Baltimore Activist Alert – January 19 – 20, 2025

Baltimore Activist Alert – January 19 – 20, 2025

"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 Max Obuszewski, BNC, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Max 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] Need help in archiving activist material

4] Get the book A Bag of Stones

5] Get the book Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider’s View by Roy Bourgeois

6] Baltimore activist selling her home

7] Canvass for a working class champion – Jan. 19

8] MLK film showing – Jan. 19

9] Social Media Battle Ground – Jan. 19

10] Trump elected again? – Jan. 19

11] Block the Trump Agenda -- Jan. 19

12] Internationalism Working Group meeting -- Jan. 19

13] IfNotNow meeting -- Jan. 19

14] Vigil at the Pentagon – Jan. 20

15] MLK March cancelled – Jan. 20

16] We Fight Back – Jan. 20

17] MLK Day – Jan. 20

18] Election Protection – Jan. 20

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1] – Buttons, bumper stickers 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] –  Janice Sevre-Duszynska needs some assistance in archiving her activist material.  If you are interested in this project, contact Max at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.

4] – Barry Lee Burnside, a gaggle of great writers and copy editors are making available “A Bag of Snakes: Selected Writings on Prisons and the Death Penalty by Murphy Davis and Eduard Loring. Edited by Barry Lee Burnside.” Ed indicates the book will be available for sale on April 13, and is asking you to pre-order your copy. Your donation will provide a needed financial boost for the printing costs. The suggested donation is $20 for one copy; and $30 for your copy and an additional copy for a prisoner or someone in need. Any donation is appreciated. More or less you will receive the book.  Barry and the team have spent over two years putting this book together. It begins with outlines and notes found in the boxes of materials Murphy left when she ascended. The work is a work of love, and all involved are proud of the fruit borne by seeds nourished in good soil.

To order by postal mail, make your check to Open Door Community.  Send it to Open Door Community, PO Box 10980, Baltimore 21234.  For any questions, contact David Payne at 404-290-2047 or davidpayne@opendoorcommunity.org.

5] – Another book to consider purchasing is Male Supremacy in the Catholic Church: An Insider’s View by Roy Bourgeois. His new book is both memoir and position-paper, and it makes the case that the Roman Catholic Church is a corrupt system that spits out truth-tellers. The crime he was excommunicated for was attending the ordination ceremony of Janice Sevre-Duszynska in Lexington, Kentucky, in August 2008. The ordination was under the auspices of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.  The Vatican’s response has been to excommunicate any woman who has the audacity to see herself as a priest equal to a male priest. You can purchase a copy from Amazon or by Kindle.

Here are two quotes to contemplate: “I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men. She is to keep silent.” – Timothy 1, 2:12-13.  “If the patriarchy that dominates the church is not dismantled and women are not treated as equals, the church will continue to diminish and, eventually, die.” – Roy Bourgeois.

6] – A home in Baltimore is for sale on a dead-end street in the Lauraville neighborhood, with three bedrooms, and one bath. The yard backs into a field and then a forest. There is a serene and quiet setting with an abundance of wildlife. The owner will be asking a reasonable amount for the property but it will not be overpriced. Contact her by text only at 443 500 6733. On the text, leave your name and phone number, and she will get back to anyone that reaches out. 

7] – On Sun., Jan. 19 from 10 AM to 2 PM ET, canvass for the Chapter-endorsed candidate for the Prince George's County Council, Shayla Adams-Stafford, starting from the Landover Metro Station  (Orange Line) 3000 Pennsy Dr, Landover, MD 20785. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/1-19-canvass-for-shayla-adams-stafford?clear_id=true&link_id=7&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-194&email_referrer=email_2578150&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events

Shayla is the working class champion needed to represent District 5 on the Prince George's County Council. Shayla is a former Teacher's Union shop steward, has led the fight on the school board to replace cops with counselors, and fought developers to get strong project labor agreements on public school projects.

8] – Rachel Kutler [info@jufj.org] wants you to virtually join on Sun., Jan. 19 at 1 PM ET the 8th annual MLK day film screening. Join to learn about the MLK’s legacy on economic justice.  Jews United for Justice and the Synagogue Social Justice Roundtable– a collaborative of Baltimore synagogues and Jewish faith communities– are partnering to host the event at the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, 7401 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore 21208. This year's film is “At the River I Stand,” (1993) about the 1968 sanitation workers' strike that brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Poor Peoples' Campaign to Memphis, Tennessee, and explores the intersections between economic justice, workers' rights, and the Civil Right Movement. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Linnell Fall, Tri-Chair of the Maryland Poor People’s Campaign; Rev. Kevin Slayton, Campaign Manager at the MD Center on Economic Policy; and Courtney Jenkins, President of the Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO. Together, we’ll learn about King's enduring legacy on economic justice and how we can continue to carry out this legacy in current campaigns in Baltimore and Maryland.  RSVP athttps://jufj.org/event/mlk119/?emci=bd7ae236-7fcf-ef11-88d0-0022482a9d92&emdi=3bbded01-07d1-ef11-88d0-0022482a9d92&ceid=3403859

9] – Voices From the Holy Land [vfhlonlinefilmsalon@144271541.mailchimpapp.com] is inviting you to an online film salon on Sun., Jan. 19 at 3 PM ET The Social Media Battle Ground in a Time of War: Marketing the Occupation - Part Three. Israel and pro-Israel advocacy groups have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on social media messaging to build “Brand Israel” and sway U.S. public opinion. Such campaigns have influenced elections, inserted falsehoods into news cycles, and intimidated decision-makers into funding weapons for Israel. But there is resistance. For example, Wikipedia has deemed the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) “a generally unreliable source” on the war in Gaza. Students assert their First Amendment rights, protesting on campuses, advocating for boycotts, and sharing news directly from Gaza. What are the dimensions of this social media battle for the “hearts and minds" of the American public?

