Solidarity Action 10/14, see below.
Now
Playing
Michael Moore goes right to the heart of the most current issue on
our recession-weary minds: the global economic meltdown. His new documentary
explores the root causes of the meltdown. He takes a comical look at the
corporate and political shenanigans that culminated in what he describes as
“the biggest robbery in the history of this country” - the massive
transfer of US taxpayer money to private financial institutions. Playing in Amherst (Cinema
Arts Center) and West Springfield (Showcase Cinemas). Coming to Greenfield (Garden
Cinemas)? Hadley (Cinemark At Hampshire Mall)?
Now
PLEASE GIVE TO THE FARMWORKER FOOD FUND
A
chill is in the air and winter is just around the corner. Pioneer Valley
Project’s Farmworker Food Project’s cupboard at All Soul’s
Church in Springfield is empty and we’re already getting calls from
families who have no food to put on their tables. It was a tough year on local
farms and a lot of people were laid off even earlier than usual. Please consider
a small or large donation to support our neighbors who do the hard work of
harvesting local products like strawberries and blueberries, planting mums,
Easter lilies, and poinsettias, and cutting lawns up and down the valley. Last
winter we gave out food to over 300 people each month from November to March. This
winter we again need your help to support this volunteer effort. None of the
money donated goes toward salaries, overhead, or anything but the food we give
directly to our immigrant neighbors. This effort brings together immigrants
with members of the community who support their struggles and organize with
them to make change. Thank you for your support! Info: Farmworker Food Project,
c/o Pioneer Valley Project, 235 Eastern Avenue, Springfield MA 01108; contact
Maria Cuerda, 686-9033, maria.cuerda@gmail.com.
Now
through October 24
INTERNATIONAL LABOR POSTER EXHIBIT CELEBRATING WOMEN’S
STRUGGLES
Tuesday through Sunday, Noon to 4pm, and other times by
appointment. Holyoke Heritage State Park Visitor Center, 221 Appleton St,
Holyoke. Free admission, fully accessible. Exhibit by Stephen Lewis, Treasurer,
SEIU Local 509; sponsored in part by the Lawrence Cultural Council. Info:
534-1723.
Tuesday October 13
IMMIGRATION LAW & RIGHTS
Western New England College
School of Law, 1215 Wilbraham Rd., Springfield.
Noon: Public Lecture on
immigration rights and policy by Professor Mike Wishnie, School of Law Commons.
Wishnie directs Yale Law School’s Immigration Rights Clinic and is deeply
involved in defending immigrants against deportation and violations of their
civil and workplace rights. Info: Sudha N. Setty, 782-1431, ssetty@law.wnec.edu; Giovanna Shay,
796-2279, gshay@law.wnec.edu.
2-4:40pm: Immigration Rights
Training for lawyers, staff of organizations that work with immigrant
communities, and others. $25, cash or check at the training (scholarships
available). Conducted as part of a pro bono effort to find legal representation
for immigrant detainees being held by ICE at the Franklin County Jail. The
training will be conducted by legal advocates from the Political Asylum and
Immigration Reform Project (PAIR). Info, to register: Giovanna Shay, 796-2279, gshay@law.wnec.edu.
Tuesday October 13
LEGAL RESOURCE & ADVOCACY
CENTER (LRAC) SILENT ART AUCTION FUNDRAISER
5:30-8:30pm, Montenia's Restaurant, 137 State St, Downtown Springfield (www.montenia.net). Come by and enjoy
Montenia's homemade soul food and fresh-fruit Martinis while viewing and
bidding on artwork crafted by talented and skilled local artisans! Proceeds
from the event will be used to help LRAC pay for basic office supplies and
costs in order for LRAC to be able to continue to promote its work and provide
free legal resources. Info: Jessica Levy, jlevy@lracsite.org,
www.lracsite.org.
