Baltimore Activist Alert -- October 5 - 7, 2020

26] Defeat the president – Oct. 5

27] How do nuclear weapons impact budgetary priorities? – Oct. 5

28] Jews United for Justice panel discussion – Oct. 5

29] Are Nuclear Weapons an Absolute Evil?  – Oct. 5

30] National Solar Congress – Oct. 5 - 7

31] Get Money Out of Maryland – Oct. 5

32] Second New Deal – Oct. 6

33] Tracing the Life of Frederick Douglass – Oct. 6

34] Outside Bread for the Journey Soup Kitchen – Oct. 6

35] Getting Police out of Schools – Oct. 6

36] Hear from League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski – Oct. 6

37] Hub Meeting of Sunrise Movement Baltimore -- Oct. 6

38] Defending the Election and Our Democracy -- Oct. 6

39] Webinar on Yemen – Oct. 6

40] Zoom celebration in honor of Linda Lewis – Oct. 6

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26] –This is the last chance to get involved with Faithful America's campaign to defeat the president. RSVP for the Zoom call of your choice at https://act.faithfulamerica.org/signup/2020-campaign-webinars/?t=5&akid=4192%2E535217%2EJgWUpd. The dates and times are as follows: Mon., Oct. 5 at 7 PM ET, Tues., Oct. 6 at 1 PM ET or 7 PM ET, Wed., Oct. 7 at 8 PM ET, Thurs., Oct. 8 at 9 PM ET and Sat., Oct. 10 at 3 PM ET.  

27] – On Mon., Oct. 5 at 7 PM ET, check out Unmute Yourself: Your Security, Your Vote.  This is the most important election of our lifetimes.  What threats to our national security make this so? How do democratic processes impact foreign policy goals? As we face a global pandemic and recession, how do nuclear weapons impact budgetary priorities and define the key relationships around the world that threaten our safety? Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vY-IXUbQSNKo2RZI_L6E6A. Email bfisk@ploughshares.org.

28] – On Mon., Oct. 5, Council President Brandon Scott will be introducing two bills: a bill that will set benchmarks for implementation of the Water Accountability and Equity Act, and a bill that will establish a renters' right to legal counsel.  Both of these bills are critical pieces of legislation that will guarantee more justice in water affordability and renters' rights. On Mon., Oct. 5 from 7 to 8:30 PM, Jews United for Justice will host a panel on the proposed Right to Counsel legislation to shine a spotlight on how robust legal assistance is a cost-effective policy and program that reduces evictions, address substandard conditions, provides stability for communities, and supports the human dignity of all families. Our speakers will include Council President Brandon Scot and others. Tune in https://jufj.org/event/rtc-10-5/?emci=c720ec67-6c03-eb11-96f5-00155d03affc&emdi=5fa10bea-ea03-eb11-96f5-00155d03affc&ceid=3403859.

29] – On Mon., Oct. 5 from 7:30 to 8:30 PM, get an answer to the question Are Nuclear Weapons an Absolute Evil?  This is a Virtual Event featuring The Most Reverend Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, Archbishop of Nagasaki and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan.  Seventy-five years ago, two atomic weapons destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Archbishop Takami was born seven months after the bombing of Nagasaki, which killed his grandmother, two aunts, and an uncle and left what Pope Francis called “a black hole of destruction and death.”  In a speech before the United Nations in 2010, the Archbishop stated, “The cruelty of an atomic bomb is in its capability of mass destruction and murder. An atomic bomb means a total denial of the dignity of a human person."  There will be other speakers.  This event is hosted by the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, in partnership with the Catholic Peacebuilding Network and others. Register at https://notredame.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0ps2hbFQSheNKOl8d039OA.

30] –Get over to the National Solar Congress, starting on Mon., Oct. 5 at 7:30 PM ET.  This is 100% virtual. It will continue on Tues., Oct. 6 at noon ET.  It will continue on Wed., Oct. 7. Go to https://www.solarcongress.org/.

31] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Mon., Oct. 5 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.  There are two ways to join the conference: Dial 1 929 205 6099, and then use meeting ID: 512 862 260. Or Click on your device if you have downloaded the app from Zoom. The focus will be on organizational sign-ups, public relations, and logistics for lobbying in Annapolis.

32] – Bill Barry will be teaching an exciting, and timely course, on the Second New Deal for JHU-Osher, every Tuesday through Oct. 20 from 10 AM to noon.  The course will cover social and political movements, as well as New Deal legislation. The course will be done on Zoom and will feature some exciting guest speakers. To register, go to https://aapnoncredit.jhu.edu/wconnect/osher/CourseStatus.awp1?&course=20FB519.

33] –On Tues., Oct. 6 from 10 to 11 AM, catch up with Tracing the Life of Frederick Douglass hosted by the Maryland Center for History and Culture,  During this live, interactive distance learning program, children and families will learn about the life of Frederick Douglass. By examining primary sources from the Maryland Center for History and Culture's collections, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the living and working conditions experienced by enslaved Africans and African Americans. From slavery to freedom, participants will gain a better understanding of Douglass’ incredible life and legacy. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/.../391.../WN_I33PUuZwS_ykKT0MvibmoA.

