1998
Black Liberation Movements, A Four Class Series
with Carl Pinkston
Recalling our Resistance, 1848, 1898, 1998: US Imperialism and the Third World
A Six Part Series on Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Mexico, with a historical analysis
co-sponsored with the Comité Emiliano Zapata and the Venceremos Brigade
Looking Back at the Asian-Pacific Left Movements of the 60’s and 70’s
with members of the Asian-Pacific Left movement, including I Wor Kuen and Wei Min She
Bi-Lingual Education Workshop: A Workshop on the Ron Unz Initiative
Challenging White Supremacy, A two part series
with Sharon Martinas
Politics and Democratic Movements in Indonesia with Malik Miah, editor of Indonesia Alert newsletter
From Organizing to Empowerment with Warren Mar, AFL-CIO organizer
Revisiting the Communist Manifesto on its 150th Anniversary
with Carl Bloice
International Labor Solidarity vs. International Business Unionism
with David Bacon, labor journalist
Union Democracy
with Jan Gilbrecht, labor activist and union staffer
From Rank-and-File to Leadership: Women of Color and Unions
with Cindy Wiesner, organizer, H.E.R.E. local 2850, and STORM member
The Workplace as a Site of Social Struggle: 1960’s and 1990’s
An Inter-Generational Dialogue with Leo Robinson, ILWU activist; Katie Quan, Vice President of ILGWU; Frank Martin del Campo, 25 year veteran of labor/community/Latino organizing; Margy Wilkinson, activist and officer of AFSCME; Nato Green, organizer, UFCW campaign; Joy Enomoto, temp workers organizer; Steve Williams, co-director of POWER; and Bharati Narumanchi, student organizer at San Francisco City College; moderated by Lillian Galedo, Filipinos for Affirmative Action
1999
Report Back from El Salvador Elections: Bay Area Youth Delegation 1999
co-sponsored by Juventud FMLN, La Raza Student Organization, SFSU
Puerto Rico: A History of Colonialism and Resistance
with Ricardo Ortiz
Employer Sanctions: A Crisis for Immigrant Workers
An Educational Forum to Educate Unions and Community Organizers about the Effect of Employer Sanctions
co-sponsored with the Labor Immigrant Organizers Network
Kosovo: The Post Cold War World and the Left
with Carl Bloice, left/labor journalist, Editor: Dialogue and Initiative
Black Liberation Movements in America: A Marxist Analysis
with Carl Pinkston
The International Hotel: The History and the Future
with Estela Habal, Emil de Guzman and Bill Sorro, former I-Hotel Tenants and KDP Activists
Where’s the Party?
An Educational Forum on the history and legacy of Marxist and Leninist Parties with Max Elbaum, editor, Crossroads Magazine
Brown + Brown = Gentrification
with Ruth Wilson Gillmore, Geography Department UC Berkeley; Eric Quezada, Mission Housing Development Corporation; Ron Johnson, South Bay Housing Activist; and Ted Gullickson, San Francisco Tenants Union
Brown + Brown = Gentrification II
a workshop and follow-up community meeting
The Early Marxist View on Housing: How Relevant is it Today?
with Carl Bloice, Left/Labor Organizer
Where are White Activists in the Fight Against Racism?