Tuesday October 13
HELP FOR INJURED WORKERS
6-8pm, Chicopee Public Library,
449 Front St. A free walk-in help session for injured workers, sponsored by the
Alliance for Injured Workers, a project of the Western Massachusetts Coalition
for Occupational Safety and Health. No appointment or registration is
necessary. Injured workers are invited to bring their questions about workers
compensation. Info: 731-0760, wmasscosh@verizon.net.
October 13, 14, 15
FREE FILM: THE
LITTLE TRIP OF A DREAM
Tuesday: 7pm, Traprock Center
for Peace and Justice, 24 Miles St, Greenfield.
Wednesday: 9:15am, Media
Education Foundation, 60 Masonic St, Northampton.
Wednesday: 7pm, Alliance to
Develop Power Worker Center, 130 Union St, Springfield.
Thursday: 5pm, Food For Thought
Books, 106 N Pleasant St, Amherst.
Followed by facilitated community
conversations, bilingual in Spanish and English, with the filmmaker and local
immigrant rights activists and organizers about how immigration and immigration
policies are impacting our local communities. The Little Trip of a Dream: a
tale of border crossings, families and struggle (2009; 34 minutes; Spanish
and English subtitles), by Jen Lawhorne, portrays the experience of a US woman
who travels to Mexico and gets to know the village of Ocotitlan, Morelos, the
home of her undocumented co-workers back in Richmond VA. Through interviews and
encounters with community members in Ocotitlan, Lawhorne begins to understand
her friends’ migratory motivations.
Part of the Immigrant and
Workers’ Rights Coalition’s on-going effort to raise awareness
about immigration and get people involved in immigrant justice organizing in
Western Massachusetts. Info: Javiera Benavente, Food For Thought Books,
253-5432, javiera@foodforthoughtbooks.com;
William Cano, Alliance to Develop Power (ADP), 739-7233, william@a-dp.org.
VISIT HEC BOARD FOR A FAIR CONTRACT
6:45pm, 97
Hawley St, Northampton. 250 teachers at the Hampshire Educational
Collaborative, members of Service Employees Local 509, are seeking a fair first
contract. Join them in a surprise visit to the HEC Board to speed up the pace
of contract negotiations. Can you come? RSVP by clicking here. Info:
549-7348 or 800-632-8079 x530, ccohn@509seiu.com.
Wednesdays October 14, 21, 28, November 4, 11
BASIC STEWARD TRAINING
6:30-9pm, Gordon Hall, 3rd floor conference room, 418 N Pleasant St, Amherst.
$125 (includes banquet); $100 each if local union sends 3 or more. Instructor:
Dale Melcher, UMass Labor Extension. Co-sponsored by the Hampshire-Franklin and
the Pioneer Valley Central Labor Councils, AFL-CIO. This training’s for
anyone considering becoming a steward in their local union ~ any new steward
feeling ill-equipped to handle workplace problems ~ anyone steward for awhile
who’s still feeling confused about some aspects of grievance handling ~
long-term stewards looking for a refresher course on the fundamentals. Topics
include: roles and responsibilities of the steward, legal rights (including
Weingarten and Duty of Fair Representation), basic grievance handling, and a
mobilizing approach to problem-solving. The final class is dinner at an area
restaurant with a guest speaker. Send name, full contact information, and check
to UMass Labor Extension, Dale Melcher, 418 N Pleasant St, Amherst MA 01002,
and include a description of your experience, if any, handling grievances or
problems. Info: 545-6166, dmelcher@lrrc.umass.edu.
REORIENTING
U.S. HEALTH REFORM TOWARD HEALTH FOR ALL
7:30pm, Gamble Auditorium, Art Building, Mount Holyoke College, Rt 116,
South Hadley. Erika Blacksher (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/wcl/23370.shtml)
speaks as part of Weissman Center for Leadership and the
Liberal Arts program, Rethinking Health Care. Info: 538-3071, wcl@mtholyoke.edu.
