Baltimore Activist Alert – November 3 - 4, 2019

Baltimore Activist Alert – November 3 - 4, 2019

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center.  Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com.  If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.  Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Get involved with NCNR   

4] Lawyers Against War

5] Free Trees -- Nov. 3

6] Susquehanna River hike – Nov. 3

7] Wild About Bears – Nov. 3

8] Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle – Nov. 3

9] Explore Jug Bay Natural Area -- Nov. 3

10] Challenging White Supremacy – Nov. 3

11] Harriet Tubman – Nov. 3

12] Tree Maintenance – Nov. 3

13] Come to a Suffragist Tea – Nov. 3

14] "How to Be An Antiracist" – Nov. 3

15] “Afghan Cycles” and a Community Bike Ride – Nov. 3       

16] Pentagon Peace Vigil – Nov. 4

17] Urge Congress to Hold Hearings on the ERA – Nov. 4

18] Elizabeth McAlister will be interviewed on 88.1 FM – Nov. 4

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/.  Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR].  It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed.  It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to U.S. wars.

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

4] – Jeff Ross, an attorney in Maryland, is interested in gathering with other lawyers to discuss ways in which the legal profession and the law generally can be conceptualized as a peace-building and war-resisting institution and redirected to these ends. Areas to explore might include: 1) ways in which this group could support with legal analysis/writing those lawyers who are representing peace-builders/war-resisters in criminal prosecutions; 2) ways in which, from a more theoretical perspective, the law might be grounded in an ethic of non-violence; and 3) ways in which law students and young lawyers might be exposed to a non-violent vision of the law. All religious, philosophical, and critical perspectives on the law are welcome. The group might want to call itself Lawyers against War. Jeff can be reached at 443-690-6872 and jross50@hotmail.com.

5] –  On Sun., Nov. 3 from 7 AM to noon, get Free Trees at the Baltimore Farmers' Market & Bazaar, beneath the Jones Falls Expressway at Holliday & Saratoga Streets, Baltimore 21202, hosted by Blue Water Baltimore and TreeBaltimore. A variety of tree species will be available, from smaller flowering and fruiting trees to large canopy trees, every tree makes a difference. Trees cool and clean our air, absorb storm water, increase biodiversity, and beautify our neighborhoods.  Free trees are available for residents of Baltimore City or County only. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/708311853016396/.

6] – Get on a Susquehanna River hike on Sun., Nov. 3 at 10 AM organized by the Sierra Club Greater Baltimore Group.  Gather at 2422 Holtwood Rd., Airville, PA 17302.  Contact Jack Wise at hikingjack@netzero.net or (410) 256-3963. This is a moderate hike of about 6 to 7 miles along the Susquehanna River and side streams. Meet at Lock 12.

7] – On Sun., Nov. 3 from 10 AM to 4 PM, Weis Markets presents Wild About Bears, hosted by The Maryland Zoo, 1 Safari Place, Baltimore 21217.  Tickets are at www.marylandzoo.org.  Join the Zoo in celebrating and conserving wildlife during Wild About Bears day! Through zookeeper talks and hands-on activities, learn what makes bears unique, and how we are contributing to their conservation at the Zoo and around the world. Learn how you can help preserve bear populations and their habitats by making simple changes in your daily life that will contribute to a more sustainable future for bears and other animals! This event is FREE with Zoo admission or membership! Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2426093507716089/.

8] -- Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion at 10:30 AM.  On Sun., Nov. 3 hear from Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle – When Baltimore Awakes.” This talk will be a comprehensive critique of the human/social service sector in Baltimore and how it perpetuates the system of white supremacy. LBS is a grassroots think-tank which advances the public policy interest of Black people, in Baltimore, through: youth leadership development, political advocacy, and autonomous intellectual innovation. The organizational focus on public policy stems from the unique experience many of its founders had with the rigorous academic activity of policy debate. The founders of LBS ignited their passion for debate as high school students of the local urban debate league; however, it was their collegiate debate experience at Towson University that catapulted them into the world of activism and advocacy. In a community which has traditionally favored a dispassionate C-SPAN style of debate, LBS founders proliferated a style that was rooted in the cultural and intellectual resources of people of African descent.

Dayvon Love is the Director of Public Policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle. He has been sharpening his oratory style and political thinking for more than a decade as a coach and competitor in policy debate through his high-school and college years. Love was so skilled at debate, it earned him a scholarship to college, where he and fellow debater, Deven Cooper, won the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) National Championship – the first time in history that an all Black debate team won the tournament. Incorporating hip-hop, poetry and personal experiences, their debate arguments flipped the script as they underscored how the practice of the debate community purveys the kind of racial inequalities existent in society today. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org. 

9] – Explore Jug Bay Natural Area at Patuxent River Park on Sun., Nov. 3 from noon to 2:30 PM, organized by the Sierra Club Prince George's County Group.  Contact Janet Gingold at jgingold3@gmail.com or (301) 814-1223.  Come soak up the fall colors before they fade away. Join a 3 mile walk through the woods along the edge of the Patuxent River. The trail is mostly natural-surface with some areas of boardwalk. In addition to the fall changes in the diverse plant life, expect to see a variety of interesting fungi, as well as well as birds along the river. Jug Bay Natural Area is part of Patuxent River Park on the west side of the Patuxent River at 16000 Croom Airport Road, Upper Marlboro 20772.

