Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Baltimore Activist Alert -- April 15 - 20, 2020


27] Baltimore Free Farm April 15
28] Exposing Our Unequal Systems -- April 15
29] Sew Face Masks – April 15
30] Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner – April 15
31] iNaturalist Webinar – April 15
32] Manna Food Center Covid-19 Fundraiser – April 15 - 20
33] Take advantage of existing social media platforms – April 15
34] The Power of our vote – April 15
35] The Future of Quakers– April 15
36] What does Moscow really want? – April 16
37] Virtual Earth Day -- April 16
38] Briefing on the coronavirus – April 16
39] The Middle East in an Era of Great Power Competition – April 16
40] Right to connect -- April 16
41] Phone Banking for Bill April 16
42] Weekly Solar Hours – April 16
43] Marylanders United Virtual Organizing Meeting -- April 16
44] Poor People's Campaign Political Education Call – April 16
45] Pandemic, War, and Sanctions in a Divided Korea -- April 16
----
27] - On Wed., April 15 from noon to 1 PM, join in on Wednesdays at Baltimore Free Farm, 3510 Ash St., Baltimore 21211, hosted by Food Rescue Baltimore. Bring a bag, bring a friend, and take delicious, nutritious, free rescued food. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/745646795923837/?event_time_id=745646815923835.

28] – Oxfam's COVID-19 Conversation Series: Exposing Our Unequal Systems will be LIVE on Wed., April 15 from noon to 12:30 PM ET. You've seen that COVID-19 is no great equalizer–and that people in poverty are suffering the most. Why are marginalized people, burdened already with underlying health problems, poverty, and lack of resources, now facing higher rates of infection and death?  Register now to join the call at https://oxfam.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SiLmYWD_QjmpExr1_DZYYg.

29] – Sew Face Masks for UMMS hosted by Pets on Wheels, P.O. Box 44176, Baltimore 21236, on Wed., April 15 through April 30 from 1 to 4 PM. As many of you know, the hospital systems in the United States have been and will continue to be challenged to meet the needs of patients who may be COVID-19 positive. In light of this, in the coming weeks many hospitals will need additional personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued guidance approving the use of cloth masks, and anyone who has sewing experience should consider making cloth face masks to be delivered to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) for distribution.  There is a PDF for making folded masks at https://files.constantcontact.com/c9e08a1b201/13dbf7af-4ee5-4470-be1f-451542bf468e.pdf, and there are links below with detailed instructions, including a video, for making fitted and folded masks.

For example, there is DIY Cloth Face Mask (fitted mask): https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Cloth-Face-Mask/; and Folded Mask: https://sweetredpoppy.com/how-to-sew-a-surgical-face-mask/.  Both of the websites listed above follow CDC guidelines and have links to the CDC website. Unlike the N95 masks, these are not designed to prevent COVID-19 entirely; however, they will prevent some transmission, and the CDC has approved them for use. Once you have made the masks, please send them via mail to Susan Dorsey, 5401 Hamlet Avenue, Baltimore 21214.  If you have any questions about connecting with Susan, please email her (sdorsey@umaryland.edu). Susan will deliver the face masks to UMSON weekly, and UMMC will arrange to send someone to UMSON to pick them up.

If you have questions, or need additional guidance for making the masks, please feel free to reach out to Deb Greenspan, who is coordinating this effort with Susan. Her email address is dbg003@hotmail.com.  Go to

30] - On Wed., April 15 at 2 to 3:30 PM, hear from Dan Ellsberg about his book “The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner.” A RSVP is REQUIRED at https://www.belfercenter.org/event/doomsday-machine-confessions-nuclear-war-planner. This is part of the Project on Managing the Atom Seminar Series.  This book talk will be held online via Zoom. When you RSVP, you will receive the link.  The talk will be hosted by Harvard University’s Belfer Center.