A Panel Discussion with Harmony Goldberg, SOUL, on the Mumia Abu-Jamal Campaign; Jo Hirschman, Police Watch, on Police Brutality; Adam Gold, C-Beyond on organizing in the suburbs
facilitated by Ilana Burger, POWER
The Rise of Industrial Organizing and the Importance of an Independent Left in Labor during the 1930’s
facilitated by Karega Hart, President of Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1574 and Co-Chair, Black Radical Congress
The Neutralization of US Labor
facilitated by Warren Mar, AFL-CIO; and Michael Eisenscher, lead organizer, Project for Labor Renewal
International Sanctions: The Silent War
An Educational Forum on Cuba, Iraq and north Korea
with Sierra Thai-Binh, Venceremos Brigade; Iman Farajjalah, Arab Women’s Solidarity Association; Sun Lee and Betty Song, Asian Pacific Islanders for Community Empowerment
2000
Report Back from Sao Paulo Forum
with Eric Quezada, national co-chair of the Committees of Correspondence
An Introduction to Socialism, A Two Part Class
with Tom Gallagher, member, Democratic Socialist of America
The Cry Was Unity: Communists and African Americans 1930-1936
with Mark Solomon, author of The Cry Was Unity
Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis
with Christian Parenti
Where’s the Party? Part Two
with Max Elbaum, editor, Crossroads Magazine
Did We Upset the Set Up? A Forum and Panel Discussion to Evaluate and Analyze the Youth Campaign against Proposition 21
with Anita de Asis, Youth Force; Jinee Kim, Third Eye Movement; Mimi Ho, Californians for Justice; and Rose Braz, Critical Resistance
May Day: The Salt of the Earth, A Film Showing and Discussion
with Betita Martinez, Institute for Multi-Racial Justice; and Jason Feirrera, UC Berkeley Graduate Student, Ethnic Studies
Pele: A Passionate Journey through Art and the Red Press
with Pele DeLappe, graphic artist and political cartoonist
Resisting Militarism 25 Years Later: A Race and Class Analysis
with Leonard McNeil and His Personal Account of Opposition to the Vietnam War.
Marxist Study Group, A Five Part Series
Bio Tech Hedz Up
with Jose Morales, PhD; co-sponsored by Public Interest Biotechnology, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, Urban Habitat, and PODER
Cuba Today: Karen Lee Wald Reports
co-sponsored by the Venceremos Brigade
Nader, Gore and Bush: What are the Stakes for People of Color and the Working Class?
with Anamaria Loya, director, La Raza Centro Legal; David Muhammad, Pacific News Service; Kathy Lipscomb, Labor Activist; Carl Bloice, Left/Labor Journalist
facilitated by Emily Katz-Kishawi, Women’s Funding Network
Class Warfare in the Information Age
with Marc Pereleman, author of Class Warfare in the Information Age
The Electile Dysfunction: An analysis of the 2000 presidential election and electoral process
Co-sponsored with the National Lawyers Guild
2001
How New Is the “New Economy”? An Analysis of the Current State of the Economy
with Dick Walker, professor at UC Berkeley and Chair of the California Studies Center
People Power Round II:
A forum and discussion on the movement to oust Philippine President Joseph Estrada with Jay Mendoza, Filipino Studies Institute; Judith Mirkinson, GABRIELA Network; and Kawal Ulanday, Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines
Fighting the Union Busting Machine: Rank and file workers discuss the contemporary class warfare
with Susana Aguilar, SEIU Local 1877; David Bacon, Labor activist and journalist; Victor Saldana, DeBug youth organizer; and Jim Steele, Enloe Hospital and California Nurses Association
Leftists as Union Staffers: A Dialogue
With Bill Fletcher
In the Shadow of the Liberator: A discussion on Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
with Eric Quezada, Center for Political Education
May Day: The Salt of the Earth, A Film Showing and Discussion
with Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez, Institute for Multi-Racial Justice
Imperial San Francisco: A slide show and talk on how “The City” rose to power
with Gray Brechin, professor in geography at the University of California at Berkeley and author of Imperial San Francisco
Marxist Study Group: Four week intensive on Wage-Labour and Capital and Imperialism
with Carl Bloice and Warren Mar
Biotechnology 2 Series: Biotechnology Heads Up for Environmental Justice Activists and Human Genes and Racial Memes
with José Morales, Public Interest Biotechnology
The Zapatistas, Imperialist Globalization, and the Fox Question
with Nancy Chárraga, San Francisco Zapatista Committee and Renée Saucedo, San Francisco Day Labor Program
Radical Youth and Gay Leaders in the Movement for National Democracy in the Philippines
with Eleanor “Lengua” deGuzman, Anakbayan (“Patriotic Youth”) and Edgar “Oskar” Atadero, Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines
The Daily Worker and the Integration of Baseball
