Calendar

Sun, Jun 16, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Cuba”s Democracy
Constitutional Referendum and grassroots political processes.
Cuba is always described as a “dictatorship” by the mainstream media and the U.S. government, thus providing a pretext for the economic blockade and talk about regime change. But Sharat G. Lin found a remarkable democratic process in the recent Constitutional Referendum in Cuba and months of nationwide discussions involving millions of voters. (Awaiting confirmation)

Sun, Jun 30, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Fascism What It Is and How To Fight It
“Fascism: What It Is and How To Fight It” – a two part talk including a historical overview of the events leading up to the rise of fascism in Europe leading up to WWII, and a political analysis of the failures of the communist movement at the time in preventing it. This all in light of the current rise of white supremacy and fascist movements in the U.S., Europe and Latin America and the lack of a united left movement to fight it. Supplemental handouts will be available, including a timeline. Presented by Peoples Alliance members Bill Bowers and Tova Fry (both former WWP) : Bill leading with the historical overview and TovaFry following with the political analysis, largely based on Trotsky’s work of the same name.

Sun, Jul 7, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Reading Capital
This is part of a continuing discussion of Capital, reading, paragraph by paragraph from the Penguin edition (1967). We’ve finished Chapter One (after one year) and are now working our way through Chapter 2: The Process of Exchange, p. 178.

Sun, Jul 7, 2019: 12:45-1:45 pm
Planning Session
We get together after the morning session on the first Sunday of every month to discuss things in general and plan the schedule for our Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library forums. This is an open meeting. Everyone is welcome to help plan our future sessions. Please come with suggestions and concrete plans. Also, please review our web site to familiarize yourself with our current proposals. Newcomers and Old Timers welcome.

Sun, Jul 14, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
General Elections in India:
Modi’s Fascism vs. Social Democrats and the Left
Modi has completed 5 years in power, with his BJP having a majority in the Indian Parliament. In 2014, Modi won on the slogan of  “Be with everyone, development for everyone” in the background of major corruption scandals in the last 5 years of the 10 years that Congress Party ruled (2004 thru 2014), with Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi as the Congress Party President.
Modi moved rapidly to consolidate power in his hands, ousting or sidelining veteran leaders in his own Party. Under his 5 years of rule, “cow protectors” have become emboldened. Several incidents of lynching of Muslims have taken place, religious bigotry is openly practiced, and assassinations of several public intellectuals, all secularists, have taken place while he mostly sat silently over such egregious violations of civil rights. Further he has tried to create a militarist posture and sought to portray himself as a strong PM, who is willing to take on the terrorists based in Pakistan aggressively. His policies of “demonetization” of 1916 created a great deal of small business distress. Unemployment is at 45 year high and farm distress and farmer suicides continue. But the mass media, now privately owned, and funded by big capital  has helped create him as a “the man of the people”.
Raj Sahai will present his views on what is beginning to boil under the surface of a seeming “all is well” scenario presented in India in the mass media and projected and globally.

Sun, May 12
Turkey at the cross roads of imperialism
Turkey is struggling to find a new and better position in the world while fascism erodes the economy, human rights, freedom of press and all opposition.  New “elections” on March 31 is only a sham as mounting evidence of corruption piles.  Turkey has lost on Syria, a quagmire it planned on winning big with the bog guys.  As Turkey oscillates between European Union, the USA and Russia, it finds itself more and more irrelevant.  Contrary to the big plans of becoming a leader in the Middle East, Turkey has been relegated to a position where it is only trying to find who to follow.  Such is the position of those who accept imperialism instead of standing up to it. ICSS member Mehmet Bayram will present and lead our discussion. TENTATIVE