31] – Attend an iNaturalist Webinar on Wed., April 15 from 2 to 4 PM, organized by the Sierra Club Prince George's County Group.  Sign up with Janet Gingold at janet.gingold@mdsierra.org or (301) 814-1223.  The webinar will introduce participants to the iNaturalist app and website in preparation for the Earth Day City Nature Challenge Bioblitz. Participants will learn how to use smart phones to post observations of living things that will be useful for scientists studying global population changes.  Explore places you'd like to visit with the I-Naturalist website: https://www.inaturalist.org/. Registrants will be sent a link for participation. Bring a Smart phone with iNaturalist app downloaded.

32] – Starting Wed., April 15 through April 20 from 2 to 5 PM, check out the Manna Food Center Covid-19 Fundraiser.  Manna Food Center provides food for people in need in Montgomery County, Maryland. Right now, they need more support than ever, as students are not getting food provided by schools during COVID-19. Help fight hunger in Maryland by donating to Manna Food Center!  Donations can be made through venmo (@umbcakdphi). 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Manna Food Center through their website. You can also go directly to the website and fill out their donation form here: https://www.mannafood.org/community-building/donate-to-manna/.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/842378546262782/?event_time_id=842378556262781.

33] – Indivisible groups have spent years working to turn online activism into offline action, but the script is flipped in this new physical distancing reality. Come learn, from social media experts, how to transfer our in-person community spaces to online and virtual mediums. Hear about strategies that can help your Indivisible group take advantage of existing social media platforms to keep momentum going in your community. This online conversation will take place on Wed., April 15 at 3 PM ET. Go to https://indivisible.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iZ6dWEaySQKwFGn9M2TGvA.
34] – On April 15 from 3 to 4 PM, check out 200 Days to Go: The Power of Our Vote, hosted by Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. This event will focus on the importance of the right to vote in the 2020 election season. Speakers will address COVID's impact on the election, ongoing voter suppression efforts, barriers faced by college students, the power of the Black vote, building diverse coalitions this election cycle and more. Also, with college campuses closed, churches shut down and grassroots advocates unable to knock on doors, the traditional ways of bringing new voters on to the rolls has become more challenging. We will also focus on the critical importance of voter registration this season. The goal and purpose of this event will be to galvanize the public to exercise the power of their vote in 2020.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/558086864817214/.

35] – On Wed., April 15 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, find out about The Future of Quakers, hosted by Friends Committee on National Legislation - FCNL.  See act.fcnl.org. Join Friends Marge Abbott and Liz Nicholson and discuss what Friends’ meetings and organizations are doing to help individuals recognize and encourage the inward transformation so essential to growing prophetic ministries. Register to join online at http://act.fcnl.org/event/quaker-welcome-center-events-watch-home_attend/1520. See https://www.facebook.com/events/199443634813988/.

36] – On Thurs., April 16 at 10 AM, get with What does Moscow really want? For the last six years, Moscow has been pursuing a multidimensional destabilization campaign against Ukraine. What is the Kremlin’s foreign policy, and what does Moscow really want in Ukraine?  Hear a discussion with Vladimir Kara-Murza, activist, author, and filmmaker; Amb. Alexander Vershbow, Atlantic Council; and Celeste Wallander, US-Russia Foundation.  Go to https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/what-does-moscow-really-want/.

37] – Environment America is unveiling a Virtual Earth Day site and hosting a webinar about fossil fuel-free investing, featuring Bill McKibben. Learn about individual actions you can take to make a difference and divestment. On Thurs., April 16 at 1 PM ET, tune in at https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=871&supporter_KEY=5685115&uid=23d6263d322a90dd8662628e243038e8&utm_source=salsa&utm_medium=email&tag=email_blast:76294&utm_campaign=AME4-FGLW:CUTEMISS-0420&utm_content=EM5:00C:0GH-OPA.

