This Week's Activist Alert: Emancipation Day - Are We Free Yet?
In This Week's Action Alert (4/14/2010)
Action: Out of Afghanistan
Resource: Sustainability in the DMV
Featured Article: War Tax Resistance
Cause: Volunteer for the Washington Peace Center
Events [scroll down for full details]:
Th 4/15-Bread and Puppet Theater
Fr 4/16-DC Emancipation Advocacy Day
Fr 4/16-DC Emancipation Day Commemoration, Rally, and March
Fr 4/16-Emancipation Day Celebration on the 16th!
Fr 4/16-2010 Emancipation Day Celebration: DC Almost 150 Years Later
Fr 4/16-Maryland Annual Peace, Justice and Environment Conference
Fr 4/17-This is My Story, This is My Song: Feminine Archetypes
Sa 4/17-Take Back the Land DC! : Training for Direct Actions
Sa 4/17-Update on Mumia Abu Jamal
Fr 4/16-DC Emancipation Day Commemoration, Rally, and March
Fr 4/16-Emancipation Day Celebration on the 16th!
Fr 4/16-2010 Emancipation Day Celebration: DC Almost 150 Years Later
Fr 4/16-Maryland Annual Peace, Justice and Environment Conference
Fr 4/17-This is My Story, This is My Song: Feminine Archetypes
Sa 4/17-Take Back the Land DC! : Training for Direct Actions
Sa 4/17-Update on Mumia Abu Jamal
Sa 4/17-Gray Panthers 40th Anniversary Gala and Street Theater
For example, Washington, DC celebrates Emancipation Day this week on April 16th yet gentrification, police brutality/surveillance and ICE raids contiue...not to mention that DC is not a State and therefore has no good foot to stand on in Congress. Also, since 1776 most US Presidents have vowed to uphold high principles of freedom at home and abroad yet as the only Superpower nation, it has the largest military budget of $663.8 Billion and military presence around the world in the history of civilization. In addition to this exorbitant emphasis on military (funded by YOUR tax dollars), the US is also engaged in active occupation of places like Afghanistan and Iraq as well as involved in proxy wars in places like Columbia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And the list goes on.
We at the Washington Peace Center hope that we all take personal responsibility to overturning the many contradictions of actualizing freedom by taking action against the war in Afghanistan and other places. We also hope that you also engage in the change-making process by volunteeringwith us.
Hey D.C.,
Since the birth of the United States of America, over three hundred years ago, the concept of freedom has been a central theme in this country. Notwithstanding that all the founding fathers were slave owners, ideas of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness persist. Similar contractions have plagued the US and continue to deepen in the current political scene.For example, Washington, DC celebrates Emancipation Day this week on April 16th yet gentrification, police brutality/surveillance and ICE raids contiue...not to mention that DC is not a State and therefore has no good foot to stand on in Congress. Also, since 1776 most US Presidents have vowed to uphold high principles of freedom at home and abroad yet as the only Superpower nation, it has the largest military budget of $663.8 Billion and military presence around the world in the history of civilization. In addition to this exorbitant emphasis on military (funded by YOUR tax dollars), the US is also engaged in active occupation of places like Afghanistan and Iraq as well as involved in proxy wars in places like Columbia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And the list goes on.
We at the Washington Peace Center hope that we all take personal responsibility to overturning the many contradictions of actualizing freedom by taking action against the war in Afghanistan and other places. We also hope that you also engage in the change-making process by volunteeringwith us.
Featured WPC Resource this week...
Sustainability in the DMV
Sustainability in the DMV
Are you looking for ways to life more environmentally friendly? Are you in the know of local organizations working on environmental justice issue? Or are you already engaged and are looking for avenues of connecting with other doing this important work? Whether you are aware of enviro-friendly ways of working and living or or are looking for new ways to green-up your life, check out our Sustainability in the DMV page and please let us know if you have anything to add!
Appreciate this service? Please DONATE to support the movement for a more just and peaceful world.
Appreciate this service? Please DONATE to support the movement for a more just and peaceful world.
Bread and Puppet Theater
Thursday, April 15th,
Thursday, April 15th,
7pm in the Auditorium: "The Dirt Cheap Money Cabaret"
Friday, April 16th,
7pm in the Church: "The Dirt Cheap Money Circus"
Saturday, April 17,
3pm in the Church: "The Dirt Cheap Money Circus"
St. Stephen Church
1525 Newton St NW, Washington DC
Friday, April 16th,
7pm in the Church: "The Dirt Cheap Money Circus"
Saturday, April 17,
3pm in the Church: "The Dirt Cheap Money Circus"
St. Stephen Church
1525 Newton St NW, Washington DC
Giant puppets, dancing zebras, city bred cows and sour stilters will transform St. Stephen's Church into a big-top circus of political proportions when the world-famous Bread and Puppet Theater returns for three performances.
Cost: $5-$15 suggested donation.
