Calendar
Join our end of the year celebration! We will celebrate our 2017 victories and plan for our state level campaigns in the year ahead! Can’t wait to see you there.
San Francisco Arts Commission award-winning poet Tony Robles focuses on the Frisco Five’s hunger strike held in April and May 2016 in front of the Valencia Street cop shop, protesting police killings.
Robles also speaks of incarceration with a unique eye within the lens that is Frisco. The continuing displacement and neglect of elderly and low-income residents in the face of property development build another topic of concern, emerging from the poet’s great love of San Francisco and all its inhabitants.
Kim Shuck, the current Poet Laureate of the City, maintains that “Robles does the work on the streets and on the pages” while he “speaks of the city as a relative with a life-threatening illness: with love and anger.” Tony’s first book is Cool Don’t Live Here Anymore.
Jackie Ramos — Poetess. Actress. Educator. Urban Health Researcher. Truth Liberator. Born and raised in Frisco.
Equipto — Frisco Five Hunger Striker. A member of Bored Stiff, a hip hop group from San Francisco. He has collaborated with other artists such as Andre Nickatina, Berner. Just completed the “California Harvest Tour” of the Midwest and South.
Ben Bac Sierra — Author of Barrio Bushido, English Professor at City College of San Francisco and a Renaissance Homeboy whose poetry and community work honors Frisco.
Tiny — Tiny (aka Lisa Gray–Garcia) is a poverty scholar, revolutionary journalist, PO’ Poet, spoken word artist, welfareQUEEN, lecturer, mixed race mama of Tiburcio and daughter of Dee and the co–founder and executive director of POOR Magazine/PoorNewsNetwork.
SaicoXskitS are members of a Tagalog English rap group called KASAMAS. Currently working together as a duo on an album that talks about Filipino Immigrants and migrants story and linking it back home. Saico and Skits are also community organizers in the South of Market whose work focuses on youth and tenants.
Last July, Khizr Khan captivated the nation with his speech at the Democratic National Convention in which he criticized Donald Trump for his stance against immigrants and Muslims.
He spoke as the father of a Muslim US soldier killed in combat about what it means to dedicate your life to the promise of the American dream, inspiring a renewed patriotism and pride in the hearts of many Americans. His six-minute speech became a powerful cultural touchstone when he pulled a pocket-size copy of the Constitution out of his suit jacket and asked Donald Trump directly “Let me ask you: have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy.”
In his memoir, An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice, he tells the story of his family’s pursuit of the American dream and why—especially in these tumultuous times—we must not be afraid to step forward for what we believe in when it matters most. An American Family is an intensely personal story about the nature of true patriotism in which Khzir traces his remarkable journey from humble beginnings on a poultry farm in Pakistan, to obtaining a degree from Harvard Law School, and raising a family in America. He shows what it means to leave the limitations of one’s country behind for the best values and promises of another. He also tells the story of his middle child, US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was killed while protecting his base camp in Iraq, and the ways in which undying pride in their son and his sacrifice have helped him and his wife endure the deepest despair a parent can know.
CIIS Public Programs and GLIDE Center for Social Justice invite you to this important and inspiring discussion with Khizr Khan and May Elawar about what an American looks like, what being a nation of immigrants really means, and what it is to live, rather than simply to pay lip service to, our ideals.
We have a Buy One Get One Free Sale when you reserve two seats and two copies of Khizr Khan’s memoir to help make this event more accessible and encourage book sales. Sale ends Monday Dec 4th at 12PM.
Our weekly PARTY to get this hackerspace together, to provide a venue for those things that otherwise cannot be worked out through day-to-day practice.
Potluck! – bring your own tasty dish!
We were just informed that SFPD changed their townhall on the police killing of Keita O’Neill to 6:00 pm. (was formerly scheduled for 1 pm). Please join us at the townhall, instead of the vigil, to demand justice. Keita O’Neil was a young Black man who was shot and killed by #SFPD on December 1 after a police chase at Griffith St and Fitzgerald Ave.
He was unarmed.
We offer our deep sympathy to his family and loved ones.