Sun, May 19
¡VIVA MEXICO!
Mexican President Díaz (1876-1880 and 1884-1911) famously commented: “Poor Mexico, so far from God and so close to the United States.”
Diaz got it at least half right. Mexico has suffered in the shadow of the Colossus of the North, but Mexico is not poor. Mexico is rich in many ways, yet it also has been impoverished. And Mexico has been greatly underappreciated by North Americans. This presentation will emphasize the many poorly known accomplishments of Mexico, while uncovering the role of US imperialism.
Mexico is bucking an international right-wing tide, shifting its government from right to left-of-center with the presidential inauguration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) on December 1. Speaking for international capital, The Economist is worried. The other 99% of humanity is hopeful.
Roger Harris will present a PowerPoint-illustrated cautionary history of this trice conquered land. A longtime activist with the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, Roger is on the board of the Task Force on the Americas (http://taskforceamericas.org/), a 33-year-old human rights organization, and is active with the Campaign to End US-Canadian Sanctions Against Venezuela (https://tinyurl.com/yd4ptxkx). He last visited Mexico in March.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Sun, May 26, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Report from Venezuela Delegation
Venezuela is in the cross hairs of imperialism.  It has the largest oil reserves in the world, but more than that, Venezuela is determined to use its resources for the benefit of its own people instead of handing them over to transnational corporations or imperialist rulers.  In the age of imperialism, these trends are enough to make any country the target of imperialist plunderers.  We are under a media barrage of lies, misinformation, and open US propaganda about Venezuela. With this intense muddying of waters it becomes very hard to know and understand the events happening around this Latin American, Bolivarian, country.
In order to observe what is really going on there, recently Bay Area residents Mehmet Bayram, ICSS member and journalist, and Laura Wells, Green Party Congressional Candidate, visited Venezuela with the “End Venezuela Sanctions” delegation.  They will present their experience and lead the discussion afterwards.

Sun, June 9, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
A Socialist Defector: From Harvard to Karl-Marx-Allee
After 24 years in the USA, 38 years in the (East) German Democratic Republic as a McCarthy-era exile, then nearly 30 years in unified Germany, Victor Grossman, the ex-pat journalist and author examines the rise and fall of a socialist experiment as he observed and participated in it. He tries to clear through a fog of misinformation and distortion regarding it, describing its achievements, its successes as well as its blunders and negative aspects. Its position regarding Nazis and fascism is compared with that in West Germany. Its school system, women’s rights, both models in many ways, cultural questions and other matters are examined from a personal, anecdotal and sometimes humorous perspective. 
The book then turns to a broader examination of possible lessons to be learned when searching for solutions to present-day problems: the growing gap between rich and poor, alarmingly malevolent dangers for a crippled environment, the menace of racism and new fascist movements, the almost ignored danger of atomic annihilation – and who is to blame for them. But the book also looks at newly invigorated hopes for a better, a socialist future despite the many barriers to its realization – seen through the prism of a veteran of the “old Left” in the USA, Communist rule and the Cold War in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, and expresses his views on current fears and hopes on both sides of the Atlantic – and the Pacific. 
(Copies of Victor’s book will be available for purchase, cash or checks only, NO CREDIT CARDS.

Sun, Jun 16, 2019: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Cuba”s Democracy
Constitutional Referendum and grassroots political processes.
Cuba is always described as a “dictatorship” by the mainstream media and the U.S. government, thus providing a pretext for the economic blockade and talk about regime change. But Sharat G. Lin found a remarkable democratic process in the recent Constitutional Referendum in Cuba and months of nationwide discussions involving millions of voters. (Awaiting confirmation)

Free public cultural film series centered on the historic commemoration of the 400th Anniversary of the first Africans brought to British North America. The series will feature a monthly film screening over 7 months, from February 2019 for Black History Month, through August 2019.

Food at 4:30pm
Film at 5pm

Nick Mullins, a former coal minor now advocate for just transition, will address the divide between rural conservatism and urban liberalism and the jobs vs. environment debate based upon it. He considers the best and most important means of lessening this cultural disconnect lies within a just energy transition that provides immediate job alternatives to those who need them.

