Thursday, April 28: WILPF 90th Anniversary Celebration Fundraiser
Tonight, April 28 at 6pm, at the Friends' Meeting House, 4836 Ellsworth Ave., Womens' International League for Peace and Freedom 90th anniversary celebration fundraiser. Simple Soup and Bread supper, donation $10-20 sliding scale.
Dr. Regina Birchem, who currently serves as International President of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Geneva, Switzerland, will be the keynote speaker. She will discuss the history of WILPF, as well as international activities of the organization.
Peace Links, Code Pink and of course the Raging Grannies will help with the celebration.
Ann Harty will speak for Peace Links. She recently participated in the U.N. conference in New York, marking ten years after the landmark adoption of a platform aimed at global equality for women at the Beijing Forum on Women. Francine Porter will report on Code Pink activities, and Eva Havlicsek will talk about local WILPF branch activities. The Raging Grannies will add cheer and laughter with their songs.
For more info, contact 412-661-7149.
Thursday, April 28: Free screening of "Crane World (Mundo Grua)
Tonight, April 28 at 7pm at the Thomas Merton Center (5125 Penn Ave in Garfield), the Latin American and Caribbean Political Film Series presents “Crane World (Mundo Grúa).” A new variant Neo-realism, Trapero's multiple award-winning feature debut paints a portrait of working class life that is simultaneously gritty and poetic. The film follows the changing fortunes in the life of Rulo, an unemployed suburban man, who tries to earn a living as a crane operator. Rulo is a likeable, pot-bellied 50 year-old who had a brief taste of success as a young rock musician. Now, with both an elderly mother and a musician son to support, Rulo plunges into a hazardous and arduous work of heavy metal construction. Directed with an unusual combination of aesthetic freshness and emotional soundness Trapero's first film became a key work in the current resurgence of the Argentine cinema. --Cinema Tropical
In Spanish with English subtitles. For more info, contact: tinag@pitt.edu.
Friday, April 29: TMC Healthcare Campaign weekly Picket
On Friday, April 29 at noon, the TMC Healthcare Campaign will continue the weekly pickets at Sky Bank on the Northside at 600 E. Ohio Street as part of the ongoing struggle to bring justice to the Centre City Tower janitors fired after winning a union contract that included affordable healthcare and a living wage. Sky Bank is complicit in this injustice- they hold the mortgage to Centre City Tower, and they issued personal loans to the new cleaning company that came in and fired the nine union janitors, only to replace them with part-time positions with no healthcare benefits, and near minimum wages.
For more info, contact 412-361-3022 or myy7@hotmail.com.
Saturday, April 30: New South African Freedom Day
On Saturday, April 30 from 9am to 5pm is a full day of celebration of political freedom and commitment to economic liberation at the Bloomfield-Garfield Community Activity Center (113 N. Pacific Ave., off Penn Avenue). The theme is “Batho Pele: People First Before Private Profits” and “The Blasck of Ideas: From Pittsburgh to Johannesburgh.” Come and share education and information for all peoples’ empowerment.
Doors open at 8am for registration. The morning will feature discussions about trade between the U.S. and Africa, as well as issues of community development, public education, healthcare and housing, science and technology, and transit in South Africa and the connections to those same issues here in Pittsburgh. There will be a lunchtime keynote address. In the afternoon, workshops and a community forum will discuss topics such as African culture, performing arts, economics, and the politics of local and global apartheid.
The event is organized by the African Continental Community Programs of Pittsburgh, Afrikan Continental & Diaspora Leadership Institute and hosted by Azania Heritage International.
For more info, contact Lehlohonolo (Grace Anna Keller) at 412-361-3022 or Mongezi at amaazania@yahoo.com. Thank you in advance!
