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, November 26, 2003
Feast and Frolic
I have mixed feelings about Thanksgiving. Love the sentiment. Hate the outcome. How soon after that first Thanksgiving did the locals realize they were in for some serious trouble?
Happy Thanksgiving. How long will it be before today's Americans put an end to our 21st-century version of plundering other people's land for our own gain? This drumbeat of "democracy" sends shivers up my spine, and it will take a groundswell of Americans to change the tune. Hello, America? Is anybody listening?
But this weekend, I'm going to set aside the gibberish about the Mayflower that I learned in school and just have a fun few days off. I have a birthday this week and will use the time off to celebrate my own version of festival. I'm heading for the hills – with turkey, produce, and pots and pans – to dwell in a mountain cabin and just chill, cook, feast and frolic. All of you should have fun, too. See ya on Monday.
Washington, DC, has one of the highest rates of adult illiteracy in the nation. Help the Washington Literacy Council raise funds to help adults learn to read and transform their lives. Volunteers are needed to wrap gifts at DC bookstores from Nov. 28 to Dec. 24. Daytime, evening and weekend shifts are available.
Sign up for just an hour, or bring some friends and wrap all day! Even if you're all thumbs, the Washington Literacy Council can use you. All contributions will benefit the council's reading programs. Volunteers are especially needed Nov. 28-30 and Dec. 22-24. To sign up, contact the bookstore captain at the store where you'd like to volunteer:
During last week's demonstrations in London and Miami, I spent a chunk of time surfing network news channels. Despite more than 100,000 people in Trafalgar Square and Americans being gassed in Miami, I was subjected to hour after hour of Michael Jackson. Now, I'm as interested as anyone else when a celebrity's life implodes (my two cents: I think Michael is being set up by a DA with a vendetta), but don't the networks have some responsibility to report the news?
Apparently not, and considering that millions of Americans rely on the media to be their eyes and ears, it's no surprise that our priorities are upside down. The misdirection by the media takes the spotlight off the true criminals.
Microsoft's legal trouble suddenly disappeared when the Bush Justice Department offered a sweet settlement instead of zillions of dollars in fines. Is it any surprise that’s Microsoft's TV news outlet, MSNBC, views the president through rose-colored lenses? Corporate America finances the Bush campaign, and our government becomes a pawn of the weapons, pharmaceutical, insurance and securities industries. Quid pro quo in action.
This virus of corporate control is spreading worldwide, and that’s what the anti-globalism crusaders are fighting. The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas threatens to have all of North America run by un-elected corporate pariahs, and the World Trade Organization wants to put CEOs in charge of the planet.
The problem with this system is an old story: The rich get richer at the expense of workers worldwide. "Third World" sweatshops feed affordable products to Americans, whose purchases fuel the corporate coffers. The economics are rigged.
It all reminds me of a work of science fiction by Frederic Pohl. Written over 50 years ago, The Space Merchants (see sidebar, right) tells a story of corporate imperialism engulfing a future earth. When I read the book 30 years ago, I thought Pohl's vision was scary. Thinking about it today, I'm terrified.
Join DC Indymedia on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. for two films at the Flemming Center (1426 9th St. NW). Admission is free, but donations are suggested.
"We Interrupt This Empire" documents the Bay Area's radical response to the start of the war in Iraq, including the shutdown of San Francisco's financial district for several days. Using audio from the live broadcasts of SF Indymedia's Enemy Combatant Radio and the SFPD's tactical communications picked up by police scanners, the documentary looks at the diverse show of resistance from the streets as well as the corporate media coverage of the war and the imperialist drive of the United States.
"Value Added Cinema" will get you in the spirit for "Buy Nothing Day" on Friday, Nov. 28. The film is a montage of appropriated corporate advertisements placed in movies. If you can take it, here's the hideously cynical face of "capitalist branding" embedded in commercial cinema and across public media.
The Tell Us The Truth Tour is coming to Washington. Billy Bragg, Jill Sobule, Lester Chambers, Steve Earle, Mike Mills, Tom Morello and Janeane Garafolo are touring the country to raise awareness about the war, how the media is not doing their job, and other issues.
The Emergence Community Arts Collective (ECAC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster a spirit of community in the Pleasant Plains neighborhood of Washington, DC. The collective sponsors social activities, traditional arts classes, support groups and educational seminars.
