Sunday, April 4, 2021

Baltimore Activist Alert -- April 5 - 6, 2021

20] Festival of Hope -- April 5

21] Get Money Out – Maryland – April 5

22] Care Corner Food Pantry April 6

23] Towards a Better China Strategy – April 6

24] Rights Claiming in South Korea April 6

25] Palestinian Elections – April 6

26] U.S. Failed Black Mauritanians Seeking Asylum – April 6

27] Weaponizing Anti-Semitism – April 6

28] Conversation with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm —April 6

29] Workshop on protecting and guaranteeing voting rights April 6

30] Protest JHU’s weapons research – April 6

31] Progressive Except for Palestine – April 6

32] Montgomery County Watch Party – April 6

33] Animal Bereavement Support Group – April 6

34] Take Action Tuesday April 6

35] Comments on Syria April 6

36] April Volunteer Call – April 6

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20] – The Third Anniversary Festival of Hope will happen on Mon., April 5 at 7 PM ET followed by Mark Colville's sentencing on Fri., April 9 at 10 AM ET.  Go to the Zoom Festival of Hope on Monday evening, as a webinar on the CODEPINK Platform and also livestreamed on the Kings Bay Plowshares Facebook page and CODEPINK's YouTube channel. For the Zoom event use this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86326440605. For the KBP Facebook use https://www.facebook.com/Kingsbayplowshares/. For the CODEPINK YouTube go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSTEGsYwuvPpwjtIufg7gzA.  You could also register ahead of time for the zoom and get a reminder (but not a guaranteed spot) at the CODEPINK event page: https://www.codepink.org/kingsbay_040521.

  The theme of the Festival will be "What gives us hope" three years after the courageous, prophetic action of the seven activists for which they have or are now paying a high price with prison terms. Stephen Kobasa will be the moderator. Reflections will be offered by supporters Kathy Kelly, Jessica Stewart, Robert Randall, Luz Catarineau Colville and Matt Daloisio. There will also be reports from Teresa Grady on the Beyond Trident campaign in Georgia, Ken Jones from Reject Raytheon in North Carolina, Jackie Allen on Resist Trident in Connecticut and Leonard Eiger from Ground Zero in Washington State. Music will be provided by Bud Courtney and Anthony Donovan of the NYC Filthy Rotten System and Bobcat Carruthers of New Haven. Mark Colville will speak and receive a blessing before sentencing from Liz McAlister.

21] – There is a Get Money Out - Maryland BOARD MEETING on Mon., April 5 at 7:30 PM.  There is two ways to join the conference: 1) dial 1 301 715 8592 with a meeting ID: 931 3066 2622. The password is 173976 and 2} click on your device if you have downloaded the app from Zoom.  This is a GMOM Board strategy session. Observers are welcome. Visit https://www.getmoneyoutmd.org/.

22] – On Tues., April 6 from 9:30 to 11:30 AM ET, get over to the Care Corner Food Pantry at the Pasadena United Methodist Church, 61 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. This will continue each Tuesday through June 29.  Food bags are available for individuals and families in need. Food bags are first-come, first-served each week.  Volunteers are needed each week to help distribute the food. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c49acae2b0-care. All COVID safety measures are followed, including outdoor distribution, mask-wearing and social distancing. 

23] – Tune in Towards a Better China Strategy on Tues., April 6 from 9:30 to 10:15 AM ET.  The event will be webcast live at https://www.csis.org/events/towards-better-china-strategy. Please join Jude Blanchette, the Freeman Chair in China Studies, for an in-depth conversation on the future of the U.S.-China relationship with Ryan Hass, senior fellow and the Michael H. Armacost Chair in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, and the author of the new book, "Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence."  The event is sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).  

24] – The GW Institute for Korean Studies and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies present a Book Talk & Panel Discussion: Rights Claiming in South Korea on Tues., April 6 from 10 AM to noon (ET).  In this webinar, co-editors Celeste Arrington and Patricia Goedde will introduce their new book Rights Claiming in South Korea (published by Cambridge University Press) with fellow chapter contributor Erin Chung (Johns Hopkins University). Sociologists Paul Chang (Harvard) and Hae Yeon Choo (University of Toronto) will discuss the edited volume's findings and contributions to our understanding of rights-based activism in contemporary South Korea.  People in South Korea have defined and articulated diverse grievances as rights violations and engaged in claims-making to remedy them. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-talk-panel-discussion-rights-claiming-in-south-korea-tickets-136421312819.