Saturday, April 30: Celebrate May Day, the International Workers Holiday!
and…Emily DeFerrari’s 20th year as a nurse-midwife, and…Mel Packer’s 60th year of life and rebellion…On Saturday, April 30 from 8pm to 1am (MayDay) at the Bulgarian-Macedonian Cultural Hall in Labor History Rich Homestead, PA. From the East End, turn right at the Homestead end of the Homestead Grays (Hi-Level) Bridge, turn left at the Y (3rd light), hall is on right. (Observe “NO PARKING-TOWING” Signs!)
There will be an open microphone. Bring your music makers, poetry, stories to share, jokes to tell, rebellious slogans and chants, flags to wave, songs to sing, FOOD TO SHARE, and your renewed commitment to the struggle for peace and justice. All ages welcome, CASH BAR ONLY (house rules).
If you’re old, (like us) we urge you to take a nap so you can still be with us at midnight as we walk to the Homestead Strikers Monument (4 blocks) to welcome MAYDAY and honor the strikers in a brief group sing-along.
For more info call Mel or Emily at 412.243.4545 or email us at melpacker@aol.com.
Sunday, May 1: Remembering Haymarket -- MayDay 2005
On Sunday, May 1 at 3pm at the Thomas Merton Center (5125 Penn Ave in Garfield) there will be a presentation and discussion on the events surrounding and involving the martyrdom of the Haymarket anarchists. Come for vegan snacks and historical narration and speeches about and by Lucy Parsons, Albert Parsons, August Spies, Sam Fielden, etc.
Come and learn about the struggle for the eight-hour day. Fall in love again with the radicals whose sacrifices are uncelebrated and suppressed by those who are still afraid of the ideas of those who were willing to fight and die for a freer society. Honor with us the history of resistance passed on to us by the Haymarket 7-not the history of oppression passed on to us by this capitalist, imperialist system.
Bring your sympathy, passion, and open minds. Come and remember how their sacrifice lives on in our resistance! Sponsered by your friendly, neighborhood. Bloomfield Free State anarchists.
For more info, contact: haymarket2005@yahoo.com.
Sunday, May 1: Physicians for Social Responsibility Film Fest Begins
As you may know, the annual Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) film series -- this year's theme is “Visions of War,” co-sponsored with the Pittsburgh Filmmakers and others, includes a number of film classics, which will be shown the first four Sunday's in May at the Regent Square Theater (1035 S. Braddock Ave. in Edgewood) starting at 7:30pm.
The perspectives of these films range from comedic-satiric to tragic and to optimistic. Discussants following the films include Marcia Landy, Bill Judson, Ted Hoover and Alberto Colombi.
May 1, 2005 Bananas, directed by Woody Allen
May 8, 2005 Paths of Glory, directed by Stanley Kubrick
May 15, 2005 Coming Home, directed by Hal Ashby
May 22, 2005 Grand Illusion, directed by Jean Renoir
Each pass costs $20. It provides admission of 4 individuals to any single film, or admission of a single individual to all 4 films, or any combination, for a total of 4 individual admissions. We hope that you may be interested in obtaining one or more series passes for these screenings. They provide substantial savings over purchase of admissions individually at the door ($7 each). You can purchase your series pass from the Thomas Merton Center at 5125 Penn Ave. in Garfield. Without the passes, you can still see the films and pay the regular admission price at the box office.
For more info about the film times and location, contact 412-681-5449. For more info about PSR or the series, contact 412-521-9043 or 724-339-4279.
Monday, May 2: Build Your Own Political Power
On Monday, May 2 at 8pm at St. Andrews Lutheran Church 304 Morewood Ave. (corner of Centre Ave.) will be the first session of the Build Your Own Political Power series - a series of seminars to discuss various tactics and techniques.
The “Build Your Own Personal Political Power” seminars will be led by Jonathan Robison. Jon is a long-time activist in politics, the peace movement, and the community. He has worked in over a hundred campaigns, going back to Gene McCarthy in ’68, and ran three times for Pittsburgh City Council. He is an attorney and vice-chairperson of the 4th Ward Democratic Committee in Oakland.