with Lester Rodney (former writer for the Daily Worker) and Jules Tygiel, author of Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy
Activist Intensive #1: Pakistan
with Zulfiqar Ahmad, Professor, Stanford University
Activist Intensive #2: Oil and Geopolitics of West and Central Asia
with Ashok Bardhan, Professor, University of California at Berkeley
Activist Intensive #3: Afghanistan, the Taliban and the Northern Alliance
with Carl Bloice, Left/Labor Journalist, Editor of Dialogue and Initiative, and Correspondent-Eastern Europe (19870-91)
Lessons from the 1960s-70s Anti-War Movement
with Max Elbaum, author of Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che
Activist Intensive #4: Immigrant Rights and the Attack on Civil Liberties
with Michel Shehadeh, Western Regional Director of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and Member of the “L.A. 8” and Arnoldo Garcia, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Activist Intensive #5: The impact of the “War on Terrorism” on National Liberation Struggles and National Sovereignty
with Monadel Herzallah, long-time activist with the Palestine Solidarity Committee and various Arab organizations; Malik Miah, Editorial Board of Indonesia Alert! and expert in Indonesian politics; Eric Quezada, Center for Political Education and Latinos Contra la Guerra; Rhonda Ramiro: Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines and Center for Political Education
Post 9-11 Analysis and Strategy
with Max Elbuam, author of Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che; and Cindy Weisner, People Organized to Win Employment Rights and STORM
Building Labor and Community Partnerships: Potential and Pitfalls
with Conny Ford, OPEIU Local 3; Lillian Galedo, Filipinos for Affirmative Action; Lamoin Werlein-Jaen, HERE Local 2; Steve Williams, People Organized to Win Employment Rights; and Joe Wilson, Coleman Advocates for Youth
Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Film Showing of New World Border
with filmmaker Jose Palafox
2002
U.S. Immigration Policy and the Intensifying Police State
with Kali Akuno, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement; Ruthie Gilmore, California Prison Moratorium Project and Critical Resistance; Jay Mendoza, Philip Vera Cruz Justice Project; and Heba Nimr, INS Watch. Co-sponsored with the California Prison Moratorium Project and Critical Resistance
Revolution in the Air: Book Reading and Discussion
with activist Max Elbaum, author of Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin
Middle East Study Group
a three-part series examining the historical roots of the conflict in Palestine. With Hatem Bazian, Al Qalam Institute and UC Berkeley lecturer
General Strike Shuts Down Italian Economy
a talk with Piero Cipollone, visiting scholar from Italy
The Anti-War Movement and Its Links to the Anti-Imperialist Movement
with Sandra Alvarez, Global Exchange; Michael Eisenscher, Labor Committee for Peace and Justice; Rhonda Ramiro, Center for Political Education and Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines; and Steve Williams, POWER
Pan y trabajo: The People’s Movement of Argentina
a teach-in with Maria Poblet and Marianna Viturro
In the Shadow of the Liberator: A teach-in on Venezuela
presented by the Venezuela Solidarity Group
The Military Industrial Complex
with Zulma Olivares, Comité ’98; and Eric See, California Peace Action
The War Years from a Woman’s Perspective
a book reading with activist Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz, author of Outlaw Woman, A Memoir of the War Years
Annual Marxist Study Group: Organization Building and Lenin’s “What Is to Be Done?”
Anti-war Activist Dialogues with Zulfiqar Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and activist; Eyad Kishawi, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee; Richard Becker, International ANSWER Coalition; Maria Poblet, St. Peter’s Housing Committee. Co-sponsored with American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, School of Unity and Liberation, and War Times
2003
Progressive Majority Series
A four-month, six session series to develop strategic thinking on building a progressive majority in the U.S. and to create a dialogue and build ties between left activists in various communities and labor movements.
Egypt and the Anti-War movement
A discussion of the anti-war movement in Egypt with Atef Shehata of the Institute for Human Rights in Cairo, and Nadine Naber, Arab scholar and activist
World Social Forum 2003 Report Back
with several members of Bay Area youth delegation and local community groups
War at Home: Recession and Repression
with Ruthie Gilmore of Critical Resistance and California Prison Moratorim Project, Jody Sokolower of Education not Incarceration Coalition, and Jenny Friedenbach of the Coalition on Homelessness and No on N Campaign.
