[WestMALocals] FW: [Solidarity Calendar] September 10-22

[Owen Broadhurst]

----Original Message Follows----
From: "WMass Jobs With Justice" <wmjwj at wmjwj.org>
Subject: [Solidarity Calendar] September 10-22
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2005 21:53:37 -0400

Western Mass. Solidarity Calendar September 10-22 ("PATCH" to June
28-November 13)

A calendar of opportunities to strengthen labor-community-student-religious
solidarity, posted by members and allies of the WMass chapter of Jobs With
Justice, a national campaign for Workers’ Rights. Members of Jobs With
Justice pledge "I'll Be There" at least 5 times a year for someone else’s
struggle.
Take the JwJ Pledge: www.jwj.org/AboutJWJ/Pledge.htm.
Inclusion does not necessarily mean JWJ endorsement. To subscribe:
mailto:wmjwj at wmjwj.org with "subscribe" in the subject field. To
unsubscribe: mailto:wmjwj at wmjwj.org with "unsubscribe" in the subject field.

************** "I’LL BE THERE” ~ URGENT ACTIONS **************

Tuesday October 18
	“VOICES OF A PEOPLE’S HISTORY” WITH HOWARD ZINN – WMJWJ FUNDRAISER
	Reception: 5:30pm, Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St (Routes 116 at
47), in the Village Commons, S Hadley (534-7307 or 800-540-7307;
mailto:odysseybks at aol.com; www.odysseybks.com). We'll greet and honor
Howard. He’ll say a few words at 6:30pm. $35 (includes reserved seating for
the Performance).
	Free Performance: 7:30-9pm, Chapin Auditorium, Mount Holyoke
College, Rt 116, S Hadley (www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/map/856.shtml). Doors open
at 7pm. Donations requested. WMJWJ Organizational Members and sponsoring
organizations will have an opportunity to table and hang their banners in
Chapin. Howard will sign books after the performance.
	Howard Zinn (http://howardzinn.org/), our People’s Historian, has
graciously agreed to participate in a public event and major fundraiser for
Western Mass Jobs With Justice. Howard will speak and moderate a dramatic
reading from "Voices of a People's History of the United States"
(http://www.sevenstories.com/Book/index.cfm?GCOI=58322100666900) - his book,
edited with Anthony Arnove, of testimonies - speeches, letters, poems, songs
- by the people who make history happen but who are usually left out of
history books - women, workers, people of color.
	We will add our own Western Mass selections!
	Will you sponsor the evening? Sponsors donate $100 and receive two
reception tickets and reserved seating in Chapin. Your name will appear in
the invitation to the reception to be mass-mailed in early September and in
the performance program. Donations to the Warren J. Plaut Charitable Trust
Jobs With Justice Fund are tax-deductible and may be simply written to Jobs
With Justice. For the October 18 events, donations should be sent to Western
Mass Jobs With Justice, PO Box 296, Granby MA 01033.
	Do you want to join the Organizing Committee?
Mailto:wmjwj at wmjwj.org.
	Do you want to be on a list of Volunteers? Mailto:wmjwj at wmjwj.org.
	Do you want to join the Publicity Committee? Contact John
Fitzgerald, mailto:fitzgera at comcast.net, 567-6315.
	Do you want to join the Reception Committee (which includes
soliciting sponsors and soliciting food from restaurants)? Contact Joan
Grenier, mailto:odysseyjeg at aol.com, 532-3142.
	Do you want to join the Public Event Committee (dealing with all the
logistics of using the auditorium)? Contact Santha Rathnam,
mailto:santhar18 at yahoo.com.
	Do you want to be on the Program Book Committee (putting together a
program/JWJ directory)?  Mailto:wmjwj at wmjwj.org.
	Do you want to read in the Performance? Contact our Director, Chris
Rohmann, mailto:CRohmann at crocker.com, 534-9666.