25] –On Tues., April 6 at noon ET, join AFSC for a webinar "What you need to know about Palestinian Elections." The event will feature Ines Abdel Razek, Soheir Ass'ad, and Salem Barahameh and will be facilitated by AFSC’s Jehad Abusalim. If all goes according to schedule, Palestinians will have the opportunity to vote for the first time in 15 years this year. The Palestinian Legislative Council is to be elected in May, the President of the Palestinian Authority in July, and the Palestinian National Council of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in August. Significantly, most Palestinian political factions have agreed to participate in these elections -- and the results could lead to significant political changes in Palestine.  Sign up at https://www.afsc.org/action/what-you-need-to-know-about-palestinian-elections?utm_source=weekendreading040321&=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekendreading&contactdata=5v1bjoBV4DkJPN%2fppsvvdP2F7YkmK8xvGoy8U8i4q5MkUeAB%2b4NHg45omwzGYOwGqpV3Iya21qQT5pty03ij%2fU4ghgUn%2fyVeZ%2bNjwNZU5Q6ih466KcDuAVdb3RXYS6BI8mIVLmOuUL2IhHBABch8hWci%2bJA%2f0Ijgk7mramBGSULxjsMNk3erG%2f%2biB%2fEWiP%2btSRnEyC%2fA5KXbqdHI008Vj7sgzlFEpPC0d4kfT9C6XSLjrFsTGnuGZ4y6o6U7%2bg6Wr%2bNb09PkzkexPeVuKy0u6Q%3d%3d&ms=EMA21WR0403&emci=8bbb9846-c593-eb11-85aa-0050f237abef&emdi=6158df52-7894-eb11-85aa-0050f237abef&ceid=764241.

26] – How the U.S. Failed Black Mauritanians Seeking Asylum will happen on Tues., April 6 at noon ET.  Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJclc-iopzIuH9wyNDGnLXCGJ_TQxZU5ELV9. Learn how the U.S. humanitarian protection system has failed Black Mauritanians and what must be done so people can move forward and heal. Hear from Black Mauritanians who have been through the U.S. asylum process, a human rights lawyer, an immigration attorney, and other experts.

27] – Hear about Weaponizing Anti-Semitism: IHRA and the End of the Palestine Exception on Tues., April 6 from noon to 1 PM.  Register to join on Zoom at https://bit.ly/noihraevent or at Facebook Live: https://facebook.com/usacbiJoin the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel for an informative webinar on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) “working definition” of anti-Semitism and its use by pro-Israeli apartheid organizations to attempt to silence Palestinian and Palestine solidarity organizing on university campuses and in the community. Discuss the implications of the weaponization of anti-Semitism with a distinguished panel of lawyers, academics and activists including CORNEL WEST and RICHARD FALK.  See ttp://masspeaceaction.org/event/weaponizing-anti-semitism-ihra-and-the-end-of-the-palestine-exception/?emci=8d36e87a-8c90-eb11-85aa-00155d43c992&emdi=2c6cb554-a590-eb11-85aa-00155d43c992&ceid=269591.

28] – The League of Conservation Voters [feedback@lcv.org] will host a  conversation with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on Tues., April 6 from 2:30 to 3:30 PM ET. RSVP to join Granholm and LCV board member and former U.S. Representative Donna Edwards for a conversation on clean energy and its role in a transformative economic recovery: https://lcv.swoogo.com/insiderbriefing/begin?reg_type_id=158661.  Our new Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm is a force of nature. As the governor of Michigan, she led the state out of the last recession by investing in clean energy, strengthening the auto industry, and supporting manufacturing. And now as she leads the Department of Energy, she'll work to deliver a 100% clean energy economy.

29] – There is another virtual event on Tues., April 6 from 3 to 4 PM EDT. Join the CEEP Network for this digital workshop on protecting and guaranteeing voting rights. The panelists will discuss federal legislation under consideration that would restore elements of the 1965 Voting Rights Act struck down by the judiciary. Proposed legislation would also create a baseline standard for voting access across the country. Sign up at https://www.mobilize.us/dfadcoalition/event/381894/.

30] – There is a Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 PM. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.  You may consider contacting President Ron Daniels and telling him that the university should reject all military contracts, including those for killer drone and nuclear weapons research.  The president’s mailing address is Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  You can also reach his office by Phone: (410) 516-8068, Fax: (410) 516-6097 or email: president@jhu.edu.

