international solidarity

Lessons from Organizer and Strategist Peter Van Delft

Thursday, February 21, 2013, 7:00 p.m. At no previous point in its history has the situation of the labor movement been more dire. At the same time, new waves of immigrant and community organizing and the rise of middle-class activism may signal renewal for the movement that brought dignity to millions of workers. This event helps as look forward by first looking back on Peter's 4 decades of service to the labor movement.

About Peter: A longtime activist and a third-generation socialist, Peter Van Delft has spent more than forty years in the labor movement. Following World War II he attended the University of California at Berkeley where he earned an M.A. in Anthropology and where he was involved in activities leading to increased admissions and support for low income and students of color.

Until his retirement Peter was a Vice President of New York based, 30,000 member, District 65. Earlier, he had been a member of the National Maritime Union and of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

Thursday, March 29th, 2012, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Lillian Holloway MD grew up in West Philadelphia. She worked as a certified nursing assistant before deciding to go to medical school. She graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine, Havana, Cuba in 2009. She is currently a resident in Family Practice and an MPH candidate at University of Illinois Hospitals in Chicago.

Thursday, February 9, 2012, 7:00 p.m. Author, activist and BC sociologist Charlie Derber speaks to his most recent book, Marx's Chost: Midnight Conversations on Changing the World. He will be joined by Alexandra Pineros Shields, Brian Kwoba and Genevieve Butler. From the publisher: An American sociologist (Derber) travels to London's Highgate cemetery, where Karl Marx is buried. A surprise encounter with Marx's ghost, which reveals insights into the great revolutionary’s personality and biography, leads to a night-long conversation between Derber and the ghost on important issues of the day: the economic crisis, globalization; climate change, war, racism, left- and right-wing politics, the future of capitalism, new economic models emerging in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, and revolutionary activism by citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya—even Wisconsin. The ghost reconsiders his theories as he speaks eloquently about American labor, environmental, peace, social justice, civil rights, immigrant, and gender and anti-racist struggles. Their engrossing, funny, and provocative conversation, interrupted by appearances from ghosts such as John Maynard Keynes, offers a new vision of the stunning relevance and tragic flaws of the historical Marx, who now reveals a surprising Great Transition to a transformed future. Watch this space for a review coming soon!

Sunday, January 14, 2012, 1:00 p.m. Raed Jarrar is an Iraqi-Palestinian architect, blogger and political analyst who was in Iraq during the U.S. invasion in 2003 and has recentlyreturned from another trip. He is a former AFSC and Peace Action staff person who provided constant briefings to peace activists throughout the war as well as working with Congressman Delahunt's office to develop opposition to the war in Congress.  He collected his and his family's blog posts into The Iraq War Blog, An Iraqi Family's Inside View of the First Year of the Occupation, published as a book in 2008.

This event is organized by OCCUPY BOSTON - FREE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY

Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 7:00 p.m. A wave of revolt is sweeping the world. In North Africa, uprisings topple dictators; in China, mass strikes defy repression; in Wisconsin, workers occupy the capitol building for weeks; and as European capitalism plunges deeper into crisis, workers and youth are responding with general strikes, mass occupations, and powerful protests. Meanwhile, the super-rich demand even more tax cuts, budget cuts, and layoffs. But a growing majority in Europe are declaring “We won’t pay for your crisis!"

Thursday, September 8th, 2011, 6:30 p.m. Wendy Call visited the Isthmus of Tehuantepec—the lush sliver of land connecting the Yucatan Peninsula to the rest of Mexico—for the first time in 1997. She found herself in the midst of a storied land, a place Mexicans call their country's “little waist,” a place long known for its strong women, spirited marketplaces, and deep sense of independence. She also landed in the middle of a ferocious battle over plans to industrialize the region, where most people still fish, farm, and work in the forests. In the decade that followed her first visit, Call witnessed farmland being paved for new highways, oil spilling into rivers, and forests burning down. Through it all, local people fought to protect their lands and their livelihoods—and their very lives.