ECAC is holding a showcase and pledge drive to help it realize its dream of rebuilding the spirit of community through the arts, cultural education, resource sharing and intergenerational communication. Join them on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Café Mawonaj (624 T St. NW), for an afternoon of music, poetry and performance. Admission is free.
TransAfrica Forum’s African World Visions Film Series presents "Man by the Shore" (Haiti/France, 1993). The film by Raoul Peck tells the story of a Haitian girl who discovers the truth about her father’s role as a general during Haiti's repressive Francois Duvalier regime.
This presentation is co-sponsored by Blackfilmmakers.net and Erico Cafe (1334 U St. NW; U Street/Cardozo Metro), where the film will be screened Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 20-22, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 23, at 4:30 p.m. Admission is $10, except on Sunday, when students with a valid ID can get in for $5. Portions of the proceeds will go to TransAfrica Forum.
For more information, call Erico Cafe at 202/518-9742, Blackfilmmakers.net at 202/232-3400, or TransAfrica Forum at 202/223-1960, ext. 137.
Code Pink is hosting a performance of Kayhan Irani's "We've Come Undone," a series of monologues inspired by true stories from Arab, Muslim, South Asian and American communities after 9/11. The performance, which interweaves drama, dance, music and multimedia, will be followed by an interactive theater discussion/workshop.
Join Code Pink on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m., at Bossa Bistro Lounge (2463 18th St. NW). The group is asking for a sliding-scale donation of $5 to $10. For more information, call 202/393-5016.
"Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election" gives a detailed picture of what happened in Florida and how George Bush landed in the White House. Filmmakers Joan Sekler and Richard Ray Perez document how Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris and the Republican Party manipulated and stole the election.
Attend a free screening and panel discussion of this award-winning documentary at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Washington College of Law (4801 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Room 603). Or pick up a copy of the DVD or VHS and watch it at home.
Some good news on the housing front has emerged: hundreds of new and refurbished apartments East of the Anacostia River are becoming available, and the Housing Production Trust Fund is fully funded for the current year. But the supply of affordable, low-income housing is still shrinking, and some areas of the city are experiencing an increased concentration of poverty, due in part to the displacement of poor households from gentrifying neighborhoods.
What additional funding sources can be tapped for affordable housing? Can gentrification be slowed and displacement stopped in rapidly changing neighborhoods? What can developers and bankers do to help address the housing needs of working families?
Come ask your own questions and share your ideas at a DC Housing Policy Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Room 412 of the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; enter on D Street and bring a picture ID). The event is free, with refreshments at 6:30 and the forum starting at 7 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, call 202/667-5445 or send an e-mail here.
The Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) Speaking Tour, "The Real Face of War," is coming to Washington, DC. SPAN is bringing its message of peace to thousands of high school and college students in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York.
The SPAN tour will feature Nagasaki survivor Kazuko Yamashina, Veterans for Peace, and 9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. All students, parents, teachers, veterans and community members are invited to attend this special event on Tuesday, Nov. 18, from 4 to 6 p.m., at Georgetown University (37th and O Streets NW) in the ICC Auditorium. For more information, call 301/565-4050, ext. 322, or send an e-mail.
The Global Justice Film Festival continues this weekend:
Saturday, Nov. 15 2 to 3 p.m. "Coming to Say Goodbye: Stories of AIDS in Africa" (30 minutes, 2002), by Maryknoll World Productions, looks at the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Kenya and Tanzania. The documentary explores the catastrophic causes and effects of the plague, poverty, lack of access to treatment and the overwhelming social cost through the stories and commentaries of those directly affected by this devastating disease.
3:45 to 6 p.m. "Bamako Sigi Kan" (76 minutes, 2002), by Manthia Diawara, documents the African response to globalization. This unconventional film tells the story of the return of the director to his hometown of Bamako, the capital of Mali (West Africa), to see how his childhood friends are coping with globalization. Diawara will lead the post-screening discussion.
Sunday, Nov. 16 2 to 3:30 p.m. "A Way to Move On" (23 minutes, 2001), by Elisa Mereghetti and Lulli Francesca, documents the development of Roscas economic collectives, which work like credit unions, by women in Senegal during the economic crisis of the 1980s. Through Roscas, these women have been able to provide for their families and raise their standard of living.