Thursday October 15
FORECLOSURE CRISIS SPEAK OUT &
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING
10:30am, State House Room 437,
Boston. The foreclosure crisis is still happening even when we don't
see/hear/read about it in main stream media. The crisis isn't just affecting
property owners; it’s affecting all of us. Let the Legislators know what’s
happening at Hearings at 1pm in Room A1 on four great bills that need our
support: Tenant Protections in Foreclosed Properties (HB1232/SB1609); Temporary
Moratorium on Foreclosures (HB1510/SB1751); Judicial Foreclosures – Right
To a Day in Court (HB1729/SB1778); and Massachusetts Foreclosure Mediation
Program (HB4003).
Info, to testify: Liz, 364-4834, or maaplinfo@yahoo.com.
Thursday October 15
PLANNING THE WESTERN MASS.
JOBS WITH JUSTICE MEMBERSHIP MEETING
3:45-5:15pm, UAW Local 2322,
room 406, 4 Open Square Way, Holyoke (http://www.opensquare.com/map_directions.php).The
WMass JwJ Membership Meeting Saturday January 16 2010, beginning early
afternoon into the evening, will be an educational and social gathering as well
as a short business meeting. To join the Membership Meeting Organizing
Committee, RSVP: wmjwj@wmjwj.org.
Thursday October 15
NEAL APPEAL & WHOLE FOODS
BOYCOTT COMMITTEE
7-8:30pm, AFSC, 140
Pine St #10, Florence (584-8975). Planning events asking Congressman
Richard Neal to support the single-payer solution to the health care crisis and
planning Whole Foods Boycott actions too. Info: Western Mass. Single Payer
Network, 827-0301 x1, wmspn@wmjwj.org.
Friday October 16
NUEVA ESPERANZA'S ANNUAL
CELEBRATION
6-9pm, Yankee Pedlar Inn, 1866
Northampton St, Holyoke (532-9494, www.yankeepedlar.com).
Celebrate Nueva Esperanza's programs - YouthBuild Holyoke and El Arco Iris -
and see the goals Holyoke's youth are setting and surpassing! Presenting two
“Emerging Leader in Holyoke” awards. Dinner is free - bring friends
and family! You will be asked to make a meaningful donation that evening. RSVP:
info@nuevaesperanzacdc.org or www.nuevaesperanzacdc.org.
Friday
October 16
FREE FILM: CONSUME THIS MOVIE
7pm, Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic
Street, same building as Woodstar Café, Northampton. Discussion following. Consume
This Movie (80 min.) takes a critical look at social injustice, peak oil,
resource depletion, and our need to feel connected to each other through what
we choose to consume. Info: http://www.northamptoncommittee.org/.
October 16-17
10TH ANNUAL
GRASSROOTS USE OF TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
Northeastern University, Boston.
Bringing together hundreds of grassroots and social change organizers with media
activists, writers, and techies from all over New England. A wide array of
workshops that focus on social media and organizing work for both beginners and
experts. Topics include: creating websites, building rapid response networks,
using databases and e-mail lists, fundraising and "micro" donations,
community art, virtual worlds, and more. Rather than offering a blind
"techno-lust," the conference engages in levelheaded thinking about
using the latest technologies towards the strategic objectives of an
organization for both problem solving and empowerment. Info & Registration.
Saturday October 17
WRITERS UNION
WORKSHOP
10am-Noon,
Holyoke Community College, Kittredge
Center Room 303, 303 Homestead Av, Holyoke. The National Writers Union-Western
New England sponsors a workshop by author and sales expert Janet Spurr, “Learn 10 Key Tips To
Promote And Sell Your Book”. $15 for National Writers Union members; $25 for
others. Info, to register: 586-8844, nwu@valinet.com,
http://nwu5.wordpress.com.
