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).
Friday, January 30, 2004
Si Se Puede!
I received this alert from HERE Local 27 right here in Washington.
"Regat Gebretsadik worked for 10 years serving the Metro parking customers at the Landover Metro Station. 'I loved my customers in Landover. I always gave them a big smile and in return they would give me flowers and presents at Christmastime.' This year at Christmas, Regat and 15 of her coworkers were not in their booths. These members of HERE Local 27, Parking & Service Workers' Union, were terminated right before Christmas because the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) ordered their employer, which contracts with WMATA to provide parking services at Metro stations, to remove them from their jobs.
"The WMATA 16 make up 20 percent of the workforce at Metro parking lots. Local 27 is fighting for their jobs back. The union and the company want to resolve these wrongful terminations but WMATA is an obstacle. Local 27 has asked WMATA representatives to meet, to provide information and an explanation regarding these 'expulsion orders.' WMATA has refused on all counts. WMATA's actions have denied due process and justice to these terminated employees. Tell WMATA that you want Justice for Regat and the WMATA 16 by clicking here."
Check out "In Her Image: Folktales of Mothers and Daughters and the Men Who Love Them," a unique and creative evening with famed storyteller Jeannine Pasini Beekman in which she explores the connections between women sharing lives and laughter, homes and horrors. Included will be her newest full-length piece, "In Her Image," a dark and disturbing retelling of the tale we know as Snow White.
Beekman is known throughout the country for the wit, passion, and integrity of her work. She draws from an extensive repertoire of folklore and literature and has been in the vanguard of the storytelling revival. A professional storyteller since 1975, she is the 1991 recipient of the John Henry Faulk Award for Outstanding Contributions to Storytelling and the 1999 recipient of the National Storytelling Network Oracle Leadership Award.
Thanks to peace.laken.com for pointing to this Code Pink blog chronicling a trip to Iraq. And while you're at it, check out Baghdad Burning, a "Girl Blog from Iraq..." who is talking about war, politics and occupation.
DC Action for Children has developed a colorful and easy to read and understand map to the District’s budget process. “The District Budget Process – A Step-by-Step Guide” is available for free to District residents, service providers, advocates, and others. Those interested in receiving a copy should contact Angela Jones by phone at 202/234-9404, or via e-mail
It has been said that when a person is sent to prison, the whole family is imprisoned as well. Of the more than 2 million men and women in federal prisons, it is estimated that 75 percent are parents who have left behind between 2 to 5 million children.
Washington, DC, has an incarceration rate that is four times the national average, and since the shutdown of the Lorton Correctional Complex in Virginia, all District of Columbia inmates have been transferred to federal custody and are being held in dozens of prisons as far away as California. But there is hope! Come to a public forum and learn about the inspiring effort of some concerned DC inmates who have made fathering their main concern from within distant prison walls. Central to this story is also a remarkable woman, Carol Fennelly who has created the Hope House. Using video presentation and a dynamic panel, this forum will enlighten and inspire you to act on what is ultimately a public safety issue. The forum will be at the Maya Angelou Public Charter School (1851 Ninth St. NW) on Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Admission is free.
Provisions Library (1611 Connecticut Ave. NW) is hosting a new exhibit of paintings and drawings by Brett Cook-Dizney, titled "Hall of Mirrors: Reflections on Revolution." This hall-of-fame for revolutionaries and avatars of global justice features vibrant portraits of Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnam), Cesar Chavez (USA), Arundhati Roy (India), Mahatma Ghandi (India), Julia "Butterfly" Hill (USA), Edward Said (Palestine) and Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma). In this colorfully expressionistic series, portraits are spray-painted on the surface of mirrors, dramatically incorporating the viewer's own reflection behind the painted image. Mirrored shelves run along the bottom of each work, containing books and writings by the persons depicted.
Also on display are large drawings portraying writers and musicians whose works convey social activist and revolutionary messages. These images and texts are drawn on fadeless black paper in gold ink and reflect the power of art to speak for marginalized voices, pointing the way toward deep social change.
The exhibit runs until Feb. 29; the gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The suggested donation is $5. For more information, call 202/299-0460.
