Baltimore Activist Alert - May 4 - 27, 2018

34] WIB peace vigils – May 4

35] White House vigil – May 4

36] Rally TO Protect Obamacare– May 4

37] Catonsville Nine Commemoration – May 4 – 27

38] Black Lives Matter – May 4

39] See the film STEP – May 4

40] “Baltimore's Strange Fruit” – May 4

41] Vegan Chef in town – May 4

42] The Wrong Complexion for Protection – May 4

43] Los inmigrantes de Baltimore – May 4

44] See film EYE IN THE SKY – May 4

45] Ballroom Dancing – May 4

46] Festival for the Animals – May 5

47] Chester County Peace Vigil –May 5

48] Dictionary of Marx – May 5

49] MOTHER EARTH POETRY VIBE – May 5

50] Emergency Demonstration against an attack on Iran or North Korea  

51] JONAH HOUSE NEEDS WORKERS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

52] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records  

53] Do you need any book shelves?

54] Do you need a stand up freezer?

55] Join the Global Zero campaign

56] Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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34] – On Fri., May 4 from noon to 1 PM, join a Women in Black peace vigil. A vigil will take place in McKeldin Square at the corner of Light and Pratt Sts.  STAY FOR LUNCH at Baba's Kitchen.  Warm-up, dry off, and enjoy a vegetarian chili lunch and lots of good conversation. Bring a side or topping for the chili.  There are still places at the table; invite a friend to come along with you.

  Another vigil is at Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St, Baltimore. 21211. However, if weather is iffy, contact Anne at awyattbr@gmail.com.  Lunch will take place at 1 PM at the RPP Café, 830 W. 40th St., Baltimore 21211.

A third vigil will be in Chestertown, Kent County at Memorial Park at Cross Street and Park Row.  This vigil is looking for more peace bodies on the Eastern Shore.  Welcome to the network, Chestertown Women in Black.

Wear black. Dress for who knows what kind of weather.  Peace signs will be available. When there are others to stand with, you don't need to carry the burden alone. Do this to be in solidarity with others....when everything around us says “Be afraid of the stranger.” Carpool and parking available. Just send an email that you need a ride to: wibbaltimore@peacepath911.org.

35] – On Fri.,  May 4 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! This vigil will take place at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contract Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416. 

36] – On Fri., May 4 from noon to 1 PM, join a Lightsaber Rally to Defend Health Care, hosted by Health Care Voter at Dupont Circle, WDC 20009.  In honor of Star Wars Day, #HealthCareVoter is defending the Affordable Care Act from Republican attacks—with a lightsaber rally!  A year ago, on May 4, 2017, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Republican health care repeal bill, which would have stripped health care from millions of Americans. It didn't make it through the Senate, but thanks to the continuous cruel and vicious efforts of Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, our health care is still under attack. We have to fight back by holding elected officials accountable for their attacks on the things we need for survival.  Go to HealthCareVoter.org and take the pledge to defend our health care. If you take the pledge and share it on Facebook or Twitter, WE'LL GIVE YOU A FREE LIGHTSABER AT THE RALLY—all you have to do is show us your Facebook post or tweet in person! See https://www.facebook.com/events/269104070298807/.

37] – The fiftieth anniversary of the Catonsville Nine draft board raid will be commemorated  There will be a CATONSVILLE NINE SYMPOSIUM on FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2018 from 3 to 10 PM at the Shriver Center, University of Maryland – Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Cir, Catonsville, MD 21250. Max will be on a panel at 8:45 PM informing participants on how to take action in the spirit of the Catonsville Nine.

Enjoy Films, Lectures, Discussion Panels and Dramatic Readings.  There will be more CATONSVILLE NINE COMMEMORATION ACTIVITIES on SATURDAY, MAY 5 from 9 AM to 4:30 PM at the Baltimore County Public Library Catonsville Branch, 1100 Frederick Rd., Catonsville, MD 21228 and the Catonsville Presbyterian Church, 1400 Frederick Road, Catonsville 21228.  Enjoy more Films, Lectures, Discussion Panels and Dramatic Readings. 

On Sat., May 5 from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM, join Amy Goodman at 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Catonsville 9 at the Catonsville Presbyterian Church, 1400 Frederick Rd., Catonsville 21228.  She will participate in three separate events: at 10:30AM, as keynote speaker, at 1 PM, The Meaning of Catonsville and at 3:15PM, as panel moderator for More Meaning of Catonsville. Visit http://www.catonsville9.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/events/2015738285345148/.

  On Sun., May 6 at noon, there will be an opportunity to engage in direct action at the National Security Agency; and in the evening participate in a prayer service.  There will be other events continuing until May 27.  Go to http://www.catonsville9.org/50th-anniversary-commemoration/.  To participate in the visit to the NSA, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

38] – There is usually a silent vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends Meeting, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next scheduled vigil is on May 4. Black Lives Matter.  

