Baltimore Activist Alert -- March 15 - 19, 2023

36] South Korean Nuclear Armament Debate – March 15

37] Call in for Cuba – March 15 - 16

38] Resisting Israel's apartheid regime – March 15

39] Student Debt Cancelation & the Supreme Court – March 15

40] Free the imprisoned martyrs -- March 15

41] Is Congress Captured by the Arms Industry?  – March 15

42] Affordable Housing Crisis – March 15

43] Biden’s F24 budget – March 15

44] See a showing of the new documentary "Ithaka” – March 15 - 16

45] Get with Social Media Best Practices – March 15 & 19

46] Department of Peacebuilding Campaign Call – March 15

47] Webinar about environmental racism – March 15

48] US-China Foreign Policy & Anti-Asian Racism – March 15

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36] – The Korea Economic Institute of America presents The South Korean Nuclear Armament Debate on Wed., March 15 from 9 AM to 2 PM ET at the KEI Conference Facility, 1800 K St. NW, WDC & Online.  This debate received renewed attention in 2023. But, this issue is one that has animated Korean politics, both domestic and international, for the past five decades. To explore this multifaceted issue, KEI brought together 13 young, up-and-coming experts to cover the South Korean nuclear weapons debate from 12 angles—the historical background, the domestic discourse, and the international implications. In-person seating is limited, RSVP at https://keia.org/event/the-south-korean-nuclear-armament-debate/.  This hybrid event will also be live-streamed via YouTube -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w8ajr1PCcY.

37] – Massachusetts Peace Action [info@masspeaceaction.org] suggests that on Wed., March 15 and Thurs., March 16 from 11 AM to 3 PM ET you should join the White House Call In Campaign: Remove Cuba from State Sponsors of Terrorism List.  The call-in campaign will be a great complement to the other plans underway among organizations to pressure for the removal of Cuba from the SSOT List. Learn more at https://masspeaceaction.org/event/white-house-call-in-campaign-remove-cuba-from-state-sponsors-of-terrorism-list/?emci=aeeb6e5a-67bf-ed11-a8e0-00224832e811&emdi=50c7b175-dec0-ed11-a8e0-00224832e811&ceid=320042.

38] – UMKR [info@kairosresponse.org] is promoting Resisting Israel's apartheid regime: APARTHEID-FREE COMMUNITIES. Take a look at Exposing and Resisting Israeli Apartheid, Occupation, and Settler Colonialism on Wed., March 15 at noon ET. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsduqsrDwoG9M8NzM6CLuOtYG7XUW2LOt6?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=9a2e5507-992c-4cf0-aa7d-65723ae4a971.  The international human rights community agrees that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people amounts to apartheid. In the first two months of 2023, we have seen the current Israeli regime horrifically doubling down on the brutal oppression of Palestinians. World powers are doing nothing to curb this frightening escalation.  In this webinar, we will learn from an exceptional panel the inescapable reality of Israeli apartheid and how it works today, both inside Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

39] – Demand Justice [volunteer@demandjustice.org] is hosting  Student Debt Cancelation & the Supreme Court on Wed., March 15 at 1 PM ET.  RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6716782075225/WN_MMdsUCnNRamU7Qa628aNfg?link_id=1&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-march-15-1pm-et-digital-roundtable-student-debt-cancelation-the-supreme-court&email_referrer=email_1839750&email_subject=wednesday-1pm-et-student-debt-cancelation-the-supreme-court. Join experts from Demand Justice, NAACP, National Education Assoc., and Student Borrower Protection Assoc. to hear why student debt cancelation is so important & how you can make your voice heard.

40] – The Samidoun Network [info@samidoun.net] is hosting a webinar on Wed., March 15 at 1 PM ET as part of the International Campaign to observe the bodies on the ground as spring arrives Our martyrs in the morgues of the Occupation.  This online seminar will focus on the legal struggle to free the imprisoned martyrs. Sign up at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87083754781?pwd=RGkycDRaS3JJLzVFTi9xaDg2amFuZz09.  The meeting ID is 870 8375 4781 with a passcode of 169695.

41] – On Wed., March 15 at 4 PM ET, tune in to Is Congress Captured by the Arms Industry?  The Quincy Institute is hosting this webinar with former Rep. Jackie Speier; Dan Grazier, a former Marine Corps captain, and William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Congress added $45 billion to the Pentagon’s budget for Fiscal Year 2023, much of it for weapons systems the department didn’t even request. This add-on pushed total spending on national defense [sic] to $858 billion, one of the highest levels since World War II. Earlier this year the New York Times did a thorough case study of the successful effort by key members of Congress to prevent the Navy from retiring a number of copies of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a vessel that was so flawed that it couldn’t carry out its basic missions.  The effort was spearheaded by corporations that stood to make billions repairing and maintaining the ships, joined by members of Congress with LCS-related work in their areas.  It was a case study of a broken budgetary process that puts special interests above the national interest. RSVP at https://quincyinst.org/event/is-congress-captured-by-the-arms-industry/.

