Calendar
Join us to hear more about our work to #FreeThemAll! Whether you’ve been following our work for a while or are new to what abolition is, this is a great opportunity to learn the why we’ve been organizing to decriminalize survival, how we plan to continue, and how you can participate.
Our evening will include a screening of the TEDTalk featuring Ny Nourn, a survivor who spent 17 years in prison, was put into deportation proceedings upon her release and then freed after community mobilized on her behalf. Afterwards, stay for a panel with Ny and Aminah, two powerful formerly incarcerated survivors and organizers discussing the importance of fighting for decriminalization for survivors.
There will be some light refreshments. Venue is not scent free, and we ask for attendees to come low-scent/scent-free if possible. There are no steps required to enter the space.
Many thanks to Red Bay Coffee for hosting us. Red Bay Coffee is a black-owned, community-minded coffee shop in Fruitvale. Do come back to try their coffee, and pop up brunch on the weekends!
Indigenous Women Inspire the World! – A panel of women that attended the Zapatistas’ 1st International Gathering of Women That Struggle will present video footage from the Gathering, share their experiences, answer questions and encourage discussion about that amazing event, which some 7,000 women attended!Facebook:
Get ready for the Richmond People’s Assembly! The 2018 Richmond People’s Assembly aims to bring a voice to the community, gather neighborhoods together to organize for collective power, and empower residents to engage in political activities that create the change and solutions we need. It’s inspired by the Richmond People’s Convention of 2004, organized by Richmond Progressive Alliance, Just Cause Richmond, ACORN, and others, which drew over 300 people,
The Assembly is sponsored by the Richmond Our Power Coalition, a collection of local community organizations including the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Communities for a Better Environment, and Urban Tilth.
In the weeks leading up to the Assembly, coalition canvassers will go door to door to listen to and take inventory of community members’ needs. Please save the date!
More information on Facebook.
The Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival is an all day, free neighborhood festival that celebrates jazz, America’s classical music and the Black musical tradition that has transcended the U.S. to reach all corners of the globe, and the legacy of Malcolm X, who believed in the self-determination, self-respect and self-defense of Black and oppressed people throughout the world. This event is a celebration of our Third World communities in the San Antonio district and includes music, speakers, community organizations, local arts & crafts vendors, live mural painting and delicious food.
The 19th Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival is May 19th, the actual date of Malcolm’s birthday 🎉🎈
We invite you to support our programs, including the Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival, aimed at strengthening a social justice agenda that advances the vision and voice of the communities we serve. As Malcolm said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
https://www.eastsideartsalliance.org/contact
In California, the face of climate change is fire. So many of us were impacted by the Northern and Southern California wildfires. Now, we’re holding a rally to make the N95 Particulate Respirator Mask into a powerful symbol of climate change. The mask is uncomfortable, it changes the wearer’s face, and more than anything it means that the air surrounding the wearer is no longer safe to breathe.
The megafires California is facing are the result of climate change. Shorter, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers turn formerly healthy forests into kindling. We need to look this problem in the eye and talk about what it means to maintain healthy forests in the face of an unpredictable climate.
Join San Francisco’s first fully masked rally, in Japan Town’s Peace Plaza. Dance, learn from climate scientists, listen to the words of poets, make yourself heard, and wear your mask!
Masks will be provided at the event.
Robert Parry was instrumental in exposing the truth about the Nicaraguan Contras, the Cocaine shipments into the US and Ronald Reagan’s “October Surprise”. For breaking these stories, instead of winning a Pulitzer Prize, he was slowly but surely pushed OUT of mainstream media.
Parry then founded Consortiumnews which continues today as one of the best sources of analysis about international events.
Guest speakers at the event will include:
* Sam Parry, son of Robert
* Joe Lauria, new editor of Consortiumnews
* Natylie Baldwin, contributor to Consortiumnews
* Dennis Bernstein, KPFA Flashpoints
* Norman Solomon, co-author with Robert Parry
* Ann Wright (by video), contributor to Consortiumnews
This event will honor the great journalist Robert Parry and discuss the importance of Consortiumnews going forward.
Tickets are available at the door or in advance via brownpapertickets.com
Sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Committee.
Panel Description:“Recent school shootings and the ever-recurring instances of police brutality pose acutely the question of gun control today. Should the Left take up the demand for gun control, and if so, how? If not, why not? How is gun control related to the struggle for socialism?”
Panelists:
Gloria La Riva (Party of Socialism & Liberation)
Urzula Wislanka (News & Letters Committees)
K. Khan (International Marxist Tendency)
There’s more to history than you might think!
