Baltimore Activist Alert -- May 4 - 5, 2020

24] Food donations are needed – May 4

25] Virtual Vegan Happy Hour – May 4

26] Women's Suffrage at 100 – May 4

27] Redefining National Security in the Time of Pandemics – May 5

28] Clean Air Baltimore Coalition Meeting – May 5

29] Tell JHU President Ron Daniels to renounce weapons contracts – May 5

30] Livestream Slavery at the White House – May 5

31] S.A.F.E. Democracy Program -- May 5

32] Al Gore-run Climate Reality Project – May 5

33] No More Missing Sisters Discussion – May 5

34] Voting rights – May 5

35] Sunrise Movement Baltimore – May 5

36] Webinar about Offshore Drilling – May 5

37] Film PRIDE – May 5

38] Molly Ball, author of PELOSI – May 5

39] A Town Hall on Incarceration & Coronavirus – May 5

40] Our Revolution D.C. Monthly Organize to Win meeting – May 5

41] Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women – May 5

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24] – On Mon., May 4 from 10 AM to 4 PM, the Christian Community Center is seeking donations for some of the families that they love and serve in West Baltimore. What you can do to help is grab some nonperishable food items the next time you go on your weekly grocery run and drop off your donations at one of the three rally points that have been designated throughout Baltimore. You can contact the point person at the email below to get their specific address and set up a time to drop off the goods. The four sites are City Church Baltimore, 4 Wyndhurst Ave., Baltimore 21210; North of the Beltway/Jeff Hines (jeff.hines.msa@gmail.com), Sparks Glencoe; Midtown/Downtown/Davin Hong (davinhong@gmail.com); and Roland Park/Patrick Donohue (patrick@citychurchbaltimore.org). See https://www.facebook.com/events/223801645547452/?event_time_id=224107835516833.

25] –  On Mon., May 4 from 7 to 8:30 PM, get with a Virtual Vegan Happy Hour featuring "Goat 2 Meeting," hosted by the Veg Society of D.C. Tickets are at www.meetup.com. The meeting will feature a 15-minute visit by a farm animal from Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary, arranged through the clever new Goat2meeting fundraiser established by a coalition of animal sanctuaries.  Located in Colorado, Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary provides refuge and guardianship for about 100 farmed animals, inspires community to think differently through education and outreach, and promotes a more compassionate lifestyle. Their resident animals include cows, pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, ducks, horses, a chukar partridge, and a llama. The Happy Hour meetings now require a password to prevent Zoombombing. The meeting link will be sent via email *twice* on the day of the meeting, though only to everyone who has REGISTERED VIA MEETUP. So be sure to register, and keep an eye on your inbox for the message. Register at this link: https://bit.ly/2ywd2QX.

VSDC (http://www.vsdc.org) is a clear and consistent voice for improving the lives of all beings through education on the benefits of a vegan diet & lifestyle. Sharing food is the bond that brings families together; so is it with our large and growing family. From simply “breaking bread” to experiencing delicious and nutritious vegan foods from around the world, we make your journey easier, enjoyable & meaningful. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/659315764635869/.

26] – On Mon., May 4 from 8 to 9:30 PM, check out the Silver Spring Town Center's Civic Cafe: Women's Suffrage at 100. For this VIRTUAL Civic Café, SSTC Vice President Terri Salus will be the guest facilitator for this Cafe, but the regular host Dr. Francine Jamin will return for the next one.  Salus has served as Attorney/Branch Chief-Compliance, Office of the Secretary, U.S. HHS (retired) (previously, Office of Civil Rights, GSA). She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer having served in Honduras.

In celebration of ratification, 100 years ago (August 18, 1920), of the 19th Amendment (also known as the "Susan B. Anthony Amendment") to the U.S. Constitution, that granted suffrage in U.S. federal elections to (many) women, discuss the challenges faced by the suffragists (not "suffragettes"!), through the twentieth century (most notably, by African American, Hispanic, and Native American women and men), and up to the present (voter access). To inform the conversation, look at other Constitutional Amendments related to voting rights. Consider how these Constitutional Amendments might be used to effect passage of the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. RSVP to lisa@silverspringtowncenter.com to receive the assigned readings. Terri does recommend two books on the topic for anyone interested: “Suffragists in Washington, D.C.: The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote,” by Rebecca Boggs Roberts ©2017 (the appendix includes a DC Suffrage Walking Tour--~2 miles, ~3 hours on mostly flat terrain with sidewalks).  The other is “The Woman's Hour--The Great Fight to Win the Vote ©2018” by Elaine Weiss (look for mom's letter to Rep. Harry Burn: "Be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt."). Sign-up in advance is required. For security reasons, you will receive your Zoom link info just a few hours prior to the event. To receive the pre-Café readings: E-mail lisa@silverspringtowncenter.com. https://www.facebook.com/events/159610835469255/.