We are still trying to reach out to both his family and to witnesses of the events leading to his death. If you have information, please contact APTP either by direct message to our Facebook page or by email to aptpinfo atgmail.com
In the opening scene of the film 9-year-old Lia Hegarty is on a surfboard splashing in the ocean. From the sun,sea and her gleeful little-girl calls as she catches a wave, the sound and images move to her bedroom, where she declares,”I am transgender. I was born male, and I identify female. But I like to say I’m a girl stuck in a boy’s body.”
In taking a look at transgender children, Filmmakers Miri Navasky and Karen O’Connor go deep inside the lives of these children, their families and friends, tracing their path toward gender identity. Told from the perspective of parents, doctors, and the kids themselves, the documentary takes a powerful look at this new generation, exploring the medical possibilities, struggles and choices transgender kids and their families face today. The film gives viewers a chance to observe not only how amazingly self aware the youngsters are, but also how easily accepted they appear to be by their young friends. The experiences of these real people provide a striking contrast with the media obsession with celebrity, abuse or bathrooms.
Chief among the decisions facing these families is whether to take “puberty blockers” that delay an individual’s maturation to give them more time before making more permanent decisions about hormone therapies, and then, whether to take hormone therapy.
“The triumph of Growing Up Trans is that it makes viewers feel the struggle, suffering and some of the victories for the children and their parents even as it provides a world of information on coming-of-age transgender.” – David Zuriwak, Baltimore Sun
The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion of transgender children and their parents.
Free; no need to RSVP.
http://diversityfilmseries.org
LEADING THE FIGHT FOR VOTING RIGHTS: JASON KANDER AT THE BERKELEY FORUM
After narrowly losing the 2016 U.S. Senate election, Jason Kander founded Let America Vote, a campaign dedicated to ending voter suppression and gerrymandering. Through online and grassroots organizing, an aggressive media strategy, and advertising, Let America Vote seeks to lead the way against policies and practices that it deems harmful to eligible voters and their right to cast a ballot. Join the Berkeley Forum on Thursday, December 7 for an urgent discussion about electoral politics, political activism, and the future of voting in America.
Admission
This event is open to the public. Entry to the event will be open to ticketholders and, space-permitting, a limited number of walk-ins. Ticketholders are encouraged to arrive early to maximize their chances of getting in. Having a ticket does not guarantee access to the event but does give the ticketholder priority over walk-ins until 6:50 p.m., at which point walk-ins and ticketholders will have equal access to remaining seats. Our standard event policies apply. What follows is an overview of the admissions timeline. It may be subject to revisions as the event approaches. Seating in the venue is first-come, first served.
6:00 p.m. Event Admission Opens for Ticket Holders
6:50 p.m. Event Admission No Longer Guaranteed for Ticket Holders
6:50 p.m. Admission Opens for Walk-Ins (Limited Seating)
6:55 p.m. Admission Closed (No Late Seating)
7:00 p.m. Event Begins
More details will be shared very soon here and on our Facebook page. We encourage that you “Like” our Facebook page, The Berkeley Forum, to keep up to date on Forum events.
Note on Tickets
Tickets are non-transferable. While you may purchase a ticket on someone’s behalf, their name must be listed on the ticket. All attendees will be asked to present a Valid ID at the venue that matches the name on the ticket.
All tickets sales are final. Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable.
To secure a seat for more than one person, simply fill out the form once again for each subsequent person with his or her information.
If you require an accommodation to fully participate in this event, please email accessibility@forum.berkeley.edu.
Film Screening, Followed by Moderated Discussion led by Dennis Bernstein of Flashpoints Radio, KPFA
Film synopsis: Israel’s ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territory and repeated invasions of Gaza have triggered a fierce backlash against Israeli policies virtually everywhere in the world — except the US. Narrated by Roger Waters and featuring leading observers, the film explores the U.S.-based public relations campaigns that emerged in the 1980s to today, to provide a sweeping analysis of Israel’s decades-long battle for the hearts, minds, and tax dollars of the American people in the face of widening international condemnation. The effects and reverberations of this are felt not only in right wing media, but also in ‘liberal’ educational institutions media as well.
“I wish every American would watch this powerful documentary. Not only every person of conscience, but every taxpayer, must see it — and then ask themselves if the status quo is acceptable and can continue deep into the 21st century.”