Love and Revolution: Three activists/authors discuss lessons from the 1960s-70s
With Signe Waller, author of Love and Revolution: A political memoir/people’s history of the Greensboro Massacre, Max Elbaum, author of Revolution in the Air: Sixties radicals turn to Lenin, Mao, and Che, and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of Outlaw Woman, A Memoir of the War Years.
The History of Resistance: Ongoing Film Series
Film series looks at the strategies of resistance and impacts of U.S. imperialism, on both a local and global scale. Speakers contextualize the films through short discussion: The Terrorist, October, Life and Debt, Frontiers of Dreams and Fears, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised…
The Socialist Left of the 70’s and 80’s: What Worked, What Didn’t
A panel of activists involved in socialist groups of the 70’s and 80’s came together for a discussion of some of the lessons of the period. The discussion was moderated by 90’s generation activists. Panelists: Susan Atwood, Guiliana Milanese, Malik Miah, Betita Martinez, Warren Marr and moderated by Steve Williams and Michelle Foy.
Roundtable for Women in the Movement
A multi-racial, multi-generational dinner for women in the movement, discussing important issues, concerns, and problems, and also sharing lessons learned.
Venezuela Report-Back
With local members of the Venezuela Solidarity Group’s delegation to Venezuela and a showing of “The Revolution Will not be Televised” documentary about the attempted coup
Korea/Philippines Solidarity Forum
With Christine Ahn and Eunice Chow of the Korea Solidarity Group, and Kawal Ulanday of CHRP and Filipinos for Affirmative Action. Examined the U.S. administrations intervention in Korea and the Philippines and the resistance of these communities. Co-sponsored by CHRP and Korea Solidarity Group.
Iraq and Beyond: What’s Next?
A panel discussion examining the U.S. role in the Arab world and the ramifications of U.S. policy on the Arab communities both globally and locally. With Hatem Bazian of the Al-Qalam Institute, Munaf Al-safi, and Robert Chlala of the National Lawyer’s Guild.
Non-Profits and the Movement
Speakers Jan Adams and Christine Ahn looked at the structure of the non-profit system and the impacts on left movement building, and alternatives, with an eye towards the future of non-profits.
Marxism 101 Study Group
A three-part study group led by the collective of the Center offering a beginning/intermediate study of Marxist principles, theory, and relevance to today’s movement building.
Left Strategies Study Group
A study group led by Max Elbaum focusing on strategy formation for organizers on the left, looking at historical models from the 60’s and thinking about how are work can be informed by lessons learned from the past.
2004
Battle of Algiers Post-Film Discussion
A discussion led by Rayan Elamine and Jason Ferreira contextualizing the film in the history of the 50’s and 60’s, highlighting the film’s relevance for activists and organizers today. In conjunction with the showing of the film at the Castro Theater.
Let it Burn: A video interview with Robert F. Williams
An event featuring the life and work of Robert F. Williams, a leading figure of the civil rights movement, with introductory comments and a discussion following the video with Kali Akuno and Claude Marks.
The Future of El Salvador
A discussion with FMLN activist Salvador Cordon on the future of El Salvador and its impending election. A post-election report back followed the elections, also led by Salvador Cordon.
Fascism three-part series:
What’s goin’ on in 2004? What Dangers do we Face?
A discussion led by Lamoin Werlein-Jaen, Roger White, Elder Freemen, and Betita Martinez on the future of our work, attempting to define the era we are in to better understand our strategies and tactics.
Electoral Politics
A panel exploring electoral politics and how they’ve been used in the past to build the movement for progressive social change, and the lessons learned from those campaigns. With Phil Hutchings, Susan Chacin, and Eric Mar
Fascism and Cultural Resistance
A discussion with Alli Star, Thenmozhi Soundarajan, and Tina Bartolome on the role of cultural production and cultural workers in the current historical period.
