself Protest Sign Kits will be provided to Conference registrants who wish to participate. See http://www.ncil.org/2015-annual-conference-agenda/.

18] – 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 July 21.  Call 215-426-0364.

19] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil on July 21  from 5:30 to 6:30  PM.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

20] – As part of Writers LIVE! Hear from Tamara Winfrey-Harris on Tues., July 28 at 6:30 PM at the Enoch Pratt Library, Central Branch, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201.  She will talk about her new book, " The Sisters are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America" in the Poe Room. Call 410-377-2966.  Go to www.theivybookshop.com.

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  

 

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