DAVID
RUGGLES CENTER MARKS THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF HARPERS FERRY
Noon-4pm,
David Ruggles Center for Early Florence History & Underground Railroad
Studies, 225 Nonotuck St, Florence. (Walking Tour from Sojourner Truth Statue, corner
of Park & Pine Sts, Florence, at 10am.) The
Ruggles Center explores John Brown’s time in the Pioneer Valley in the
exhibit, “John Brown, the League of Gileadites & the Underground Railroad
in Springfield.” Event poster: http://www.davidrugglescenter.org/images/john_brown_poster.pdf.
Information on John Brown and Harpers Ferry at:
http://www.alliesforfreedom.org/
http://www.harpersferryhistory.org/johnbrown/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/john-brown-150th-commemoration.htm
Info: info@davidrugglescenter.org,
www.davidrugglescenter.org.
Sunday October 18
2009 MASS RELOCALIZATION
CONFERENCE
9am-6:30pm, Reggie Lewis Center, 1350 Tremont St, Roxbury. $10-$30 sliding
scale (includes food); scholarships available. A statewide conference
celebrating and highlighting the grassroots initiatives that are springing up
in response to systemic breakdowns and meltdowns, from the economy to
healthcare to the environment. Speakers, panel discussions, workshops, tabling,
great local food, music, fun, and transformative action. Info, to register: http://relocalizemassachusetts.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1;
www.RelocalizeMassachusetts.org,
617-821-1453, info@relocalizemassachusetts.org.
Tuesday October 20
PUBLIC HEARING FOR MASSACHUSETTS SINGLE PAYER BILL
10am,
State House Hearing Room A1, Boston. The Massachusetts Health Care
Trust Fund Bill calls for a universal health care system, providing
universal access, a comprehensive range of physical and mental health benefits,
choice of provider, quality, unified financing and cost controls, accountable
governance, and stability. A Massachusetts Health Care Trust Fund will be a
"single-payer" of all health care costs, statewide.
Western
Mass. ride and other info: Mary Grace Farley, marygrace@gracebodywork.com. To
testify: Ben Day, director@masscare.org.
Tuesday
October 20
PUBLIC
DISCUSSION OF NEW REPORT ON CARE WORK IN MASSACHUSETTS
4pm,
The Springfield Institute, 32-34 Hampden St, Springfield (MapQuest
map). Info, copy of report: Nancy Folbre, folbre@econs.umass.edu, www.countingcare.org
Tuesday
October 20
THE
FUTURE OF THE MEDIA IN THE VALLEY
7pm,
Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic St, Northampton. $5 – all
proceeds benefit the Valley Post – a
new media outlet for the Connecticut River Valley. The Valley Post hosts this
discussion by Sut Jhally and Alexandra Russell with plenty of time for
questions and comments from the public. The moderator will be Eesha Williams.
editor of the Valley Post and author of Grassroots Journalism. Tea and
cookies will be served. Jhally is professor of Communication at UMass Amherst,
and founder and director of the Media
Education Foundation. Russell is outreach director at the national media
reform group Free Press in Northampton.
She was director of Mass. Voters for Fair Elections. To reserve a ticket,
please click “donate” on any Valley Post page, then send an e-mail
from the “contact” page to let Valley Post know you’re
coming. The deadline for reservations is noon on October 20. A limited number
of tickets will be available at the door. Info: Eesha Williams, 802-254-2531, ewilliams@valleypost.org.
Tuesday October 20
FREE FILM: LOOMING CRISIS IN OIL DEPLETION
7-9pm, Merrill Science Building,
Lecture Room 4, Amherst College, Rts 9 & 116, Amherst. Followed by a
Q&A discussion. Richard Heinberg,
nationally known authority on peak oil, describes the history of energy use
from the dawn of agriculture to the present industrial and computer age, while
offering solutions to the coming collapse of cheap oil.