Using his own story and experiences, Mullins asks what a “just” transition truly means and seeks to help audiences understand the issues working-class communities face. By illustrating the need to rethink traditional environmental communication methods and work harder to establish common ground, he builds hope to achieve a sustainable future for generations to come.

You can read more about Nick at https://www.breakclean.com/ and https://thoughtsofacoalminer.com/about-the-author/.

Join us on June 18th at the Internet Archive for a book reading and panel discussion about (and with!) some of the original hacking supergroup, the Cult of the Dead Cow. Modern security owes much to this irreverent group, whose members pioneered both smart, independent security research and hacking for human rights. The event is in celebration of the new book by veteran technology reporter Joseph Menn, entitled Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World.

EFF and the Internet Archive Present:
Cult of the Dead Cow Book Event

This event is completely free and open to the public. More details on panel guests and program schedule can be found here:

We’ll be live-streaming the event on the Internet Archive’s Youtube channel, so if you can’t make it on June 18, feel free to join us remotely.

Pastors for Peace Caravan Send Off
Extend your solidarity to Cuba by supporting the 30th Friend shipment caravan to Cuba!
Sponsored by the BFUU SJC.

Nick Mullins, a former underground coal miner and an advocate for just transition, will speak about his perspectives on just transition There is no charge to attend, but there will be a collection to support Nick’s work.

Nick is also speaking on Monday, June 17, at 7 p.m. in Richmond, at the Bobby Bowens Progressive Center, 2540 Macdonald Avenue.  These are two stops on his national tour, “Putting the ‘Just’ in Just Energy Transition.”

Nick’s presentation:

Nick will address the divide between rural conservatism and urban liberalism and the jobs vs. environment debate based upon it.  He considers the best and most important means of lessening this cultural disconnect lies within a just energy transition that provides immediate job alternatives to those who need them.

Using his own story and experiences, Mullins asks what a “just” transition truly means and seeks to help audiences understand the issues working-class communities face. By illustrating the need to rethink traditional environmental communication methods and work harder to establish common ground, he builds hope to achieve a sustainable future for generations to come.

You can read more about Nick at https://www.breakclean.com/ and https://thoughtsofacoalminer.com/about-the-author/.

Oakland details:

Note that there is no parking available at Oakland event.  There is some street parking, and public transportation by bus or BART is encouraged.  The conference room is on the first floor.  If possible, please RSVP for this event by Monday, June 17.  You can email nocoalinoakland@gmail.com with your RSVP.  Our hosts have requested this to help them set up the room.

The Oakland presentation is co-sponsored by No Coal in Oakland, the California Nurses Association, East Bay Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Climate and Environmental Justice Caucus, West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP), Sunflower Alliance, No Coal in Richmond, Bay Area System Change not Climate Change, and the No Coal Alliance.

What are some ways our communities have resisted violence over generations? What practices do you and your communities do to ground, center, and stay resilient? Why is it important to center healing within our movements? What “medicine” can a rapid responder carry to help respond to crisis? How do I connect to other healers who do this work?

This is a moment to invite our radical imagination, our BIG hearts, and our outrage to build community and make change. As part of the Justice Teams Network – DPN will be sharing our Healing Justice approach within our Rapid Response work. Our work centers the healing and regeneration of the families and communities we work with, as well as the healing of the healers and rapid response workers. Join Justice Teams, APTP, and Dignity and Power Now DPN for this very important and timely conversation and medicine making session! All materials will be provided, including a light dinner.

APTP meets the third Wednesday of every month.
Join us to find out how you can get involved.
This space is wheelchair accessible. Please contact us for any additional accessibility questions or concerns.

The movement that started with 40 days of moral action last summer has continued to grow, and the Poor People’s Campaign is entering its next phase. National leadership will be presenting their ideas for the months ahead at the upcoming Moral Action Congress, happening June 17-19 in Washington, DC.