Understanding Imperialism: The Shi’a Rise Up
Beyond the Rhetoric: Shi’a Resistance in Iraq and South Lebanon
A forum with As’ad Abukhalil on the history of Shi’a resistance against imperialism in South Lebanon and Iraq, focusing on educating solidarity activists about the role of social movements spearheaded by Shi’a struggle.
Memory and Resistance: 9/11 Three Years After
A cultural night in memory of the people’s struggle for self-determination from Chile to Iraq.
A cultural event and fundraiser for CPE showcasing films, local artists and artwork, MC’s and poets, honoring the people’s resistance and making links between the people’s struggles throughout the world. MC Iron Sheik, Kako, and films.
Mumbai Resistance Workshop for World Social Forum participants
A workshop led by Doug Norberg on the intervention made by the Mumbai Resistance Gathering in Mumbai during the World Social Forum ’04. Designed to inform participants and organizers heading to the WSF’05 in Brazil about the critiques of the World Social Forum and ways to best support anti-imperialist efforts at the WSF.
The Children of NAFTA
A discussion on the political economy of the US/Mexico border and the impact cross-border movement has had on US and Mexican politics. With David Bacon.
Ongoing Book Club
The Center’s first book club designed to give organizers and activists an informal way to meet once or twice a month and read and discuss together both fiction and non-fiction.
2005
Music and Resistance Film Series
Including the films Fela, Wattstax, 5 Sides of a Coin, and Salsa: Latin Pop Music in the Cities.
The Rise and Fall of Mission Housing
With the Committee to Save Mission Housing
A discussion on the history of the struggles at Mission Housing and the Mission District more broadly, in light of economic and political pressures that lead to displacement of working class communities of color.
Activism and Social Movements in the Arab World
With Rayan El-Amine & Uda Walker
This event, cosponsored with Left Turn, looked at social movements in Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine.
30th Anniversary of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
An event honoring former members of SNCC as well as Bay Area civil rights activists.
Who Was CLR James?
With author and professor John McLendon III
A look at CLR James, his theoretical contributions and how they advanced Marxism.
Marxism 101 Class
Homelessness and the Market Economy
With Carl Bloice
A look at how can Marxist understandings of land, housing and economics can be applied to the situation of homelessness today.
The Future of Socialism in South Africa
With Vishwas Satgar from the South African Communist Party
Reclaiming Revolution: Evaluating the Experience of Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM)
With former STORM members Harmony Goldberg, Raquel Lavina
A look at lessons learned from the organization STORM, a revolutionary organization in the Bay Area in the 90s.
Globalize Liberation
With Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez, David Solnit & Chris Carlson
Discussing the movements hightlighted in the book Globalize Liberation.
Report-Back from Haiti & Venezuela A discussion about similarities in political developments in Haiti and Venezuela and opportunities for solidarity from the U.S. Left with social movements in both countries
2006
Freedom Fighters 101: Che & the Women of the Black Panther Party
A two-part workshop for young people to look more deeply at individual revolutionary icons, the struggles they were a part of, their continuing legacy, and what it means that a figure like Che appears on handbags and advertisements today.
World Social Forum/Venezuela Report Back
An event with Bay Area grassroots activists who attended the WSF in Caracas in January 2006.
Music and Resistance Film Series
Part 2, including showings and discussions of Black Wax (Gil Scott Heron), Letter to the President, Strange Fruit (about the song Billie Holliday made famous) and Space is the Place (Sun Ra).
Discussion on the State of the Movement Against the Prison Industrial Complex
A discussion in partnership with Left Turn magazine on the state of the movement against the Prison Industrial Complex with activists and organizers from that movement.
From Managua to Baghdad
with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Eric Quezada speaking about U.S. Intervention in Central America in the 80’s, resistance to it and parallels with today’s events in both Latin America and the U.S. War in Iraq.
Vientos de Cambio
A Spanish language event in partnership with People Organized to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights (PODER), Mujeres Unidas y Activas and Saint Peter’s Housing Committee that brought 70 members of these three base organizations together to explore social movements, the shift to the Left in Latin America and the implications for organizing in Latin@ communities in the U.S.