Jon Robison says: “Many people are active politically for various candidates and for causes such as peace, the environment, economic justice, lesbian and gay rights, reproductive rights, and civil liberties. Especially in the wake of the extreme right victory last year, there are many new people. People want to do politics effectively. If you are in it for the long haul want to increase your own personal political power so that they can better help their candidates and their causes. Building you own political power can help accomplish personal goals for you and your community, and also can be fun…
“We will discuss how you can use your involvement in the upcoming May 17 primary to increase your own political power. The session will NOT discuss and recruit you for any individual candidates. We assume that by May 2 you will already have a candidate in whom you are interested. We will discuss how you can help that candidate in ways that do the most for that candidate and also build your own political power. The session will be right after the MoveOn May meetup, which is at that church at 7. However, you are welcome regardless of whether you are associated with MoveOn, DFAPittsburgh, the Sierra Club, the Thomas Merton Center, or anyone or no one. There will be more sessions later. Possible topics include: the Democratic Party Structure, Duties and Responsibilities of Committee people, Circulating Nomination Petitions, Turnout - “Pulling” Voters, The Structure of a Winning Campaign, Electoral Politics and/or Direct Action?, Third Party or First?, Anarchism - the Third Thread in Progressive Politics Today, the Internet and Electoral Politics, Absentee Ballots/Provisional Ballots, and From Paper Ballots to Touch Screens. The seminars will be planned to be especially useful to new committee people and people considering running for the Democratic Committee next year. Please share any ideas for topics.
The sessions may be on a regular monthly basis, structured so that people can attend ones that interest them. Interested groups will be consulted on the schedule, and those at the May 2 seminar will be asked about dates and a place.
For more information or comments, contact Jon at 412-683-0237 or jonmary1@juno.com.
May 6: Access to Healthcare Conference: Issues and Solutions for Uninsured People
As part of the national "Cover the Uninsured Week", the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee will be holding an "Access to Healthcare" Conference. The event will take place on Friday, May 6 from 8:00 AM-2:00 PM at the United Steelworkers International headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh.
The conference is for workers who lost health insurance and those who help them. We will review programs, problems and prospects for solutions.
Featured Speakers
*Bill George: President of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
*Mike Veon: Democratic leader in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Topics
The day will include discussions about the following:
*getting affordable prescription drugs
*using the Health Coverage Tax Credit for pensioners and trade impacted workers
*adultBasic and Special Care insurance
*state legislative initiatives for single payer, prescriptions and other insurance options
*responding to threats to Medicaid
*Blues Surplus and Monitoring
*signing up for insurance and other healthcare
*how to help your members and clients get healthcare
Breakfast (7:15AM) and lunch will be provided. A limited number of seats are available. RSVP for this conference by replying by e-mail with your name and phone number to mvuc@msn.com or by calling us at 412-462-9962. MVUC address: 1800 West St. 3rd Floor, Homestead, PA 15120
May 7: New Person Awards!
Buy your ticket now! The New Person Awards is an annual event that serves to honor local activists with a commitment to peace and justice in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The theme for this year’s New Person Awards is Labor and Community Solidarity. In choosing this year’s theme, the Thomas Merton Center re-commits itself to the struggle for a living wage, healthcare for all, and fair bargaining rights for all workers. We do this by honoring ten individuals and organizations on the front lines in the fight for a just world, struggles that take place in the workplace, in local communities, right here in Pittsburgh. These awardees serve as shining examples and guides to lead us, inspiring us to join them to create a better world.
Date: Saturday, May 7, 2005
Time: 7:00 to 10:00 pm (includes celebration with entertainment, food and drink)
Place: Teamsters Temple, 4701 Butler Street (Lawrenceville)
Cost: $20 per ticket or $10 low-income
This years outstanding awardees are:
· Save Our Transit
· Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85
· Harriet Bryant, on behalf of locked out Centre City Tower janitors
· Rich Johnson, Service Employees International Union Local 3
· TMC Healthcare Campaign
· Charles McCollester, Pennsylvania Labor Center, IUP
· Ally Caldwell, HERE/UNITE Local 57
· Dan Kovalik, USWA attorney
· Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR)
· Mon Valley Unemployed Committee
Entertainment provided by Evan Greer and the Riot Folk Collective
To reserve a seat, call the Thomas Merton Center at 412-361-3022 or email jeremy@thomasmertoncenter.org.
