Thursday, April 24, 2014

Baltimore Activist Alert - Aprol 24-25, 2014

36] Film WISDOM TO SERVE – Apr. 24
37] Building Peace from the Ground Up in Medellin – Apr. 24
38] Global Day of Action: PAY UP! Justice Now for Rana Plaza Survivors – Apr. 24
39] Tibet in Crisis? – Apr. 24
40] Fighting for People, Planet and Peace over Profit – Apr. 24
41] "WHY PEACE IS POSSIBLE: EXPLORING THE ANATOMY OF VIOLENCE AND WAR" – Apr. 24
42] Webinar: Speaking Out, Faithfully – Apr. 24
43] Wage Theft Teach-In – Apr. 24
44] Vigil for Justice in Palestine – Apr. 25
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36] – On Thurs., Apr. 24 from noon to 1:30 PM, Beyond the Classroom is presenting the film “The Wisdom to Survive: Climate Change, Capitalism & Community” at 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1, University of Maryland, College Park. This film accepts the consensus of scientists that climate change has already arrived, and asks, what is keeping us from action? The film explores how unlimited growth and greed are destroying the life support system of the planet, the social fabric of the society, and the lives of billions of people.

Among those featured are Bill McKibben, Joanna Macy, Roger Payne, Richard Heinberg, Gus Speth, Stephanie Kaza, Nikki Cooley and Ben Falk.
“The Wisdom to Survive” is both instructive and inspiring. It combines incisive scientific and social analysis regarding anthropogenic climate change, while raising important existential and ethical questions. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1442778289300149/.

37] – Building Peace from the Ground Up in Medellin will take place on Thurs., Apr. 24 from 4:30 to 5:30 PM at the Washington Office on Latin America. WOLA and Fundación Mi Sangre invite you to a discussion featuring Catalina Cock, executive director, Fundación Mi Sangre and moderated by Adam Isacson, senior associate, WOLA. As Colombia seeks to negotiate an end to its half century of conflict, it is increasingly evident that a lasting and inclusive peace will only be achievable in cooperation with a robust civil society. Founded in 2006 by the recording artist Juanes to support victims of anti-personnel mines in Colombia, Fundación Mi Sangre has since expanded its work to include psychosocial support to conflict victims, education in peace and citizenship, and efforts to expand opportunities for at-risk youth in Medellín and elsewhere. Contact Adam Schafer at aschaffer@wola.org or 202-797-2171.
38] – There is a Global Day of Action: PAY UP! Justice Now for Rana Plaza Survivors on Thurs., Apr. 24 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM at the Children's Place Store, 3100 14th St. NW. Join workers and consumers around the world in a day of action to stand in solidarity with garment workers in Bangladesh. One year after the Rana Plaza building collapse killed at least 1,138 people and injured more than 2,500 in the worst garment industry catastrophe in history, concerned citizens around the world will demand that The Children’s Place, Wal-Mart, Benetton, and other apparel brands and retailers pay full and fair compensation to the victims of the Rana Plaza collapse. See https://www.facebook.com/events/213881798811040/. Contact Abby Mills, International Labor Rights Forum, abby@ilrf.org.
39] -- Tibet in Crisis? A conversation on the state of Tibetan human rights and Sino-Tibetan affairs is happening on Thurs., Apr. 24 from 7 to 9 PM at the Elliott School of International Affairs, Room 113, 1957 E St. NW. This year, Amnesty International USA has highlighted Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen’s prisoner of conscience case. In light of the anniversary of his 2008 arrest on March 26, GW Amnesty International will show a short documentary (BBC, “The Human Torches of Tibet”). It will be followed by a panel, with backgrounds in advocacy, research, and media and representing both Tibetan and Chinese perspectives. This event will be cosponsored by Organization for Asian Studies, Insight to North Korea, Asian Student Alliance, Students for Justice in Palestine, and Liberty in North Korea. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1392031441076899/.