3:45 to 6 p.m. "Profits of Doom" (60 minutes, 2001), by the British Broadcasting Corporation, examines how World Bank policies have not only exacerbated poverty in Ghana and other countries, but have also made developing countries more vulnerable in the global economy. Ghana was called the "model pupil" of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's neoliberal economics in the late 1980s and 1990s, but now is unable to provide much of its population with the essentials of life.
The Global Justice Film Festival is being screened at the Provisions Library (1611 Connecticut Ave. NW). Pre-registration is required, and the suggested donation is $5. For more information, or to pre-register, call 202/223-1960.
Mayor Williams is hosting his third annual "Citizen Summit" this weekend, but Tony is still not listening to DC residents. Williams says: "Stadiums, 100,000 new residents, school vouchers…these are a few of my favorite things!"
DC residents must come before baseball and "City Living, DC Style"! DC money and DC officials should be working for DC people! Join in on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m., at a multi-issue citizens' rally that will call on the mayor to better prioritize the needs of current DC residents. Meet at the main entrance of the new Convention Center (Mt. Vernon Place between Seventh and Ninth Streets NW; Mt. Vernon Square Metro). If you are inside, at the Cititzen Summit, walk out at 10 a.m.
For more information, call 202/332-8800, or send an e-mail for a flier you can distribute.
Near NE Citizens Against Crime and Drugs will host a public forum on the controversial proposed building of a new baseball stadium in Washington, DC. At-Large Councilmember Harold Brazil will be featured. All people throughout the DC area are encouraged to attend to both listen and voice their opinions. The forum will be held on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. at the J.O. Wilson Elementary School (Seventh and K Streets NE). For more information, contact Loree Murray at 202/547-9235.
Join Congressman Jim Moran and former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.) at an Arlington town meeting on the war in Iraq, veterans and other issues important to you on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Building (4301 Wilson Blvd., two blocks from the Ballston Metro). For more information, contact Daniel Drummond at 202/225-0367.
Serena Zeise helped out on last week's HERE action at Georgetown Park. Here is her account of the event:
"Last Thursday evening, union and non-union parking workers came together for a huge picket line in front of the Colonial Parking Garage in Georgetown as part of HERE Local 27's ongoing fight for living wages, affordable health care and dignity on the job for all DC-area parking workers. Picketers holding bright yellow signs circled in front of the garage, chanting in English, Spanish and Amharic, while leafletters educated passersby on their way to happy hour.
A party to benefit the Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community (EJBIC) will be held at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Havana Village (1834 Columbia Rd. NW). Come out and support this multicultural association of community activists who have chosen to live and work cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects the Kwanzaa principles. For a suggested donation of $5, enjoy a Cuban buffet, raffle prizes, drink specials and dancing.
EJBIC has created a permanently affordable housing community in Columbia Heights and will promote other opportunities for affordable housing and cooperative living. Proceeds will go toward the final construction costs for 15 units of permanently affordable housing in Columbia Heights. For more information, call 202/452-5967.
"The Rock the Vote party and youth voter registration drive sponsored by YouthNOISE and Pop on Election Day managed to take the voter registration process to another level by making it hip and fun. Held in the intimate setting of Pop’s showroom, attendees registered to vote under funky recessed lighting, surrounded by hip clothes, with rock music playing in the background.
"Some had questions about how to actually ‘rock the vote’: 'Do I need my driver’s license?' 'I don’t have my Social Security Card. Can I still register?' 'I just want to update my voting address. Can I do that?'
"However, once they found out that all they really needed to do was print their name and address on a form to register for any state, the hesitation quickly cleared, bottles of sparkling cider were opened, and shoppers and voters alike were more at ease.
"While most attendees came out to register and e-mail the Democratic presidential candidates participating in the America Rock’s the Vote live forum on CNN, one guest, who had come out just for shopping, was cajoled to register to vote by the small crowd of enthusiasts."
Whatever we can do to get young people engaged in the political process is a good thing. Not only do DC's youth provide a vast army of limitless energy, but their involvement is good for the growth of organizations. Young people transcend constituency labels, and they potentially care about everything. Give young people an opportunity to give of themselves early, and maybe they will grow up to be giving adults.
So listen up, all you folks from Washington's non-profits, organizations, political clubs and community groups – or if you just surfed in and have some ideas – how can we better engage young people? Let's think about youth-specific outreach, and how we can craft even a single event that would attract our next generation of organizers.