39] – Come see a showing of "Baltimore's Strange Fruit: A Story of Food Apartheid and the Struggle for Sovereignty" at the 2640 Space, 27th and St. Paul Sts., on Fri., May 4 from 5:30 to 8 PM. This is a documentary film produced by Black Yield Institute, directed by Eric Jackson and Maddie Hardy. The film explores the intersections of food, land, and race and class politics through personal narrative and social commentary. The film journeys through the historical woes and triumphs of people of African Descent within the food system, while highlighting contemporary efforts to address the complex nature of food apartheid in Baltimore. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baltimores-strange-fruit-screening-space-2640-tickets-44292512096?aff=erelexpmlt.

40] – The First Friday Movie Nights will continue on the lower level of Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St. on May 4. Enter on the right side of the building after going down the steps. The films will begin at 7 PM, following the vigil and a potluck meal from 6 to 7 PM. There will be snacks and some discussion after the film. See STEP, a documentary directed by Amanda Lipitz, the story of five girls’ high-school step team in their senior year at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. “They learn to laugh, love and thrive – on and off the stage – even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their ultimate dreams: to win a step championship and to be accepted into college. This all female school is reshaping the futures of its students’ lives by making it their goal to have every member of their senior class accepted to and graduate from college, many of whom will be the first in their family to do so.” Contact Megan Shook <mega330@comcast.net>.  Go to Wikipedia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTgDv2_1RIY&sns=em.

41] – On Fri., May 4 from 6 to 8 PM, see Vegan Chef Ietef Cavem Vita, hosted by The Land of Kush, 840 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore 21201. There is ticket information at www.bvsmd.org.  Enjoy his special juice recipes.  This is a fundraiser for Black Vegetarian Society of Maryland and their upcoming #MeatlessMonday events. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/921019748072227/.

42] – On Fri., May 4 from 6 to 8 PM, hear from Dr. Robert Bullard: The Wrong Complexion for Protection, hosted by University of Maryland School of Public Health, School of Public Health Building, College Park 20742. Tickets are available at docs.google.com.  The Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health (CEEJH) Laboratory welcomes Dr. Robert Bullard, distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University in Houston, to give the seventh annual CEEJH lecture. Dr. Bullard will present a talk titled, "The Wrong Complexion for Protection: Race, Place and the Politics of Pollution." The event will take place in the School of Public Health's lecture hall, room 1312.  Registration is required. The event is free and includes a reception in the Friedgen Family Lounge after the talk. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1628586420594790/.

43] – On Fri., May 4 from 6 to 9 PM, check out Los inmigrantes de Baltimore: a photo show/ una galería, hosted by Alizay Jalisi at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore 21224. Baltimore is known for many things, but often ignored is the fact that we have a richly diverse, burgeoning Latinx community. Yet, the narratives of this community remain subject to instability and drastic change. For example, the federal government's move in January 2018 to remove Temporary Protected Status for 200,000 Salvadorians leaves the local community--which is mostly composed of folks from Central America--especially vulnerable to deportation. 

Keeping this precarious political context in mind, this is a photography show featuring the stories of Latinxs in East Baltimore. Some are participants of Testimonios, a weekly, free mental health support group for uninsured, Spanish-speaking Latinxs (>18 years of age) to discuss their experiences as immigrants and dispel misconceptions about mental health. This support group is run by Johns Hopkins Centro SOL (Center for Salud/Health Opportunities for Latinos). Others featured in the show are Latinxs working professionally in the fields of health equity, advocacy and education. For various reasons, however, their faces are not shown. Instead, this show features their hands and the moving stories they tell. Photos and interviews have been taken by Alizay Jalisi, a senior undergraduate student enrolled at Johns Hopkins University. She is an amateur photographer and this is her first-ever show!  See https://losinmigrantesblog.wordpress.com/. This event is free and open to the public, and dinner will be provided. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/los-inmigrantes-de-baltimore-tickets-42063178098.

44] – On Fri., May. 4 at 7 PM, come to the Free First-Friday Film @ the Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Rd., Springfield, PA to see EYE IN THE SKY (2016, drama, 103 minutes, directed by Gavin Hood and written by Guy Hibbert. The film is an intense dramatic-thriller that captures the ethical dilemma at the heart of drone warfare. The bulk of the film's ensemble scenes unfolds in two drone attack command centers, one in England, the other in the U.S., where drone computer "pilots" guide war drones by remote control, attacking suspected terrorists and related targets thousands of miles away

  Following the film people are invited to participate in a short time of discussion on the subject of drone warfare. CLICK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxp0TYHef6M  to see the film’s trailer!  Doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments.  A group discussion about the film follows its screening. Go to www.brandywinepeace.com. The screening is co-sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community. For directions to the Peace Center of Delaware County, visit www.delcopeacecenter.org or call 484-574-1148.