Thursday, July 7th, 2011, 7:00 p.m.  As millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa fight for freedom against tyrannical regimes, US warplanes bomb Libya with the stated aim of protecting civilians. But what are the real aims of our government's intervention? How do they relate to its wars and other policies in the Middle East? And what can those of us inspired by the democratic uprisings do to help?

Saturday, January 15th, 2011, 4pm to late

This year marks THREE DECADES of struggle and solidarity with El Salvador’s popular uprising and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN)!

Since 1980 the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador has fought unjust US military and political intervention alongside the successful and inspirational Salvadoran movement for justice and self-determination.

Friday, November 12, 2010, 4:00 p.m. Speakers, film clips, music & discussion on the major questions affecting Haiti, 10 months on. Despite the earthquake, cholera, and hurricanes, why is aid money still held up? What do Haitians see as a vision for their future? How can we support them?

Come meet with a diverse group of students, Haiti activists, and community members. Discussion will focus on the key issues facing the 1.5 million displaced living in camps, what they have to say, and what our government has to do with it. We will draw connections between historical policy and the current aid effort. We hope to emerge with action ideas on how, as a group, we can work to effect concrete change.

E-mail, haiti.insolidarity@gmail.com for more information.

Monday, November 8, 2010, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Join Uruguayan activist-intellectual and journalist, Raúl Zibechi, for a wide-ranging conversation about social movements and social change. The point of departure is his latest work, Dispersing Power: Social Movements as Anti-State Forces. It considers the largely indigenous social movements organizing in El Alto, Bolivia that both brought Evo Morales to state power and continue their challenges to the state. This event is co-sponsored with Boston Bolivarianos, the Global Economic Alternatives Network and the journal Socialism and Democracy.

Every 2nd Sunday (Postponed Until Further Notice)

Celebrate the great traditions of Latin American and local radical culture through song and music in our next Opeña Folklórica, combining traditional Peñas with an Open mic. Bring your voice, history, song and spirit!

Musicians: Rafael Medina, Sergio Reyes et al. + Open Mic.

Light snacks and refreshments offered for suggested donations by MESA sin fronteras, a burgeoning worker-run social club @ e5.

Peñas take historical root in Chilean social gatherings during the 60s and early 70s that expressed the spirit of creativity and resistance in melody, poems, and artwork under a brutally repressive regime. They began to sprout all over Latin America in a time when songs resounded with a collective heart beat for a more just society and they continue to weave a fabric of solidarity through generations. Each peña at MESA sin fronteras will be dedicated to a musician from this great tradition who fought with the spirit of song that defied borders.
 
Our first Opeña (Peña + Open Mic) on May 9th was dedicated to the song and struggle of Violete Parra, who was one of the first musicians in Chile to host and perform in such Peñas. Her radiant songs are a testament to a creative and rebellious spirit who loved much too much, inspiring listeners with her bold, defiant lyrics and gentle voice, her enduring rhythms and volcanic passion for social justice.

Join us in the heart of Boston to commemorate our new series of Opeñas!

April 25th to April 30th, 2010 (At encuentro 5, Lucy Parson's Center, & Haley House) Leading up to the MayDay 2010 rallies and marches, join us across the city for six days of movies and discussion on the topics of workers' struggle, immigration, history, political analysis, and alternatives. Featuring an exhibit of Justice Artwork at encuentro 5 from local worker-run cooperative Red Sun Press!

Festival Schedule (read more):

Friday, April 9, 2010, 12 noon - 2:00 p.m. South Africa now has its 4th post-Apartheid president... But the country is more unequal than ever! It is also under consideration for a World Bank loan to “modernize” it ailing electrical power infrastructure. Revamping its grid would normally be a rare opportunity to set a new course, redress inequalities and implement a green strategy. But activist-intellectual Patrick Bond warns that the opposite seems likely with the Bank loan. It will strengthen the private sector and increase the gap between rich and poor: urban residents prepay their electricity at 4 times the discounted rate available to large corporations. Further, the proposed loan will finance the world's 4th largest coal-fired plant—just the opposite of what is required by our climate crisis—and raise rates on working people. (see attachment for civil society's reaction).