10] – On Sun., Nov. 3 from noon to 1 PM, hear about Understanding and Fighting The US Far Right with Matthew N Lyons, hosted by Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse at the Baltimore Book Fair in the Inner Harbor.   From white nationalists to male tribalists, and from Christian theocrats to Patriot movement activists, the U.S. far right has made dangerous gains in recent years. These “insurgent supremacists” bolster established systems of oppression but also challenge the existing political order in real ways. Antifascist researcher and author of “Insurgent Supremacists: The U.S. Far Right’s Challenge to State and Empire,” Lyons will give an overview of the major far right currents, their ideologies and goals, their interconnections and tensions with the Trump administration, and some key lessons for antifascist work. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/957121661304250/.

11] – On Sun., Nov. 3 from 1 to 2 PM, Erica Armstrong Dunbar presents "She Came to Slay: Harriet Tubman,” hosted by Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse at the Baltimore Book Fair in the Inner Harbor.   A lively, informative, and illustrated tribute to one of the most exceptional women in American history—Harriet Tubman—a heroine whose fearlessness and activism still resonates today.  She is best known as one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad. As a leading abolitionist, her bravery and selflessness has inspired generations in the continuing struggle for civil rights. Now, National Book Award nominee Erica Armstrong Dunbar presents a fresh take on this American icon blending traditional biography, illustrations, photos, and engaging sidebars that illuminate the life of Tubman as never before.

Not only did Tubman help liberate hundreds of slaves, she was the first woman to lead an armed expedition during the Civil War, worked as a spy for the Union Army, was a fierce suffragist, and was an advocate for the aged. She Came to Slay reveals the many complexities and varied accomplishments of one of our nation’s true heroes and offers an accessible and modern interpretation of Tubman’s life that is both informative and engaging. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2407827426140627/.

12] -- On Sun., Nov. 3 from 1 to 4 PM, get involved with Tree Maintenance, hosted by Gunpowder Valley Conservancy at Loch Raven Skeet and Trap Center, 12301 Dulaney Valley Rd., Phoenix 21131.  Tickets are at gunpowdervalleyconservancy.org.  Newly planted trees need TLC to survive. Spend several hours to help young trees grow into healthy forests!  Tree maintenance involves removing invasive plants, checking planted trees to see if the shelter needs to be removed and removing if necessary, digging out the planting tube, and making sure the plant is upright. Register at https://gunpowdervalleyconservancy.org/event/tree-maintenance-nov-3/.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/427290207910178/.

13] –On Sun., Nov. 3 from 1 to  3 PM, come to a Suffragist Tea, hosted by Steppingstone Farm Museum, 461 Quaker Bottom Rd., Havre de Grace 21078.  The Women's Suffrage Movement started with an invitation to a tea in 1848 hosted by Jane Hunt. Along with her 4 Quaker guests, this tea launched the birth of passage of the 19th Amendment that gained women the right to vote. Come & enjoy a Suffrage Tea as you gain a brief history of the Women's Movement with Julie Mancine, the Hays-Heighe House Coordinator & College Archivist at Harford Community College.  An exhibit will be on display along with the original voting box used by May Bradfield, Harford County's first female voter, in 1920.  Seating is limited to 50 guests. This event will take place in the Display Barn.  Check out https://www.eventbrite.com/e/suffragist-tea-tickets-71063365439 and https://www.facebook.com/events/389132501798509/.

14] – On Sun., Nov. 3 from 3 to 4 PM, Ibram X. Kendi presents "How to Be An Antiracist" with Kaye Whitehead, hosted by Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse at the Baltimore Book Fair in the Inner Harbor.  From the National Book Award–winning author of “Stamped from the Beginning” comes a bracingly original approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society—and in ourselves. “The only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it—and then dismantle it.”

 Kendi’s concept of antiracism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America—but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/3266283526777749/.

15] – On Sun., Nov. 3 from 3 to 6 PM, see the film “Afghan Cycles” and participate in a Community Bike Ride, hosted by Bikemore at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21224  Tickets are at creativealliance.secure.force.com.  In Baltimore, 33% of residents don’t have access to a car and low-income or minority households are more likely to use bikes as a necessary mode of transportation to work or school. Yet many women and people of color find barriers to bicycling in their paths. These individuals often feel less welcome in biking spaces, live in neighborhoods that lack bike infrastructure, and are more likely to experience street harassment. Take a ride and tour the Highlandtown community on two wheels and experience some of the challenges that cyclists in our community face first hand. Following the ride, stick around for a screening of “Afghan Cycles” which uses the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights - human rights - and the struggles faced by Afghan women every day.   The ride will be slow paced, 3-5 mile family friendly ride in Highlandtown. The ride will start and end at the Creative Alliance.  It is free to attend, but please RSVP here: https://sforce.co/2lIdc1y.  Interested in tabling, partnering, or sponsoring this event? Email danielle@bikemore.net.  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2375604546012584/.

16] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop.  The next vigil is Nov. 4, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.  The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro.  By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr.,  and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM.  No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

17] – Urge Congress to Hold Hearings on the ERA, which would be supported by Katrina's Dream.  Each Monday, including Nov. 4, at 8 AM, make calls to Senator Graham at (202) 224-5972 and your senators for the ERA. Hold hearings on S.J. Res 6, and S.J. Res. 5 which calls for the removal of a deadline for passage of the ERA. Click on this link https://bit.ly/2T1B8wp, and check out https://www.facebook.com/events/246467582967063/?event_time_id=246467699633718.

18] – On Mon., Nov. 4 from noon to 1 PM, Tom Hall on MIDDAY at 88.1 FM will interview Elizabeth McAlister, a member of the Kings Bay Plowshares.  She and her six co-defendants were convicted on four charges on October 24, and will be sentenced in early 2020.

To be continued

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  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