Monday, June 17, 2019

Baltimore Activist Alert -- June 17 - 19, 2019

20] Poor People’s Moral Action Congress – June 17 - 19
21] Food Rescue Pop-Up at Flourish – June 17
22] Anacostia River Keeper Boat Tour – June 17
23] Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow meeting – June 17
24] See the film "Purgatorio" – June 17
25] Quakers Got Talent –- June 17
26] Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference – June 17
27] Capitol Hill Advocacy Day – June 18 - 19
28] Peace vigil – June 18
29] Protest killer drone research at JHU – June 18
30] Biodiversity: Is there hope?  – June 18
31] The Bay Area Reduced Murders – June 18
32] America and the Palestinians – June 18
33] Climate Colonialism – June 18
34] “Movement for No Society” – June 18
35] Discussion on the nuclear ban treaty and divestment –- June 18
36] Film Dark Money – June 18
------
20] – The Poor People’s Moral Action Congress is being organized at Trinity Washington University from Mon., June 17 at 11 AM through Wed., June 19 at 5 PM. Nearly one thousand poor people, moral leaders, activists, and advocates from over 40 states across the country will convene on Washington DC for three days to strategize, learn and build power together. During the Congress, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival will launch the Poor People’s Moral Budget that shows concretely how to enact the demands of the Campaign. There will be a Forum with 2020 Presidential Candidates when poor people from across the country will ask questions about the issues that impact their lives and there will also be a chance to hear from those most impacted by systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the distorted moral narrative of Christian nationalism who are coming together to organize a movement. On the second day of Congress, participants will join workshops or longer tracks to learn how and why to build a moral fusion movement.

Come join a fusion movement that is building in more than 40 states and Washington DC – shifting the narrative, impacting policies, and building power among the 140 million poor people in the United States.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/335790947108140/. Tickets are at www.poorpeoplescampaign.org.

21] –On Mon., June 17 from 3 to 4 PM, there is a Food Rescue Pop-Up at Flourish, 3418 Belair Road, Baltimore 21213-1233.  Bring a bag, and take home healthy, free food! View https://www.facebook.com/events/301851223848295/?event_time_id=301851250514959
This will continue into the future.

22] – On Mon., June 17 from 6 to 8 PM, get on the Anacostia River Keeper Boat Tour, hosted by Surfrider Foundation - DC Chapter at the Yards Marina, 1492 4th St. SE, WDC 20003. Learn about the Anacostia River’s history, wildlife, the environmental threats it faces, and the solutions helping it realize its full potential. BYOB and Food! Afterwards head to Whaley's for a late happy hour!  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2316249738642229/.

23] – On Mon., June 17 from 6 to 7:30 PM, the Coalition to Dismantle the New Jim Crow will host a Juneteenth Celebration – Year of the Drum at the New Elizabeth AME Church, 250 Corporate Blvd., Newark, DE 19702. See https://endnewjimcrowde.org/.

24] – On Mon., June 17 at 7 PM, the “Reel & Meal” film series features "Purgatorio" at the New Deal Café, 113 Centerway, Greenbelt. The Rodrigo Reyes 2014 documentary depicts the humanitarian crisis on our southern border, near Tijuana into southern Texas, with shots of beautiful scenery juxtaposed with images of desperate poverty on one side of the border and protectionism on the other side.  The Prince George's County Peace & Justice Coalition presents the film. Contact Donna Hoffmeister at donna.hoffmeister@verizon.net.

25] – On Mon., June 17 from 7:30 to 10:30 PM, realize that Quakers Got Talent, hosted by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting at the Kurtz Center For The Performing Arts, William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia 19129. Tickets can be had at secure.acceptiva.com. Tickets are $35 or pay your age. There will be a limited number of silent auction items available for bidding. Proceeds will benefit Pennsylvania Yearly Meeting programming. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/424964674721690/.

26] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Mon., June 17 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.  Call 605-475-6711, code 1136243#.  Work only on brainstorming ideas for participation in the upcoming General Election.

27] – On Tues., June 18 at 9 AM through Wed., June 19 at 5 PM, get involved with the Capitol Hill Advocacy Day #SaveUighur #Save Rohingya #SaveKachin, hosted by the Burma Task Force. Start in the Cannon House Office Building, WDC 20515. Look at www.stopgenocide.org.  Join advocates from around the country to stop genocide of Rohingya, Kachin, Karen, Chin people in Burma, and stop genocide of Uighurs and other Turkic minorities in China. On June 18 from 12:30 to 6 PM. attend a Training at the Diyanet Center of America.  Then on June 19, use the training. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/414527645996010/.

28] –  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 June 18.  Call 215-426-0364.

29] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 33rd & North Charles Sts. The next vigil will be on June 18 from 5 to 6 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607. 

30] – On Tues., June 18 from 5:30 to 8 PM, find out about Biodiversity: Is there hope?  It is hosted by the French Embassy in the U.S., 4101 Reservoir Rd. NW, WDC 20007. The Embassy of France in the United States and Smithsonian Conservation Commons are pleased to invite you to a French-American Climate Talk on Biodiversity (FACT-B) in Washington, D.C. on "Biodiversity and People." Nature plays a critical role in providing food, energy, medicines, and a variety of aspects that are central to our quality of life and cultural integrity. A landmark assessment released in May in Paris revealed that nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history. This report, conducted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), concludes that “transformative change is needed” to halt the loss of biodiversity and maintain the healthy functioning of ecosystems that underpin all dimensions of human life.