************************ THE CALENDAR ************************

Saturday September 10
	TAG SALE TO BENEFIT ARISE & THE FREEDOM CENTER
	8am-3pm, First Churches, Main & Center Sts, Northampton. If you want
to help out at the sale, come by anytime (especially 7-9am or 2-4pm). If you
have anything you want to donate, please come by Saturday 7-10am, or contact
Tory, 297-6005, mailto:toryfield at yahoo.com.

Saturday September 10
	NONVIOLENCE & PEACEKEEPER TRAINING
	9am-4pm (registration 8:30am), Mt Toby Meeting of Friends, 194 Long
Plain Road (Rt 63), Leverett (http://mounttoby.quaker.org/). Nonviolence and
Peacekeeper Training in preparation for September 24-26 marches on and Civil
Disobedience in Washington. Led by Peggy Anderson, Jo Comerford, and others.
A good, full day preparation for a long weekend of important events locally
and nationally. Donations welcome. Space limited. Info, to register: AFSC,
584-8975, mailto:afsc at crocker.com, www.WesternMassAFSC.org.

Saturday September 10
	ELECTORAL REFORM ROUNDTABLE
	11am-3pm, Clark University, Worcester. Electoral reform activists
from throughout Massachusetts meet to strategize. Info: Leo Maley,
mailto:leomaley3 at hotmail.com.

Saturday September 10
	WESTERN MASS INDEPENDENT MEDIA CENTER
	1:30pm, Amherst Room upstairs, Jones Library, Amity St, Amherst.
Planning major outreach and fundraising campaign. Be the media! Your input
is essential to making WMass IMC the important activist resource it has the
potential to be. IMCs ("IndyMedias") are a global network of media makers
collaborating to make radio, video, and publish the literature of the
struggles for social and economic justice. Info: Tribal Scribal,
mailto:valeoftheoaks at hotmail.com, www.wmass.indymedia.org and
www.indymedia.org.

September 10 & 11
	FILMAID: EMERGENCY HURRICANE RELIEF
	3:45pm, Academy of Music Theatre, 274 Main St (Rt 9 at Rt 10),
Northampton. “A Streetcar Named Desire” on Saturday & “The Big Easy” on
Sunday. Donations of any amount will be accepted at the door for entry to
the film. The proceeds go to the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief
Fund. Info: Bob Cilman, 587-1269, mailto:academyarts at comcast.net,
www.northamptonartscouncil.org.

Saturday September 10 (Every Saturday)
	COMMUNITY AGAINST HATE OPEN MIC
	9:30pm, Latin Flava Café, 1677 Main St, Springfield (788-8803).
Poetry, song writing, hip hop. No charge at the door; $5 donation requested.
Non-alcoholic. Info (and if you know socially conscious artists looking for
a place to perform): Maurice “Soulfighter” Taylor, 532-3650,
mailto:i_am_soulfighter at yahoo.com.
	“Soulfighter” writes: “I am asking people to support social
conscious performing and maybe stick around til 2am to see how Springfield’s
finest harasses Black people on Main St after The Hippodrome lets out. Come
see how they force the cafe to close its doors, see how they bring out dogs
and curse at Black people, and treat us with so blatant disrespect. It's a
sad show, ladies and gentlemen. What's even sadder, it's a show no one wants
to watch because it would mean something would have to be done about it.”

Sunday September 11
	HOPE OUT LOUD IV
	1pm, Bushnell Park, Hartford CT. A rally, concert, festival,
playground, celebration, remembrance, a day providing inspiration for
renewal and recommitment. The Hope Out Loud Peace and Music Festival began
as a response to 9/11: a shared call for peaceful, sustainable resolution of
conflict in our towns and in our world through equity and social justice.
Info: AFSC, 860-523-1534, mailto:carlwebb1965 at yahoo.com.

