Baltimore Activist Alert -- December 17 -18, 2025

45] Peace by Design Exhibit – Dec. 17

46] Shore Progress Electoral Committee Meeting – Dec. 17

47] Shore Progress Community Outreach Committee meeting – Dec. 17

48] Return to Monroe Doctrine? – Dec. 17

49] Free Palestine Community Call – Dec. 17

50] Block the Bombs Action Hour -- Dec. 18

51] New Start needed – Dec. 18

52] What’s the Plan? – Dec. 18

53] Overpass Extravagance – Dec. 18

54] Stand for Democracy -- Dec. 18

55] Venezuela under Threat -- Dec. 18

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45] -- Zack Klim [zack.klim@peacecorpsmuseum.org] announced that the Peace by Design Exhibit: Posters, Poems, and the Spirit of Peace Corps has been extended by the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (5th Floor – East Gallery), 901 G St., NW, WDC 20001. This extension was due to strong public interest and ongoing community engagement. At a time when global tension is palpable and headlines often focus on conflict, visitors have responded deeply to an exhibition that centers peace, collaboration, and shared humanity in our nation’s capital.   Come see the exhibit, attend one of the events below, or watch the video tour—now extended through early February.  

 On Dec. 17 at 6:30 PM, join the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience for a special holiday Story Slam, part of the Peace by Design exhibition series at the MLK Jr. Memorial Library. Come view the exhibit at 6 PM, and the Story Slam begins at 6:30 PM. This festive evening will feature returned Peace Corps Volunteers sharing heartfelt, humorous, and unforgettable stories that capture the spirit of service, creativity, and cross-cultural connection. From holiday celebrations in distant villages to moments of unexpected generosity, these stories remind us that peace is built in everyday acts of kindness and understanding. Come for the stories—stay for the community. It is free and open to the public with a suggested donation of $25. Learn more at museumofthepeacecorpsexperience.org, and register at https://museumofthepeacecorpsexperience.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F29127

46] -- On Wed., Dec. 17 from 6:30 to 8 PM ET, join Shore Progress on occasional Wednesdays of every month to work to build up Maryland's Eastern Shore. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/progressivemaryland/event/831902/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations

 The Electoral Committee is committed to strengthening democracy and building a brighter future for Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It will work to advance election advocacy, identify and support candidates who reflect shared values, and ensure that every voice in the community is heard.  Bring people-powered change to the Shore by supporting leaders who will invest in its schools, protect working families, expand opportunity, and stand up for a more just and equitable future. Through grassroots organizing, voter outreach, and candidate support, help move the Eastern Shore forward together.

47] – On Wed., Dec. 17 at 6:30 PM, there is a Shore Progress Community Outreach Committee meeting. Plan how to grow the Progressive movement in the community. Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/progressivemaryland/event/612498/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations

48] – The Committee for the Republic [events@committeefortherepublic.org] on Wed., Dec. 17 at 7 PM ET is hosting Ivan Eland to address Return to Monroe Doctrine?  RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Khbq1wghQragG8m_vEEaEg#/registration

 The Committee welcomes long-term board member Ivan Eland back as a speaker. Ivan has written two new books, A Balance of Titans: Peace and Liberty in a New Multi-Polar World and The Domestic Causes of American Wars: Hidden Economic and Political Triggers. He argues most American wars have been unnecessary -- justified by exaggerated or nonexistent foreign threats for political gain and the benefit of powerful vested interests. Trump’s unconstitutional presidential war against Venezuela fits the bill. By financing global military supremacy to the tune of $1.7 trillion a year, the Democratic and Republican parties have racked up a $38 trillion debt, undermined separation of powers and eroded civil liberties. 

 Ivan favors a much leaner military -- with a price tag of $500 billion a year -- by embracing a multi-polar world and retrenching to the Western Hemisphere. He calls for the end of lip service to the Constitution! To make the Constitution great again, we need to make Congress great again. Congress must restore its war power and end entangling alliances – withdrawing from NATO and Asian treaties. Ivan is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute and previously served as Director of Defense Policy Studies at the Cato Institute and on the congressional staff for 16 years, including stints on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as Principal Defense Analyst at the Congressional Budget Office.

49] -- Christians for a Free Palestine on Wed., Dec. 17 from 8 to 9:30 PM ET is holding its monthly Community Call.  RSVP at https://christiansforafreepalestine.com/events/decembercall 

 This will be the third Advent in a time of genocide in Palestine, the land of Jesus’ birth. There is a fragile ceasefire that the Israeli government has consistently violated, while it continues to kill Palestinians and blocks life-saving aid.  If you ache for a just world and a Free Palestine, you are not alone – and you need not be in the season alone. The Call will be a time to be together to reflect on the season, do shared ritual, and fortify ourselves for the work ahead.  Throughout Advent, CFP Solidarity Circles across the land will be organizing their voices and bodies to compel Chevron to cease its support for the continuing Israel-U.S. genocide against Palestinians. The hour and a half call will ramp up with sharp commentary provoked by apocalyptic visioning and counsel in the biblical text.