But you don’t have to travel all the way to DC to hear about next steps for the Poor People’s Campaign! Join us for a potluck and watch party on June 19th, where we’ll show video from the Congress laying out what’s next for the movement.

The potluck will start at 6pm, and video will be shown at 7pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring some food or a drink to share. Children are welcome to join.

We hope you’ll join us in kicking off the next phase of this fusion movement that is building in more than 40 states and Washington DC – shifting the narrative, impacting policies, and building power among the 140 million poor people in the United States.

Join us to hear letters directly from inside California’s prisons. Hear the real story! pic.twitter.com/cBEkjqPFBg

— California Prison Focus (@CAprisonfocus) June 13, 2019

SAVE THE DATE:
No Coal in #RichmondCA Rally & Press Conference
Thursday 6/20 5:30 pm, City Hall Steps
Come for the rally, stay to tell the Planning Commission: we need the strongest possible ordinance to phase out #coal.#airpollutionkills #nocoalexportshttps://t.co/Vb0PhZJAtL pic.twitter.com/TqZ2j39hJb

— Sunflower Alliance (@SunflowerAction) May 28, 2019

The Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Insitute and MATATU will be co-hosting a joint screening of the film “Detroit 48202: Conversations Along a Postal Route”. MCLI board members Walter Riley and Vicki Sawicki will be joining filmmaker Pamela Sporn and mail carrier Wendell Watkins to speak after the screening.

The film explores the rise, demise and contested resurgence of America’s “motor city” through a multi-generational choir of voices who reside in mail carrier Wendell Watkins’ postal route. The role of racism is woven throughout the film, exposing the wall built in the 40’s on the northwest side of Detroit. The wall once divided whites and blacks. A must-see movie for those interested in understanding the history of our country tainted by racism.

Help Spread the word on social media here: https://www.facebook.com/events/861896050811417/

PG&E is holding their annual shareholder meeting and we want to let them know that their shareholders shouldn’t profit off the backs of ratepayers! Californians demand a seat at the table – let’s take back the power from this corrupt institution!

9am- we’ll meet in front of PG&E’s headquarters on Beale Street to gather together to honor the fire victims through a reading of names and sharing of stories.
10am – PG&E Shareholder meeting starts.
10am-1pm (speakers, letters from fire victims, spoken word, community art).

Please share widely! PM us with any questions.

Join Ethics In Technology for our Community Night and Comedy Show at the Internet Archive on June 21st at 6 PM.

Comedy acts interspersed with talks from NSA Comedy Host, former Amazon executive, and entrepreneur Vahid Razavi, author of Ethics in Tech, or The Lack Thereof and The Age of Nepotism.

Friday June 21st, 6PM Doors open for networking, Show starts at 7:00 PM at the Internet Archive.

Brett Wilkins- Independent Journalist and Board member of Ethics In Technology Will be Presenting Bug Splat.

Bugsplat: Can Technology Really Make War Less Deadly for Civilians?

There is a school of thought that posits advances in technology will make war less deadly for innocent civilians. But is that really true? We’ll examine the notion that “smart,” “precision” and other technologies have made armed conflicts less dangerous for civilians by looking at case studies from decades of US wars in the Middle East and beyond.

We will be showing the Movie “Drone” Directed by Tonje Hessen Schei and Produced by Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare

Bob Chandra has worked in high-tech since 1996; serving in Product Management roles for Twitter, Amazon, and Walmart Global E-Commerce. His talk is on the commercialization of military weapons including technologies such as Active Guardian (a pain beam used for crowd control) and LRAD (a long range acoustic weapon that produces ear splitting targeted sound).

Francesca Fiorentini is a correspondent, comedian and B-list internet celebrity. She was behind viral hits like “The Real Deal With the US Mexico Border” and “White Fragility in the Workplace”, and was host of the show Newsbroke on Facebook Watch. She has been in SF Sketchfest three years and counting and is currently host of the podcast The Bitchuation Room.

