Events
WOMEN – The National Council for Research on Women’s annual conference is June 5-7, 2008 at the Kimmel Center at NYU. Kimberlé Crenshaw, Kim Gandy, Chandra Mohanty, Ellie Smeal, and other leading scholars, researchers, advocates, and policy makers will attend the conference entitled "Hitting the Ground Running."
Contact: National Council for Research on Women, 11 Hanover Square, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10005; 212-785-7335; ncrw@ncrw.org; www.ncrw.org.
CLASS STUDY – The Center for Study of Working Class Life will have its annual conference, "How Class Works" at the State University of New York at Stony Brook June 5-7.
Contact: Michael Zweig, Department of Economics, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794; 631-632-7536; michael.zweig@stonybrook.edu; www.workingclass.sunysb.edu.
MEDIA – The 2008 National Conference for Media Reform is scheduled for June 6-8 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Thousands of activists, journalists, and policymakers will hold discussions, workshops, and skillshares. Scholarships and work exchanges available.
LABOR – The Pacific Northwest Labour History Association will hold its 40th annual conference, Indigenous, Immigrant, Migrant Labour & Globalization, at Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre in Vancouver, BC, from June 6-8, 2008.
Contact: Conference Services, Halpern Centre, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia Canada V5A 1S6; 778-782-4910; conference_services@sfu.ca; www3.telus.net/robbgibbs/PNLHA/home.html.
BIKING – Join Bikes Not Bombs June 8 for their 21st annual Bike-A-Thon and Green Roots Festival in Boston, Massachusetts.
Contact: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130; 617-522-0222; mail@bikesnotbombs.org; www.bikesnotbombs.org.
CONVERGENCE – An East Coast Unconventional Convergence is scheduled for June 13-15 on the campus of American University in Washington, DC. The activist agenda is planning and training for anti-authoritarian actions at the national political conventions in late summer.
CARAVAN – Between June 14 and July 14, the annual US- Cuba Friendshipment Caravan (including Hip-Hop Without Borders) will head to Cuba carrying donated medical and educational supplies. People can participate locally by attending or hosting local events, donating materials, or traveling along (departing Texas June 29).
Contact: IFCO/Pastors for Peace, 418 W. 145th St., New York, NY 10031; 212-926-5757; cucaravan@igc.org; www.pastorsforpeace.org.
JUNETEENTH – Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Events honoring the sufferings of Africans, as well as celebrations of the triumphs and progress of African American communities, are scheduled in towns across the world on June 19.
PALESTINE – Palestine Summer Encounter (PSE) is a one, two, or three month service learning and cultural immersion program in Bethlehem. Participants live with a Palestinian host family, volunteer with one of 37 nonprofits and organizations, and meet with local peacemakers. An alternative encounter is also scheduled for Damascus, Syria in June and August.
Contact: Middle East Fellowship, PO Box 1252, Brea, CA 92822; 714-529-1926; 714-529-1120; info@middleeastfellowship.org; www.palestinesummer.org.
WORKPLACE – The 2008 National Conference of Democratic Workplaces will be held at Loyola University this June 19-22 in New Orleans, with a volunteer work-week to follow.
Contact: US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, PO Box 170701, San Francisco, CA 94117; 415-379-9201; info@usworker.coop; www.usworker.coop/conference2008.
DEBT RELIEF – The Jubilee USA Network 2008 Grassroots Training & Action Conference is scheduled for June 20-22 in Columbus, Ohio. The Jubilee Alliance is an economic justice coalition of religious, human rights, environmental, labor, and community groups working against third world debt and poverty.
Contact: Jubilee USA Network, 212 East Capitol Street NE, Washington DC 20003; 202-441-6763; coord@j2000usa.org; www.jubileeusa.org;
ANTIWAR – A National Antiwar Conference to stop the war in Iraq and bring the troops home now, sponsored by the National Assembly, is scheduled for June 28-29 in Cleveland, Ohio. Featured speakers include Greg Coleridge, Donna DeWitt, and Jonathan Hutto, author of the Anti-War Soldier.
Contact: National Assembly to End the Iraq War and Occupation, PO Box 21008, Cleveland OH 44121; 216-736-4704; www.natassembly.org.
G8 SUMMIT – Anti-G8 Japan actions are being planned for June and July in Japan, in conjunction with the G8 Summit which will be held from July 7-9 in Hokkaido, Japan. Actions include rallies and marches, blocking the G8, and an alternative summit.
HONDURAS – An educational and activist delegation to Honduras with Rights Action is planned for July 7-12. Participants will learn about community and Indigenous Garifuna resistance to large scale "development" projects including Goldcorp Inc.’s open pit, cyanide leeching gold mine and large scale tourist plans on Honduras‘s north Caribbean shore.
Contact: Rights Action, PO Box 50887, Washington DC 20091; 860-352-2448; info@rightsaction.org; www.rightsaction.org.
GREENS – The 2008 Green National Convention: Live Green, Vote Green will take place in Chicago Thursday, July 10-13 and choose the party’s presidential nominee. The Green Party of the United States is a federation of state Green Parties committed to environmentalism, non-violence, social justice, and grassroots organizing.
Contact: Green Party of the United States, 1711 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; 202-319-7191; GPHQ@gp.org; www.gp.org.
LA RAZA – The Annual National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Conference is scheduled for July 12-15 in San Diego, with workshops, presentations, and panel discussions.
Contact: NCLR Headquarters Office, Raul Yzaguirre Building, 1126 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202-776-1736; www.nclr.org.
INSTITUTE – The Center for Popular Economics will hold its 2008 Summer Institute July 27-August 2 at Roosevelt University in Chicago, offering training in economics for activists, educators, and anyone who wants a better understanding of economics. No background in economics is required.
Contact: Center for Popular Economics, PO Box 785, Amherst, MA 01004; 413-545-0743; programs@populareconomics.org; www.populareconomics.org.
ORGANIZING – Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County invites concerned citizens to "Community Organizing for Deep Democracy"—in Humboldt County, California in August and in Sonoma County in September.
Contact: Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County, P.O. Box 610, Eureka, CA 95502; 707-269-0984; info@DUHC.org; www.duhc.org/deepDemocracy.html.
RETREAT – The Union for Radical Political Economics (URPE) is holding its 2008 Summer Conference/Retreat on August 15-18 at Camp Deer Run in Pine Bush, New York. This year’s theme is "Poverty and Unemployment: The Permanent Violence of Capitalism." Papers and workshops, formal and informal, will be presented. Contact: Union for Radical Political Economics, Gordon Hall, University of Massachusetts, 418 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002; 413-577-0806; urpe@labornet.org; www.urpe.org.
ZINES
– The 8th annual Portland Zine Symposium is a free two-day conference and social gathering, celebrating independent publishing at the Portland State University campus August 23-24.
Contact: Claudia McBarron at 503-249-8503 or Justin Hargesheimer at 503-975-5731; www.pdxzines.com.
Campaigns
BILLBOARDS – United for Peace & Justice has a program to help non-profit organizations place local billboards with anti-war / peace messages in their local communities at reduced public service rates.
Contact: United for Peace & Justice, PO Box 607, Times Square Station, NY, NY 10108; Tony Shafton at 219-939-2050; ashafton@aol.com; www.unitedforpeace.org.
HEALTHCARE – A universal single-payer plan has again been introduced in Congress by Rep. Conyers (D-MI), this time with the support of 90 other members, numerous unions, and independent groups.
Contact: HR676.org, PO Box 882122, Port Saint Lucie FL 34988; 800-680-9310; info@HR676.org; www.hr676.org.
NEW NUKES – Dozens of organizations are conducting a Congressional lobbying campaign to stop the Administration from building a new nuclear weapon, the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) program, which violates U.S. treaty commitments and threatens a new arms race.
Contact: Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), 245 Second Street NE, Washington, DC 20002; 800-630-1330; www.fcnl.org/nuclear
SWEATSHOPS – The anti-sweatshop group Play Fair issues a report called "Clearing the Hurdles," which shows little progress in the sportsware industry since the last Olympics, or from the International Olympic Committee or the corporate Olympics sponsors. PlayFair is conducting an ongoing campaign.
Books
COMMUNITY – Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A Do-It- Ourselves Guide by Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew explains how to build and grow in a variety of reclaimed spaces using cheap, salvaged, and recycled materials; illustrated by the Beehive Collective.
Contact: South End Press, 7 Brookline Street #1, Cambridge, MA 02139; 617-547-4002; info@southendpress.org; www.southendpress.org.
GRAPHICS – Reproduce & Revolt: A Graphic Toolbox for the 21st Century Activist, edited by Josh MacPhee and Favianna Rodriguez, offers a collection of original anti-copyright graphics to be freely used for various political posters, flyers, and campaigns.
Contact: Soft Skull Press, 19 West 21st, Suite 1101, New York NY 10010; 718-643-1599; www.softskull.com.
MARCOS – The Speed of Dreams: Selected Writings 2001-2007 by Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos offers a broad array of prose by the leader of Mexico‘s Zapatistas.
Contact: City Lights Publishing, 261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133; 415-362-8193; orders@citylights.com; www.citylights.com.
OURSTORY – Chris Harman’s A People’s History of the World presents a radical social history of human civilization. "An indispensable volume on my reference bookshelf," Howard Zinn.
Verso Books, 20 Jay Street, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 718-246-8160; versony@versobooks.com; www.versobooks.com.
PRISON – When the Prisoners Ran Walpole: A True Story in the Movement for Prison Abolition by Jamie Bissonette tells the little known history of the prisoners at Walpole‘s Massachusetts Correctional Institute winning control of its day-to-day operations.
Contact: South End Press, 7 Brookline Street #1, Cambridge, MA 02139; 617-547-4002; info@southendpress.org; www.southendpress.org.
ZAPATISTAS – The Fire and the Word: A History of the Zapatista Movement by Gloria Muñoz Ramírez tells the story of the Zapatista movement by interviewing participants, from its birth in the jungle of Chiapas to its impact on Mexico and its ongoing influence around the world; illustrated with photos and graphics from the struggle.
Contact: City Lights Publishing, 261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133; 415-362-8193; orders@citylights.com; www.citylights.com.
Errata
In Volume 21, Issue 5, page 20, the first sentence of the final paragraph of "Helter Smelter" should read: TCEQ’s decision to grant ASARCO an air permit has now cleared the way for the smelter to emit nearly 8,000 tons of pollutants per year. Also in this issue, in "Right-Wing Witch Hunts Then and Now" the page 41 photo caption should read: "Flanagan’s HUAC testimony as portrayed by Cherry Jones in Cradle Will Rock."