– Gideon Levy | Columnist for Haaretz
“One of the most compelling and important documentaries in recent years, because it helps us make sense of the lies, mayhem, and injustice in the heart of the Middle East: Palestine. Never has propaganda, or ‘public relations’, been such a lethal weapon as it is in the hands of Israel, its apologists, and manipulators. To reach behind the facade that is ‘news’, watch this film.”
– John Pilger | Journalist and filmmaker
Sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and Middle East Children’s Alliance.
Please share widely.
What is the California Solidarity Conference?
DECEMBER 9-10 | OAKLAND CONVENTION CENTER
Saturday 9AM-5:45PM | Sunday 10AM-5:30PM
The 2017 California Solidarity Conference is a resource for our movement.
This weekend-long “unconference” is an opportunity for movement organizers, legislative advocates, policy experts, and issue campaigners to build solidarity across issue areas and discuss how to lay the groundwork for long-term systemic change in California and beyond.
In the past year since the election, the progressive movement across the country has been engaged in all-out resistance – with California leading the charge. The Solidarity Conference is a chance for us to come together from across the state to share struggles, lessons, and victories so that we can move forward into 2018 united and ready to win.
This is an unconference – that means YOU set the agenda and choose how best to spend your time. We’ll come together every day for plenary sessions and panel discussions, and for the rest of the time you will choose from dozens of participant-led discussions and workshops – maybe you’ll lead one yourself!
Areas of Focus
- Stopping the Trump agenda and defending targeted communities
- Developing political power and organizing for long-term change
- Working towards a bold progressive vision of the future
You set the agenda
This is an unconference. That means that when you arrive on Saturday morning, only the first block of sessions will be filled in. Participants (that’s you!) will be able to submit sessions online before the event and also on-site once you arrive.
Once you submit your sessions, our volunteer team of dedicated agenda-makers* will work to ensure that the highest level of diversity, variety, and impact is represented in the schedule. If multiple people submit similar sessions, we might encourage you to work together!
There will always be multiple sessions happening at every session block, and the evolving agenda will be located in an easy-to-find public space for when you are looking for your next session.
Any sessions that don’t make it into the schedule on Saturday can be re-submitted on Sunday, and it’s common for Sunday sessions to grow out of conversations that happen on Saturday.
All you need to submit a session is:
- A title for your session
- A very brief description
- A list of session organizers (you and whoever is convening the session with you)
- What kind of session is it (workshop, discussion, etc)
The biggest rule of an unconference: If you aren’t learning or contributing, go somewhere else. You are encouraged to vote with your feet and switch sessions whenever you want!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Free admission for volunteers*
How do we approach the challenging conversations in our lives, whether its about confederate flags, Donald Trump, cultural appropriation, Palestine/Israel, or even just racism and racial justice in general?
This workshop is an opportunity to dive in much deeper with structured time to practice a range of difficult conversations around highly-charged racial issues. We will be sharing some basic skill-building tools in how to approach conversations, and then explore scenarios relevant to the lives of participants. This will include examination of some of the ways that internalized sexism can impact our courageous speaking capacities.
Small group work, role-plays, and Theater of the Oppressed techniques will support seeing tough communication blocks in a new light. Well try out what feels challenging, in a relatively low-stakes and supportive environment, allowing ourselves time to debrief, reflect, and learn from each other.
ACCESS NEEDS: This event is wheelchair accessible. We ask that guests do their best to be as scent free as possible. Please refer to this resource from the EastBay Meditation Center for more information on what that means: https://
From the sparkling zine community of The Bay Area, the 8th Annual East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest (EBABZ) invites you to immerse yourself within a ballroom of zine mania! EBABZ will feature over 60 vendors selling zines, comics, books, art, and workshops led by local artists and zinesters.
The East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest is an all-volunteer run and not-for-profit event dedicated to supporting, promoting, and educating the public about the zine, self-publishing, and DIY community of the Bay Area.
Grab some tasty tacos from Chef Antonio Ramos, hang with us in the beautiful Cala Restaurant (which generally employs ~50% ex-incarcerated folks), and help fund our work to support California prisoner’s efforts to self-organize and fight back against the carceral state!