Hurricane Katrina Commemoration Film Festival
Featuring Katrina survivors and updates about current work in support of the right to return & a just reconstruction of New Orleans. Again this was a collaborative event with many organizations involved with the Katrina Solidarity Committee.
Report-Back from Lebanon, Syria & Jordan
With War Times Editors Jan Adams & Rebecca Gordon
The Anti-War Big Push & the New Political Moment With Max Elbaum, War Times & Claire Tran, Freedom Road Socialist Organization Discussion about the challenges and opportunities for the anti-war movement following the November 2006 elections
2007
From San Salvador to San Francisco: Workers Strike Back
Film showing and discussion with workers from El Salvador and the Bay Area, sharing stories of factory take overs and campus shut downs.
As Long As I Live: Comfort Women from Korea
Film showing and testimony from a surviving comfort woman, Koon-ja Kim, who was forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. A number of the surviving women live in the House of Sharing and travel to the Japanese embassy for a weekly demonstration demanding an apology from the Japanese government.
Marxism 101 Series
A four-part workshop and study group led by the collective of the Center offering a beginning/intermediate study of Marxist principles, theory, and relevance to today’s movement building.
World Social Forum 2007 Report Back
Co-sponsored with the Catalyst Project, Bay Area activists and organizers shared stories and lessons from their participation in the 2007 World Social Forum held in Nairobi, Kenya.
Black History, Experience and Struggle in San Francisco
A multi-generational discussion about the historical factors shaping struggles within Black communities in San Francisco today.
On the Eve of El Primero de Mayo: The Struggle for Immigrant Rights
Organizers discuss the political moment facing the immigrant rights movement, and challenges, opportunities and visions for advancing immigration reform based on justice and humanity.
State of Siege: Part One of the 2007 History of Resistance Film Series
Made in 1973 in Chile, just prior to the U.S. backed overthrow of Salvador Allende, Costa Gavras’ classic film, captures a period of political upsurge and tension between left movements in Latin America and increasingly brutal state repression. Set in Uruguay in the early 1970’s the film is loosely based off the story of the kidnapping of a U.S. operative for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Sugar Slaves with Maisa Mendoca
Presentation by Brazilian activist, journalist and filmmaker Maisa Mendoca on the impacts of monoculture agribusiness on sugar cane workers their communities and land in Brazil. The sugar cane they harvest is converted into ethanol for Global North energy consumption, raising questions about our role in the continued exploitation of the people and land of the Global South.
The Center for Political Education, Building Towards and At the US Social Forum (USSF)
CPE worked with Bay Area organizations PODER, POWER, SOUL, Just Cause Oakland and St. Peter’s Housing Committee to mobilize people to attend the USSF, to provide financial and other support to Bay Area base-building organizations to attend and to provide information for organizations and individuals to effectively participate in the USSF. We raised over $20,000 for members of various Bay Area organizations to attend the gathering in Atlanta in June 2007.
Networking Session for Strengthening and Building Movement Building Centers: With the Brecht Forum, Encuentro Cinco and other organizations we held two workshops which highlighted efforts of various centers for movement building around the country to share lessons, challenges and strategies for building cross-movement, cross-sectoral spaces for left and progressive social movements.
Hammer to Shape Reality: Art and Social Movement: Artists and organizers came together to discuss production of visual art in the context of social movements.
Good or Bad Alchemy?: Social Movements and Electoral Strategies: Panel and interactive (lively!) discussion on the merits, challenges and barriers in electoral politics and differing approaches to building power for social movements.
USSF Report Back: Members of organizations shared stories from the five-day historic gathering in Atlanta.
638 Ways to Kill Fidel: Film Showing
Co-sponsored with the Venceremos Brigade, this film details the persistent but unsuccessful attempt to murder Fidel Castro, isolate and destabilize Cuba.
Introduction to Political Economy and Radical Economics
A four-part series with radical economist Suresh Naidu for activists and organizers on economics, political economy, international finance and trade, economic reform fights and alternatives to capitalism. click here to view slides from this class…
Jesus Camp: Film Showing
Film showing of award-winning film about the Christian Right’s tactical approach to winning new hearts and minds. CPE Collective member Palak Shah led a discussion about the Right, understanding the various tendencies and why the Left should care to understand.
