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).
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Wrongfully Imprisoned
The Sundance-award winning film, After Innocence, tells the story of seven men and their emotional journey back into society and efforts to rebuild their lives after being wrongfully imprisoned for decades and then released after DNA evidence proved their innocence.
The film will be shown in conjunction with "The Innocents: Head Shots," a nationally touring exhibition presenting photographic portraits of 45 wrongfully convicted individuals exonerated using DNA evidence. Admission to the film is $5 for nonmembers; members get in free.
When: Wednesday, March 1, and Friday, March 3, at 7 p.m. Where: Provisions Library (1611 Connecticut Ave. NW, 2nd floor) More info: Contact Katy Otto at kotto@provisionslibrary.org or 202/299-0460
The Kojo Nnamdi Show (WAMU-88.5 FM) will spend this week in neighborhoods throughout the DC metro area. Every day from noon to two, listeners call into the show, but this special live event will let the audience drive the discussion in a community forum.
The first "Kojo in Your Community" will be two one-hour conversations, recorded for broadcast, where you can come talk about DC's changing housing market and other topics on your mind. Bring your friends, family and colleagues and let the wider WAMU radio audience hear the view from your neighborhood!
When: Tues., Feb. 28; arrive at 6:30 p.m., taping starts at 7 p.m. Where: All Souls Unitarian Church (1500 Harvard St. NW)
As the anniversary of last year's Georgetown University hunger strike nears, 20 members of Congress are urging Georgetown President DeGioia to use his influence to ensure that university contractors recognize the janitors' union.
Although a majority of janitors have signed union cards over the past year, the university has so far failed to recognize the union. And campus workers have not been paid the living wage that the university promised in the "Just Employees Policy" after a 10-day hunger strike by Georgetown students.
The Georgetown Living Wage Coalition has set March 14, the one-year anniversary of the hunger strike, as the deadline for the university to pay a living wage as promised and recognize card-check neutrality. Join in at a student rally in support of a living wage at Georgetown University.
When: Tues., Feb. 28, at 12:45 p.m. Where: Georgetown University campus (Red Square) More info: www.georgetownsolidarity.org
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Chesapeake Native Nursery is hosting a clean energy open house and native plant garden tour! Come see solar panels! View electric, biodiesel, and hybrid cars firsthand! Eat solar-baked cookies! Learn how to landscape your yard with native plants! Buy wind power certificates and energy-saving light bulbs! Test drive a tofu-powered lawn mower! And more! Free admission to all ages
When: Saturday, Feb. 25, from noon to 4 p.m. Where: 7125 Willow Ave. In Takoma Park, MD More info: Anne Havemann at 301/891-6726 or anne@chesapeakeclimate.org
"The president is breaking the law. Momentum is already mounting in Congress for a real, independent investigation into the president's illegal wiretapping program. But unless Congress knows that citizens are concerned, they'll shrink from their responsibility to act as a check on the president's power.
"To turn up the pressure on Congress, we’re organizing nationwide 'Constitution Vigils', to bear witness to the president’s lawbreaking.
"We’ll get together with other MoveOn members and read the Bill of Rights to remind Congress about what’s at stake.
"Thousands of us will gather together to send a strong message to our elected representatives that they won’t be able to ignore -- especially since many of them will be home in their districts for the Presidents' Day holiday. The more of us that participate, the louder our message will be."
When: Wednesday, Feb. 22 Where: Locations all over metro DC, click here.
The Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force is an all-volunteer, non-violent group founded in the 1980s to promote peaceful and safe access to women's health clinics in the DC metropolitan area. The group is recruiting volunteer escorts to ensure a peaceful and reassuring presence for patients, their companions and staff at several local clinics. Training sessions are held monthly and are free and open to the public.
When: Saturday, Feb. 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. Where: Arlington Central Library (1015 North Quincy Street in Arlington, 703/228-5990) More Info: wacdtf@wacdtf.org or 202/797-6577
James Carville and Paul Begala discuss their new book, "Take It Back: Our Party, Our Country, Our Future." With the inimitable styles for which they are known, Democratic political consultants Carville and Begala dissect the 2000 and 2004 elections, when Republicans triumphed over Democrats, and take a long-range look at the national impact of the Bush-Cheney years. Rather than cry over the recent losses, Carville and Begala applaud the strengths of the Republicans and strongly advise the Democrats to recast the respective images of the two parties and take the lead on social and cultural issues.
When: Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. Where: Olsson's bookstore (2111 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington near the Courthouse Metro More info: 703/525-4227
Who would've thought that there would be so much activism on Valentine's Day? It's not a day off from work or school, and it's usually reserved for matters of romance. Although greeting card makers and the rose growers of the world certainly profit from it, the history of this holiday pre-dates both industries by quite a bit. You can read all about it here.