42] – The Maryland Poor People's Campaign (MD PPC) [maryland@poorpeoplescampaign.org] wants you to attend Affordable Housing Crisis: Learn & Lend Your Voice on Wed., March 15 at 6:30 PM ET.  Join in for a presentation on this regional crisis and lend your voice to the discussion about what our community needs. Local elected officials may also attend, and feedback will be shared to help better inform public policies. Register at tinyurl.com/yetj6cud. Email advocacy@awidercircle.org or call 301-608-3504.

43] – On Wed., March 15 at 7 PM ET, take in  Bottlenecks and Bad Math: Biden’s FY24 Budget.  President Biden just released his budget proposal for next year, which Congress will use as a blueprint to start negotiating funding levels. To truly meet the needs of communities across the country, we must invest in programs that help people and the planet to thrive. Join the AFSC policy team for a virtual teach-in on what’s in the president's proposed budget and how you can urge Congress to invest in our communities, not violence, in the FY24 budget.  RSVP at https://afsc.org/events/bottlenecks-and-bad-math-bidens-fy24-budget-request?ms=EMA23EI0303&emci=95285ea4-41b9-ed11-a8e0-00224832e811&emdi=27364f74-dcb9-ed11-a8e0-00224832e811&ceid=764241.

44] – See a showing of the new documentary "Ithaka," produced by Julian Assange's brother Gabriel Shipton and Ben Lawrence!   "Ithaka" ("a Father, a Family, a Fight for Justice") is a moving chronicle of Assange's family's attempts to support Assange during his imprisonment in Belmarsh prison, to fight extradition to the US on espionage charges, and secure his release. See a screening on Wed., Sept. 15 at 7 PM ET at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 630 Bryant St. NE, WDC. It is near the Rhode Island Ave. Metro on Red Line. There will be a live Q&A with John & Gabriel Shipton.  Food & drink available. Get a ticket at https://drafthouse.com/dc-metro-area/event/live-q-a-ithaka?showSeats=true.

   On Thurs., March 16 at 7 PM ET, there is a FREE showing, hosted by Consortium News with a live Q&A with John and Gabriel Shipton & special guests at the Patterson Mansion, 15 DuPont Circle. Go to https://consortiumnews.com/about/.

45] –Get with Social Media Best Practices virtually, hosted by The Democratic National Committee on Sundays and Wednesdays from 7 to 8 PM ET.  Participate on Wed., March 15 and Sun., March 19.  Maximize your impact within your social network and join the social media best practices training. Whether you're just getting started on social media or already have an online presence, this training will provide you with the tools necessary to ensure you are reaching your full potential as an online organizer. Learn the essentials for utilizing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram for political story telling. Email williamsak@dnc.org to schedule a presentation for your staff/volunteers or with any queries about co-presenting at one or more of these events. Go to https://events.democrats.org/event/486853/.

46] – There is a Department of Peacebuilding Campaign Call on Wed., March 15 at 8 PM ET. Join these monthly calls to learn about current activities and lobbying for the campaign along with what you can do to help. This month, the Dept. of Peacebuilding campaign welcomes Katya Miller, a historian, speaker, filmmaker, and metalsmith, to talk about the significance of the statue of Lady Freedom atop the US Capitol dome as a symbol of world peace and freedom. Katya's decades of research are evident in her articles published at the Capitol Historical Society magazine The Capitol Dome.  The Capital Curator and Historian awarded her a US Capitol Research Fellowship to write a book in progress.  Register at https://www.katyamiller.com/.

47] – Stop the Money Pipeline [info@stopthemoneypipeline.com] will do a webinar about environmental racism on Wed., March 15 at 8 PM ET. Learn how we can defund environmental racism in the Gulf South and stand in solidarity with frontline communities. Big banks and insurers threaten to lock us into polluting LNG terminals for the next generation. Gulf South states like Texas and Louisiana continue to bear the brunt of the fossil fuel industry’s insatiable appetite for profit. Hear from Black and Indigenous leaders of the Gulf frontlines about their experiences of environmental racism and take digital action in solidarity with them. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DaqPpuJFRoq_tUM-YRWVkw?link_id=0&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-one-week-away-webinar-defunding-environmental-racism-in-the-gulf&email_referrer=email_1844512&email_subject=last-call-rsvp-for-our-webinar-this-wednesday-315.

48] – Massachusetts Peace Action [info@masspeaceaction.org] thinks you will attend on Wed., March 15 at 8 PM ET US-China Foreign Policy & Anti-Asian Racism. Racist incidents against Asians and Chinese Americans are more frequent. This is not new, mainstream US society has since the 19th century perceived and treated Chinese people in America as “forever foreigners.” From the end of the imperial Qing Dynasty to Covid-19, Chinese-Americans have been tied to a country 7,000 miles distant.  How can we best conduct people-to-people friendship work in this context? This webinar - co-sponsored by US-China Peoples Friendship Association (New England), CODEPINK, and Institute for Asian American Studies (University of Massachusetts) - aims to address this issue. Register at https://www.codepink.org/foreignpolicyandracism?emci=ebf73ed6-d1c1-ed11-a8e0-00224832e811&emdi=828070ec-dfc1-ed11-a8e0-00224832e811&ceid=269591.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, 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