Baltimore Activist Alert - November 11 - 19, 2016

28] Palestine Center Annual Conference – Nov. 11

29] Peace vigil at White House – Nov. 11

30] WIB peace vigils – Nov. 11

31] Philly Anti-War ‘Reach Out’ – Nov. 11

32] Black Lives Matter vigil – Nov. 11

33] Honor Tom Hayden – Nov. 11

34] Solitary confinement book talk – Nov. 11

35] Ballroom Dancing – Nov. 11

36] West Chester peace vigil – Nov. 12

37] Esta Tierra Es Tu Tierra -- Nov. 12 - 19

38] Latin American Cultural Showcase – Nov. 12

39] Film THE SULTAN AND THE SAINT – Nov. 12

40] Resist Trump meeting – Nov. 21

41] Need photos of the antinuclear vigil in front of the White House

42] Room for rent

43] Sign up with Washington Peace Center

44] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

45] Do you need any book shelves?

46] Join the Global Zero campaign

47] Join the Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

----

28] – The 2016 Palestine Center Annual Conference – “The Palestinians: History, Agency, and Future Prospects” – is happening at 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC, on Fri., Nov. 11 from 8:30 AM to 4 PM.  The Conference will examine the current situation of Palestine within overlapping historical, sociological, and political contexts. Panelists will examine the centrality and marginalization of Palestine in the recent conflicts in the Middle East with a retrospective gaze at Sykes-Picot and the legacies of the British Mandate on Palestinians in the present, as well as the changing role of the United States and the still undigested effects of the “Arab Spring.” They will analyze the continuing reality of Israeli military occupation and incursions into Gaza, illegal settlements, intensified domination of Jerusalem, and detentions of Palestinian children. They will also offer perspectives on Washington’s policy toward Israel and Palestine, in light of this year’s presidential elections, as well as the challenges to the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement in the United States and internationally. RSVP at http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/events/upcoming/2016-palestine-center-annual-conference-mark-date.

29] – On Fri., Nov. 11 from noon to 1 PM, join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in a vigil urging the powers that be to abolish war and torture, to disarm all weapons, to end indefinite detention, to close Guantanamo, to establish justice for all and help create the Beloved Community! This vigil will take place at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Contract Art @ artlaffin@hotmail.com or at 202-360-6416. 

30] – On Fri., Nov. 11 from noon to 1 PM, join a Women in Black peace vigil. A vigil will take place in McKeldin Square at the corner of Light and Pratt Sts., and another will take place outside Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th St., across from the Rotunda.  Stay for as long as you can. Wear black. Dress for who knows what kind of weather. Bring your own poster or help with the "NO WAR IN MY NAME" banner.  When there are others to stand with, you don't need to carry the burden alone. Do this to be in solidarity with others....when everything around us says “Be afraid of the stranger.” Carpool and parking available at both locations. Just send an email that you need a ride [mailto:wibbaltimore@peacepath911.org].  Peace signs will be available. 

31] – We cannot concede to hatred and war!   We cannot concede to Trump. We cannot concede to racism and homophobia, misogyny, xenophobia, Islamophobia, greed, egotism and selfishness. We've heard it all. NO, we cannot concede to violence and war.  Join in for peace on Fri., Nov. 11, "Armistice Day" aka Veterans Day, as part of a monthly "Reach-Out" from 4 to 5 PM. The Philly Anti-War ‘Reach Out’ is at the SEPTA entrance at 15th & Market Sts, across from Phila. City Hall on the west side.   End Drone Terror and Endless War...Stop the Drone War Command Center in Horsham, PA. These 2nd Friday of the month Anti-War ‘Reach-Outs’ with banners, signs, literature table with goodies, alternate between the 30th Street Train Station and the SEPTA entrance.   Call the Brandywine Peace Community at 484-574-1148. Visit www.brandywinepeace.com.

32] – There is usually a silent vigil on Fridays, from 5 to 6 PM, sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, outside the Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St.  The next scheduled vigil is on Nov. 11. Black Lives Matter.

33] – On Fri., Nov. 11 from 7 to 9 PM at Busboys & Poets. 5th and K Sts., 1025 5th St. NW, WDC 20001, honor Tom Hayden.  Busboys and Poets, Progressive Democrats of America, People Demanding Action, Code Pink, and the Institute for Policy Studies will present: Tom Hayden: Celebrating His Life Of Peace And Progress.  Celebrate his life of peace and progress in an event hosted by Andy Shallal, with Jamie Raskin (invited), activists Bernardine Dohrn, Marc Elrich, Andrea Miller, Phyllis Bennis, Bill Fletcher, Steve Cobble, and others.  Hear movement music by Joe Uehlein! Use the Mt. Vernon Square Metro.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1306617339388379/.

34] – Keramet Reiter presents 23/7 on Fri., Nov. 11 at 7:30 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201. Who is really held in our Supermax prisons and for how long? How do prisoners end up in solitary confinement and how do they get out? What really goes on in prisons such as Pelican Bay that claim to house “the worst of the worst”? And what happens when prisoners held for years or even decades without human contact are released directly to the streets? Reiter will discuss her new book, “23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement.” Call 443-602-7585.  Go to http://www.redemmas.org.  

35] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at  8 PM.  Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St.  Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be Nov. 11. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.

36] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.