Sunday September 11
	“LAW & DIS/ORDER”
	2-4pm, Gamble Auditorium, Mt Holyoke College Art Building, Rt 116, S
Hadley. Amy Goodman, host of “Democracy Now!”, discusses the impact that the
events of 9/11 have had on journalists. Part of a fall series at MHC's
Weissman Center for Leadership & the Liberal Arts, focusing on how law,
order, and disorder shape our understanding of contemporary events and
political efforts at home and abroad. Goodman, who was broadcasting from her
studio in New York City on September 11, 2001, will be featured on a panel
with Steve Rivo, an award- winning documentary filmmaker. Rivo will screen
historical footage of the city, share details of his recent PBS documentary,
“New York: A Documentary Film”, and discuss how the events of September 11
have shaped his work. MHC History Professor Daniel Czitrom, a native New
Yorker, moderates. Followed by a memorial service on Abbey Green, organized
by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and cosponsored by the Center.
Info: 538- 3071, mailto:wcl at mtholyoke.edu, www.mtholyoke.edu/go/law.

Tuesday September 13
	NUEVA ESPERANZA'S ANNUAL DINNER MEETING
	5:30-8pm, Mi Plaza Restaurant, 325 Main St, Holyoke. $10. RSVP
required. Mari Castañeda Paredes, UMass Asst Prof of Communications, will
speak on “Community-University Partnerships in Latino Holyoke: The Role of
the Puerto Rican Studies Seminar in Developing Authentic Community
Alliances.” Nueva Esperanza marks its 23rd year of hard work to improve the
lives of Holyoke residents. It provides high-quality affordable housing,
after-school programs, MassHealth assistance, training for young adults in
construction and academic skills, neighborhood clean-up projects, support
for small businesses, entrepreneurial training, forums, and an annual block
party. State budget cuts have hurt several programs. Info, RSVP: Carlos
Vega, mailto:nuevesp at rcn.com.

Tuesday September 13
	STAND UP & BE COUNTED: NO TO WAR & OCCUPATION - THE GEORGE GALLOWAY
U S TOUR
	6:30pm, Faneuil Hall, Boston. $10 (TicketWeb: 866-468-7619 or
www.ticketweb.com - ask for George Galloway Tour). George Galloway is
Respect party Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow in East London.
He electrified the US with his appearance at the May 17 Senate Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigations hearing, when he turned the proceedings into
a condemnation of the war in Iraq. CNN's Wolf Blitzer described Galloway's
speech in the Senate (transcript at
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1616578,00.html) as "a blistering attack
on US senators rarely heard” in Washington. Boston City Councilor Chuck
Turner (District 7) will join Galloway and speak about Hurricane Katrina
relief efforts. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has highlighted the
need to rebuild struggle in the face of government inaction. Galloway
stated: "It is not only the lives of people in Baghdad, Fallujah, and
Palestine that Bush holds cheap. It is also his own citizens’.” Info:
http://www.mrgallowaygoestowashington.com.

Wednesday September 14 (every Wednesday)
	VALLEY WAR BULLETIN
	8:30am, First Churches, Main St - use Center St entrance),
Northampton. There are opportunities for writers, editors, distributors, and
funders (you can fund an issue for only $215!). Info:
http://www.westernmassafsc.org/vwb/index.htm.

Wednesday September 14
	MASSACHUSETTS CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION – UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE
	1pm, State House, Boston. On July 14 2004, the Massachusetts General
Court took a historic step, bringing every Massachusetts resident closer to
affordable health insurance. On a vote of 153-41, House and Senate members
jointly approved the citizen initiative that creates a constitutional
obligation for lawmakers to act to ensure access to "comprehensive,
affordable, and equitably financed health insurance coverage" for all
Massachusetts residents. It is the first US legislature to do so. At the
next Constitutional Convention (ConCon), 50 legislators must vote YES on the
amendment before it can go before the people of Massachusetts in November
2006. Info: www.healthcareformass.org or www.massdefendhealthcare.org.

Wednesday September 14 (Second Wednesdays)
	SOCIALIST DISCUSSION GROUP
	7pm, Bangs Community Center, Boltwood Walk, Amherst. Join the Tom
Mooney Local of the Socialist Party for a discussion on the role of workers
in building a new society based on cooperation and equality. Info, reading
material: Susan Dorazio, 367-9356, mailto:susandor at crocker.com,
www.sp-usa.org/mass.

