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, December 23, 2003
Orange You Glad It's Christmas?
King George has replaced the red and green of the season with code orange. Nevertheless, it's time to give the blog a break and revel in the festivals of winter. Family and friends are expected, and even this little guy showed up one night, so we let him stay. We call him Dan.
We'll be back the first Monday after New Year's Day, but check back for the occasional update. We need to hit January running because there's a lot to accomplish in 2004.
Rest up, everyone, but have fun, too. I will do both.
To highlight the need for shelter at Christmastime, the Coalition of Homeless Organizations is sponsoring a pageant/procession to the city's intake office for homeless families on Tuesday, Dec. 23, at 10 a.m. Meet at the Navy Yard Metro station.
The Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition will host its third annual "Free DC" Holiday Songfest on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 14th and U Streets NW (outside the Reeves Center). In the time-honored tradition of freedom singers advocating for civil rights, the Stand Up DC Freedom Singers will gather at 12:20 p.m. on 12/20 to sing holiday songs turned freedom songs, like "The Twelve Days of Freedom," "Fill the Halls," "Norton the DC Delegate" and "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Statehood!" Song lyrics will be provided so all can join in. For more information call Karen Szulgit at 202/547-3237 or Anise Jenkins at 202/232-2500, ext. 2.
The Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition works to gain local control over DC's budget, laws, judicial and school systems, and to obtain full voting representation in the Congress. The coalition meets every second and fourth Tuesday at the National Council of Negro Women, 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, at 6:30 p.m. (Archives/Navy Memorial Metro).
Come lift a glass of eggnog with friends at a benefit party for the DC Anti-War Network. DAWN will supply the nog (regular and vegan), you bring the spike!
The party is Friday, Dec. 19, from 7:30 to 9:45 p.m. at the Holiday Peace House (632 Q St. NW; three blocks south of the Howard University/Shaw Metro). Bring a cash donation and/or some spike (brandy, rum or a schnapps is recommended). RSVP to Jay at 202/265-7185.
Honor DC residents who died while homeless over the past year. On Friday, Dec. 19, join an 11 a.m. vigil at McPherson Park (15th and Vermont Avenue NW) on the National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day.
Join Organized C.O.U.P. at the Assata Shakur Series on Community Resistance for a program titled "Black Woman in Palestine – An Eyewitness Report." It's Thursday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m. at Cafe Mawonaj (624 T St. NW). For more information, call 866/206-9069, ext. 5413, or click here.
Two new groups check in to get listed in our "Act Locally" section:
More than 30 years old, Irish Northern Aid works for peace with justice in a reunited Ireland. The working-class civil rights organization has strong ties to organized labor and other human rights organizations. Regional Director Randolph Healy Cecil was a 19-year organizer for the late United Farm Worker president Cesar Chavez.
Membership meetings for the DC-area affiliate are held on the second Tuesday of each month at Flanagan's Pub in Bethesda. The local leadership is involved with Progressive Maryland, the ACLU, Kensington Neighbors for Peace, and Catholic Worker Houses in DC and Baltimore. Visit the group's DC-area website at www.inacmidatlantic.org.
Our Nation's Capital, a nonprofit corporation, works to educate the public about the serious financial imbalance in Washington, DC, that has been created by congressional action.
Given the constraints Congress has imposed on the city's ability to tax, the District of Columbia faces unique challenges to provide adequate levels of service to its residents, nonresident workers and visitors. Our Nation's Capital is building a coalition of interested individuals as well as business, labor and other groups to advance a dialog and advocate for change so that Washington can remain a city that every American is proud to call our nation's capital.
For more information about the commuter tax, DC's property tax burden, and other evidence of the structural fiscal imbalance imposed by Congress on the capital city, visit www.ournationscapital.org.
Why Close a Homeless Shelter at the Start of Winter?
For over two years, the Gales Shelter on Massachusetts Avenue has played a critical role in preventing deaths among homeless women and men during cold weather. The shelter's location, within walking distance of downtown, has been critical in helping people come in from the cold rather than sleep on the streets.
About 200 men and women are currently staying at the Gales Shelter. The District government plans to close Gales on Dec. 19. Closing Gales at the start of winter makes no sense.
Join Gales Shelter residents and concerned allies for a rally and vigil in support of keeping the Gales Shelter open this winter. Meet in front of the Gales Shelter (65 Massachusetts Ave. NW; Union Station Metro) on Monday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 p.m.
Attend a panel discussion by local labor activists who will address the strike at Sterling Laundry and other labor struggles in the DC area – and find out what you can do to get involved.
The Sterling workers have been on strike for more than three months for the most basic of rights – the right to form a union. Teachers in Prince George's County are on a work-to-rule campaign to fight for a fair contract, and DC teachers turned out in big numbers this fall to fight to keep a raise they had already been promised.
The event is Saturday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m., in the chapel at Plymouth Congregational Church (5301 N. Capitol St. NE; Fort Totten Metro). Call 202/667-0049 for more information.
Underground Currents, a weekend of activity to benefit the Brian MacKenzie Infoshop and Prevention Works, is this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13 and 14. Join in for two days of activism, workshops, performances, movies, music, art, zines and more.
