[Antiracism] AFSC Community Action Calendar

[American Friends Service Committee]

Greetings Friends!

Congratulations to all the Tent State organizers! Blessings to all who are 
traveling to NYC for the 4/29 demonstrations.

Please don't miss the May Day events in our region (scroll down).

Please read on. There are many, many things to do in WMA -- lots of ways to 
get involved. We need all of us in this struggle for justice and peace. 
We're stronger when we're together!

The book drive for students and faculty at Baghdad University and for The 
Literacy Project has begun. Students and faculty as six local schools are 
collecting. Please visit www.BooksBuildingBridges to get involved.

The following are highlights of local events. Please visit Roger's calendar 
at www.WesternMassAFSC.org for lots more information -- pay special 
attention to the Mother's Day actions -- Arise then women of this day!!!

Peace,  Jo

For up-to-date calendar information: www.WesternMassAFSC.org



Remembering Chernobyl
Both CAN and Traprock are marking this terrible anniversary. CAN's 
announcement follows. Please visit www.traprockpeace.org for updates on 
Traprock's plans.

THREE DAYS OF FASTING -- Remembering Chernobyl
Wells Fountain, Main St, Brattleboro, VT, (in front of the District Court 
House) & six miles from the Vermont Yankee reactor
Tuesday April 25 & Wednesday April 26 & Thursday April 27
10 am - 4 pm

Begining April 25, people will engage in a 3-day fast to commemorate the 
Chernobyl nuclear reactor's cataclysmic accident on April 26, 1986; the 
group of fasters is calling for shutting down Vermont Yankee and replacing 
it with safe and sustainable energy.

This is the twentieth anniversary of the catastrophic accident at the 
Chernobyl reactor in the Ukraine, Russia. Due to human error, the #4 
reactor exploded releasing over 400 times more radioactivity than was 
released at Hiroshima. The initial explosion returned to earth as 
radioactive rain. The destroyed hulk burned for ten days, contaminating 
tens of thousands of square miles and forced a million people from their 
homes.




Witness Against Torture -- Frida Berrigan
Frida walked across Cuba and vigiled at the gates of Guantanamo. Come here 
here story.

The Western Massachusetts Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice 
presents Frida Berrigan speaking on

"Witness Against Torture: A March to Visit the Prisoners at Guantanamo."

Frida Berrigan will give a slide show and talk on her recent trip to 
Guantanamo

Frida Berrigan is a Senior Research Associate at the Arms Trade Resource 
Center of the World Policy Institute in New York. She is also a member of 
the National Committee of the War Resisters League and the daughter of 
Plowshares activists Elizabeth McAlister and Phil Berrigan, who co-founded 
the Jonah House Community in Baltimore and the niece of 
poet-priest-Plowshares activist Daniel Berrigan.


April 27, 2006
7:00 PM
St. Mary's Church
3 Elm Street, Northampton


The Western Massachusetts Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice 
consists of people of many faiths, drawn together by our deep concern for 
the safety, justice and peace of people of the world. We believe that war 
increases the cycle of hatred, claims innocent lives, and distracts us from 
the work of ending poverty and injustice at home and abroad. We dedicate 
our actions to building a culture of peace, eradicating poverty, guarding 
human rights,and working under international law. We will seek courage and 
guidance from our religious traditions nd solidarity with one another in 
pursuit of equitable and non-violent solutions to conflict.

Cosponsored by SAGE, American Friends Service Committee and the Buddhist 
Peace Fellowship of the Pioneer Valley

Contact: Rene Theberge, 413-575-8123 for further information.




Military Recruitment, War and Return: 3 Award-Winning Documentaries
MILITARY RECRUITMENT, WAR AND RETURN
Film Screening and Discussion with Filmmakers
hosted by Raul Matta of AFSC Western Massachusetts

Sunday, April 30, 2006, 1:30pm
Academy of Music
274 Main Street, Northampton MA

Three incredible films, in a youth-centered event:
All That I Can Be

A first-hand look at the military recruiting process from the lens of New 
York high school students. All That I Can Be is the winner of the Economic 
Justice Award at the Fifth Annual Media that Matters Film Festival in June 
2005.