September 15 & 16
	CALIENTE! TOUR COMES TO NEW ENGLAND
	Thursday, 11am, Holyoke Community College.
	Friday, 8pm, New WORLD Theater, Top of the Campus, UMass Amherst.
Baritone saxophonist and composer, Fred Ho (www.bigredmediainc.com), poet
Raul Salinas (www.raulrsalinas.com), and jazz poet Magdalena Gomez
(www.amaxonica.com) open the season at New WORLD Theater with an evening of
red-hot Asian-Latin-Indo poetry and music by revolutionary artists, bringing
together their seasoned rhythms and voices from New York to Texas and around
the world. Info: Silvia Martinez-Howard, 527-8307, mailto:smh7 at rcn.com.

Thursday Saturday 15
	CAMP CASEY COMES TO WESTERN MASS
	A bus on its way from Crawford TX to Washington DC arrives in
Western Massachusetts. Gold Star families, military families, Iraq Veterans,
and veterans of other wars will participate in programs in Amherst and
Greenfield. Hospitality provided by Traprock Peace Center and SAGE.
	Noon: Interfaith Service to honor the War Dead and Victims of
Hurricane Katrina at Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Avenue, beside the
Amherst Common
	12:30pm: Peace Studies class at Greenfield Community College
	4pm: Press Conference, with a special invitation to student peace
groups representatives
	7pm: “Straight From the Heart, Military Families speak out, sing out
for Loved Ones.”
	August 31 was the last day of the nearly month-long vigil outside
Bush's ranch in Crawford. The Bring Them Home Now Tour launched three buses
from Camp Casey, each carrying military and Gold Star families, veterans of
the Iraq War, and veterans of previous wars. The tour's first stop in
Austin, Texas was met by 3,000 people. These buses will travel different
routes across the country, converging in Washington DC on September 21 for
the United for Peace and Justice Mobilization September 24-26.
	The Bring Them Home Now Tour is sponsored by Gold Star Families for
Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out and
Veterans for Peace. Local co-sponsors include American Friends Service
Committee, Grace Church Peace and Justice Committee, SAGE, Traprock Peace
Center, Veterans for Peace Wally Nelson Chapter, and Mount Toby Friends
Affinity Group. Info: Jo Comerford, AFSC, 584-8975, or Sunny Miller,
Traprock Peace Center, 773-7427, Barbara Tiner, 548-7919. For further
information on the tour, including a schedule of cities and dates, go to
www.bringthemhomenowtour.org.

Friday September 16
	WHY WE TEACH: AN EVENING WITH SONIA NIETO
	7pm, Food for Thought Books, 106 N Pleasant St, Amherst
(www.foodforthoughtbooks.com). Master educator and author Sonia Nieto reads
from and discusses her new book, “Why We Teach”. She will be accompanied by
several local contributors to the book. The teachers in this book, like so
many across the country, do the kind of work that may not grab headlines,
but is far more important than even the highest test score. These teachers
listen closely to their students. They share in their students’ struggles
and successes. They create a classroom climate that encourages growth,
direction, and purpose. They help students develop into thoughtful, engaged
citizens. “Why We Teach” challenges current notions that focus on only
accountability, testing, and standardization. Info: Joan Barberich,
253-5432, mailto:joan at foodforthoughtbooks.com, or Sandy Mandel, 545-5827,
mailto:smandel at admin.umass.edu.

Saturday September 17
	BENEFIT ART TAG SALE FOR CASA LATINA
	7am-4pm, First Churches, 220 Main St, Northampton. Come support the
work of Casa Latina (586-1569), committed to the empowerment of Latinos
throughout WMass, and find beautiful objects, clothing, jewelry, books, CDs,
and much more! Info: Allison, mailto:sleepygoat at crocker.com.

