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, May 28, 2004
Memorial Day Weekend Celebration
Bring the whole family to Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park (north of W between 15th and 16th Streets NW) on Sunday, May 30, from noon to dusk for a Free the Peace celebration. Join the Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers and other sponsoring groups to celebrate and share your visions for peace. There will be plenty of live music and activities for children.
The event is sponsored by Proposition One, Washington Peace Center, DAWN, Black Voices for Peace and the Community Coalition for Justice and Peace. For more information, call 202/641-4142.
Vocal Resistance aims to build unity between the progressive hip-hop community and political activist groups. The group is holding a fundraiser for the Socialism 2004 Conference on Friday, May 28, at the Harambe Cafe (1771 U St. NW). Performing live will be The LAB crew, Son of Nun, D-mite and MC Slim Goins.
It is expected that this will become a weekly Friday night event. In the future, proceeds will be divided among the performing artists and various political activist groups. Admission for this week's event is $5 before 10 p.m. and $7 after.
Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" will be shown as part of the George Washington University Summer Institute's program "50 Years After Brown v. Board of Education: The Ongoing Role of Racism in a 'Colorblind' Society." Jim Loewen, author of "Lies My Teacher Told Me," will lead a post-film discussion. The screening, which is free and open to the public, is on Thursday, May 27, at 8 p.m. at GWU (1957 E St. NW, 7th floor). For more information, call 202/994-6360.
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program provides safe, affordable, integrated housing to more than 2 million American families who would otherwise be homeless. But the program is under attack.
The number of vouchers available to the lowest-income citizens will be cut. In 2005, more than 11,000 families in DC, Maryland and Virginia will lose their vouchers. Rents will increase for tenants who do retain vouchers. And the number of houses in the Section 8 program will decline as the Department of Housing and Urban Development refuses to fund them.
Rally at HUD headquarters (451 Seventh St. SW; L'Enfant Plaza Metro) against cuts to the Section 8 program on Wednesday, May 26, at 11:30 a.m.
For more information, call Marjorie Rifkin at 202/547-0198, ext. 112, Christopher Johnson at 703/486-2790 or Kimball Gray at 301/585-9771.
Thanks to everyone who attended last month's spectacularly successful Solidarity DC fundraiser for US Labor Against the War, where nearly $2,000 was raised for Iraqi workers struggling to form a union. This time, Solidarity DC is bringing the focus back to our own community with a benefit for the DC Employment Justice Center, a private, non-profit organization that advocates for the rights of low-income workers in the metropolitan Washington area by combining legal services, community education, community organizing and advocacy work.
Help them raise $1,500 so law intern Annette can spend the summer with the DC Employment Justice Center at a happy hour fundraiser on Tuesday, May 25, starting at 6 p.m., at Mackey's Public House (1823 L St. NW). The event – sponsored by Solidarity DC, the DC Employment Justice Center, and the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO – will feature musical entertainment and solidarity drink specials all night. The suggested donation is $10, but no one will be turned away.
Solidarity DC is a new group committed to bringing the DC metropolitan area's progressive community together to have fun and achieve justice, one happy hour at a time! For more information, call Michael at 202/898-3469 or send an e-mail.
Do you want to make a difference in a young person's life? Do you have six to eight hours to volunteer each month? Become a mentor.
The Capitol Hill Computer Corner offers mentoring services to young people enrolled in its after-school and summer technology programs. Many young people in these programs lack the guidance of a caring and successful adult. Whether you help with schoolwork, listen to dreams or problems, spend an afternoon exploring museums, or take in a movie, your work as a mentor will help to shape the goals and values of a young person.
The Computer Corner is looking for adults who will serve as a mentor for one student for one year. All mentors will receive training and support, and can participate in optional socials, dinners, field trips and more. To learn more about the program, attend the:
Mentor Open House Wednesday, May 26, 6 to 8 p.m. Sousa Middle School (3650 Ely Pl. SE)
RSVP by May 24 to 202/548-0254, or send an e-mail. For more information, call Liz McCarthey at 202/548-0254.
The Second Annual DC Underground Film Festival (DCUFF) screens this weekend at the Carnegie Institute (1530 P St. NW; Dupont Circle Metro). The event spotlights more than 55 films that challenge the Hollywood mindset and confront economic, political and artistic trends that mainstream moviemakers ignore. Tickets are $6 per program, and each program features a range of short films with styles, genres and approaches to making movies unlike anything else DC has to offer. DCUFF runs on Friday and Saturday, May 21 and 22. Check out the complete schedule.
Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, will speak on "Civil Rights, Then and Now," at George Washington University (957 E St. NW, Seventh Floor), on Thursday, May 20, at 8 p.m. The event is free and open to public. Post-lecture refreshments will be served. For more information, call 202/994-6360.
Protest PMI's unfair labor practices at the garage of its own headquarters on your way to work this Thursday, May 20, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. (PMI Parking Garage, 1730 M St. NW). For more information, call Krista at 202/545-1789, ext. 12, or send an e-mail.
I received an e-mail from someone looking to do volunteer work in DC prisons. If anyone has any ideas as to who she can contact, please leave it in the "Comments" section below.
The Dance Place Youth Programs are raising money to support their outreach teaching residency program and summer camp. Join them on Tuesday, May 18, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., for a fundraiser at Hamburger Mary’s Titan Bar (1337 14th St., upstairs), with great music by DJ’s Armstead Galiber and Michael Nakamoto and live performances by members of Cat Scratch Theater and Coyaba Dance Theater. The suggested donation is $5.
Last month, I posted about the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issuing an Unfair Labor Practice complaint against Parking Management Inc. (PMI) for alleged interrogation and threats of a 17-year PMI employee. Vornado Realty Trust, the largest owner of commercial real estate in the metropolitan Washington area, is PMI's largest customer. In fact, PMI operates the garages in nearly all of the Vornado buildings that have parking.
Local 27 is currently in a labor dispute with PMI. Local 27 and a group of DC-area religious and community leaders have tried, unsuccessfully, to engage Vornado in a productive dialog regarding the parking workers in garages in its buildings. Not only has Vornado not taken a positive role in resolving the dispute, but Vornado property managers also have threatened to call the police and, on more than one occasion, have actually called the police on Local 27 organizers and supporters while they have engaged in lawful leafleting and demonstrations at PMI locations.
It is time for the DC community to tell Vornado that PMI must obey the law and sign a "Right to Organize" agreement with Local 27, so that PMI workers can make a decision regarding union representation in a fair and neutral environment. Take action now by sending a fax to Vornado Chairman Steven Roth.
Visit Maryland's only 90 percent renewable energy home. On view will be solar panels, a corn-burning furnace, a low-energy refrigerator, a solar oven, a tofu-powered lawnmower and hybrid and bio-diesel cars. Learn how to landscape your yard with native plants, or purchase wind-energy certificates and energy-efficient light bulbs.
Sponsored by Chesapeake Climate Action, the clean-energy open house (7125 Willow Ave., Takoma Park, MD) will be held on Saturday, May 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 301/270-3722.
To celebrate the gains made toward marriage equality, the national Green Party is hosting a fundraiser with New Paltz, NY, Green Party Mayor Jason West, who will talk about his experience solemnizing the marriages of 25 same-sex couples in the upstate town this past February. In addition, attorney Anthony Brown will provide guests with some guidance to fight against discriminatory marriage legislation.
The event will be held on Saturday, May 15, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Cafe Citron (1343 Connecticut Ave. NW). Admission is $25 at the door. For more information, visit this website or call 202/319-7191.
Attend a benefit reading by DC Poets Against the War at the Potter's House (1658 Columbia Rd. NW), a restaurant, bookstore and art gallery owned by the Potter's House Church and operated by a small but dedicated staff and volunteers. The event starts at 7 p.m., with dinner and desert available from 7:15 to 10 p.m. The suggested donation is $10, and books from DC Poets against the War will be available for sale.
Volunteers are needed for the evening to help wait tables and sell books. A free dinner will be provided. For more information, call Joe Ross at 202/529-7616 or send him an e-mail.
The Gray Panthers of Metropolitan Washington invite you to a discussion on affordable housing in the metropolitan Washington area. The event will be held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (Ninth and G Streets NW, Room A-9; Gallery Place Metro), on Friday, May 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information, send an e-mail here.
Usually, when groups talk about training the next generation of activists, they're referring to teens and 20-somethings. But the DC Young Suffragists are kids age 5 to 12, who stage actions and fight for voters' rights in Washington. Here's the group's release on its latest action on May 6, which I posted here last week:
Nearly 30 children led families and friends on a march in front of the White House today to rally for DC voting rights. Many of the DC Young Suffragists delivered their first public speeches, addressing peers, parents and passers-by.
"Kids across the rest of America have full representation. So what are WE? Chopped LIVER?!" cried a 9-year-old boy from Washington. The audience of 5- to 12-year-olds whooped and hollered, rose to their feet and paraded around Lafayette Park shouting, "What do we want? Senators! When do we want 'em? NOW!" Curious eighth-graders from New Jersey, New York and Alaska came through on bus tours, as their delighted teachers explained the crazy predicament of DC's disenfranchised children.
As the rally began, the children used sidewalk chalk to start writing pro-senator slogans. A fast-approaching Park Ranger quickly put an end to their fun, however, explaining that chalk-writing on the sidewalk is considered defacing government property – even when it's five-year-olds! She went over the park permit with the children, explaining various regulations and safety restrictions, and kindly answered all their questions. Upon request, a nearby park policeman showed the wide-eyed children some handcuffs, and he and the ranger explained the concept of civil disobedience.
The DC Young Suffragists worked hard to prepare for the rally. They painted all their own signs and banners, decorated their T-shirts, and wrote their own slogans, speeches and songs. Begun by three Janney Elementary parents, the group plans to expand to three more schools in the Washington area over the 2004-05 school year.
Jordanian-American Diana Aubu-Jabar writes lyrical novels that present colorful depictions of contemporary Arab-American life, including food, music, history and culture. Aubu-Jabar will read from her books at a reception and book signing on Friday, May 14, at 7 p.m., at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave. NW). Admission is $10, $8 for seniors and $5 for students.
Let's just say that I had a one-week medical hiatus. I am well on the road to recovery, and am looking forward to once again focusing on daily postings of DC actions. So, I will catch up on e-mails, and get back to regular postings.
DC's award-winning performance group Spoken Resistance returns with a combination of old and new members plus the powerful voices of Mexico City's own underground hip hop performers, BocaFloja and Magisterio – part of the emerging and socially conscious Latin American hip hop scene. In collaboration with the DC Hip Hop Theatre Festival, Sol y Soul promises an evening of the unexpected on Saturday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m., at Mango's Cafe (2017 14th St. NW; U Street Metro). Admission is $10; students and seniors pay $5. A post-performance discussion with the audience will follow all shows. To make reservations or for more information, call QuiQue Aviles at 202/526-4417.
DC Young Suffragists helps kids gain a better understanding of democracy and voting rights through education and civic action. Don't miss the group's Tea Party and Rally on Thursday, May 6, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m., in Lafayette Park (16th & H Streets NW, across the street from the White House). For more information, call 202/363-9254.
Stand up for parking workers' right to affordable health care, living wages, and dignity and respect on the job. Come to a rally on Thursday, May 6, at noon, at the PMI garage at 1101 17th St. NW. For more information, call Krista at 202/545-1789, ext. 12, or send an e-mail.
A new movie that premiered at the DC Environmental Film Festival, "The Anacostia – Restoring the People's River," documents ongoing efforts to save Washington's other river and features commentary and insights from neighborhood residents, local politicians, area historians, religious leaders and engineers. The 30-minute film will be screened at noon on Thursday, May 6, at Friends of the Earth (1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 600; Dupont Circle Metro). For more information, contact Chris Weiss by phone at 202/222-0746 or by e-mail here.
The Institute for Policy Studies invites you to a forum with nationally syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington, who will speak on her new book: "Fanatics & Fools: The Game Plan for Winning Back America." In the book, Huffington examines both "fanatics" in the Bush White House as well as "fools" in the Democratic opposition. She provocatively sketches the corruption and dysfunction embedded in America's contemporary political landscape while laying out her game plan for winning back American democracy.
The event is on Wednesday, May 5, from 12:30 to 2 p.m., at the Institute for Policy Studies (733 15th St. NW, Suite 1020). For more information, call Joia Jefferson Nuri at 301/920-0670.
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