45] – 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 on May 4. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

46] –  On Sat., May 5 from 10 AM to 9 PM, get over to the Festival for the Animals March and Music Celebration, hosted by The Port and Maryland SPCA at the City Garage, 101 W. Dickman St., Baltimore 21230. Tickets are available at support.mdspca.org. Your participation in the Maryland SPCA Festival for the Animals, formerly the March for the Animals, helps the Maryland SPCA care for almost 15,000 homeless pets each year. As the MD SPCA’s largest fundraiser, the festival is an annual walk-a-thon, and new this year will be a free, outdoor music concert featuring local, regional and national music acts—all taking place at Port Covington. For more than 22 years, this spring event has been a staple on the calendars of committed animal lovers throughout Maryland. This is a critical event for the Maryland SPCA—funding from MD SPCA Festival for the Animals supports nearly 10% of the MD SPCA’s annual budget. Looking to become a sponsor for our Festival for the Animals event? Sponsorship information can be found here: http://www.mdspca.org/festivalsponsorship.  To register individually or form a team, please visit festivalfortheanimals.org.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/186033311994732/.

47] – 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.

48] –On Sat., May 5 from 6 to 10 PM see the Dictionary of Marx, hosted by Capital Fringe and Goethe-Institut Washington at Capital Fringe, 1358 Florida Ave. NE, WDC 20002. Tickets are available at www.capitalfringe.org.  Dictionary of Marx is a one-time-only multimedia experience based on the work of the German economic philosopher Karl Marx.  A dozen of Washington, DC’s most engaging presenter-performers will come together, responding to key words from the Marxist lexicon in a series of works accompanied by live music. With interpretations ranging from theater performance to poetry reading, from film to monologue, and from lecture to happenings and interactive experiences, Dictionary of Marx explores these economic theories from today’s perspective.  This event commemorates Marx’s 200th birthday as part of the Goethe-Institut Washington international series MarxNow. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/370515120095313/.

49] – On Sat., May 5 at 6:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201 enjoy RED EMMA'S MOTHER EARTH POETRY VIBE--FEATURING THE TUBMAN CITY COLLECTIVE.  We're in crisis—and collective action is needed in all areas, including poetically! This is an n open mic of justice, conscious thought, spirituality, family, real life—whatever advances the village! In the tradition of Emma Goldman’s “Mother Earth” magazine, do poetry or contribute just with your presence and energy! By the way: it’s a non-erotic venue; rather than a love/erotica evening, focus this night on justice and other matters of life. And, almost needless to say, leave the misogyny, homophobia and other unnecessary rants outside! Call 443-602-7585. RSVP at http://www.redemmas.org. 

50] – It is a violation of U.S. law for us to attack a country that has not attacked us, as only Congress can declare war. The Trump administration is nevertheless beating the war drums for war against Iran and North Korea. The Mueller investigation is tightening the vise, and could cause Trump to attack those countries in order to divert attention from Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Such a military strike would demand an immediate and unequivocal response from us to show that we will not tolerate his abuse of power.

Let's mobilize to show that we the people will not tolerate another military adventure, which would be bound to have profound negative consequences. If a preemptive military strike against Iran or North Korea takes place, then meet outside the War Memorial, 101 N. Gay St., Baltimore, MD 21202. If the attack is before 2 PM local time, then events will begin at 5 PM, local time. If the attack occurs after 2 PM local time, then events will begin at noon, local time, the following day. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

51] – JONAH HOUSE NEEDS WORKERS FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

   After 44 years of resisting weapons and war, Jonah House is Baltimore is in danger of shutting down. Two of the three core members have announced their intention to leave the community as of May 2018. That leaves one core member, Joe Byrne, who will remain to recruit and re-form intentional community. But if no one steps forward, Jonah House will have to close.

  Jonah House was founded by Phil Berrigan, Liz McAlister, and others, in 1973, during the Vietnam War. It was a center of resistance to that war. When the war ended, the focus of resistance became the nuclear arms race. This resistance blossomed into the Plowshares movement. Jonah House members have spent years in jail for Plowshares disarmament actions. Other members have spent years supporting them, and doing the work of the community in their absence. Resistance to weapons and war continues at Jonah House. More recently, Jonah House has also become involved in racial justice efforts in Baltimore, and the environmental justice movement.

   Jonah House is planted in the middle of a 22-acre, mostly-wooded cemetery in West Baltimore called St. Peter’s. Maintaining and slowly restoring St. Peter’s Cemetery is the work that pays the bills for the community. Jonah House also uses the property to serve the living as well as honor the dead. Our gardens and orchards feed the Jonah House community, and the surrounding neighborhood community, via a food pantry and weekly food distribution to low-income neighbors. We envision the cemetery—particularly the 11-acre forest patch—as a haven for the people of the neighborhood, international peace activists, and numberless living beings.

Jonah House is also an interfaith spiritual community. We pray or meditate together daily, and our spiritual practice informs and empowers everything we do, whether in the fields or in the streets.

To continue the vision, Jonah House is looking for a few new core members willing to commit to a two-year stint. We are also open to short- and long-term interns (3 months to a year). The work of radical peacemaking, direct service to the poor, and stewarding the land requires workers. We pray that God will send laborers to the vineyard (yes, we have that too) and that Jonah House will continue to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable for another 44 years!  For more information, call 443-804-3410, or email us at engage@jonahhouse.org.

52] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs, records, tarps and table cloths, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

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

54] – Do you need a stand up freezer?  Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski2001 at comcast.net.

55] -- 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.

56] – 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: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.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