Occupation: Dreamland

Occupation: Dreamland documents the lives of soldiers as they embark on the 
military assault of Fallujah in the winter of 2004. Occupation Dreamland 
won the Best Documentary at the Memphis Film Festival 2005. It also was an 
award winner at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2005 in 
recognition of the film's "potential to engage audiences to meaningful 
action that results in concrete impact and social change."

Purple Hearts

Tells the story of wounded soldiers upon returning home.

$5 admission charge. Followed by discussion with the filmmakers.

Information about ways to get involved in and help build the truth in 
recruiting work in our region will be available.

For more information: 413.584.8975.




May Day: Immigrant Rights Demonstrations
RALLIES for IMMIGRANT RIGHTS in Holyoke, Springfield, Northampton and 
Amherst. Please visit http://www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/1MAYO.HTM for 
more information.

Information about Amherst:
http://www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/MARCH501.HTM

Information about Northampton:
http://www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/NHampton%20Flyer.doc




May Day: Evening Events
There are at least three late afternoon/evening events on May Day! Please 
visit the website for more information.

Monday 5/1, 4-5pm, UMass S.D.S. Then and Now - a discussion on Students for 
a Democratic Society, and student politics in the past, present, and 
future. Campus Center Room 174-176. With Carl Oglesby, former SDS 
president, and others. national SDS website

Monday 5/1, 6:00, UMass "The Fourth World War" A talk with Dr. Vijay 
Prashad. Dr. Prashad is well-known for his expert analysis of US 
imperialism and war. He examines the historical modes of resistance to 
domination by people of color and links the struggles against racism, 
sexism, and homophobia to the struggles against imperialism.

Monday 5/1, 7-9, Holyoke Western Mass Jobs with Justice May Day Celebration 
and Fundraiser, United Congregational Church, High  and Appleton Sts, 
Historic Holyoke.





Samir Adil, President of Iraq Freedom Congress, speaks in WMA
On Monday, May 8, Samir Adil, President of the Iraq Freedom Congress will 
speak in western Massachusetts

4pm: UMass (location to be announced)
7:30pm: First Churches Northampton, the Sanctuary, 129 Main Street, Northampton

AFSC and the UMass Anti-war Coalition are sponsoring these events. All 
co-sponsors are welcome.

The Iraqi Freedom Congress was formed in March 2005 by the Worker-Communist 
Party of Iraq. The purpose of the Congress is to promote democracy and 
secularism in Iraq. It's a people's movement -- based in the student, labor 
and human rights communities.

The Worker-Communist Party of Iraq is a Marxist political party in Iraq and 
amongst Iraqi exiles. They opposed both Saddam Hussein and the American-led 
new administration. Under the Ba'athist regime, the group was persecuted, 
and so operated primarily in the Kurdistan region, and overseas in the 
United Kingdom and Australia (where they were among the founders of the 
Socialist Alliance).

They are involved in the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq, 
the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq and the Union of the Unemployed 
in Iraq. They produce a newsletter called Iraq Weekly. For more 
information: http://www.ifcongress.com/English/index.htm.

I understand from colleagues that Samir is extraordinary. He was tortured 
during Saddam Hussein's presidency, but continues to speak of uniting a 
peaceful Iraq.

The following is a letter Samir wrote to the international community on the 
third anniversary of the US war in Iraq.