Come support the BAD 7 – who are on trial for trying to bring democracy to Washington, DC – at an 8 a.m. rally on Tues., Jan. 27, at DC Superior Court (500 Indiana Ave. NW). Seven activists were arrested when they tried to take their cause to House Speaker Dennis Hastert. If you can make it out early Tuesday morning to rally with them on the first day of their trial, please do it! Scroll down to the Jan. 23 post for all the info.
The newest weblog from Gawker launches today, and it's DC-centric. The inaugural post:
"Wonkette provides an appropriately arch and irrepressibly giddy guide to the American political landscape and the Washington metro area social scene (such as it is). We like recall movements, illegitimate children of senators coming forward after 50 years, wrestler-style wild screams of rage and the endorsement of Dennis Kucinich by Grandfather Twilight (Look it up! It's true!)."
"On October 1, 2003, I was arrested with six of my DC Democracy colleagues while attempting to petition House Speaker Denny Hastert for a redress of our grievances – namely the lack of budget autonomy and statehood in DC. We are each charged with 'unlawful entry' and are each facing six months in prison. On Tuesday, January 27, 2004, Adam Eidinger, Jill Blankespoor, Anise Jenkins, Karen Szulgit, Bill Mosley, David Barrows and I will go on trial."
If you missed Zoe's earlier pieces on BAD Day, check out this link. Click here to read BAD defendant Bill Mosley's commentary in the Common Denominator.
Show your support for the BAD 7 on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at an 8 a.m. rally before the start of the trial at DC Superior Court (500 Indiana Ave. NW).
Mason/Rhynes Productions and the Lincoln Theatre present Black Expressions, a unique dance event featuring the brightest emerging Black choreographers from DC to NY. The evening includes Women @Work, which combines the artistic talents of Christal Brown, Shanni Collins and Jamie Philbert, the street and modern dance fusion of Jennifer Archibald's Arch Dance Company from New York, and 2003 Kennedy Center Local Dance Commission recipient Boris Willis. Also featured are local choreographer Sandra Holloway and Gesel Mason, 2002 Metro DC Dance Awards winner for Outstanding Artistic Direction. Their styles combine Hip-Hop, Modern, and West African influences.
Don't miss the next generation of Black voices in dance. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St. NW. General admission is $20; seniors, children and groups of 10 or more pay $15 each. For more information, call 202/328-6000.
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the DC Sierra Club, and Friends of the Earth are sponsoring a forum on the environmental and health problems associated with air pollution – and clean energy alternatives, like wind and solar power. Speakers will represent the health, environmental, wind energy, faith and environmental justice communities. Information from DC-based groups will also be available at the forum on Thursday, Jan. 22, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Sumner School (1201 17th St. NW; Farragut North Metro). For more information, call Dawn Ratcliffe at 301/920-1644.
The District of Columbia Public Library is hosting a poetry exhibit, D.C. Poets Against the War, through Jan. 26. Attend a reception featuring readings of the displayed poems on Wednesday, Jan. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St. NW). For more information, call Elena Tscherny at 202/727-1183.
The original Emancipation Proclamation is on view from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today – for one day only – at the National Archives (Seventh and Pennsylvania Avenue NW). And don't forget the Martin Luther King Jr. Justice and Peace National Workshop and Rally at the University of the District of Columbia.
Join a candlelight vigil at the U.S. Capitol to remember the lives lost because of the 16-word lie spoken by President Bush at last year's State of the Union address.
“The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”
During this year's State of the Union, Military Families Speak Out – supported by Veterans for Peace and other peace groups and faith communities in the DC area – will mount a powerful, respectful remembrance of the 500 American soldiers who died in Iraq and the estimated 9,000 Iraqi civilians who were killed in the war and the chaos that followed. The vigil will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, along Third Street NW between Constitution and Independence Avenues. For more information, click here.
If watching the State of the Union is your thing, don't do it alone. Head over to the Plymouth Congregational Church (5301 N. Capitol St. NE) at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, to hear what Bush has to say this year, and then take part in a discussion on the REAL state of the union. For more information, contact Code Pink at 202/393-5016.
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Arts Consortium will commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a concert on Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 7 to 8 p.m., at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church (Fourth and Independence Avenue SE; Eastern Market or Capitol South Metro). The event is free to the public and will be interpreted for the deaf. For more information, call 202/546-1549.
In 1961, a coalition of black civic organizations was created in Albany, Ga., to test new federal guidelines that required the desegregation of all trains, buses and terminal facilities engaged in interstate commerce. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History will commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round," the inside story of the Albany movement. Come hear the testimony and songs of the Albany Movement activists, who played a major role in organizing and sustaining one of the most significant civil rights campaigns in southwest Georgia.
The event is Saturday, Jan. 17, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the museum's Carmichael Auditorium (14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW). For more information, call 202/357-2700 or 202/357-1729 (TTY).
Renowned poet, author and activist Sonia Sanchez and former United Nations weapons inspector and Bush administration critic Scott Ritter will be two of the speakers at the third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Justice and Peace National Workshop and Rally on Monday, Jan. 19.
The event – sponsored by Black Voices for Peace, the University of the District of Columbia, and the UDC Department of Criminal Justice – will start at 9:30 a.m. with workshops and an information marketplace. A musical and cultural tribute featuring youths and elders will be held from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in UDC's main auditorium (Van Ness Metro).
Admission is free, and low-cost meals will be available. Children and youths are encouraged to attend. For more information, call the Black Voices for Peace 24-hour hotline at 202/232-5690.
"We Interrupt This Empire," a collaborative work by Bay Area video activists, documents the direct actions that shut down San Francisco's financial district in the weeks following the US invasion of Iraq. The film reveals the diverse show of resistance, takes a critical look at the corporate media coverage of the war, and explores such issues as the military industrial complex and the current imperialist drive of the United States. The documentary will be shown on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 9 p.m., at Cafe Mawonaj (624 T St. NW; Shaw/Howard University Metro).
Come join Africa Initiative/DC for a discussion about the role of corporations and the damaging effects of water privatization on the African continent. The inhuman policies of the IMF and World Bank demand that the poor – who can hardly afford food and education – pay for something as basic as water, something that is a natural human right. Sponsored by the Africa Freedom and Justice Coalition, the forum will take place Thursday, Jan. 15, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the American Friends Service Committee Office (2211 14th St. NW; U Street/Cardozo Metro). For more information, call Zainabu at 202/299-1050.
A new approach to school design and construction aims to create facilities that not only advance the learning process, but are also healthy, environmentally sound and cost-effective to operate. This method is gaining momentum in communities throughout the country and is the subject of a new Environmental Law Institute (ELI) report, "Building Healthy, High Performance Schools: A Review of Selected State and Local Initiatives."
Attend a brown-bag discussion on the policies, programs and resources that have been developed to help ensure schools are sustainable – educationally, environmentally and financially – on Thursday, Jan. 15, from noon to 2 p.m., in the ELI conference room (1616 P St. NW). Reserve a space by calling 202/939-3858 or by sending an e-mail here.
Mayor Williams, members of the City Council Members, developers and housing advocates all play a role in shaping DC housing policy, but Deputy Mayor Eric Price, more than any other official, is responsible for implementing it. How does he do it? Find out at a Washington Regional Networks forum, where Price will speak about housing and how it fits in with other areas of economic development. The event is Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, in room G-9 on the ground floor; enter on D Street; ID required). Refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m., and the presentation starts at 6. For more information, call Janet Brown at 202/332-0789.
Even though both houses of Congress responded to citizen appeals and voted to block President Bush's overtime pay cuts, the president refuses to withdraw his proposal and says he will veto final legislation protecting overtime pay.
We still have a chance to stop Bush from taking away the overtime pay of some 8 million workers if we make our voices heard. Contact your U.S. senators and representative and tell them to protect overtime pay. For more information and to take action, click here.
Come listen to some of the area's best storytellers and then get up on stage to tell your story – because no one else is going to. "In The Eye of the Beholder: Stories About Beauty," featuring Reuben Jackson, Arianna Ross and Melissa Bunce, is on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at HR-57 (1610 14th St. NW). Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. (show up early to get your name on the open-mic list), and the show starts at 8. Admission is $5. For more information, send an e-mail here.
So some of the Democratic 9 won't be on the ballot. So what if it's non-binding. The first presidential primary in the nation is going to happen right here in DC on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and the following events this weekend should put us in the proper party spirit:
Democratic Party Hobnob with a real live candidate. Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a longtime supporter of DC voting rights, is inviting you to lunch. He'll be meeting and eating with voting-rights activists and ordinary citizens at Mimi's Bistro (2120 P St. NW) on Friday, Jan. 9, from noon to 1 p.m.
Later that day, have a drink with former Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun at Bar Rouge. The cocktail event, tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m., will happen at the Hotel Rouge (1315 16th St. NW). Contact her DC campaign coordinator, Peb Aliat, at 202/256-9129 for more information.
On Monday, Jan. 12, you can rally with the Rev. Al Sharpton at the Greater New Hope Baptist Church (8th and H Streets NW) at 6 p.m.
Green Party If your politics are a little less mainstream, attend the DC Statehood Green Party's campaign kickoff event. Come learn how a grassroots, non-corporate electoral party chooses its candidates, and participate in discussions on strategy and which races to focus on. Join the Greens on Saturday, Jan. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UDC Auditorium Lobby, Building 46 (Van Ness and Connecticut Avenue NW).
Justice and Unity Party Top off your Saturday by heading over to Cafe Mawonaj (620 T St. NW), where Washington's Justice and Unity Party is sponsoring a party to support the children's breakfast program at the cafe. Good food, music by Moya, and spoken word by local poets starts up at 7 p.m.
Primary Day If you're registered to vote in DC, put aside some time between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and get to your usual polling place to vote in your party's presidential primary. You must be registered as either a Green or a Democrat. If you're not sure where to vote, call 202/727-2525 for information.
The DC Indymedia Center is sponsoring an afternoon of free workshops where local independent media activists will share a variety of skills. It's on Saturday, Jan. 10, from 1 to 6:30 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the Arthur S. Flemming Center (1426 Ninth St. NW). For the full schedule or more information, click here.
One of the lesser-known horrors of the war in Iraq is the US's use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions, which are causing serious health problems for soldiers and civilians exposed to these weapons. The DC Anti-War Network is sponsoring a visit by DU munitions expert Dr. Doug Rokke, a former Army health physicist who was among the first to investigate DU's lingering toxic effects and who led the Army's DU cleanup operation following the first Gulf War. Two and a half years after performing tests on uranium tank rounds, Rokke was diagnosed with internal uranium contamination.
Rokke believes that the long-lasting contamination of the environment beyond the time of battle, as well as the effects on non-combatants, makes the use of DU munitions in warfare and training illegal under human rights principles established by the United Nations. Hear him talk on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 1:30 p.m., at the Martin Luther King Memorial Library (10th and G Streets NW). For more information, call Karen O’Keefe at 202/635-1903 or Jose Rodriguez at 703/751-8750.
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), Sierra Club and local health, faith and environmental groups are working hard to pass a law that would require utilities to gradually obtain 10 percent of electricity sold in DC from clean, renewable sources, like wind and the sun. For more information, click here.
Discuss this exciting campaign with representatives of the Clean Energy Partnership and CCAN at a brown-bag lunch on Thursday, Jan. 8, from noon to 2 p.m., at 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, room 600. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, call Chris Weiss at 202/222-0746 or Dawn Ratcliffe at 301/920-1644.
The new year starts with an incredible story in the Washington Post: The District has to return $5 million to the federal government – unused funds that were meant to provide food to needy children and adults through the DC State Education Office.
The story reports that "anti-hunger activists said the only two programs that did not show a decline in participation and that spent all of their money were those that did not require any effort on the part of the State Education Office to recruit or train sponsors."
Great job you're doing there, Mr. Mayor. It seems that all your administration is good for are things that require no effort. I could have given you 100 names of people who could have successfully spent that money.
Your spokesman, Tony Bullock, told the Post, "We don't like to leave federal money on the table. At the same time, we can't invent ways to spend it. We have to spend it within the program guidelines and requirements, which is not always easy to do." Sounds like what he really meant was, it wasn’t easy, so we skipped it.
Shame on you, Mayor Williams. May the voices of hungry children haunt your dreams.
The Youth Leadership Support Network is sponsoring free hip-hop dance classes – no experience required! Classes usually begin with a brief warm-up, followed by freestyle movement to encourage creativity, and conclude with a lesson in simple but high-energy choreography. The dance lessons are offered every Tuesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Paul Robeson Study and Struggle Center, Columbia Heights Youth Club (in the basement of All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard St. NW). For more information, call Douglas Calvin at 202/489-7892.
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