27] – On Tues., May 5 from 1 to 2 PM, find out about Redefining National Security in the Time of Pandemics, hosted by Woman's National Democratic Club.  Tickets for this Zoom event are at events.r20.constantcontact.com.  The spread of COVID-19 has resulted in a truly global crisis, and has us reevaluating what national preparedness and international cooperation mean. What has the current crisis taught us about the shifts we must make in national security policy? National security expert Joseph Cirincione examines the growing calls for Redefining National Security in the Time of Pandemics. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/3032579450113907/.

28] – Zeki Kelton, Baltimore Organizer with Energy Justice Network, wants you to know that the City of Baltimore filed an appeal of the federal court's poor decision to strike down the Baltimore Clean Air Act. Although this victory has brought us one step closer to our clean air goals for Baltimore, there is still more to be done. You are invited to virtually attend on Tues., May 5 from 4 to 5:30 PM via zoom for the first Clean Air Baltimore Coalition Meeting of the year! Discuss the next steps for Baltimore to transition from incineration and move towards Zero Waste. Click the following link to register for the meeting at https://www.facebook.com/events/582548665800852.

29] – The Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 PM is postponed until further notice. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.  You may consider contacting President Ron Daniels and telling him that the university should reject all military contracts, including those for killer drone and nuclear weapons research.  The president’s mailing address is Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  You can also reach his office by Phone: (410) 516-8068, Fax: (410) 516-6097 or email: president@jhu.edu.

30] – On Tues., May 5 from 5 to 6 PM, check out the Livestream Slavery at the White House: Five Untold Stories, hosted by The White House Historical Association. The Facebook Live series, White House History Live, delves into the stories that make up the history of the Executive Mansion.  Historian Lina Mann discusses five previously untold stories about the role of enslaved people in White House history. The program is part of the White House Historical Association’s Slavery in the President's Neighborhood research initiative.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/462821471170855/.

31] – Three weeks ago, Let America Vote and End Citizens United launched the S.A.F.E. Democracy Program to ensure Americans have a myriad of ways to safely vote — including expanding vote-by-mail to all 50 states and providing the resources necessary to safeguard in-person voting — while the country continues to confront the current health pandemic. Can you help reach more voters and help them contact their elected officials? What better way to advocate for voting rights right now than from your home? Sign up to become a texting advocate at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSrUbs6urPJeC9y1jkl9HUwpVUDImlhrdvhfqe0F-zKuwkRA/viewform?source=20200501_pw_safe_hustle_campaign.

Texting is an easy and effective way to reach voters where they are. Join an upcoming training on Tues., May 5 at 6 PM EST.

32]--Two leaders trained by the Al Gore-run Climate Reality Project will hold a training about the climate crisis. They’ll discuss the latest science, how coronavirus ties in, and what we need to do next. This event will focus on impacts and solutions in Virginia, but all are welcome. On Tues., May 5 from 6 to 7:30 PM, you can use your computer, phone, or tablet! A Zoom link and password will be provided after you RSVP. RSVP at https://act.chesapeakeclimate.org/page/18605/data/1?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=utm_EarthDay2020&utm_content=Earth+Day+FINAL+email+w.+Mike+Edits+4.21.20&ea.url.id=448407&forwarded=true.

33]--Catch the No More Missing Sisters Discussion, hosted by the Native American LifeLines of Baltimore on Tues., May 5 from 6 to 8 PM. Join in on Facebook Live with a panel with MMIW advocates, surviving parents, NAL Board of Directors and others. There will be a prayer to open and to close.  Join a virtual talking circle. See https://www.facebook.com/events/173695720546839/.

34] - Voting rights advocates and champions of D.C. statehood are gathering online for a town hall to demand adequate pandemic relief funding for the district's over 700,000 residents on Tues., May 5 at 6 to 7:30 PM. Congress allocated far less relief funds in the CARES Act for the people of D.C. than states with smaller populations and with fewer virus cases. This mean-spirited act, during a pandemic, puts in stark relief the need to once and for all end Congressional oversight of the District of Columbia and for equality for the district.

At the digital town hall, advocates can expect to hear from Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Representative Jamie Raskin (MD), Vanita Gupta, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Virginia Kase, CEO of The League of Women Voters of the United States, and PFAW's own Diallo Brooks, Senior Director of Outreach and Public Engagement. Democracy is all about representation, and the more than 700,000 residents of the District of Columbia deserve the same right to participate in our democracy as the residents of our 50 states. Register at https://www.facebook.com/events/519673162249686/.