Register here for the Voices from the Holy Land Online Film Salon: Tinyurl.com/VFHL-January2025. Once you register, you will get a confirmation email from Zoom with a link to the meeting and a link with to watch the film.  Save this confirmation letter as the meeting link is unique to your email and you must have this to participate. Watch the film at your convenience before the event.  Then join with your thoughts and questions for the speakers at the Q&A Discussion.

10] – On Sun., Jan. 19 from 2 to 5:30 PM, join the Democratic Socialists of America and Movement Infrastructure Project for The Road Ahead: Organizing Through a Second Trump Term to talk more about what this moment means, to hear about long term organizing projects you can get involved with in DC or nationally, and to hang out with other leftists and socialists. Whether you’re interested in tenant organizing, in organizing your workplace, in protecting the right to bodily autonomy, or just meeting new people, there will be something for you!  RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/the-road-ahead-organizing-through-a-second-trump-term?clear_id=true&link_id=15&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-194&email_referrer=email_2578150&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events

11] – Alan Minsky for Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] on Sun., Jan. 19 at 4 PM ET wants you to attend the weekly Town Hall--Organizing to Block the Trump Agenda.  Organize to Stop the Fascists and Oligarchs with featured guests Erica Payne from the Patriotic Millionaires and Immigrant Rights Organizers Erika Andiola and Patti Serrano. RSVP at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tceuhrzsvHdymeeZRwb-i7X50FJa-HMR4#/registration

Donald Trump will be sworn in as President as the nation celebrates the life of the greatest activist/organizer in U.S. history, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Payne will indicate how the Patriotic Millionaires are organizing to thwart Trump's wishes to pass an even-more reactionary tax bill, and make unprecedented cuts to essential Federal agencies as well as social services. Andiola and Serrano will let all know how PDA and everyone can best join the nationwide movement, active in every community, to protect, defend and support America's vast immigrant working class, without whom this country wouldn't function.

12] – The MDC-DSA Internationalism Working Group is holding a virtual meeting on Sun., Jan. 19 at 7 PM ET.  Share updates on international solidarity work in the DMV. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/mdc-dsa-internationalism-working-group-monthly-meeting-january-2025?clear_id=true&link_id=28&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-194&email_referrer=email_2578150&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events

13] – On Sun., Jan. 19 from 7:30 to 9:30 PM ET, there will be an IfNotNow Baltimore Chapter meeting. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/746061/?followup_modal_context=nonexclusive_newsletter_closest

This event's address is private. Come together to process with community, organize, and take action. This is an in-person event in the Bolton Hill neighborhood, exact location will be sent upon RSVP.

14] – 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 Jan. 20, 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 begins at 8 AM.  No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. The restrooms are located inside Marriot Providence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

15] – Unfortunately, you will not be able to march on Mon., Jan. 20 with Medicare for All at the Baltimore City Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Parade.  Also you will not be able to march with Veterans for Peace.  Because of the Polar Vortex, the parade has been cancelled.  

16] – National DSA is gearing up to organize against the incoming Trump administration's extreme right, billionaire agenda! DSA will be there in the months and years ahead to say NO to genocide, deportations, union-busting, Trans bans, evictions & all the cruelties that may ramp up under Trump.  On Mon., Jan. 20 at 11 AM, get with the We Fight Back DC: DSA Contingent at Malcolm X Park, 16th St. NW & W St. NW, WDC 20009. Join DSA chapters across the country for the We Fight Back National Day of Action. RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/we-fight-back-dc-dsa-contingent?clear_id=true&link_id=17&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events-194&email_referrer=email_2578150&email_subject=nova-branch-dsa-upcoming-actions-and-events

17] – The New Gum Springs Civic Association presents the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Birthday Celebration on Mon., Jan. 20 from 3 to 4 PM ET at the Gum Springs Community, MLK Park, next to Gum Springs Community Center, 8100 Fordson Rd., Alexandria, VA 22306. The event begins with a gathering at Harvest Assembly Baptist Church, 8190 Fordson Road, Alexandria, VA 22306, followed by a two-block march to the entrance of MLK Park at the Gum Springs Community Center.  The ceremony will include a wreath laying, bell ringing, and hot cider for all to enjoy.

18] – Progressive Democrats of America [info@pdamerica.org] wants you to participate with the Green Grassroots Emergency Environment and Election Protection (GREEP) Zoom on Mon., Jan. 20 at 5 PM ET. Hear from leading activists, elected officials, and others committed to union organizing as well as cleaning up our elections and the environment, and other critically important issues. RSVP at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqfuygpjIiHtc20uIOxdeqYRiAicjSLWUc#/registration

To be continued

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, and 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