In two films, Prime Suspects: Who Killed Martin Luther King Jr.? (Court TV, 2000, 37 min.) and Truth At Last: The Assassination of Martin Luther King (James Corbett, 2018, 51 min.), the official story of the murder is convincingly disproved – James Earl Ray did not kill King – through the decades-long work of William F. Pepper, attorney, investigator, and author, an influential friend of Martin King in the last year of his life, and attorney for the King family. Pepper, in his third and final book on King’s 1968 murder, The Plot to Kill King (2017), revealed the disturbing truth with startling and explosive conclusions largely ignored by the media.
A discussion will follow the screening of the films.
Presented by the Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance co-sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Committee sf911truth.org
Join the Albany Democratic Club for this cautionary tale: And Then They Came For Us (2017), about the fragility of our Democracy during times of crisis. Knowing our history is the first step to ensuring we do not repeat it!
Featuring George Takei and many others who were incar- cerated, and photographs by Dorothea Lange.
Directed by the Peabody Award winners, Abby Ginzberg (Albany resident) and Ken Schneider.
Former Albany Mayor and icon, Jewel Okawachi and her family will be honored during the program.
Includes informal brunch reception
Panel members:
Rev. Deborah Lee: http://
Satsuki Ina: https://
Abby Ginzberg: http://
Trailer: http://vimeo.com/210002629
Event proceeds will be used to promote civic engagement and mobilize voters for 2018!
Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library
Kurds in the Eye of the Storm
The Kurdish people — divided among Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran — have found themselves on the frontlines of the fight against ISIS in the aftermath of still more intense wars that had raged around them in all four countries for decades. While being battered by the storm, emerging out of its eye are some pioneering social experiments and some surprising alliances.
Sharat G. Lin, who has visited all of these countries, is a political economist, expert on labor migration, and the Middle East. He is a research fellow and past president at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center, and on the Board of Advisors of the Initiative for Equality (IfE).
Seating is limited, so plan to come early. We start promptly.
FREE – but hat will be passed for donations to NPML
About Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library
A weekly discussion series inspired by our respect for the work of Karl Marx and our belief that his work will remain as important for the class struggles of the future as they have been for the past.
For our full schedule, go to icssmarx.org
Labor donated by ICSS volunteers
Are you excited about housing justice, connecting with neighbors, and building real people-power in West Oakland? Bring a dish or non-alcoholic beverage or just your lovely selves, and of course be sure to bring your ideas for future directions for organizing for housing justice, Medicare for All, and other DSA projects in West Oakland!
Accessibility: The park is wheelchair-accessible.
May 21st is the last day to register to vote for the June 5th primary election in California! Please join us for a special rally to share information and resources! Learn about Proposed New Laws that will affect you! Get information on Education and Employment, meet local Employers. Come together as a Community!!
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights | www.ellabakercenter.org | 510.428.3939
REGISTER TO VOTE! MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!
May 21st is the LAST DAY TO REGISTER to vote for the June 5th primary election in California! Please join us for a special rally to share information and resources!
> Register to vote THAT DAY – We will help!
> Learn about Proposed New Laws that will AFFECT YOU!
> Get information on Education and Employment
> Meet local Employers
> Come together as a Community!!
SPONSORED BY:
Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS)
Californians for Safety and Justic
ACLU
League of Women Voters
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform
Root & Rebound
All Of Us Or None Of Us
Community & Youth Outreach
Legal Services for Prisoners With Children
Berkeley Women Organized for Political Action
LINKING SYSTEMIC RACISM AND POVERTY: Voting Rights, Immigration, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and the Mistreatment of Indigenous Communities
This is the second of six weeks of nonviolent moral fusion direct action across the country to show our elected leaders we will no longer allow attention violence to keep poor and disenfranchised people down.
Join us at the Capitol in Sacramento, CA at 2:00 p.m. for a Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival rally and demonstration. The second week’s theme is “LINKING SYSTEMIC RACISM AND POVERTY: Voting Rights, Immigration, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and the Mistreatment of Indigenous Communities.”
If you are interested in engaging in nonviolent direct action as part of the demonstration, you must attend a pre-training at 9am at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1300 N St, Sacramento 95814.
You do NOT have to risk arrest to attend this event.
PLEASE RSVP AT THIS LINK TO RECEIVE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE DAYS PLANS: http://bit.ly/PPCweek2
Film: Evolution of Organic by Mark Kitchell
(get tickets in advance or be put on guest list!)
The San Francisco showing of Mark’s new film: Evolution of Organic will be at the Roxie this coming Monday, May 21st from 6 pm-9 pm. Rainbow Grocery is sponsoring the event. Appearing will be Bu Nygrens of Veritable Vegetable, Kim Kaput of Rainbow Grocery, and John Wick of the Marin Carbon Project. We recommend buying tickets in advance at ticketing.us.veezi.com or just go to the Roxie website.