50] -- Join the virtual Block the Bombs Action Hour on Thur., Dec. 18 from noon to 1 PM ET. RSVP at https://secure.everyaction.com/nN2VavPct0WGX1E55-AH6g2?_gl=1*16x4f3x*_ga*MTc1MjE5OTY3Mi4xNzUxNDA0MzM2*_ga_E736FXM8B1*czE3NjUzOTE0MjkkbzE3NCRnMSR0MTc2NTM5MTkzMSRqNjAkbDAkaDA.&ms=email-nl-251210&emci=c4856e56-15d5-f011-8195-000d3a1d58aa&emdi=c6dca531-1cd6-f011-8195-000d3a1d58aa&ceid=320042

Take action for Palestine by urging Congress members to support H.R. 3565, or the Block the Bombs Act. You will learn more about the bill and be provided a script and phone number to contact legislators.

51] – Daryl G. Kimball [dkimball@armscontrol.org] on Thurs., Dec. 18 at 1 PM ET is letting you know there is a Strategy Call on Joint Work to Halt/Reverse the Arms Race Ahead of New START Expiry. At the last “Halting and Reversing the Arms Race” ad hoc Zoom call (on Nov. 10), it was generally agreed that we all need to continue to carry forward the momentum from our earlier “week of action.” The plan is to continue the coordinated push to scale-up collective advocacy for a renewal of U.S.-Russian disarmament diplomacy and to call on members of Congress to help prevent a new nuclear arms race over the next several weeks. The New START will soon expire and there is not yet a reply from the White House to the Kremlin proposal for both side to respect the treaty’s central limits for at least one year after Feb. 5, 2026.

Get on the call and consider another set of coordinated actions - through the month of January - and ahead of and beyond Feb. 5. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86483441836?pwd=qrRE5PDn63B66NN6kzxIZlJWtNrH8m.1 Meeting ID: 864 8344 1836 Passcode: 974688

52] –What’s the Plan? A virtual Weekly Discussion with Indivisible’s co-founders takes place on Thursdays, including Dec. 18, from 3 to 4 PM ET. The onslaught of news, the chaos coming out of the White House – it’s all meant to overwhelm us. It’s a deliberate strategy to sow confusion and make us believe we are powerless to fight back. The antidote: Coming together in community to process what’s happening, to sift through what’s important and what’s just noise, and coalesce around strategies for fighting back. Join Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin each week to discuss what’s happening and – more importantly – what the plan is. The event will continue through Dec. 17, 2026. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/874938/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=_20251215

53] – On Thurs., Dec. 18 from 3 to 4:30 PM, join an Overpass Extravaganza at Ridgley Ave. Overpass, 599 Ridgely Ave., Annapolis 21401, hosted by Chesapeake Indivisible. Help hoist a huge message on the Ridgley Avenue Route 50 overpass to reach about 40K commuters headed eastbound on Route 50 in Annapolis, and wave signs for drivers traversing Ridgley Avenue. This will continue until Jan. 29, 2026. Contact Nora Terres at noratprotests@gmail.com. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/824306/

54] -- On Thurs., Dec. 18 from 5 to 6 PM at Georgia Ave. & Maryland 108, Olney 20832, stand with neighbors for democracy, for justice, and for an economy that works for all of us, not just billionaires. Stand for science, the rule of law, a working government, kindness and common decency. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/869522/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations 

55] -- Attend a webinar Venezuela under Threat: eyewitness report backs on Thurs., Dec. 18 at 6 PM ET hosted by the Venezuela Solidarity Network. Under Trump's escalating threats of war, dozens of activists from across the U.S. have traveled to Venezuela in the past month. Join in this month’s Venezuela Solidarity Network webinar to hear more about their experiences in Venezuela, and what they learned from Venezuelans fighting back every day against the U.S. war machine, organizing and mobilizing in defense of their sovereignty and self-determination.  Hear from three speakers: David Paul, Sanctions Kill Coalition and Task Force on the Americas, and Democratic Socialists of America, San Francisco; Yhamir Chabur, Colombian-American activist with the Venezuela Solidarity Network, based in NYC, and Elizabeth Blaney, Co-Director of Union de Vecinos, Los Angeles.

 The Webinar will also include more information on how to get involved in the Venezuela Solidarity Network (VSN).  There will be a discussion of the urgency and necessity of building a more united and stronger movement in solidarity with Venezuela against U.S. attacks! RSVP at https://www.venezuelasolidaritynetwork.org/121825

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