Peak oil is the peak in world oil production in barrels per year, and
academic oil geologists and oil industry analysts put the peak right about now
or within a few years from now. As we get farther from the peak year, the rate
of oil production will drops more and more rapidly, and the price will
correspondingly increase more and more rapidly. Sponsored by the Town of
Amherst's Energy Task Force, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment, and the
Pioneer Valley Relocalization Project (PVRP), the latter being an environmental
group working in Amherst and the Pioneer Valley to educate on peak oil and
global warming. Info: Steve Randall, 256-2130, chanrandall24@comcast.net, or Rob
Crowner, 253-6526, rcrowner@hampshire.edu.
Tuesday October 20 (Third Tuesday)
FRANKLIN/HAMPSHIRE HEALTH
CARE COALITION postponed to October 27
Wednesday October 21 (Third Wednesday)
MASS SENIOR ACTION COUNCIL
– WESTERN MASS
1:30-3pm, 1124 Berkshire Avenue,
near corner of Page Blvd, Springfield. Light refreshments, 50/50 raffle. MSAC
was founded in 1981 to promote the rights, well being, and dignity of all
people, particularly vulnerable senior citizens. Open to people of all ages.
MSAC has a proud history of effective community organizing and legislative
advocacy on health care, housing, transportation, and other issues. Info:
543-2334, http://www.masssenioraction.org.
Wednesday October 21 (Third Wednesday)
PIONEER VALLEY CENTRAL LABOR
COUNCIL
5:30pm, AFL-CIO Hall, 640 Page
Blvd, near corner of Osborne Ter, across the street from the old Westinghouse,
Springfield. Community and labor activist guests are welcome, but RSVP
to Jon at 732-7970, mail@pvaflcio.org,
or Rick at 374-1492, rbrown@pvaflcio.org.
Thursday
October 22
IMMIGRANT & WORKERS RIGHTS COALITION
6-7:30pm, Conference Room, second floor, room 234 &/or 236,
Potpourri Plaza, 243 King St, Northampton (opposite Stop & Shop, http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=243+King+St,+Northampton,+MA).
Reorganizing this coalition first formed in 2006. Help set its priorities!
Info: American Friends Service Committee, 584-8975, afsc@crocker.com.
Thursday October 22
PARTY FOR DOLLARS & SENSE
7-9pm, home of Sigrid Miller
Pollin & Robert Pollin, Amherst. Suggested donation: $50-100 (sliding
scale). Celebrate the 35th anniversary of Dollars & Sense, the nonprofit
collective that publishes Dollars & Sense magazine and books that
report on and analyze the economy. Guest speaker: Steve Early, author of Embedded
With Organized Labor: Journalistic Reflections on the Class War at Home
(2009, Monthly Review Press). Steve has been an organizer, strike strategist,
labor lawyer, educator, and freelance labor journalist. He worked for the
Communications Workers of America for 27 years, and prior to that, served as a
headquarters staffer for the United Mine Workers and staff attorney and
newspaper editor for the Professional Drivers Council. Info, RSVP (by
Oct. 16): Linda Pinkow, 617-447-2177 x204, linda@dollarsandsense.org.
Friday
October 23
PVP FUNDRAISER: STOP THE VIOLENCE!
6-10:30pm, Eagle Banquet Hall, 530 St James Av, Springfield. $20
for individuals, $35 for couples. The Pioneer Valley Project is holding a fundraising
event (a black and white dress affair formal or informal) with the theme of STOP
THE VIOLENCE. Following a very violent summer that has touched many people
throughout the community. We will have food, music, raffles, and fun - and we
will also hear some of the sobering experiences of people who have been touched
by this violence. We need to come together to heal, to join together, and to
raise our spirits. The Pioneer Valley Project also needs to raise funds to help
continue our work for the year ahead. Info: 827-0781, generalpvp@verizon.net.