40] – Participate in From the Plains to the City, Fighting for People, Planet and Peace over Profit on Thurs., Apr. 24 from 7 to 9 PM at La Casa, 3166 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. The movement for democracy and justice is sweeping the globe – from democracy revolutions to occupy protests, movements for the rights of workers, students, immigrants, women and Indigenous peoples; resistance to NSA spying, endless war, prison pipelines, tar sands, fracking, nuclear power, GMOs and more. The accelerating climate disaster – now predicted to dismantle civilization as we know it as soon as 2050 - intensifies all these struggles, and provides new urgency for collaboration and unified action. Clearly there is no time to lose.

A tremendous amount of money continues to go towards war, dirty jobs, pipelines, etc. These investments have no forward thinking for the future of our society and planet. This has not gone without a fight. Coming to D.C. this week is the Cowboy-Indian Alliance, an alliance of American Indians, ranchers, and farmers, is coming to D.C. April 22-27 to pressure the government to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, which would damage our lands in many ways. Join a panel discussion that will touch on the fight for American Indian rights, Green jobs and how we need to put people and the planet over profits. We can only win by building a grassroots Global Justice Movement. Jill Stein was the presidential nominee for the Green Party in the 2012 election. She is a longtime activist and has been leading the charge for the Global Climate Convergence. Brian Ward is an activist based in Washington, D.C. He has worked and organized with indigenous people in North, South and Central America in their struggle for liberation. He is a member of System Change Not Climate Change and the International Socialist Organization.

41] – On Thurs., Apr. 24 from 7 to 8:45 PM, hear "WHY PEACE IS POSSIBLE: EXPLORING THE ANATOMY OF VIOLENCE AND WAR" with PAUL K.CHAPPELL. Chappell, West Point graduate (2002), Iraq War veteran, and former captain in the US Army - now turned fulltime international peace builder and educator - was invited to speak under the auspices of the Little Friends for Peace at The Perry School, 128 M St. NW, WDC.

Paul is the author of a growing shelf of books, including The Art of Waging Peace, Peaceful Revolution, and The End of War. He has trained other peace builders stateside and overseas, including recent work in Uganda. You can learn more about him and his work by visiting his site, and at the site of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, or NAPF, where he serves as Peace Leadership Director. Visit http://paulkchappell.com/ and http://www.lffp.org.

42] – There is a Webinar: Speaking Out, Faithfully on Thurs., Apr. 24 from 7:30 to 9 PM. What does it mean for congregations to not only educate about climate change in the communities and operate facilities in a green way, but also to speak out as a public voice for climate justice? What does it look like when people of faith are called to advocate in the public square for the well-being of all people, all living beings, and our planet? On our April Green Sheep webinar, we'll hear about why it's critical for congregations to include environmental advocacy among their green initiatives, and how they can make the biggest impact.

The speakers are as follows: Jose Aguto is the legislative secretary on sustainable energy and the environment at the Friends Committee on National Legislation and is working with religious communities, nationally and internationally, to raise climate change as a moral issue. Jose attends St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria. Evonne Marzouk created a local Jewish sustainability circle which successfully convinced a key Maryland Delegate to support the offshore wind bill. Evonne is also the executive director of Canfei Nesharim, which provides educational resources to the Jewish community on taking an active role in protecting the Earth. And Joelle Novey, the director of Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA), has led the religious outreach for numerous local advocacy efforts including the Maryland Climate Coalition's victorious offshore wind campaign.

43] – Get over to a Wage Theft Teach-In on Thurs., Apr. 24 at 8 PM at the Marvin Gelman Library, Teamsters Archive, 7th Floor, 2130 H St. NW. Last week the D.C. City Council Committee on Business, Consumer & Regulatory Affairs unanimously passed the Wage Theft Prevention Act. Join the GWU Progressive Student Union in welcoming Hannah Kane from the D.C. Employment Justice Center for a teach-in about wage theft, and learn how to take action on this important issue. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/734338826630456/.

44] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia, across from Israeli Consulate. It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.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

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