From filmmaker Mark Kitchell (Berkeley in the Sixties, A Fierce Green Fire) comes a new film: Evolution of Organic. It’s the story of organic agriculture, told by those who built the movement. A motley crew of back-to-the-landers, spiritual seekers and farmers’ sons and daughters reject chemical farming and set out to explore organic alternatives. It’s a heartfelt journey of change, from a small band of rebels to a cultural transformation in the way we grow and eat food. By now organic has gone mainstream, split into an industry oriented toward bringing organic to all people and a movement that has realized a vision of sustainable agriculture. It’s the most popular and successful outgrowth of the environmental impulse of the last fifty years.
If you would like to be on the Guest List as OccupySF, let me (ruthiesakheim@gmail.com) know and I’ll put your name on it.
Wilder than Wild is an hour-long documentary film about wildfires and climate change. This Bay Area premiere will be followed by a panel and Q&A with Berkeley City Councilmember Kate Harrison, UC Berkeley fire scientist Scott Stephens, Berkeley firefighter Mike Shuken, and filmmakers Kevin White and Stephen Most.
Registration required.
For more information and to register, visit their website.
Join APEN, CEJA, Idle No More SF Bay, Jobs With Justice, North Bay Organizing Project, PODER, SEIU 1021, 350.org and over 50 other organizations at a meeting on May 22. We are organizing to plan a bold, visionary action during Jerry Brown’s “Global Climate Action Summit.” We demand real climate leadership that protects vulnerable communities, workers, and future generations: keep fossil fuels in the ground; develop a just, equitable, resilient 100% renewable energy economy that rapidly expands economic opportunity; create family sustaining jobs: Rise for Climate Jobs & Justice March on Saturday September 8th.
The whole world is coming to San Francisco for the Global Climate Summit from Sep 12-14.
Climate disruption is impacting all of our communities from jobs to justice and everything in between. And we want you, your organizations, friends, and family to rise up with the world on September 8th to demand real solutions.
You are invited to come to a meeting to build the movement leading up to the largest march for climate jobs & justice on the West Coast. There’s lots to do and your talents and gifts are welcomed!
Join your sisters and brothers as we look forward to creating a world of equity, justice, and a sustainable and safe future for the next seven generations to come. It’s up to us.
Please join Amnesty International SF Group 30 &
The Department of International & Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco
For an evening of discussion and short films about Shawkan, photojournalism, jailed journalists, and issues of press freedom.
Featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Kim Komenich in conversation with award-winning Egyptian photojournalist and filmmaker Khaled Sayed.
With a special selection of Shawkan’s photographs exhibited.
Background: Egyptian photojournalist Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as “Shawkan” was recently honored with the prestigious 2018 UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on World Press Freedom Day. Shawkan is detained in Egypt’s Tora Prison Complex, where he has been held arbitrarily for nearly five years—just for working as a photojournalist. Egyptian prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Shawkan.
Photography is not a crime. Journalism is not a crime. Come partake in photography and writing actions on behalf of Shawkan and other jailed journalists.
- Panelists: After introducing themselves, panelists will be asked to answer a series of three questions:
- 1) What are the struggles of people who are homelessness in Berkeley?
- 2) What are immediate things that can be done by the Community and the City to address the needs of people who are homeless?
- 3) What are some long-term actions that can make a difference?
- 4) What are the challenges and obstacles?
- Big Mama, First They Came for the Homeless Encampment
- Mike Zint, First They Came for the Homeless – confirmed
- Representative, Youth Spirit Art Works – confirmed
- Nick Houston, East Oakland Collective – confirmed
- Tiny, Poor Magazine, Oakland – confirmed
- Respondents:
- Paul Kealoha-Blake, Mental Health Commissioner, City of Berkeley
- Osha Neumann, East Bay Community Law Center
- Boona Cheema, founder of BOSS & Mental Health Commissioner, City of Berkeley – confirmed
- Representative, Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center -confirmed
hey oakland folks, we're going to be filming an open discussion and workshop on copwatching at OGP on Friday at 10am – 12pm
its been a long while since @WeCopwatch has operated in the Bay. even longer since i participated in the project. Breakfast (Bagels and coffee?) on us.
— Harun ⚑☪⚑ (@ArsalaiH) May 24, 2018
This fundraiser is a traveling art show raising money to fund the Asylum Seekers: Moria documentary while spreading awareness of the inhumanity surrounding the refugee crisis in Europe. This show will feature artists from all over the world with work focussed around asylum seekers. Pieces of the documentary will be played with Q&A following by the documentarians Anne Di Grazia and Irene Hollebrandse who recently got back to the US after shooting the documentary in one of the worst refugee camps in Greece: Moria. Each art work will be part of a rolling auction sold to the highest bidder at the end of the show tour.
Come look at art, watch some of the documentary and learn about the experience from the filmmakers.
Entrance fee: $10,-