The Cost of Privilege: Discussion on the Fight Against White Supremacy
Panel and discussion with author of the recent book, Cost of Privilege: Taking on White Supremacy and Racism, Chip Smith and Bay Area activists about the importance of history, theory and lessons from past and current struggles in today’s fight against racism.
Revolutionary Art: New work from the San Francisco Print Collective with Presentation by Artist Emory Douglas
An exhibition of work from the SF Print Collective’s political poster-making class, slideshow and Q&A with former minister of culture for the Black Panther Party Emory Douglas and special guest appearances by five of the SF Eight, former Black Panthers and community leaders arrested in January on 36-year old charges, based on confessions extracted by torture.
The Circle: Film Showing
The Circle, released in 2000 by director Jafar Panahi, more directly attempts to paint a picture of the cultural, social, and economic experiences of women living in Iran. Banned by the Islamic regime, yet also criticized by Iranian feminists, the film highlights complicated questions of women’s rights and economic independence. Following the film, activist and journalist Malihe Razazan led a discussion about the film and the current picture of women’s organizing and social movements in Iran.
Appalachians Resist Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
Presentation and Q&A with two residents of the Appalachia coal fields who are fighting displacement and environmental devastation caused by Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining.
When They Come for You in the Morning: Creating a Left Response to Local Attacks on Homeless People
In the context of the San Francisco Chronicle’s CW Nevius’ unrelenting attack on homeless people and Newsom’s anti-homeless agenda of criminalization and dehumanization, this panel and discussion examined the current local political reality of homelessness.
Iraq and US Politics: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead
Event and interactive discussion with War Times members, discussing the current situation in Iraq, the broader region and how the left and progressive movements can push for an end to the war and occupation in Iraq and beyond.
Co-Sponsored Events:
Deportation and the Assault on the First Amendment-Could it Happen to You? A Panel Discussion on the impact of the LA 8 Supreme Court Decision on Immigrants’ Free Speech Rights
with Michel Shehadeh, LA 8 Member; and Gloria La Riva. activist, International Action Center
co-sponsored with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
The Golf War: A Story of Land, Golf, and Revolution in the Philippines
A film screening with a performance by the Pearl Ubungen Dancers
co-sponsored with the Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines and the League of Filipino Students
Artists for Iraq, A Fundraiser for the people living under US Sanctions in Iraq
with Egyptian Feminist/author Nawal El Saadawi
co-sponsored with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
People and the Struggle for Land: What does the Palestinian Struggle Mean for People of color in Struggle in the U.S.
with Phil Hutchings, co-founder, Institute for Multi-Racial Justice; Rhonda Ramiro, Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines; Angelique Gonzales, Coalition on Homelessness; and Maad Abu-Ghazalah, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
co-sponsored with the Institute for Multi-Racial Justice
After the Last Sky: A Solidarity Event and Educational Forum on Palestine
with Hatem Bazian, Al Qalam Institute; Lamis Andoni, Prominent Palestinian Journalist; Elias Rashmawi, Palestinian Activist, and Maad Abu-Ghazalah, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Co-sponsored with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
U.S. Immigration Policy and the Intensifying Police State
with Kali Akuno, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement; Ruthie Gilmore, California Prison Moratorium Project and Critical Resistance; Jay Mendoza, Philip Vera Cruz Justice Project; and Heba Nimr, INS Watch. Co-sponsored with the California Prison Moratorium Project and Critical Resistance
Anti-war Activist Dialogues
with Zulfiqar Ahmad, Pakistani scholar and activist; Eyad Kishawi, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee; Richard Becker, International ANSWER Coalition; Maria Poblet, St. Peter’s Housing Committee. Co-sponsored with American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, School of Unity and Liberation, and War Times
Bolivarian Revolution Return to Power Celebration
Co-sponsored by the Venezuela Solidarity Group
Palestine: The Women’s Experience
With Maha Abu-Dayeh Shammas from the Women’s Legal Aid and Counseling Center in Ramallah. Co-sponsored by ADC-SF and others