Tacos:
Duck ‘Carnitas’
Carne Asada
King-Trumpet Mushroom
Pumpkin Garlic
With choice of:
Salsa Verde
Salsa San Marzano
Pickled veggies
Add-ons:
Slow Poached Egg
Drinks:
Horchata (optionally boozy)
Persimmon agua fresca (optionally boozy)
Incarcerated Worker’s Organizing Committee is an organization which provides material support to inmates in California Prisons who are organizing together to end incarceration. We believe human beings don’t belong in cages.
IWOC is an all-volunteer organization, all proceed go toward covering costs associated with corresponding with inmates and providing material support.
Stop unfair evictions! Join us (the Democratic Socialists of America, San Francisco office) to join the movement and pick up your petition!
Tenants and activists are gathering signatures to put No Eviction without Representation on the San Francisco ballot for June 5, 2018!
This historic measure would make SF the first city in California, and the second in the nation, to provide a right to counsel to tenants facing eviction. We’re amped about the impact this will have for renters in SF, but we are gathering 17 thousand signatures to make sure we get on the ballot! If you want to help fight evictions in SF, join us!
Eviction is one of the main indicators of homelessness in our city, and responsible for the mass displacement of many of our neighbors and most vulnerable communities. No one should have to give up their home because they can’t afford a lawyer. Time to stomp out unfair evictions in San Francisco!
Please come at 11 for the festivities, but note that a staff person will be there until 4.
Check out www.SFRightToCounsel.com for the full initiative text
Call/text (415) 504-0666
write jencsnyder@gmail.com for more volunteer opportunities!
Join us December 9th for the last community clinic in 2017!!! @ Grow Incubator for our Monthly (every second Saturday) Community Clinic.
NEW WINTER TIME: 12 Noon- 5PM
Enjoy a free hot meal and a wide array of healing modalities,
No-one-turned-away-for-lac
Massage Therapy is always happening.
Energy work.
Cranialsacral.
Herbalist consults and remedies.
Doula and Birth-workers
More services TBA.
4 PM- Narcan Rescue kit and harm reduction training
Excited to announce @EmergeVirginia alum & VA Delegate-elect @pwcDanica Roem will keynote @EmergeCA's Class of 2018 Kickoff on 12/9! Connect the Democratic wave from VA to Cali and buy your tickets: https://t.co/7yk0fyxsmt pic.twitter.com/jpVLbnYpLj
— Sandra Fluke (@SandraFluke) November 23, 2017
In Memory of Lori Nairne, Bay Area Activist & Haiti Supporter.
Monthly interfaith prayer meeting, held on second Sundays, dedicated to survivors and victims of violence and police terror in Oakland.
“Remember the saying: ‘Of all pilgrimages the greatest is to relieve the sorrow-laden heart.'” ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
The Baha’i community of Oakland is organizing this gathering for the community to connect, share prayers, writings and poems from all spiritual traditions, reflect and recharge and build coalitions interested in healing.
Come share prayers, quotes, poems, and favorite passages from your scriptures with us. Simple breakfast will be served.
“Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” ~ Bahá’u’lláh
Dear Greens and Supporters,
Celebrate the Holiday Season with old friends and new. We’ll have good fun, yummy food, drink, and open dialogue at the 2017 Annual Potluck Holiday Party
Bring your choice of food or drink for the potluck table to share.
(There will be no regular Green Sunday program or Green County Council meeting in December. We’ll party instead! The next regular Green Sunday program will be the second Sundayin January, 2018 (followed as usual by the County Council meeting). All members are welcome to participate).
On December 10, the Nobel Committee will present the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. Nuclear disarmament advocates around the world will be celebrating. Please join Western States Legal Foundation to celebrate the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize and our 35th anniversary! Learn about the direct line from the 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco to the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty!
The Nobel Committee awarded the 1982 Peace Prize to Alfonso García Robles of Mexico and Alva Myrdal of Sweden for their years of work in United Nations’ disarmament forums. Ambassador Garcia Robles was the driving force in negotiating the1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco, the first nuclear weapon free zone in a populated region.
The Nobel Committee awarded the 2017 Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.
Western States Legal Foundation was founded in 1982 and has been working for a nuclear free world ever since.
Wine and light refreshments will be provided. Donations are welcome but not required. RSVP’s appreciated: