DC Metro Action is a listing of local actions, entertainment, volunteer opportunities and the occasional rant on a wide range of socially just issues.
contact me at dcmetroaction@comcast.net
Action of the Day Many of these action alerts are found on the listservs and websites of organizations listed in our "Act Locally" section (Left).
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Don't Pick Our Pockets to Line Yours!
Join AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, DC Metro Council President Joseph Williams and hundreds more on a National Day of Action (one of dozen events across the country), the biggest single-day grassroots mobilization to save Social Security.
Rally at Charles Schwab (1845 K St. NW) on Wednesday, March 31, from noon to 1 p.m. For more information, call 202/857-3410, send an e-mail or check out this website.
Code Pink: Women for Peace has organized a one-week vigil at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the evenings to draw attention to the late-night arrival of the most seriously wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. These soldiers – with shattered limbs, brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorders – are delivered to Walter Reed (and Bethesda Naval Medical Center) under cover of darkness, at 10 p.m. or later.
Code Pink believes the late-night arrivals are scheduled purposely to minimize public attention to, and knowledge of, the number of seriously wounded US soldiers returning from the war – consistent with the Bush Administration policy prohibiting the photographing of coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base.
The vigil began Friday, March 25, and will run every night through Friday, April 1, from 9 to 11 p.m., at the North Gate of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (7200 Georgia Ave. at Elder Street NW). Bring candles, signs and banners that respectfully express support and concern. For more information, call Ann Wilcox at 202/441-3265 or Ellen Taylor at 202/270-1861, or send an e-mail.
National Teach-In on Iraq: How Can We End This War?
Two years after the US invasion of Iraq, the tragedy of war continues and the US has no plan for bringing the troops home. The death toll soars on all sides, especially among civilians. The cost of the war mounts daily as vital social programs are being cut at home. But many questions remain: Did the January 2005 elections improve the situation in Iraq? Is the US troop presence in Iraq helping stabilize the country, or is it at the root of Iraq's deadly violence? And what are the true costs of the war at home? Its impact on military families and returning veterans, its $200+ billion price tag, and the legacy of occupation on the people of Iraq?
Join this teach-in on Thursday, March 24, from 7 to 10 p.m., at the George Washington University (805 21st St. NW, Jack Morton Auditorium, Media and Public Affairs Building; Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro). For more information, contact 202/234-9382, ext. 238, or amy@ips-dc.org.
Join Project South for a film and discussion led by community activist/artist Luci Murphy. "The Accused," about Ariel Sharon, will be screened on Thursday, March 24, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Cafe Mawonaj (624 T St. NW). For more information, call 202/332-4480.
Academy Award-nominated director Liz Garbus follows Shanae and Megan for three years as they try to make a life for themselves both inside and outside Baltimore’s juvenile justice system in the film "Girlhood." A story of mothers and daughters, crimes and consequences, and strength in the face of unimaginable adversity, the movie is a testament to the faith and struggles of two girls just trying to grow up.
"Girlhood" will be shown on Wednesday, March 23, at 7 p.m. at Provisions Library (1611 Connecticut Ave. NW; Dupont Circle Metro, North Exit). Admission is free, but $5 donations will be accepted gratefully.
The United Nations has declared the 10-year period from 2005 to 2015 the International Decade for Action on Water. The "Water for Life" decade starts on World Water Day, Tuesday, March 22.
Water for People has a vision of a world where all people have access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, a world where no child suffers or dies from a water-related disease. Join in the cause at a happy hour fundraiser on Tuesday, March 22, from 5 to 9 p.m., at the Eleventh Street Lounge (1041 N. Highland St., Arlington; one block from the Clarendon Metro). The cover charge is $5. For more information, e-mail.
Saturday, March 19, will mark two full years since the bombs started falling in Iraq. MoveOn.org is encouraging its members to mark the date by attending a vigil sponsored by Sojourners. To find a vigil in the DC metro area, click here.
The DC chapter of Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) wants you to help kick off its new campaign, The Left Is Right and the Right Is Wrong! On the eve of the second anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, join your fellow liberals, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Rep. Barney Frank to discuss the effects the war has had on the District of Columbia and the nation, the importance of being a liberal in today's America and what you can do to make a difference.
The event is Friday, March 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Hawk and Dove Bar and Restaurant (629 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; two blocks toward the Capitol from the Eastern Market Metro). First time ADA attendees pay $10 and get a free drink! For more information or to RSVP, contact greaterwashingtonada@gmail.com or 202/716-1585.
Filmmakers Lori Cheatle and Daisy Wright crisscrossed the nation, interviewing experts and individuals about corporate influence on American life and hearing how people across the country feel their own lives have been affected. The film looks at some of the brave, compelling and sometimes hilarious ways in which individuals and communities are reacting.
This funny and moving documentary shows that every person can make a difference, even when pitted against the enormous power of big business. It's showing on Thursday, March 17, at 5:30 p.m., at The American University (4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Mary Graydon Center, Room 300; 202/885-3107).
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has been portrayed to U.S. schoolchildren as a dreamer, with little emphasis on his history as a fighter against injustice. "Beyond the Dream," sponsored by the Black Caucus of the DC Statehood Green Party, offers a more complete view of the man as a protestor against the Vietnam War, poverty and injustice who lost his life for sharing his analysis and taking a principled stance against the greatest purveyor of injustice and exploitation in the world – his own government.
This program also will include strategies to challenge the electoral college and extend the struggle for voting rights for our communities. The event is on Wednesday, March 16, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the University of the District of Columbia (Building 41, Room A04; UDC/Van Ness Metro). For more information, contact Rick Tingling-Clemmons at 202/397-2277 or Mirico5@aol.com.
A host of poets and musicians will jam together as part of "The Traveling Bonfires: Vagrant Wind Cries Peace." The Rhythm Insurgency (a joint project of the DC Guerilla Poetry Insurgency and the Rhythm Workers Union), Blackout Artist Collective, Word of Mouth and more will be represented; specific artists include Kristen Arant, Princess of Controversy, Men Maa Aim Ra, Shahid Buttar, Paskie Pascua, Bobby, Jorge Gomes, Laurie Blair and Laila Shereen.
Join in on Friday, March 11, at 9 p.m. at Café Mawonaj (625 T St. NW; 202/332-4480).
Provisions Library (1611 Connecticut Ave. NW) has a free film series on Wednesday nights. On March 9 at 7 p.m., attend a screening of "The Magdalene Sisters" [amazon], a lacerating account of life inside a Magdalene Laundry, one of the dismal asylums for "wayward women" run by the Catholic Church in Ireland. Admission is free, but a donation of $5 will gladly be accepted.
In observance of International Women's Day on Tuesday, March 8, Amnesty International and the DC chapter of the US Committee for UNIFEM is sponsoring a reception and film screening followed by a panel discussion on "Violence Against Women" at the City Museum of Washington, DC (801 K St NW; Mount Vernon Square Metro).
The reception – with wine, music and hors d'oeuvres – will take place from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. "Battered, Bruised, Broken" and "The Peacekeepers and the Women" will be shown at 6:15 p.m., followed by a panel discussion at 8 p.m. with Debra Hussong, the director of "Battered, Bruised, Broken," and others.
Tickets are $10 for the reception only, $9 for the film and panel discussion, or $15 for the full evening.
Irish Northern Aid (INA) works to raise awareness of British misrule in Ireland by highlighting the colonial and sectarian nature of partition. The group informs Americans of human rights abuses faced by the residents of the six occupied counties and works for the right of the Irish people to national self-determination.
INA's Mid-Atlantic region has a DC-area meeting on Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30 p.m., at Flannagan's Irish Pub (7637 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda). For more information, contact inac-dc@inacmidatlantic.org or 301/325-5560.
Service providers and DC residents facing hardships due to the lack of a housing, health care, and social services safety net will have the opportunity to speak with DC officials about what their priorities are for the 2006 budget at a town hall meeting sponsored by the DC Fair Budget Coalition and other agencies. The town hall will be held on Saturday, March 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the True Reformer Building (1200 U St. NW; U Street/Cardozo Metro Station). Free child care and food will be provided. For more information or to RSVP for child care, call 202/328-5513 or send an e-mail to martina@legalclinic.org.
Join the Affordable Housing Alliance and Friends of the Fund at a rally (Spanish translation provided) in support of DC's Housing Production Trust Fund, which is the city's best source of money for affordable housing development. Don't let the city cut or misuse it! Come out and show your support on Wednesday, March 2, at 6 p.m., at Shiloh Baptist Church (Ninth and P Streets NW) at a rally with food and door prizes. For more information, call Amanda Huron at 202/745-0902.
DC Metro Action is published by Michael Schlesinger, a 32-year veteran of electoral and issue organizing who is committed to social justice and to increasing participation in the political process.
All original content (C) 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Michael Schlesinger
Academy Award-nominated director Liz Garbus follows Shanae and Megan for three years as they try to make a life for themselves both inside and outside Baltimore’s juvenile justice system in the film "Girlhood." A story of mothers and daughters, crimes and consequences, and strength in the face of unimaginable adversity, the movie is a testament to the faith and struggles of two girls just trying to grow up.
Irish Northern Aid