31] – Tallie Ben Daniel [info@jewishvoiceforpeace.org] is asking you to mark Tues., April 6 at 5 PM ET as an opportunity to hear Mitchell Plitnick and Marc Lamont Hill for a discussion of their book, “Except for Palestine: the Limits of Progressive Politics.” Register at https://act.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/a/2021-04-plitnick-hill-panel?emci=bae87e26-a291-eb11-85aa-00155d43c992&emdi=486a6ad2-a991-eb11-85aa-00155d43c992&ceid=237778. Taking part in the conversation will Dr. Samia Shoman, an educator with Palestinian roots who has dedicated her career to promoting racial and social justice, and Sandra Tamari, Executive Director of Adalah Justice Project, a Palestinian advocacy organization. Our guests will discuss the book as well as the current role of Palestinian justice within the progressive movement.

32] – Get over to a Montgomery County Defund/Invest Watch Party, as part of a Budget Hearing on Tues., April 6 from 6 to 9 PM ET. Join the Montgomery County Defund Policing & Invest in Communities Coalition and watch the first evening hearing about the proposed budget for the coming year.  During the virtual public hearing, Montgomery County residents will testify with their reflections on the County Executive's proposed budget. And members of the MC Defund/Invest Coalition will be testifying about our coalition's budget demands. The watch party will begin at 6 PM with a relational activity and background information about the coalition's budget demands (with plenty of stretch breaks throughout). The public hearing will begin at 7 PM and will be streamed via Zoom at which point attendees will be invited to participate in the watch party via chat. Get involved at https://jufj.org/event/mc-budget-fy22/?contactdata=vldarrdrYPvlYbGweTmDPMBRo4hkZVAVuKASx%2ff68fSW02xjZrpbz6qVHJzzav2AXIARtzORa43S26LhOppq9w%3d%3d&emci=28b452ac-e28b-eb11-85aa-00155d43c992&emdi=a52aacfd-098c-eb11-85aa-00155d43c992&ceid=3403859.

33] – On Tues., April 6 from 7 to 8:30 PM ET, get with the Animal Bereavement Support Group at the Baltimore Humane Society, 1601 Nicodemus Road, Reisterstown 21136. This will continue each Tuesday, through August 3. See https://www.facebook.com/BMOREHUMANE/.  The loss of an animal can be a devastating blow. Our friends are often loved as a member of our family, and we believe their passing should be treated with the same respect. RSVP to vvanhof@bmorehumane.org. 

34] – The Women’s March Organizing Team [info@womensmarch.com] has created Take Action Tuesdays from 7 to 8 PM ET— a weekly, virtual gathering of women focused on harnessing grassroots organizing power and fighting for meaningful progress in the post-Trump era. This will be a virtual space to share stories and experiences and take meaningful action around key women's issues in the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris Administration. For Tues., April 6, RSVP at bit.ly/takeacttue. 

35] – Massachusetts Peace Action [info@masspeaceaction.org] is inviting to the webinar 10 Years After: Comments on Syria, with Professor Joshua Landis on Tues., April 6 from 7 to 8 PM ET.  As the Arab Spring spread to Syria, what began as a movement for greater democracy quickly devolved into a brutal sectarian civil war. The fighting attracted intervention from regional and global powers including the US, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. A flood of foreign weapons, airstrikes, and brutal economic sanctions have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. With no apparent military solution, a political compromise has proved elusive as well. Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUrfu-ppjkqHNHF807pKTi0RdHgW-kuylHX?emci=ea0f30a2-c793-eb11-85aa-0050f237abef&emdi=f23ec9fa-cd93-eb11-85aa-0050f237abef&ceid=269591.

36] – Greenpeace [info@greenpeaceusa.org] wants you to get involved on Tues., April 6 at 8:30 PM with a Volunteer Call as April is a month of climate action.  Sign up at https://greenpeace.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIodu-trz4tHdUpupWDMXaSaNRADEkKL6TI?emci=3fb347da-7891-eb11-85aa-00155d43c992&emdi=b1ac31d5-7d91-eb11-85aa-00155d43c992&ceid=1705696.

 President Biden is slated to host an Earth Day climate summit to discuss climate action. Soon after, he will reach the end of his first 100 days in office. The first year of a president’s administration is crucial for making change — especially the first 100 days — and this month is where we’ll see Biden’s first large public climate plan. This could be one of our best chances to see real climate action — so we need to ramp up the pressure on President Biden.  Join hundreds of Greenpeace volunteers and supporters at the April Volunteer Call to learn how you can make an impact.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  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  

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