Chloe McGovern started doing stand-up comedy when she was 18 years old, a decision that proved to be irreparably damaging both morally and spiritually, but a true delight to audiences everywhere. She can be seen regularly opening for Rich Vos and competing in Roast Battles at The Stand, New York Comedy Club, and The Comedy Store.

Annette Mullaney is a software engineer and standup comic based in San Francisco. Named a “Comic to Catch” by the San Francisco Chronicle, her comedy is self-deprecating, feminist, existentialist, smart, vulgar, and full of big words to prove she’s been to grad school.

Abi See is a PhD student in Computer Science at Stanford University, where she specializes in Natural Language Processing – the application of Artificial Intelligence to human language. She comes from Cambridge, UK, and has performed comedy in New York and the Bay Area.

Vahid Razavi is the host of previous NSA Comedy Shows and Big Tech Comedy Roast. Previously employed at Amazon and many tech firms in the Valley. Author of a new book Ethics In Tech and Lack Thereof. Copies of the book will be shared with the audience.

All Net Proceeds from the sales of tickets will be donated to Ethics In Tech a new Non-Profit Organization.

Video recording of the stage will be taking place at this event.

Download Ethics In Tech and Lack Thereof. A Free Book By Vahid Razavi at https://MyAWSStory.com

Workshops

Water Harvesting Design Principles w/ Brennan Blazer Bird of SolutionCraft
Gardening On A Budget w/ Khadija Khansia
Community Assembly on the Equitable Climate Action Plan with Oakland Climate Action Coalition
Disaster Preparedness with Sharena Thomas of People’s Community Medics (workshop sponsored by the NorCal Resilience Network)
The Colors of Us: A Natural Dying Skillshare  w/ Grace

HANDS-ON PROJECTS:

• Rainwater Catchment Earthworks
• Building a Cob / Adobe Wall
• Creating a Wishing Well
• Building Edging for Garden Beds
• Weeding, Planting, and Mulching
• Building Natural Benches for Students & Crossing Guards
• MOOP (Matter Out of Place) Clean Up
• Painting Educational Signage
• Extending the Chicken Run off the Coop
• Installing Solar Panels on the Outdoor Kitchen

Grown Women Dance Collective (GWDC) presents the 10th annual Fallen Heroes, Rising Stars: A Juneteenth Celebration Through Dance, featuring powerhouse performances honoring musical greats and civic leaders whose legacies continue to inform and inspire.

All stars of the dance world come together to celebrate dance, music & American history. This event honors the legacy of African American artists such as Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole, Nipsey Hussle & Maya Angelou. Former soloists with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Martha Graham Company, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, & over 40 Broadway shows, perform beautifully crafted pieces to iconic songs by these artists. Using dance and music to teach and celebrate African American history, the power of dancers in their 40’s & 50’s uplift, inspire, and create a family-friendly, can’t sit still in your seat celebration of who we are as Americans that will have you singing to yourself for weeks.

Fallen Heroes, Rising Stars: A Juneteenth Celebration Through Dance pays homage to the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States – Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865 enslaved people in Texas were informed by Union soldiers that the Civil War had ended and they were free. The news came two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. GWDC’s production reflects the larger themes of the Juneteenth holiday: Jubilation, self-development, respect for all cultures and the betterment of community. The show is a joyful, inspiring and family-friendly evening of dance, music and American history.

What really happened at Tiananmen Square on June 3-4, 1989? What’s happening in Hong Kong right now? We have invited the following speakers to address these questions: Richard Becker, Party for Socialism and Liberation; David Ewing, U.S. China Peoples Friendship Association; Gerald Smith, Liberated Lens; Eugene Ruyle, ICSS member. Questions and comments will follow the presentations with time limits as needed to ensure that as many people as possible can express their views or ask their questions

Suggested Reading: “Tiananmen: The Massacre that Wasn’t.” By Brian Becker.
https://liberationschool.org/tiananmen-the-massacre-that-wasnt/