Saturday September 17
	PEACE ON THE GREEN CONCERT
	2-6pm, Broad & Court Sts, Westfield. Free live music featuring three
great regional bands, The Amity Front (fusion of blues, jazz, and folk),
Kudzu (reggae meets rock), Gone By Daylight (indie-rock). Sound support by
Entertainment Engineering. Brief remarks between band sets: Veterans for
Peace speak from personal experience; American Friends Service Committee on
the front lines of the war on war; and others in the know (they will also be
on-site to answer your individual questions personally). Take home
informational materials on topics including the cost of war, military
recruitment, how war affects you personally, and what you can do about it.
Bring a blanket, a chair, a picnic lunch (but no alcohol, please). Info:
WARoNOke Peace Action Group, 562-2937, mailto:webmaster at WaronokePeace.org,
www.WaronokePeace.org.

Saturday September 17
	ARTISTS FOR JUSTICE - PEACE BE UPON THE WORLD
	3-9pm, First Churches, 129 Main St, Northampton. To benefit Casa
Latina. Tickets: $10; $12 at the door, available at Food For Thought Books,
Amherst, and Booklink Books, Thorne’s Market, Northampton. International
foods during intermission: $6/plate. An exceptional gathering of talent will
present the community with the message that by working for justice, we can
build the bridges necessary to reach a future free of suffering and
oppression. Participating artists: Palestinian composer Simon Shaheen; poets
Magdalena Gomez, from Puerto Rico, Sara Littlecrow-Russell, Native American,
Chibu Ndibe, Nigerian-American, and Nathalie Handal, Palestinian; musicians
Layaali; Charming Hostess; Moonlight and Morning Star; and Alturas Duo. Also
in exhibit will be a display of photographs of artwork from children of Iraq
and the US. Info: Allison Brown, 978-544-7424,
mailto:sleepygoat at crocker.com, or Silvia Martinez-Howard, 527-8307,
mailto:smh7 at rcn.com.

Sunday September 18
	THE NATIONAL CIRCUS OF THE CORRECT MOMENT - BREAD AND PUPPET THEATRE

	4pm, Hampshire College, Rt 116, Amherst, in the field between the
Main Entrance and the Admissions Office. Bread and Puppet Theatre ­ the
oldest non-profit political theatre company in the country ­ presents the
National Circus of the Correct Moment, which includes: a national bullfight,
the Correct Kids Flag Ensemble, the How-to-Make-a-Tiger Instruction Act, and
the What-Does-a-Demonstration-Consist-of Spectacle; also Russian chair and
computer dances, the Rotten Idea Theater Company, and more. If some of the
acts are politically puzzling to adults, accompanying kids can usually
explain them. Volunteers are needed to make this wonderful circus happen.
Bread and Puppet needs volunteers to rehearse with them beginning Sunday at
10am. Musicians with instruments are especially desired. (Volunteers: Please
bring a lunch as the rehearsal will take most of the day. Info: American
Friends Service Committee, 584-8975, mailto:afsc at crocker.com.

Sunday September 18 (Third Sundays)
	PIONEER VALLEY WAR TAX RESISTERS
	4-6pm, call for location. Info: Juanita Nelson, 773-5188 x1.

Tuesday September 20 (Third Tuesdays)
	FRANKLIN/HAMPSHIRE HEALTH CARE COALITION
	7:30pm, Cahill Housing Community Center, Fruit St, Northampton
(parallel to Conz between Old South & Smith Sts). Organizing for the Mass.
Health Care Trust Fund Bill. Info: Franklin/Hampshire Health Care Coalition,
PO Box 3011, Amherst 01004, 586-0345, mailto:markham at crocker.com or
mailto:franko1810 at aol.com.
	The Massachusetts Health Care Trust Fund Bill calls for a universal
health care system, providing universal access, a comprehensive range of
physical and mental health benefits, choice of provider, quality, unified
financing and cost controls, accountable governance, and stability. A
Massachusetts Health Care Trust Fund will be a "single-payer" of all health
care costs, statewide. Details of the Bill, action ideas: MASS-CARE,
800-383-1973, mailto:masscare at aol.com, www.masscare.org.