An open letter to the anti war and anti terrorism movement of the world in 
the third anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq

As the third anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq emerges while the 
society is undergoing the hardest time of its life, the war continues its 
pace in every single street in Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and everywhere else 
in the country. The assassinations and disappearances overtake politicians, 
doctors, engineers and scholars. The explosives are taking the civilians 
lives regardless of their ages at every given moment. The arrests, raids 
and torture carried out by the occupying troops are in a state of ongoing 
actions. The poverty and unemployment are wide spreading as the security 
situations slipping off the hands. In addition the puppet government and in 
response to the International Monetary Fund have made decisions to make 
peoples' lives even more miserable by rising the fuel prices and taking 
steps to gradually eliminate the subsidized ration coupon. What we gained 
after three years of occupation are, the lack of social services, power 
outage, and ethno-sectarian gangs hanging over the society.

Just as we forewarned in the eve of the constitution referendum and 
election at the end of last year, that the US administration attempts to 
get its policies through and continue its occupation after failing to find 
the weapons of mass destruction. We said at that time that this is a US 
game in which the ethnic and sectarian division will deepen and the society 
will slide into a civil war. There you are! Seeing and hearing how Iraq is 
becoming another Rwanda. People are getting murdered on a daily bases 
because of their sectarian identities.

We were supposed to organize marches in the third anniversary of the 
invasion in Baghdad, Kirkuk and Basra as we announced earlier this month, 
however the current security situation preclude us from doing so. Though we 
will consider different possibilities to express our protest in this day 
where millions of people around the world will march the streets to 
denounce the war and occupation.

Friends, brothers, comrades and peace lovers all over the world and 
especially in the United States:

Millions of people in Iraq are looking forward to your movement, to your 
hard work, and to your struggle to bring peace to the world. Without your 
solidarity and support the US inhumane policies will not be defeated. We 
strongly believe that the security and stability will not prevail unless 
the occupation is ended. Therefore we are determined to boot out the 
occupation, and here we are today in spite of the hardship we are enduring, 
we save no effort to bring hope to millions of people around us and present 
our humanitarian alternative.

We work in several regions in Iraq to create secured neighborhoods where 
the sectarian and ethnic hatred have no ground what so ever. We educate 
people how to protect themselves and their neighbors and how not letting 
the hatred get to their unity. We organize their ranks to make their places 
of living safer for the people who run away from the sectarian mobs. At the 
same time we work to bring basic social services to make their lives easier.

On the other hand, through carrying out demonstrations, sit-ins, 
gatherings, and media we struggle to end the occupation, forming a 
non-ethnic and non-religious government where people are recognized as 
human beings and take their matters on their hands.

In this occasion, I would like to say: what ended the bloodshed in Vietnam 
are the protests that swept New York, Washington and the rest of the world. 
And we are absolutely certain that ending the chaos and bloodshed in Iraq 
will take place by rising the international protests and awareness in the 
same cities that ended the Vietnamese war.

Iraq Freedom Congress is part of the humanitarian current you represent. 
With your support by all means only, will prevail.

Long Live international solidarity
Samir Adil, President of Iraq Freedom Congress
Baghdad
March 14, 2006
ifcongress at gmail.com





WMA Social Forum Meeting
What: Building a W. Mass. Social Forum - Potluck!
When: Friday May 12, 5:30-8:00
Where: Arise for Social Justice, 94 Rifle Street, Springfield

For more information, contact:
Emily Kawano: 413.545.0743
Susan Theberge: 413.253.2161
Carlos Fontes: 413.259.1762
Jo Comerford: 413.695.6059

"Another World Is Possible." This is the slogan of the World Social Forum. 
Since its first meeting Brazil, in 2001, the World Social Forum has become 
the largest gathering of social movements in the world. The Social Forum is 
united in its opposition to neoliberalism (ie. the dominant economic model 
that of free market, free trade, minimal government, privatization, 
deregulation) and imperialism, and in their commitment to building 'another 
world,' grounded in sustainability and social justice.

There have been numerous regional social forums throughout the world, 
including one in Boston in 2004. If you are interested in the idea of 
having a Social Forum in W. Massachusetts please join us.

Background information follows about Social Forums and the WMA process to date.