Save the Date: June 24
Save June 24 for the PSO/Dionne Warwick concert at Heinz Hall. Buy your ticket online at the box office, and designate the Thomas Merton Center as the beneficiary - or sit with all of us in a block of reserved seats, by purchasing your ticket by phone or in person at the Merton Center. All proceeds from the sale of tickets - ALL- go to the Center. Tickets can also be purchased at http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2464&pid=5512949&coupon=rrr
Job Opening: TMC is Looking for a New Executive Director
“A Transition in Leadership,” From Pete Shell, Board President:
It is with both regret and understanding that I announce the amicable departure of Tim Vining as executive director of the Thomas Merton Center. Regret because we will miss this talented and dynamic leader; understanding because we’re aware of how tough the job can be for anybody.
Tim and the board are clear that this is a very friendly resignation for personal reasons. In fact, he will be helping us to find and train a replacement (this will be no easy task!). He will remain here at least until we find a new executive director, which we expect will be in September of this year.
Tim was only the second full-time executive director in the history of the Merton Center. Starting less than a month before September 11, 2001, he has helped to lead the Center through challenging times. His many contributions will be felt for years to come: the large growth in membership and projects; the increased public visibility of the Center; the motivated staff and volunteers; the improved financial situation; and the improved office and meeting space. Tim has also reminded us of the importance of respecting the diversity of groups and styles, and of allowing groups to independently organize without imposing a central command structure.
It’s healthy for both the individual and the organization to have a rotation of leadership every few years. It’s also a sign of the organization’s maturity that this transition is smooth. A search committee has been formed, consisting of board members, staff, and TMC cofounder Molly Rush. We will be looking both locally and nationally for candidates (job posting) and welcome members’ input as to what they feel is important for someone in this position.
Tim has set a good example of what a TMC Executive Director should be. Through his tireless work and endless energy, he has contributed mightily to the movement for peace and justice in the Pittsburgh area. We wish Tim and his partner Steve all the best and we’re sure that they’ll inspire, instigate and light up wherever they find themselves next.
For a complete job posting visit: www.thomasmertoncenter.org/jobposting.htm
Interested candidates are asked to submit a cover letter and resume by June 1, 2005 to:
Thomas Merton Center
5125 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
412-361-3022 (phone)
412-361-0540 (fax)
Emailed submissions, in addition to a mailed hard copy, are preferred.
Job Opening: PA United to Protect Social Security Field Position
We are looking to hire a Western Pennsylvania Field Director for Pennsylvanians United to Protect Social Security. We need someone who can hit the ground running, work as part of a high energy team and coalition, and someone who needs regular check-ins but minimal supervision. The position could last from a few mos to maybe 6 or 7. And it is possible that this Field Director - if there is funding and s/he and Citizens for Consumer Justice are both happy with the work and relationships built throughout this short term campaign - could continue as a Western Pennsylvania Organizer with CCJ beyond this SS Campaign.
We need someone to begin almost immediately.
If you know of someone who has organizing experience, works well on their own; understands coalition building and is passionate about working family issues like Preserving and Strengthening Social Security, PLEASE pass to me their contact information and share mine with them.
Thanks for taking the time to think about who might fit our needs.
Lauren Townsend, Citizens for Consumer Justice
117 South 17th Street, Suite 311
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-569-8220
Check out http://www.thomasmertoncenter.org/calendar for more information on the above events and for a complete listing of other events this week/end.
Thomas Merton Center
5125 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
412-361-3022
412-361-0540 (fax)
info@thomasmertoncenter.org
www.thomasmertoncenter.org
Serving the peace and justice community since 1972
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