Friday
October 23
FREE FILM: BLIND SPOT
7pm, Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic
Street, same building as Woodstar Café, Northampton. Discussion following. Blind
Spot investigates peak oil – the links between the energy we
use, the way we run the economy, and the effect it has on the environment. Info: http://www.northamptoncommittee.org/.
Saturday October 24
WINTER CLOTHING & BLANKET
DRIVE
10am-3pm, Bishop Marshall Center
Parking Lot, Elliot Street, behind St. Michael’s Cathedral on State
Street, Springfield. In response to cold winter weather ahead, Springfield
Catholic Worker announces its 8th annual winter clothing and blanket drive. Please
drop off clean coats, parkas, sweaters, hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, winter
boots, and new thermal underwear. Blankets, including baby blankets, and
nonperishable food are also welcome. Clothing distributed through Open Pantry
Community Services, Springfield Red Cross Peoples Center, Gray House, and
during the Drive itself for those in need. All are welcome. Complimentary
refreshments served. Info: Springfield Catholic Worker, 848-2320 or 737-7600.
Saturday October 24
PHYSICIANS FOR A NATIONAL
HEALTH PROGRAM (PNHP) ANNUAL MEETING
Boston Royal Sonesta Hotel, 40 Edwin Land Boulevard, Cambridge. Everyone is
invited to join PNHP to assess the status of
health reform legislation and make plans for the future. Details and
registration information are available online.
Saturday October 24
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLIMATE ACTION
The largest grassroots
demonstration on climate change in history. Thousands of communities around the
globe will urge our world leaders to draft a more ambitious climate treaty when
they negotiate a follow up to the Kyoto Protocol this December. The focus is on
350. 350 parts per million (ppm) is the safe upper limit for
carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Right now we're at 390ppm and are
projected to hit 700ppm by century's end if we keep on with "business as
usual." To continue on that path assures catastrophe for humanity and
countless other life forms.
Local organizing calendar at http://350.pvclimate.org/. Contacts: cratte@pvpc.org, noho350@gmail.com; conant@ecs.umass.edu; emiliehamilton@yahoo.com; www.350clotheslines.afscwm.org.
Visit http://www.350.org/. View
a 2-minute animated introduction here and an 8-minute strategy briefing here.
October 24-25
CRISIS & RESISTANCE: 2009
NORTHEAST SOCIALIST CONFERENCE
Columbia University, New York
City. Every year hundreds of activists and socialists gather at the Northeast
Socialist Conference to debate and discuss the struggles before us. The world
faces urgent problems and need a vision for a different future. With the
free-market consensus in tatters and an open debate beginning about how best to
organize our society, these discussions are more vital than ever.
WESTERN MASS. ARRANGEMENTS:
Arrange registration, travel, and carpooling with local members of the
International Socialist Organization. Info: contact@isonoho.org,
www.isonoho.org, www.northeastsocialistconference.net.
Sunday October 25
NATIONAL PRIORITIES PROJECT FALL PARTY
6-10pm, Log Cabin, Rt 141, Holyoke. The event is entirely underwritten in
advance. NPP then asks us to make a meaningful (to each donor) donation.
The National Priorities Project
offers citizen and community groups tools and resources to shape federal budget
and policy priorities which promote social and economic justice. NPP
provides valuable information and tools to hundreds of activist
organizations and elected officials around the nation, including the Obama
Campaign last year. Giving to NPP is a great way to multiply the impact of your
other contributions by NPP’s support for so many organizations and
campaigns! Info: 584-9556, sara@nationalpriorities.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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[Workers' Rights] posts opportunities for you
to learn about and show solidarity with workplace and working class struggles.
And these events are opportunities for JwJ members to fulfill their pledge: "I'll
be there for workers' rights at least five times a year!" This is the core mission of Jobs with Justice (www.jwj.org), affirming that workers' rights are
human rights. To subscribe, send an email to wmjwj@wmjwj.org with a Subject of
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Mass Jobs with Justice
640 Page Blvd #101
Springfield MA 01104
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