Bread and Puppet is one of the oldest activist street theater companies in the country. Both shows will include an opportunity to savor Schumann's famous sourdough rye bread, laden with garlic aioli, and guests will enjoy the opportunity to purchase the company's legendary "cheap art."
For more details on the event, click here
Cost: $5-$15 suggested donation.
Bread and Puppet is one of the oldest activist street theater companies in the country. Both shows will include an opportunity to savor Schumann's famous sourdough rye bread, laden with garlic aioli, and guests will enjoy the opportunity to purchase the company's legendary "cheap art."
For more details on the event, click here
DC Emancipation Day Events
DC Emancipation Advocacy Day
DC Emancipation Advocacy Day
Friday, April 16
8am-12pm
U.S. Capitol Building, Capitol Visitors Center, room HVC-215
8am-12pm
U.S. Capitol Building, Capitol Visitors Center, room HVC-215
For more information, click here
D.C. EMANCIPATION DAY Commemoration, Rally, and March
Friday, April 16
RALLY: 11am at Franklin Square (13th & Eye Streets, NW)
MARCH: 12:30pm to D.C. Historical Society (9th & K Streets, NW)
For more information, click here
2010 Emancipation Day Celebration: DC Almost 150 Years Later
Friday April 16, 2010
4pm-7pm
2021 14th St. NW (14th & V)
For more information,click here
D.C. EMANCIPATION DAY Commemoration, Rally, and March
Friday, April 16
RALLY: 11am at Franklin Square (13th & Eye Streets, NW)
MARCH: 12:30pm to D.C. Historical Society (9th & K Streets, NW)
For more information, click here
2010 Emancipation Day Celebration: DC Almost 150 Years Later
Friday April 16, 2010
4pm-7pm
2021 14th St. NW (14th & V)
For more information,click here
Connecting to Create the Change We Seek - Maryland Annual Peace, Justice and Environment Conference
For more information, click here
Friday, April 16 & Saturday, April 17
Owen Brown Interfaith Center
7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD, 21045
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke of "beloved community" ...as the ultimate goal of nonviolent activism for peace and justice-- a global community of caring where poverty, hunger and injustice are no more. How can we put that into action today?
Friday 7pm - Saturday 10pm
7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD, 21045
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke of "beloved community" ...as the ultimate goal of nonviolent activism for peace and justice-- a global community of caring where poverty, hunger and injustice are no more. How can we put that into action today?
For more information, click here
This is My Story, This is My Song: Feminine Archetypes
For more information, click here.
Saturday, April 17th, 11:00am-2:00pm
Sisterspace and Books
3717 Georgia Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20010
Sisterspace and Books
3717 Georgia Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20010
From the very popular and mainstream Femme Fatale archetype as embodied by celebrities such as Beyonce; to the less exposed but equally revered Femme Inspiratrice archetype, as embodied by celebrities such as Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill; we will explore and examine the many that exist in between, such as Kali and Lilith (Adam's first wife). We will also look at how women as well as men are encouraged to embody, support and value certain female archetypes over others, creating a void where in many find it difficult to recognize and therefore give expression to the varied faces of the feminine. Fee: $10.00.
For more information, click here
For more information, click here
Take Back the Land DC! : Training for Direct Actions
Saturday, April 17
2pm - 5 pm
New Community Sanctuary
614 "S" Street NW WDC
2pm - 5 pm
New Community Sanctuary
614 "S" Street NW WDC
Learn about your 1st Amendment Rights!
Learn about the human right to housing in DC for EVERY HUMAN BEING!
Training sponsored by One DC, Ruckus Society, and Center for
Constitutional Rights
Learn about the human right to housing in DC for EVERY HUMAN BEING!
Training sponsored by One DC, Ruckus Society, and Center for
Constitutional Rights
For more information, click here.
Update on Mumia Abu Jamal
Saturday, April 17
4:30pm, St. Stephen's Church
1525 Newton St NW (Columbia Heights Metro)
1525 Newton St NW (Columbia Heights Metro)
Speakers: Dr. Suzanne Ross - Co-chair Free Mumia Abu Jamal Coalition NYC;
Sundiata Sadiq - Former Pres. of NAACP Ossining NY Chapter, now in 5th year of suspension
The court system has closed its doors to the possibility of a new trial for Mumia and has left only two alternatives for him: execution or life in prison without parole. Come get all the facts as we prepare for a demonstration in front of the Department of Justice Monday April 26, two days after Mumia's 56th birthday.
Sundiata Sadiq - Former Pres. of NAACP Ossining NY Chapter, now in 5th year of suspension
The court system has closed its doors to the possibility of a new trial for Mumia and has left only two alternatives for him: execution or life in prison without parole. Come get all the facts as we prepare for a demonstration in front of the Department of Justice Monday April 26, two days after Mumia's 56th birthday.
For more information click here.
Gray Panthers 40th Anniversary Gala and Street Theater Action
Saturday, April 17
Street Theater Action: 1:00 p.m.
Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House
40th Birthday Gala: 6:00 p.m.
Aria Trattoria
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue
Street Theater Action: 1:00 p.m.
Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House
40th Birthday Gala: 6:00 p.m.
Aria Trattoria
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue
Gray Panthers is celebrating its founding and 40 years of achievement! We will have an active and exciting year of more than 40 actions and activities all around the country. We will launch this year of celebration starting with a street action and birthday party in Washington D.C.
For more information, click here
Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International Awards Dinner
Saturday, April 17
6pm - 9pm
Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington
4444 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22204
6pm - 9pm
Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington
4444 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22204
Fundraising and Recognition Awards Dinner
Featuring Keynote Speaker
The Honorable Jim Moran
Representative, 8th Congressional District, Virginia
"An End to U.S.-Sponsored Torture: A Status Report"
For more information, click here
Call for Submissions for Unrest Magazine: Engaging Systems of Violence
Unrest is a web-based magazine dedicated to advocating critical conflict theory. Its aim is to explore the structures responsible for human discontent and cultures of violence. It seeks to address the failures of both liberal and realist theorists to understand the international system and work for solutions free from exploitation and coercion. Unrest is founded on the belief that the seeds of discontent are sown by the structures of domination. Unrest covers a range of subjects including: world politics; the global and political economy; contemporary social and political theory; philosophy, history, and art.
The magazine is an outlet for writers and artists interested in approaching these challenges through a critical lens which acknowledges the human and environmental costs of conflict. We are not a blog, do not publish rants or have political party affiliations. Unrest is an experimental approach that bridges the gap between zines and academic scholarly journals by creating a multifaceted space for both. Visitors of the magazine have free access to all content. Unrest is peer-reviewed publication edited and managed by graduate students at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia.
For more information, click here
The magazine is an outlet for writers and artists interested in approaching these challenges through a critical lens which acknowledges the human and environmental costs of conflict. We are not a blog, do not publish rants or have political party affiliations. Unrest is an experimental approach that bridges the gap between zines and academic scholarly journals by creating a multifaceted space for both. Visitors of the magazine have free access to all content. Unrest is peer-reviewed publication edited and managed by graduate students at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia.
For more information, click here
Witness for Peace Mid-Atlantic Annual Retreat
Friday, May 11 - Sunday, May 14
Camp Letts in Edgewater, MD
Camp Letts in Edgewater, MD
Join together with activists and organizers from around the Mid-Atlantic this May 14 - 16 for what promises to be an exciting and powerful weekend of change-making. Our keynote speaker is Rodolfo Pastor, former assistant head of the Honduran embassy in Washington, DC, and member of the DC-based Hondurans for Democracy. His experience and perspective on solidarity efforts will help us as we strategize the year ahead for WFPMA, and respond to the deadly impacts of US policy in Latin America.
For more information, click here
For more information, click here
War tax resistance: Today's Civil Disobedience
Written by Kara Thomas
April 9, 2010 on www.guilfordian.org
A group of students met on March 30 for a presentation on war-tax resisting led by Daniel Woodham. If you're from the government, though, no such presentation occurred.
That is because it is illegal for Woodham, a long-time war-tax resister and regional resistance counselor, to advocate people doing anything illegal. The illegal and somewhat dangerous nature of resisting hasn't stopped Woodham or the many others like him from withholding some or all of their federal income tax.
According to a flyer put out by the War Resisters League, the government claims to use a quarter of an individual's federal income tax for military spending. In actuality, somewhere closer to half of the tax goes for military purposes once veterans' services and nuclear research is taken into account.
Any amount is too high for resisters. They do not morally support war and therefore believe that they should not financially support it either.
"My great-great-grandfather was drafted for the Confederate Army," said Frank Massey, IFP gifts discernment coordinator, Quakerism professor and former resister. "In those days you could pay $300 to hire someone else to fight for you. But he thought that if he opposed fighting, it would be just as bad to hire someone else to fight in his place. So he resisted."
That mentality is what caused Massey to begin resisting the war tax in 1979.
To read the complete article click here
April 9, 2010 on www.guilfordian.org
A group of students met on March 30 for a presentation on war-tax resisting led by Daniel Woodham. If you're from the government, though, no such presentation occurred.
That is because it is illegal for Woodham, a long-time war-tax resister and regional resistance counselor, to advocate people doing anything illegal. The illegal and somewhat dangerous nature of resisting hasn't stopped Woodham or the many others like him from withholding some or all of their federal income tax.
According to a flyer put out by the War Resisters League, the government claims to use a quarter of an individual's federal income tax for military spending. In actuality, somewhere closer to half of the tax goes for military purposes once veterans' services and nuclear research is taken into account.
Any amount is too high for resisters. They do not morally support war and therefore believe that they should not financially support it either.
"My great-great-grandfather was drafted for the Confederate Army," said Frank Massey, IFP gifts discernment coordinator, Quakerism professor and former resister. "In those days you could pay $300 to hire someone else to fight for you. But he thought that if he opposed fighting, it would be just as bad to hire someone else to fight in his place. So he resisted."
That mentality is what caused Massey to begin resisting the war tax in 1979.