Come out and join PeaceAction Montgomery in support of our local Raging Grannies. Stop the military from recruiting our youth for this illegal and immoral war. On Valentine's Day let's say, "No more heartbreak." Raging Grannies will attempt to enlist in the US Army and offer their bodies in place of those young soldiers now serving in Iraq. Grandma has had a wonderful, long life, and she's willing to step in to replace our young people so they can come home!
When: Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. Where: Armed Forces Recruiting Center, 8202 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Md. More info: Jean Athey at 301/570-0923 or info@PeaceActionMC.org
Meet the 'Grand Dame' of the Civil Rights Movement
You are invited to a Valentine's Day reception for Dr. Dorothy I. Height. Join the Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition and the DC Black History Month Celebration Committee to show our love and appreciation for her lifelong leadership and dedication to democracy and equal rights.
When: Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Where: The National Council of Negro Women (633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) More info: 202/232-2500, ext. 1, or 202/488-3404
Send a valentine to a political prisoner in the US. Join in for the first of what is hoped to be a monthly potluck and get together to share information, stories and strategies around political repression in the US and to write letters to political prisoners. Bring food for the potluck and stamps, paper (white) and envelopes if you can. The Infoshop will provide bios and addresses for political prisoners being held in the United States and will offer desserts, tea and coffee for a small donation to contribute toward postage.
This month's monthly meeting of the Virginia Grassroots Coalition will include a screening of Freedom Files #3 – "Dissent," and the evening will focus on our right to voice ideas freely and the spying practices of the Bush administration. A couple of special guest speakers will help interpret the current state of affairs and with ideas to take back our civil rights. Celebrate Valentine's Day fighting for freedom instead of chasing after love. info@vagrassroots.org
When: Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Where: Capitol City Brewing (2700 S. Quincy, in the Brewer's Room in back, in Arlington, Va.).
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 abuses of human rights faced by the residents of the six occupied counties. INA works for the right of the Irish people to national self-determination and to stop the continuing outrages against these residents. Check out the DC Chapter of INA at its monthly meeting.
When: Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m. Where: Flannagan's Irish Pub (7637 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, Md.) More Info: Randy Cecil at 301/325-5560
The Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and The Venezuela Information Office invites you to a free screening of "The Revolution will not be Televised." On April 11, 2002, Irish documentarians were in Venezuela, making a movie about the nation's left-leaning president, Hugo Chavez, whose support comes mostly from the country's impoverished, who make up 80 percent of the population. That day, the filmmakers found themselves in the heart of a coup d'etat, trapped in the presidential palace as Chavez's right-wing oligarchic opposition overthrew the leader. Chavez was able to return to power within 48 hours, buoyed by public support.
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" captures the frightening days in which the nation's political future was fought over using both bullets and manipulation of the media. This movie also addresses Washington's support for the coup in the world's fifth largest producer of oil, which supplies 14 percent of the petroleum used by the United States.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. Where: Bolivarian Hall (2443 Massachusetts Ave. NW) More info: RSVP to 202/342-6828
'Capers is a one-woman show based on the stories of families at the Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg public housing projects -- also known as 'Capers -- in Southeast DC. It closes this weekend. Check out this earlier post for all the info.
Credited with inspiring the Black Power Movement, Robert Williams led his North Carolina hometown to defend itself against the Ku Klux Klan and challenge repressive Jim Crow laws. The film "Negroes With Guns: Robert Williams and Black Power" follows Williams's journey from southern community leader to his exile in Cuba and China – a journey that brought the issue of armed self-defense to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Social Action and Leadership School for Activists (SALSA) in partnership with ITVS, Busboys and Poets, and WHUT-TV, and with support from the Howard University Organization of Graduate Sociologists and Project South, invite you to a free screening followed by a panel discussion with Mabel Williams, activist and wife of Robert Williams, filmmaker Sandra Dickson and former Revolutionary Action Movement member Banbose Shango.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 9 p.m. Where: Busboys and Poets (14th and V Streets NW) More info: Space is limited. RSVP recommended to itvs.cinema@gmail.com, www.HotSalsa.org or 202/787-5229. The film will be broadcast nationally on the Emmy award-winning PBS series Independent Lens on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 10 p.m., locally on WHUT-TV, Channel 32.
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
." With the inimitable styles for which they are known, Democratic political consultants Carville and Begala dissect the 2000 and 2004 elections, when Republicans triumphed over Democrats, and take a long-range look at the national impact of the Bush-Cheney years. Rather than cry over the recent losses, Carville and Begala applaud the strengths of the Republicans and strongly advise the Democrats to recast the respective images of the two parties and take the lead on social and cultural issues.