The Brian MacKenzie Infoshop is a nonprofit that encourages radical ideas and provides an organizing space for independent thinkers in the DC area. Prevention Works, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, is a local non-profit that runs a needle exchange program. Get the full schedule and all the locations for this weekend's events here.
Join DC Indymedia and Critical Resistance for an evening of film and discussion centered on prisons and the criminal injustice system.
"This Black Soil: A Story of Struggle and Change" is an inspiring and provocative documentary that chronicles the successful struggle of Bayview, Va., a small and severely impoverished rural African-American community, to pursue a new vision of prosperity. Catalyzed by defeating the state's plans to build a prison in their backyard, and with leadership by women in the community, the residents created the nonprofit Bayview Citizens for Social Justice, secured $7 million, purchased the prison site land, and are now building a new community from the ground up.
Included in the program are the activist shorts "No Escape: Prison Rape" and "CopWatch" by the Guerrilla News Network, as well as works from local videographers.
The screening will be held Thursday, Dec. 11, at Cafe Mawonaj (624 T St. NW). The shorts start at 7:30 p.m., and the feature begins at 8. Admission is free.
Join a workers rally on the steps of the Department of Labor (200 Constitution Ave. NW) on a national day of action to celebrate International Human Rights Day. The event starts at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 10. For more information, send an e-mail here.
Do you think the mainstream media are ignoring some of the real story of what's happening in Iraq? Join Code Pink's Gael Murphy and Medea Benjamin and other members of a recent delegation to Iraq as they present video footage and photos of their trip and discuss the state of human rights, the US military, and women in occupied Iraq.
The event is Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Warehouse Theater (1021 Seventh St. NW). A $5 to $10 suggested donation will be taken at the door. After the presentation, head over to the Warehouse Cafe for a bite to eat and to continue the conversation with the delegates and other peace-minded folks from the DC area.
When was the last time you went to happy hour AND helped people in need? Head over to the 3rd Annual Capital Action Alternative Gift Fair Happy Hour, where you can donate to a local non-profit organization in a loved one's name as a holiday gift. Last year, more than $4,000 was raised for local non-profit groups when holiday shoppers purchased 32 sets of classroom supplies for DC school kids, 35 wool blankets for homeless individuals, 23 safe rides home for rape survivors after forensic exams, self-help information packets on civil rights and medical care for 400 prisoners, a creative movement dance class for 40 homeless children, and much more.
And while you're shopping, take advantage of the discounted food and drinks at The Front Page (1333 New Hampshire Ave. NW), which is offering $2.50 drafts and half-priced appetizers for the event. It all happens on Tuesday, Dec. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. For more details, send an e-mail here.
Join a new solidarity campaign with the people of Venezuela to provide medical supplies for volunteer doctors in poor areas of that country. U.S. communities are raising money and medical supplies and sending delegations directly to the Venezuelan communities to deliver this needed medical assistance.
You can help by attending a benefit screening of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," a unique document about political muscle and Hugo Chavez, who was elected president of Venezuela in 1998. Chavez is a colorful, unpredictable folk hero, beloved by his nation's working class and a tough-as-nails, quixotic opponent to the power structure that would see him deposed. Two independent filmmakers were inside the presidential palace on April 11, 2002, when he was forcibly removed from office. They were also present 48 hours later when, remarkably, he returned to power amid cheering aides. Their film records what was probably history's shortest-lived coup d'état.
The documentary will be screened at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, at the Landmark Theater (7235 Woodmont Ave. in Bethesda, 301/652-7273). Admission is $15. For more information, call Mwiza at 202/223-1960, ext. 137.
This Sunday, Dec. 7, more than 2,000 MoveOn members are hosting house parties to screen the new documentary "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War." Some of these folks are opening up their homes to other MoveOn members, and you’re invited to attend. You can sign up for a public party in your area at this website.
Come to a benefit and dance party for the DC Radio Co-op on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Sheesha Palace Cafe (1359 Monroe St. NW). A $5 donation is requested to continue the efforts of the DC Radio Co-op, which trains community media makers, but no one will be turned away for lack of cash.
Local Charities in Even Greater Need During the Holidays
Local charities are facing drastic drops in funding from every source – corporate, foundation and individual giving – while demand for their programs and services is increasing. During the holiday season, this disparity grows particularly acute. For example, on Thanksgiving Day, DC Central Kitchen made 4,330 meals in addition to its usual 4,000 meals a day. Demand for meals will remain high throughout the holidays.
Touch DC helps charities like DC Central Kitchen find donors and volunteers for its programs. The web site makes it easy for individuals to contribute time or money to local nonprofit organizations serving the community. Individuals interested in helping DC Central Kitchen or other regional organizations can visit www.TouchDC.org to learn more about their programs, make a donation or volunteer.
Join the DC Anti-War Network for a showing of the documentary "Berkeley in the 60s" at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Visions Cinema and Bistro (1927 Florida Ave. NW). Admission is $7, and a discussion will follow the screening. For more information, click here.
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