If you are interested in finding out more about the WSF in general, check
out the website:
http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/index.php?cd_language=2&id_menu=

******

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS SOCIAL FORUM
BACKGROUND INFORMATION

WHAT IS A SOCIAL FORUM?

In 2001, the first World Social Forum (WSF) was held in Porto Alegre,
Brazil and was attended by around 15,000 people from around the world.
Every year the WSF has drawn together more and more people. In 2005,
around 155,000 people attended the WSF. http://www.forumsocialmundial.org

The World Social Forum has become the largest and most important gathering 
of social movements in the world, united in their opposition to
neoliberalism (for definition, see below) and united in the belief that
'Another World Is Possible' one grounded in social and economic justice
and sustainability.

Social Forums are open spaces for learning, networking, discussion,
exchange, celebration, visioning, strategizing and mobilization.

Social Forums are also a process of movement building, not just series of
meetings.

Social Forums are meant to be independent of political parties, although
political parties have played an important role in supporting the social
forum process.

For more details on the principles, see the WSF Charter of Principles below.

WHY A WESTERN MASS. SOCIAL FORUM?

To link local struggles and organizing with the larger global justice
movement. To learn from and contribute to struggles around the world.

To build a more powerful and unified movement for social and economic
justice and sustainability in W. Mass.

To advance discussion, debate, understanding, common interests and
strategies for change.

To celebrate and create/experience a bit of our vision of the future
through a culture of solidarity.

To build awareness and mobilization for the first U.S. Social Forum, June
27-July 1, 2007 in Atlanta. http://www.ussf2007.org/home.html

The WSF has inspired many regional and thematic social forums throughout 
the world, from Europe to Africa, Asia, Africa and Pan-America, to more 
localized social forums such as Boston and New York.

WHAT DOES A SOCIAL FORUM LOOK LIKE?

A combination of talks, roundtables, workshops and cultural events.

Most of these are self-organized by the organizations or individuals
facilitating the event. Some events, such as the plenary events (attended
by everyone), are organized by a program committee.

A rich mix of social and cultural exchange. Social Forum participants
describe the experience as inspiring, rejuvenating, exhilarating,
re-affirming, eye-opening.

WHERE ARE WE IN THE ORGANIZING PROCESS?

We are in the very early stages of the process of building a Western Mass.
Social Forum. Groups involved so far include: W. Mass Indymedia, AFSC, 
Arise for Social Justice, Casa Latina, Sage, Jobs with Justice, Center for 
Popular Economics, Interfaith Coalition, GROW, Military Recruitment 
Education Network, and the Youth Program of Community Action.

After three meetings in which we discussed the concept of the Social Forum 
and various strategies to move the process forward, we decided that we 
needed to reach out to the various areas of the Western Mass.

We are also open to the participation from groups with whom we may have a 
natural geographic affinity that might come from Brattleboro or even
Hartford. But our focus is W. Mass.

At our next meeting/picnic on May 12, we would like to have
representatives from these different areas at the table so that we can
start discussing the theme, strategies and next steps in the organization.
Our idea is connect with organizations in each region that would than
organize themselves in that region and send some people to be part of the
Organizing Steering Committee for the Forum.

We are currently thinking about early spring 2007. Exact date and venue to 
be decided. It may seem too far away to think about, but we should take 
this as an opportunity for movement building, not simply as planning an event.




"What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life?
         The world would split open"  ~ Muriel Rukeyser


Jo Comerford
American Friends Service Committee, Western Massachusetts
140 Pine Street, Room 10
Florence, Massachusetts 01062
413.584.8975 (W)
413.584.8987 (F)
413.695.6059 (C)
afsc at crocker.com
www.WesternMassAFSC.org

New Resource:
Ten Reasons Why the US Must Leave Iraq:
http://www.afsc.org/iraq/activism/10-reasons.pdf
http://www.afsc.org/iraq/activism/10-reasons.htm (Text)
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