37] – Erick Antonio Benitez presents Esta Tierra Es Tu Tierra through Sat., Nov. 19 @ the Current Gallery, 421 N. Howard St., Baltimore 21201. Esta Tierra Es Tu Tierra is an ongoing exhibition featuring a multimedia installation documentary work focusing on the US-Mexican border and the lives it affects. The exhibition also features research data and documentation gathered from the border itself, spanning its entirety; from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific. This project was awarded the 2016 Ruby Artist Project Grant, sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, which allowed funding for its in depth investigation and creation. Erick Antonio Benitez is a Salvadorian-American visual artist, sound alchemist, and curator based in DC/Baltimore.  Benitez' inter-disciplinary work is rooted in his commitment to matters of cultural identity, nature, social justice, and activism/education through art.  Benitez co-founded La Bodega collective, a cooperative of cross-disciplinary, multi-functional studios and galleries.  He is part of Woven Autonomo, a sonically-focused entity who collaboratively curate and perform sound art and music.  Benitez is also a collaborator with the Greenmount Greenway Project, which aims to rehabilitate vacant lots in the Greenmount West Neighborhood into safe, active, and inspiring parks for all ages.

One collaborator is Alejandro Orengo, Puerto Rican American photographer, filmmaker, and designer based in Baltimore/DC/NYC. Orengo also goes by the moniker Cinematic Fresh. Another collaborator is Drew Hagelin, a DC/Baltimore based videographer, musician, multimedia artist and member of La Bodega collective

  Gallery hours are noon to 4 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. There is a Closing Reception on Nov. 19 from 7 to 10 PM.  Go to http://erickantoniobenitez.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/events/1788427574708192/.

38] – You are invited to a Latin American Cultural Showcase on Sat., Nov. 12 at the Roger Carter Community Center, 3000 Milltown Dr.; Ellicott City 21043, from noon to 4 PM. Enjoy art; music; dance and food. Celebrate diversity, and learn about Hispanic Culture which represents 17 % of the population.  By 2060 the prediction is that it will be over 28%.  Call Leslie at 410 718 0630. BRING YOUR DANCING SHOES!! Howard County Friends of Latin America can be found at www.friendsoflatinamerica.org.

39] – On Sat., Nov. 12 at 7 PM see the new docudrama film, THE SULTAN AND THE SAINT, based on the story of Francis of Assisi’s visit to the Sultan al-Kamil in the 13th century, in the George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW, WDC 20052. The Franciscan Action Network and Unity Productions Foundation are responsible for the screening.

In the year 1220, during the height of the bloody Christian-Muslim conflict known as the Crusades, Saint Francis of Assisi risked his life by walking across enemy lines to meet the Sultan of Egypt, the Muslim ruler Al-Malik al-Kamil. This remarkable encounter, and the commitment to peace of the two men behind it, sucked the venom out of the Crusades and changed the relationship between Muslims and Christians for the better.

Featuring dramatic reenactments and renowned scholarship, this amazing story is brought to life. Scholars interviewed include Michael Cusato (St. Bonaventure University), Sr. Kathy Warren, OSF (Sisters of St. Francis), Suleiman Mourad (Smith College), Homayra Ziad (Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies), Paul Moses (The Saint and the Sultan), and others. Audiences will learn about the remarkable spiritual exchange between the Sultan and the Saint, and the great risks they both took for peace.  Get tickets at https://lisner.gwu.edu/sultan-and-saint-docudrama-about-muslim-christian-peace and use the promotional code FAN for a $5 discount.

40] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore will meet on Mon., Nov. 21 at 7:30 PM at Max’s residence.  The agenda will be about resisting the Trump Administration.  For example, we could plan a demonstration in Baltimore ASAP.  And we will discuss the upcoming resistance action scheduled to take place during the inauguration. RSVP at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski at verizon.net to get the address of the meeting site.

Join the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance in an Inaugural Action on January 20, 2017.  According to Forbes Magazine, Nov. 9, 2016, “President Trump Is Likely To Boost U.S. Military Spending By $500 Billion To $1 Trillion.” So we need a strong presence in D.C. for the inauguration to call for an end to all warfare, including drone warfare.  NCNR is organizing an action of nonviolent civil resistance on the day of the inauguration, Friday, January 20.  Some of us will be risking arrest, and we need others there in support and solidarity.  We will meet in the lower level food court at Union Station at 10 AM on the day of the inauguration for our final planning meeting.  We will have a final planning meeting knowing we have to keep things fluid because there is no certainty as to what will happen that day.

 The idea will be to process as near as possible to a checkpoint and make us visible to the crowds.  Then perhaps we can do a die-in.  We will have model drones, coffins, signs, banners, and leaflets to get our message across.  If you have ideas on messaging, please share over email.  Again, this will be a very fluid experience, and we will come together and make decisions as we go along. Contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

41] – Ellen Thomas [et@prop1.org or 202-210-3886 (cell and text)] sent this message: Hi, good friends and (hopefully) fellow photographers! There are so many great stories in the photos of the antinuclear vigil in front of the White House from 1981 to 2016 - see my growing collection at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0FRCou5r5zOQk5JbHlTWWYwbHc.  If you have any photos or stories you think should be added, please send them to me <et@prop1.org> or post them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/Thomas.Memorial/. 

42] -- The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org.

43] -- If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs or records, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

44] -- Can you use any book shelves? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net.

45] -- Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.

46] – A Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981. Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

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/.

“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan 

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; 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