38] – Join Physicians for Human Rights for an exclusive briefing on the coronavirus moderated by PHR board vice-chair Dr. Deborah Ascheim and featuring Dr. Derek M. Griffith, Dr. Monica Peek, and Dr. Carol R. Horowitz. It will happen on Thurs., April 16 from 2 to 3 PM EDT, as health and health care experts lead a conversation exploring racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities and COVID-19 – and how working to eliminate disparities must be part of the response to the pandemic.  Griffith, PhD is founder and director of the Center for Research on Men’s Health and professor of Medicine, Health and Society at Vanderbilt University. Horowitz, MD, MPH is the founding dean for gender equity in science and medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Peek, MD, MPH is associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine, where she serves as director of research. Pre-registration for this call is required. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EKGGpAZbS12zheC3MIxxOg?utm_campaign=480889_FY20%20April%20COVID-19%20Webinar%205%2C%20Email%201&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Physicians%20for%20Human%20Rights&dm_i=4GV7,AB21,1TO2EP,12PVO,1.

39] – ON THURS., APRIL 16 FROM 3 to 4 PM, hear about The Middle East in an Era of Great Power Competition, hosted by the Middle East Institute.  The speakers are Barry Posen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Stephen M. Walt, Harvard University.  Email events@mei.edu or call 202-785-1141 ext. 202. Go to https://www.mei.edu/events/middle-east-era-great-power-competition-conversation-barry-posen-and-stephen-walt.

40] - On Thurs. April 16 at 3 PM EST, join the fight for the #Right2Connect! The power of the people is the essence of any Town Hall. Team #MediaJustice is gathering people to ensure that none of us must live through a pandemic without prison phone justice, Lifeline expansion and broadband access. Register at https://p2a.co/2gVOP6q. As the pandemic and failed government responses threaten to keep Indigenous, Black, brown, rural, low-income, and justice-involved communities disconnected when it’s more crucial than ever, taking back the Internet to demand the #Right2Connect for all is an act of resistance.

41] – On Thurs., April 16 from 5 to 8 PM, do Phone Banking for Bill, hosted by Friends of Bill Henry at 2801 Sisson St., Baltimore 21211-2902.  With a lot of voters in Baltimore City being renters, sometimes the only way a campaign can reach them is through phone calls. Please come out and make a few calls to voters to let them know why Bill Henry is the right choice for Comptroller.  You can sign up here at bit.ly/phonebankforbill. The phone banking will continue on April 21 and 23.   Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2645900688862464/?event_time_id=2645900745529125.

42] -- On Thurs., April 15 from 5 to 6 PM, check out Weekly Solar Hours, hosted by Neighborhood Sun.  Zoom in for a casual Q&A hangout and note community members can save money during this challenging time, and that's where community solar can help.  If you pay an electric bill, you can get a share of a local solar farm and have that clean energy delivered to your home or apartment, all at a cost that is lower than what the utility company charges for their standard electricity. If you're already a community solar customer, come with questions about your bill, your solar credits, or how to help spread the word. See https://www.facebook.com/events/867067973769565/?event_time_id=867067977102898.

43] – Attend a Marylanders United Virtual Organizing Meeting on Thurs., April 16 from 5:30 to 7 PM ET for a Zoom Conference. RSVP at https://zoom.us/j/969095333. Marylanders United is a COVID-19 action center, created to serve our communities and help you take action during this crisis. Check it out to view a comprehensive list of useful resources and learn about what you can do to volunteer: https://marylandersunited.org.

44] -- The Maryland Poor People's Campaign is hosting a Statewide Political Education Call on Thurs., April 16 at 7 PM. This calls on each 3rd Thursday.  Join By Video: https://zoom.us/j/4439876636. Join by Audio: 1-312-626-6799 PIN: 4439876636#.  The main topic of discussion will be the COVID-19 response.

45] – On Thurs., April 16 at 8 PM, be part of Pandemic, War, and Sanctions in a Divided Korea with Korea Peace Now! Hear from Kee Park, Harvard Medical School; and Ko You-kyoung, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and Korea Peace Now! Look at https://koreapeacenow.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pandemic_war_sanctions_webinar__KPNGN_.pdf.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, 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

No comments: