Baltimore Activist Alert - June 15 - 16, 2016

29] Prayer service for Orlando – June 15

30] EXONEREES DIARIES – June 15

31] Vigil for Orlando – June 15

32] Celebrate Black Power – June 16

33] See a screening of “Slingshot HIP HOP” – June 16

34] EXONEREES DIARIES – June 16

35] NOT STRAIGHT, NOT WHITE: BLACK GAY MEN – June 16

29] –  A prayer service will be held at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 4900 Connecticut Ave. NW, between Ellicott and Everett Sts. NW, on Wed., June 15 at 7 PM to remember those killed at the Pulse Nightclub early Sunday morning.  Pray for their families and friends, and for those who remain wounded physically and emotionally.  Pray for an end to bigotry, hatred, and gun violence in our country. Pray for peace.   St. Paul's Lutheran Church, D.C. - A "Reconciling in Christ" Congregation can be reached at http://www.stpaulslutherandc.com/  Contact Lisa Wackler at lwackler@stpaulslutherandc.com or at 202-966-5489, ext. 125.

30] – ALISON FLOWERS PRESENTS EXONEREE DIARIES on Wed., June 15 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201.  Through intimate portraits of four exonerated prisoners, investigative journalist Alison Flowers explores what happens to innocent people when the state flings open the jailhouse door and tosses them back, empty-handed, into the unknown. From the front lines of the wrongful conviction capital of the United States—Cook County, Illinois—investigative journalist Alison Flowers recounts profoundly human stories of reclaiming life, overcoming adversity, and searching for purpose after exoneration. As she tells each exoneree’s powerful story, Flowers vividly shows that release from prison, though sometimes joyous and hopeful, is not a Hollywood ending—or an ending at all. Rather, an exoneree’s first unshackled steps are the beginning of a new journey full of turmoil and uncertainty. Flowers also sheds new light on the collateral damage of wrongful convictions on families and communities, challenging deeper problems of mass incarceration and the criminal justice system. Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

31] – There is a Candlelight Vigil to Gather in Prayer for Orlando at Dupont Circle NW, WDC,  on Wed., June 15 from 8  to 9 PM.  On the heels of the gatherings outside the White House and the Capitol Building on Sunday evening, several faith communities will be gathering to join in prayer for those lost and affected by the senseless tragedy in Orlando. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1348689151812371/.

32] – The 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Call for Black Power is at African American Civil War Museum, 1925 Vermont Ave. NW, WDC, on Thurs., June 16 from 6 to 8 PM.  DC Black Power Chronicles is hosting a live broadcast and discussion of the call to black power. Visit https://www.facebook.com/BlackPowerChronicles50th.

33] – See a screening of “Slingshot HIP HOP” on Thurs., June 16 from 6  to 9 PM at the Oak Hill Center for Education and Culture, 2239 Kirk Ave., Baltimore 21218.  The film braids together the stories of young Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank and inside Israel as they discover Hip Hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty. From internal checkpoints and Separation Walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the borders that separate them.  The panel discussion at 8 PM will include Son of Nun and DevRock.   Go to http://www.slingshothiphop.com/.

34] – “Exoneree Diaries” – an Author Talk with Alison Flowers is happening at The Potter's House, 1658 Columbia Rd. NW, WDC, on Thurs., June 16 from 7 to 9 PM. From the front lines of the wrongful conviction capital of the United States—Cook County, Ill.—these stories reveal serious gaps in the criminal justice system. Flowers depicts the collateral damage of wrongful convictions on families and communities, challenging the deeper problem of mass incarceration in the United States. As she tells each exoneree’s powerful story, Flowers vividly shows that release from prison, though sometimes joyous and hopeful, is not a Hollywood ending—or an ending at all. Rather, an exoneree’s first unshackled steps are the beginning of a new journey full of turmoil and triumph. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/626243617523831/.

35] – KEVIN MUMFORD PRESENTS - NOT STRAIGHT, NOT WHITE: BLACK GAY MEN FROM THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON TO THE AIDS CRISIS on Thurs., June 16 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201.  This compelling book recounts the history of black gay men from the 1950s to the 1990s, tracing how the major movements of the times—from civil rights to black power to gay liberation to AIDS activism—helped shape the cultural stigmas that surrounded race and homosexuality. In locating the rise of black gay identities in historical context, Kevin Mumford explores how activists, performers, and writers rebutted negative stereotypes and refused sexual objectification. Examining the lives of both famous and little- known black gay activists—from James Baldwin and Bayard Rustin to Joseph Beam and Brother Grant-Michael Fitzgerald—Mumford analyzes the ways in which movements for social change both inspired and marginalized black gay men. Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.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