34] – On Tues., Oct. 6 from 1:30 to 2 PM, check out Outside Bread for the Journey Soup Kitchen individual lunches given out by Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Baltimore.  This Tuesday soup kitchen will until Dec. 1. The church is at 2424 McElderry St., Baltimore 21205.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/602052220539690/?event_time_id=602052307206348.

35] – The National Immigration Law Center [info@nilc.org] will hold a webinar, as part of the  monthly Winning in the States series,  be “Getting Police out of Schools: Reimagining Student Safety.” Each month, NILC’s winning in the States initiative delves into priority state and local-level policy challenges and strategies, with help from leaders in the field. Share practitioners’ best practices and facilitate robust discussions on how policy challenges are being tackled in real time.   Across the country, advocates and policymakers are engaging in unprecedented conversations about the role of law enforcement and reimagining public safety without policing. Similar calls to divest from school police budgets and reinvest resources in student support programs are echoing throughout the halls of schools nationwide.

Punitive disciplinary measures and the increased reliance on law enforcement in schools threaten the education, safety, and well-being of immigrant students. In the school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline, the involvement of school police, often called School Resource Officers (SROs), in disciplinary actions has devastating impacts on immigrant youth. Advocates are determined to put an end to that cycle, calling for the removal of SROs and policing in schools. Instead, schools can invest in community-based conflict resolution, restorative and transformative justice practices, and critical personnel who have the expertise to appropriately support students. Join in the conversation on Tues., Oct. 6 at 2 PM ET. Visit https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5739639123286544142?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=3b171c4c-5169-4def-903d-4970e10da763.

36] –   The November general election is critical for so many reasons, including answering the question of whether we will meaningfully address the climate crisis. Join in on Tues., Oct. 6 at 5 PM to hear from the national League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski for a behind-the-scenes look at the general election and what it could mean for our environment. Register by emailing info@mdlcv.org.

37] – Join a Sunrise team in the Baltimore hub at bit.ly/sunrisebmoreteams   Once you’re on board, you can join the conversations on the Slack internal communications platform and start building power for climate justice here in Baltimore.  Join a Hub Meeting of Sunrise Movement Baltimore on Tues., Oct. 6 at 6:30 PM via Zoom. Talk about post-election strategy, talk in depth about next Saturday, Oct. 10’s Wide Awake Action, reflect and connect together about current events, and more. Register https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0sf-ippj8tEt0BgwmO40VKbCLhNukm9LvS?link_id=0&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-tuesdays-hub-meeting-post-election-plans-wide-awake-action-and-more&email_referrer=email_945983&email_subject=tuesdays-hub-meeting-post-election-plans-wide-awake-action-and-more.

38] – Check out Defending the Election and Our Democracy is happening on Tues., Oct. 6 from 7 to 9 PM.  Get involved with this online event at http://masspeaceaction.org/venue/online-event/?emci=6db8015b-30fc-ea11-96f5-00155d03affc&emdi=35bff806-32fc-ea11-96f5-00155d03affc&ceid=269591. Constitutional democracy is on the line as we approach the November 3 election.  President Trump and his enablers are doing what they can to undermine the perceived legitimacy of the election: lying about the integrity of mail-in voting, undermining the ability of the U.S. postal system to deliver ballots in time to be counted, purging voter rolls, using the Covid-19 crisis to limit polling places – especially in communities of color, preventing Congressional briefings about foreign intervention to impact the vote, and urging Trump voters to illegally vote as many times as possible.  President Trump himself has refused to state that he will leave office in a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election, and has threatened swift repression of post-election protests. This event will help us to better understand what is happening, provide support for a free and fair election, and prepare to respond to a potentially disputed election result. Speakers will include community leaders working to get out the vote in Massachusetts and beyond, speakers with expertise in Republican voter suppression, leaders of the movement to defend postal services and the vote, and nonviolent trainers and movement leaders who are preparing for massive nationwide protests to defend the election outcome, should they be needed.

39] – Get with a Webinar on Yemen – with Professor Shireen Al-Adeimi on Tues., Oct. 6 from 5 to 6 PM, by responding at http://masspeaceaction.org/event/webinar-on-yemen-girl-scout-gold-star-project/?emci=7329dc5f-b501-eb11-96f5-00155d03affc&emdi=05db8d69-b701-eb11-96f5-00155d03affc&ceid=269591.  Led by Shireen Al-Adeimi, an expert on Yemeni history, this webinar will touch upon how the war came to be, the Saudi-led (and US-backed) coalition, and the effects of COVID-19 on civilians. The purpose of this webinar will be to raise awareness and will not endorse any organizations. Shireen is a native of Yemen, an Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Be sure to stay for the question and answer session.

40] –The American Friends Service Committee invites you to join on Tues., Oct. 6 at 8 PM for a Zoom celebration in honor of Linda Lewis.  October 2020 marks Linda’s tenth year as AFSC’s country representative for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) Program–and it is also when she has decided to take her retirement.  Over Linda’s decade of service at AFSC, she has made significant contributions such as introducing plastic rice trays to AFSC’s partner farms–improving food security so significantly that they have since become an official nationwide priority in North Korea. She also brought together North Korean and international officials for sensitive discussions. This act of quiet diplomacy had important ripple effects, positively impacting humanitarian and human rights engagement with North Korea. RSVP at actioncenter@afsc.org.

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