A growing movement has been emerging that seeks to catalyze such transformative change: Earth Optimism documents and magnifies stories of conservation actions that are working, across sectors and locations, and builds a global community of practice to scale up science-based conservation solutions. In this spirit, French and American biodiversity experts will share innovative success stories and discuss how more people may be engaged in France, in the United States and around the globe, with the mission to jointly build a sustainable future for our planet.  The panel discussion will be followed by a reception in the Maison Française Ballroom from 7 PM.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/452629405304997/.

31] -- On Tues., June 18 from 6 to 9 PM, check out Real Talk Tho: The Bay Area Reduced Murders, Can Baltimore? It is hosted by The Real News Network at Ida B's Table, 235 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202. This is the 7th installment of the newsroom in the community show, Real Talk Tho.  The San Francisco Bay Area is fighting gun violence and winning. Why did gun deaths drop in the Bay Area, and are there lessons for Baltimore?

Tougher gun laws, criminal justice reform, and well-funded violence reduction programs are being credited with a significant drop in shootings in the Bay Area. Could it work in Baltimore? And what impact is rising gentrification and inequality having on violence? People who have worked with similar initiatives like Safe Streets in Baltimore will speak, and also hear from activists in San Francisco.  Doors open at 6 PM, while the program starts at 7 PM.  Real Talk Tho takes place every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at Ida B's Table. See https://www.facebook.com/events/915738772102648/.

32] – On Tues., June 18 from 6:30 to 9 PM, hear about America and the Palestinians, hosted by the Arab American Institute, 1600 K St. NW, Suite 601, WDC 20006.  Tickets are at www.aaiusa.org. Join a conversation about U.S. policy towards the Palestinians with Brookings Fellow Khaled Elgindy, author of the new book "Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, From Balfour to Trump."  A light dinner & refreshments will be served. RSVP required: https://www.aaiusa.org/america_and_the_palestinians.  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/487720158634493/.

33] – On Tues., June 18 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM, Profs & Pints  will host The Green New Deal and Climate Colonialism at La Pop DC, 1847 Columbia Road NW, WDC 20009.  Look at profspintsgreennewdeal.brownpapertickets.com.  Hear from Olufemi Taiwo, assistant professor of philosophy at Georgetown University and scholar of environmental-justice issues.

The Green New Deal has changed the conversation among progressive Democrats about how to deal with climate change, shifting the focus from simply managing a disaster to using an existential threat to build a more just society. Should this legislative concept be transformed into actual policies, however, some of the solutions it engenders could make global inequality worse. It could even exacerbate “climate colonialism,” or the domination of less powerful countries and peoples through initiatives meant to slow the pace of global warming.

To understand why this is the case, we need to understand colonialism differently. We often imagine the most direct forms of colonialism, where the imperial power has a strong military and administrative presence. However, historically, the British, German, and French empires often have preferred to engage in more indirect forms of colonial domination in much of Africa and South Asia. The Green New Deal would give birth to a massive policy initiative by the world’s most powerful nation that could spawn new forms of indirect colonial domination.

Join Olufemi Taiwo, a scholar of issues related to environmental justice, as he discusses the potential hazards. He’ll describe how the clearest threats of climate colonialism stem from proposals dealing with land use and the potential to reserve large tracts of land for the development of renewable energy, carbon removal, reforestation, or greener agricultural methods. Much of the world's available land is in poor countries and inhabited by the world's most politically marginalized people, and our efforts to mitigate climate change could very well come at their expense. European demands for “carbon offsets” in Uganda and Tanzania have shown this possibility is not simply imagined.  Advance tickets are $12. At the doors, $15. Save $2 with a student ID. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/659176831186943/.

34] – On Tues., June 18 from 7 to 9 PM, hear about a book “Movement for No Society” at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 1225 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201.  This is a book that examines the division between leftist and anarchist approaches to radical politics in Philadelphia and traces its history and implications for the broader contemporary situation. As activism and electoral politics gain currency amongst radicals, the authors look to the insurgent history of this area for less compromised inspiration. “Movement for No Society” explores the current possibilities of direct struggle, which grounds direct action in autonomous self-organization and attack. In this presentation, we will delve into the history of local struggles in Philadelphia (including indigenous, black, and anarchist resistance) to consider the broader lessons and implications. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2254823288167198/.

35] – You are cordially invited to a discussion on the nuclear ban treaty and, more specifically, divestment from corporations that profit from nuclear weapons.  The discussion will be led by NuclearBan.US founders Timmon Wallis and Vicki Elaos.  It will be on Tues., June 18 from 7 to 9 PM at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.

The event is cosponsored by the Peace and Justice Committee of Homewood Friends, Prevent Nuclear War/Maryland, and all of the local Peace Action chapters in Maryland.  We envision this as a meeting of activists, with the opportunity for everyone to understand just what a divestment campaign in Maryland might look like and whether or not it is something we should initiate.

36] – On Tues., June 18 at 7 PM Get Money Out Maryland (GMOM) will show a film at the Greenbelt Community Center Multi-Purpose Room.  The featured film is "Dark Money," in cooperation with Point of View.  See www.pbs.org/pov/. It can be argued that this is the best film ever about money in politics, as it reveals vivid examples of corruption in election cycles and the impact of big money on parties and policies. Susan Ogden will lead discussion on how to reclaim democracy so it works for all and thus serves as a foundation of peace.  The event is also coordinated with the Prince George’s County Peace & Justice Coalition. Contact Susan at susanfogden@gmail.com.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.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 

No comments: