Long Road Home 2008
Submitted by coyote on Sat, 05/03/2008 - 4:26pm.For a Weekend of Celebration
Of the Olmstead Decision
June 21st & June 22nd
To help people in nursing homes and institutions, who don’t belong there,
To get back to their own homes!
Community Fun, Walk & Roll Run
Resource Fair
Voting Machine Demonstrations
Saturday, June 21, 2008 from 9 am to 2 pm
At the old Home Depot parking lot at
2581 Piedmont Rd, NE.
Atlanta, GA
Across from Target, behind the Quick Trip on Sidney Marcus
3 ½ blocks from Lindbergh Train Station
We welcome anyone of any ability or disability
To gather pledges of support for their entry in the fun run
Every Runner will get a free t-shirt
There will be a children and Adult category for every race.
The races will be broken down in 2 main divisions: Wheels and Feet
Wheel races will have a power and manual wheelchair categories
The feet races will be just adult and children categories
Film Festival
Georgia Disability Civil rights exhibit
Silent Auction
On Sunday, June 22, 2008 festivities continue with a
4 pm to 7 pm
Film Festival on the
Georgia Disability Civil Rights Movement
Shepherd Center
2020 Peachtree Rd.
Atlanta, GA
Films include the award winning Long Road Home documentaries, where donations will be gladly accepted.
Help us raise funds for the Long Road Home March
In celebration of the
10th Anniversary of the Olmstead decision in 2009.
MAY DAY Rally for Immigrant and Worker Rights: Note change in time
Submitted by coyote on Thu, 05/01/2008 - 6:53pm.Thursday, May 1, 4:00 pm
Immigrant and Workers Rights Capitol Rally - Honor the Honest Labor of All Workers. Sponsored by the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, the rally will take place on the west steps of the Capitol (Washington Street, across from Central Presbyterian Church).
Attend and support the collective effort in defense of the human rights of all working communities. Hear about unjust deportations, families that are unfairly separated and raids based on inaccurate information.
For details contact infoglahr@gmail.com or call 770.457.5232
“It Was 40 Years Ago Today” - Great Speckled Bird reunion
Submitted by coyote on Tue, 04/29/2008 - 11:34am.
“It Was 40 Years Ago Today” –
* * * * * * * * * *
ATLANTA – Former staff members, sellers, readers and fellow travelers of The Great Speckled Bird, Atlanta’s radical, freaky, “underground” paper of the 1960’s and 70’s, will gather Saturday, May 24, for a 40th anniversary celebration. The “BirdBlast,” which is open to the public, will be from 2 to 10 p.m. at the B Complex, 1272 Murphy Avenue SW.
Hundreds from metro Atlanta and around the country are expected for the event, the first Bird get-together since the paper’s 20th anniversary party in 1988, said Stephanie Coffin of Atlanta, a Bird cofounder. It will include exhibits of Bird graphics and articles, organized by themes; speakers; live music; jugglers; fire sculptures and more. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! will speak at 5 p.m. Bird alumna State Senator Nan Orrock and other former staffers will also speak. (More info: www.greatspeckledbird.org
As an appetizer for the main event, an exhibit of Bird covers, graphics and articles will be on display May 5-18 at the Fulton County Public Library (main branch), fourth floor, 1 Margaret Mitchell Square (intersection of Carnegie Way and Forsyth Street in downtown Atlanta).
The Bird grew out of an anti-Vietnam War newsletter published in 1967 by a group of New Left activists at Emory University which included Coffin and her husband Tom. To reach a wider audience, they joined forces with students from other local colleges, political activists from the Southern Student Organizing Committee, VISTA and other organizations. The Bird chirped for the first time in March 1968.
Coke, Darfur, Tibet & the Chinese Olympics
Submitted by coyote on Sat, 04/19/2008 - 12:29am.
Coca-Cola, Darfur, Tibet & the China Olympics
In New York, legislators have introduced bills requiring the state comptroller “to pull
pension money out of companies like Coca-Cola…” (New York Post 7/24/07), which do
business in Sudan. And Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry “signed a bill… directing
the Teachers Retirement System and Employees Retirement System to get rid of holdings in companies doing business in Sudan because of atrocities in Darfur” (New York Times,7/19/07).
Despite an embargo of Sudan, Coca-Cola continues operating there. Jeffrey Gettleman
reported in The New York Times (10/24/06) "In 2002, Sudanese investors opened a new Coca-Cola factory, with Coke syrup legally exported to Sudan under an exemption for food and medicine. The $140-million plant churns out 100,000 bottles of Coke, Sprite and Fanta per hour..."
In opening up the plant, The Coca-Cola Co. exploited a loophole in the U.S. sanctions, thus propping up the Sudan economy and the government of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, an army general who seized power in 1989 through a military coup. Among the biggest beneficiaries of government revenues have been his troops in a country where the per capita income remains pitifully low. Later, as the Darfur violence developed, Coca-Cola has continued to supply the plant and ignored the atrocities in Darfur.
According to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department, Coca-Cola has paid fines "to settle allegations of violations of the Sudan sanctions occurring between Jan. 2002 and April 2004...OFAC alleged that Coca-Cola exported to its bottler in Sudan services not authorized by its OFAC license and disregarded or evaded certain OFAC license restrictions. The services included financial and market support."
Free Speech at Risk
Submitted by coyote on Fri, 03/14/2008 - 7:25pm.
Smithfield Foods has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Jobs with Justice, the Change To Win (CTW) labor federation, and the union organizing its employees in Tar Heel, NC, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). The suit was filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute designed to fight organized crime. The baseless suit comes in response to the growing national campaign to support workers’ rights at Smithfield.
In addition to the Smithfield lawsuit, the Wackenhut Corporation recently filed a federal RICO case against SEIU, and Bashas Inc, a grocery chain in Arizona, filed a state RICO case against UFCW. Last week, Cintas Corporation filed suit against UNITE HERE.
In each of these cases, the companies are asking the courts to rule that traditional First Amendment-protected activities such as handing out flyers, attending rallies and issuing press releases are evidence of “criminal conspiracy” under federal and state RICO laws.
The Smithfield case goes even further, asking the court to block organizers from petitioning city councils and churches to pass resolutions condemning the company’s notorious worker abuses at its Tar Heel plant. This legal tactic is a direct response to Jobs with Justices’ successful effort to petition City Councils and churches across the country to pass resolutions condemning Smithfield’s labor practices.
We believe these lawsuits were filed in an attempt to intimidate activists and chill legitimate debate. If successful, they could serve to attack anyone seeking to redress corporate abuses through legal free speech activities, whether environmental issues, animal rights, workers’ rights, or other issues.
Statement from UNITE HERE on the Passing of Reverend James E. Orange
Submitted by coyote on Mon, 02/25/2008 - 5:57pm."James was the real connection between the labor and civil rights movements in the South," explains UNITE HERE General President Bruce Raynor. "He personally built the bridge between the two movements for progressive change in the Southern States from the 1960s through today. Person by person, meeting by meeting, march by march, thousands of current and former UNITE HERE members owe James a debt for helping organize workers, win fights and inspire us all."
Rev. Orange, whose father was fired from his job for union activity in the 1950's, worked as an organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and fought alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the other leaders of the civil rights movement. He helped organize nonviolent marches during some of the most explosive moments of the civil rights movement. Rev. Orange was arrested more than 100 times for picketing or acts of civil disobedience. His arrest in Selma, Alabama in 1965 is considered one of the catalysts that prompted the first Selma-to-Montgomery march that ended on Bloody Sunday.
Starting in the 1970's until recently, Reverend Orange worked as an organizer in the labor movement for various unions and the Industrial Union Department of the AFL-CIO. In 1977, he worked on the organizing campaign of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, a predecessor union of UNITE HERE, that won union representation and benefits for the workers at J.P. Stevens textile and clothing factories. He was an organizer director, leader and inspiration for scores of other textile and apparel campaigns in the South, including the Pillowtex and Cannon Mills campaigns.
No Gas, No Compromise: Florida Youth Lead Fight Against Fossil Fools!
Submitted by liam rattray on Fri, 02/22/2008 - 5:19pm.
Don't let Florida have all the fun!
Take action for clean, just energy in your
community on Fossil Fools Day!
FIVE YEARS TOO MANY !
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 2:03pm.
In a little over a month, the U.S. will have been occupying Iraq for 5 years. Look at the numbers:
Nearly 4,000 US service people killed
More than 1,000,000 Iraqis killed
2,000,000 Iraqis living as refugees in other countries
2,500,000 displaced within Iraq
More than $1,000,000,000 spent
IT'S TIME TO TAKE A STAND !!
SILENT FUNERAL PROCESSION: We Bury the Dead !
On Wednesday, March 19, 2008, join fellow Atlantans in a Silent Funeral Procession. March to the cadence of a single snare drummer. Accompany the Honor Guard as they carry the coffins containing the corpses of TRUTH, JUSTICE, the ECONOMY, our fallen SOLDIERS, and the IRAQI PEOPLE. Take time to HONOR those who have made the extreme sacrifice in this war based on LIES AND GREED.
Assemble at 4PM at the corner of Freedom Parkway and Ponce de Leon.
Wear black.
Drape black cloth around your shoulders or over your heads (cloth will be available there). If you prefer, select a black hat from the hat box (available there).
Turn off your cell phone.
Put on a solemn face.
Honor the dead.
THE RESISTANCE
If a funeral is not your vib, fall behind the procession in a gathering of the RESISTANCE.
Bring and wave banners and signs
Chant
Scream
Yell
Raise hell
THERE'S A VIB HERE FOR EVERYONE !!
Intersex Awareness Film Screening and Discussion
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 01/29/2008 - 3:13pm.'One in 2000'
Did you know that each year an estimated one in two thousand babies are born with anatomy that doesn't clearly mark them as either male or female - with what is known as an intersex condition? Join us for a screening and discussion of the provocative documentary, One in 2000, that demystifies the issue of sexual difference. Interweaving personal stories with educational films from the 1950's, One in 2000 invites us to take a serious second look at how the media have dealt with sexual "normality." Join us after the film for a discussion and Q & A with film maker Ajae Clearway and intersex activist Caitlin Childs.
Wednesday February 6, 2008, 6:00pm
Intersex Awareness Film Screening And Discussion: Gender, "Normality", and Medical Intervention
Emory University
White Hall, Room 206
Sponsored by The Department of Women's Studies; Rollins School of Public Health, Center for Health, Culture, and Society; Office of LGBT Life; and The John and Susan Wieland Center for Ethics. Contact awilley@emory.edu for more information.
Thursday February 7, 2008, 7:00pm
Agnes Scott College
Buttrick Hall, Room G-4
Sponsored by the LGBTQIA Collective
Friday February 8, 2008, 3:00pm
Spelman College
Women's Resource and Research Center, Cosby 2nd Floor
Contact moyazb@gmail.com for more information.
Friday February 8, 2008, 8:00pm
One in 2000: A Film Screening and Discussion
Invoking MLK Jr.
Submitted by tylert on Thu, 01/17/2008 - 9:00pm.Around this time of year American politicians, both liberal and conservative, love to invoke the name of Martin Luther King Jr. These politicians are forced to ignore the the politically inconvenient parts of King's message such as his outspoken opposition to war, poverty, and exploitation, and the link between these injustices and racism. This excellent article articulates the apparent co-optation of King's message by the presidential candidates:
The most recent electoral banter around King takes place within the collective amnesia about his views, especially his later views focusing on issues dogging us to this day: racism and poverty, prisoners and war. To the detriment of our political process, we forget that King's views came about at least in part as a response to a black political milieu defined not just by white racism, but by the wealth of spirited action and the intellectual perspective provided by millions of people, thousands of organizations and other, less-requited political stars – Angela Davis, the Black Panthers and their combination of service and calls to militancy; Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam and their own brand of self-determination; Stokely Carmichael and the more militant students of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. These and many others influenced and pressured King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the 1960s.
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