Friends of the Bush administration, like Halliburton and Bechtel, are getting rich off the deaths of American GIs and Iraqi civilians. The Senate and the House just approved another $87 billion for W.'s illegal enterprise in the Middle East. But this government gives only lip service to supporting our troops.
Veterans for Peace says the best way to support American troops is to bring them home from the war and occupation in Iraq – and take care of them when they get here. Stand up and be counted with our winter soldiers at a Veterans' Day event at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (7100 Georgia Ave. NW; Metrobus #70 or #71 from the Silver Spring Metro), sponsored by the group's Baltimore and Washington chapters. On Tuesday, Nov. 11, assemble at 10:30 a.m. at the amphitheater (50 yards south of Walter Reed's main gate) for a press conference to start at 11:11 a.m. A vigil and leafleting will take place from noon to 4 p.m., followed by an open bullhorn event that will end at 7 p.m.
For more information, contact the Baltimore and DC chapters of Veterans for Peace at 301/324-8798 or send an e-mail here.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is hosting an "Explosive Film Festival" that explores the evolution of mainstream America's attitude towards "the bomb." Next in the series is The Atomic Cafe, a compilation of film clips that include propaganda films released by the US government during the 1960s which, to modern audiences, appear laughably absurd. Yet their original intent – to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb did not pose any serious threat to their safety – is considerably darker.
The film will be shown at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9. There is no charge for this event; regular museum admission will get you in. The Corcoran is at 17th Street and New York Avenue NW. For more information, call 202/639-1727.
Argentine and Brazilian activists are coming to Washington as part of the Autonomista Tour to discuss their involvement in creative movements against neoliberalism and to share their experiences of radical social change. Two events in DC on Sunday, Nov. 9, will feature speakers, an interactive puppet show, a slide show and a live performance by the Rhythm Workers Union. The first is from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at The American University, SIS Lounge (Tenleytown/AU Metro); the second is from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at St. Stephens Church (16th and Newton Streets NW; Columbia Heights Metro).
The events are free, but donations are greatly appreciated and much needed.
This is the final week to see Emily Jacir's exhibition, "Where We Come From," which will close Sunday, Nov. 9. Stop in at the Provisions Library (1611 Connecticut Ave. NW) and view this "deceptively simple" work by Jacir, who was recently named to the 2004 Whitney Biennial.
Washington's Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 27 (HERE) has a contract that will expire in mid-November. Not only will HERE members miss out on a wage increase, they likely will lose benefits they currently enjoy.
Join HERE in its struggle for workers' rights at an informational picket line and rally at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Colonial Garage in the Georgetown Park Mall (M Street and Wisconsin Avenue). For more information, send an e-mail here.
Could the GOP lose the military vote over the Iraq war? Will the armed forces currently stationed in Iraq be the swing voters in the next presidential election? Find out at a brown-bag lunch forum sponsored by the New America Foundation and the Washington Monthly on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 12:15 to 2 p.m. at the New America Foundation (1630 Connecticut Ave. NW, 7th Floor). RSVP to 202/986-4901 or this e-mail.
Rock the Vote at a party hosted by YouthNOISE and Pop.
The mission of YouthNOISE is "to inspire, connect and empower youth to help young people everywhere by volunteering, fundraising and speaking out." YouthNOISE and Pop, a cool new clothing store, want to engage young people in the political process and put an end to the notion that the voting process is too boring or too complicated for young people.
Make some noise and register to vote at the party, where you'll find:
* A voter registration booth.
* Ten percent off everything in the store after registering to vote or by showing a voter registration card.
* An Internet station where attendees can e-mail their questions and concerns to the Democratic presidential candidates participating in the Rock the Vote forum on CNN.
* Rock the Vote goodies and information.
* Refreshments.
The Rock the Vote party is from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Pop (1893 14th St. NW, second floor, above Pulp). For more information about YouthNOISE, contact Markette Smith at 202/261-4695 or by e-mail.
The Committee to ReDefeat the President, a new political action committee, is holding its first public event to launch its online headquarters at www.ReDefeatBush.com. The PAC, which is not affiliated with any candidate, is conducting an Internet-enabled voter registration drive to secure one million new Democratic voters in key battleground states.
The event is Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Spy Lounge (2406 18th St. NW). Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased online.
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