Tuesdays September 20 to October 18
	HADLEY PLANNING BOARD HEARINGS ON WAL-MART & LOWE'S
	September 20: 7:30pm, Hopkins Academy, 125 Russell St (Rt 9)
	October 4 & 18: 7:30pm, public hearings continue. Dates subject to
change. Note: It's likely that only Hadley folk will be allowed to speak,
but a big public showing is nonetheless important - especially to oppose
Wal-Mart. Live and repeat coverage on TV-5.
	Wal-Mart is planning to build a Supercenter in Hadley. The
212,000-square-foot store would be the largest single building in town
history and the third Supercenter in Massachusetts. Supercenters usually
include a grocery store, gas station, garden center, and other features. It
would be part of an expansion that includes more movie theaters and another
100,000-sq-ft building. Site plans available at Town Hall, 100 Middle St,
during normal business hours, or see www.HadleyNeighbors.org. Hadley
Neighbors for Sensible Development is fighting sprawl. Info:
mailto:info at hadleyneighbors.org.

Wednesday September 21 (Third Wednesdays)
	ALLIANCE FOR INJURED WORKERS
	Noon-2pm, AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page Blvd, near corner of Osborne Ter,
Springfield, across the street from the old Westinghouse. No perfume,
cologne please; some members suffer from chemical sensitivity due to
workplace injury. Light lunch served. Info: 731-0760,
mailto:comphurts at aol.com; www.afiw.org. Ask for your FREE copy of "Injured
Workers Survival Guide". And about fundraiser bus trip to prime outlets in
Lee, Saturday July 23.

Wednesday September 21 (Third Wednesdays)
	VALLEY FREE RADIO GENERAL MEETING
	7pm, Media Education Foundation meeting room, 60 Masonic St,
Northampton. Valley Free Radio, a community radio station for the Pioneer
Valley, is on the air! A project of the Media Education Foundation, VFR is a
primarily volunteer run, community radio station serving Northampton and the
surrounding area, sited in Florence, broadcasting at 103.3 FM. Info: David
Gowler, 538-5788, mailto:info at valleyfreeradio.org,
http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/.

Thursday September 22
	WORLD PREMIERE: “THE PEACE PATRIOTS”
	7pm, Calvin Theater, 19 King St (Rt 5), Northampton. Tickets: $10 in
advance, $15 at the door. A new feature-length documentary film about
dissent in a time of war, filmed in the Pioneer Valley by Robbie Leppzer.
Narrated by actress and Air America Radio host Janeane Garofalo. Live music
by John Sheldon. This screening is a fundraiser for the film’s national
distribution campaign in conjunction with grassroots groups across the
country.
	“The Peace Patriots” follows a diverse group of Pioneer Valley
residents, ranging in age from 13 to 74, including middle and high school
students, college students, teachers, clergy, community activists, and war
veterans from Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf, as they take part in
vigils, marches, theater performances, and civil disobedience sit-ins to
protest the war. The film features music by 2005 Grammy Award-winner Steve
Earle, Pete Seeger, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, Jonatha Brooke, Stephan
Smith, Saul Williams, and original music composed by Amherst guitarist John
Sheldon. Order advance tickets:
www.turningtide.com/PeacePatriotsPremiere.htm. Tickets also available at
Broadside Books (Northampton), Food For Thought Books (Amherst), World Eye
Bookshop (Greenfield), and Odyssey Book Shop (South Hadley).
	The event is co-sponsored by and will feature brief talks by
representatives from various local groups: American Friends Service
Committee of Western Massachusetts, Traprock Peace Center, Northampton
Committee to Stop the War in Iraq, Veterans For Peace (WMass Chapter), Arise
For Social Justice, Progressive Democrats of America (WMass Chapter) and
International Action Center (WMass Chapter). This will be a timely
opportunity for all Valley residents concerned about ending the US military
occupation of Iraq to find out how you can get involved with local activist
groups. In addition, it will be an inspiring send-off for those activists
going to the national anti-war mobilization in Washington DC on September
24.
	Info: Eric Wasileski, 800-557-6414, mailto:eric at turningtide.com,
www.turningtide.com.