35] – The Sunrise Movement Baltimore will hold its next hub meeting on Tues., May 5 at 6:30 PM via Zoom. Process the current political moment and the crisis we’re in, and talk through how to elect progressive leaders this election year. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/173116530465702/.

36] – On Tues., May 5 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, get with a webinar about Offshore Drilling? Not in My Bay! It is hosted by Chesapeake Bay Foundation. While unprecedented social restrictions make CBF's bimonthly Brock Environmental Center Learning Series impossible to do at the Brock Center, the issues remain as important as ever. Address the controversial topic of offshore drilling along the Atlantic Coast and potential impacts to Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts, wildlife, and more. The speakers for this program will be Emily Francis, Principal, New Dominion Solutions, LLC, Susan G. Barco, Ph.D., Research Coordinator and Senior Scientist with the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Foundation, and Jay Ford, Virginia Voices Outreach Coordinator, Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/687233625183649/. Tickets are at secure.cbf.org.

37] – On Tues., May 5 from 7 to 9 PM, watch the film PRIDE as part of a virtual screening- in partnership with the D.C. LaborFest, Hosted by Pride at Work. Tickets are at aflcio.zoom.us. Inspired by an extraordinary true story, it's the summer of 1984. Margaret Thatcher is in power and the National Union of Mineworkers is on strike, prompting a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists to raise money to support the strikers' families. There will be a post-screening Q&A with Jerame Davis, Executive Director, Pride at Work. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/562776671287417/.

38] – On Tues., May 5 from 7 to 8 PM, make it over to Politics and Prose Bookstore Live with Molly Ball, author of PELOSI, with Mark Leibovich.  This event will be streamed online as part of the P&P Live! Series. For years House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was demonized by the right while being taken for granted by her own party. Through a combination of skill, experience, and élan, she persevered, and is now arguably the most powerful woman in American political history. In this deeply researched portrait, Ball, Time’s award-winning national political correspondent and a regular commentator on venues including NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’s Face the Nation, and NPR, draws on exclusive interviews with the speaker to track Pelosi’s extraordinary career, from her election to Congress in 1987 through her legislative accomplishments—universal health care, gays in the military—to her confrontations with Trump and dexterous managing of his impeachment.

You are asked to contribute what you can to support Politics and Prose Bookstore and the virtual event series. The other way you can support is always by purchasing a copy of the book from the website.  Click here to join the Event: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/molly-ball-pelosi/register.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/784706929006880/.

39] – On Tues., May 5 from 8 to 9:30 PM, catch up with We’re Dying In Here: A Town Hall on Incarceration & Coronavirus, hosted by Defending Rights & Dissent. The sad reality of this devastating coronavirus pandemic is that those most at risk are in jails, prisons, and immigrant detention facilities. Our most vulnerable to this disease are unfortunately the most forgotten by our society. That’s unacceptable. In response to increasing reports of failed efforts to protect the incarcerated and skyrocketing infection & mortality rates in jails, activists, advocates, nonprofit organizations and their allies are sounding the alarms and pressuring federal, state, and local governments to prioritize public health and public safety over mass incarceration during this dangerous time.

Explore the current state of mass incarceration in America, how a broken system has been impacted by the current coronavirus pandemic, and what’s being done to protect those being housed in detention facilities across the country. Among the topics to be discussed will be: policing, prison & jail conditions, immigrant detention, and prisoner rights. Moderated by DRAD communications director Quentin Anthony Anderson, this is an important & provocative virtual town hall. You don’t want to miss it. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/240190134058164/.

40] – Our Revolution D.C. Monthly Organize to Win meeting will happen on Tues., May 5 from 8 to 9 PM and Tues., June 2 from 8 to 9 PM.  Hear from three progressive candidates for D.C. City Council who are running in the June 2nd primary - Jordan Grossman (Ward 2), Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4), and Anthony Lorenzo Green (Ward 7). Ed Lazere, who is vying for an at-large seat on the City Council in the general election, is also speaking.  RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/269690/.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/928739470929979/?event_time_id=928739477596645.

41] – On Tues., May 5 at 8 PM ET, join a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. This a virtual lobby training on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) with Kerri Colfer, FCNL’s Native American Policy Lobbyist. See https://act.fcnl.org/event/quaker-welcome-center-events-watch-home_attend/1572?t=17&utm_campaign=lam&utm_source=ak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=12293.152065.W2i79u&akid=12293%2E152065%2EW2i79u. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2564210303818458/.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Baltimore, MD 21212.  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