Sat.
June 2: CAMBRIDGE PEACE DAY & HUMAN PEACE
SYMBOL
The
city of Cambridge is celebrating a year of peace in
2007. Mass Peace Action will join the
celebration with a table at the Cambridge Peace Day festivities, taking
place
from 1:00 – 4:00 PM across from Cambridge City Hall.
Come by our table to write a note to your member of Congress or help us
reach out to the crowd to distribute information and get anti-war
petitions signed. The day
will include music, speakers, performers and family activities,
culminating in
the creation of a human peace symbol at 4:30 PM. Come celebrate peace
in our community!
Sun.
June 3: and Tues. June 5:
JOIN US in NEW HAMPSHIRE to TELL the PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATES to END the WAR NOW!
The next round of Presidential debates will be
right here in New England! Mass Peace Action is turning out carpools
of local
activists to “bird-dog” and rally at the Democratic debate (June 3) and
the
Republican debate (June 5), both at Saint Anselm’s College in
Manchester, NH,
urging both parties to heed the will of the people to end the war NOW.
Join us
to make YOUR voice heard! On Sunday,
June 3rd, carpools will depart from Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Ave,
Boston (Chinatown)
at 1:30 PM. You are welcome to meet up early (Noon – 12:30)
to make signs and posters to bring along.
To get involved and reserve a seat (or volunteer to drive!), contact members@masspeaceaction.org
or call us at 617-354-2169. Find other opportunities
to “bird-dog” the candidates in New Hampshire at http://www.prioritiesnh.org/birddog_calendar.php.
Thurs. June 7: Support Sergeant Liam Madden's Resistance to the Iraq War!
Join us at noon on Thursday, June 7th on the steps of the Massachusetts
State House to stand in solidarity with Sergeant Liam Madden, a local
activist and leader in the movement of Iraq-era veterans and GIs
against the war. Learn more about Liam's struggle to maintain his rights to speak out against the war and sign the petition in support of his courageous leadership against the war.
Sun. June 10 - Mon. June 11: Get on the Bus to
DC for the Mass
Mobilization to Protest 40 Years of Israeli Occupation
Massachusetts Peace
Action is an endorser of a national peace mobilization, organized by
United for
Peace & Justice (www.unitedforpeace.org)
and the U.S.
Campaign to End the Occupation (www.endtheoccupation.org),
calling for an
end to US military, economic, diplomatic, and corporate support for
Israel’s
illegal military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip,
and East
Jerusalem; and a change in US policy to one that supports a just peace
between Palestinians
and Israelis based on equality, human rights and international law, and
the full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions. The Boston
Coalition
for Palestinian Rights is organizing discount buses to Washington for
the demonstration which marks 40
years of Israel’s military occupation of the
Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem. The rally in
DC will take place Sunday afternoon, with buses departing from Boston
early Sunday morning and returning
late Sunday night. There is an optional lobby day on Monday for those
who
wish to stay over in DC. To reserve a
seat, contact june10demo@gmail.com
or visit http://bostonpalestinecoalition.org/june10demo.
Tues. June 12: Forum on Iran
A discussion
on Iran will be held on Tuesday June 12th from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the
Vietnamese
American Community Center, 42 Charles St., Fields Corner, Dorchester,
featuring a keynote presentation by Ed Kinane from Syracuse, New York,
a long-time peace worker and
human rights activistwho was recently in Iran
with a delegation of the Fellowship of Reconciliation
(www.forusa.
Thurs. June 14: Voices of Iraqi Workers
Solidarity Tour
Hear directly from
Iraqi trade unionists about the role that the Iraqi labor movement is
playing
in working against privatization, for a fair oil law, and toward
creating a peaceful,
secure, secular, and progressive Iraq. Mass Peace Action is a
co-sponsor of the
local tour stop at UMass
Boston on Thurs. June 14 at 6:00 PM in the Wheatley Student Lounge, 4th
floor of
Wheatley Hall at UMass Boston. (MBTA: take the redline to JFK/Umass and
then take the free shuttle to campus.) For more details, contact
617-268-2601 or terry.mclarney@umb.edu.
Sat. June
16: John Kerry Hosts an Open Forum on Iraq: Ask Him to Take More
Leadership for Peace!
Our
network of peace lobbyists have put consistent
pressure on Senator Kerry, demanding he demonstrate stronger leadership
toward an immediate end to
the occupation of Iraq. In one of his
first open constituent forums since the 2004 election, he will field
questions
about his positions on Iraq policy – and we will be there to make our
demanda
clear! Bring your opinions, tough questions and join us! Contact
617-354-2169 or members@masspeaceaction.org
if you plan to attend or need carpool info. Doors open at 3:30 PM, Forum begins at 4:00
PM at the Walnut Hill School, 12 HIghland St. Natick, MA.
Sat. June 23: START
THE MUSIC, STOP THE WAR: An Evening of Culture and Protest
Join us for an
uplifting evening of cultural resistance, featuring live music spanning
genres
and generations, as well as spoken word poetry, dance, and other acts,
all
presented in creative protest to the disastrous Iraq war. Performers
include folk rocker Jake Brennan, R&B artist Kemp Harris, eclectic
protest band In the Public
Interest, hip hoppers Soul of Change, teen poets Ketchup and Desiree
Rivera, beat box dancers Status Quo, and even a raucous brass band! 7
PM at Regent Theater, 7 Medford St.
Arlington. Visit www.RegentTheater.com
for tickets and MBTA
directions. See details at: http://www.regenttheater.com/events/protest.htm
Fri. June 22 – Sun.
June 24: Shape the Movement! Attend the United
for Peace & Justice National Assembly in Chicago
Massachusetts
Peace Action is a member organization of United for Peace and Justice
(UFPJ),
the nation’s largest peace coalition, representing nearly 2,000 local
and
national peace organizations across the country who will gather in
Chicago for
the National Assembly, which promises to “bring together member groups
of UFPJ
to strategize on how to end the Iraq war, to set priorities and
campaigns for
ongoing peace and justice work and to build UFPJ into a bigger and
stronger
coalition, positioned at the forefront of the antiwar movement. The
National Assembly will be two+ days of workshops, breakout groups and
plenary
sessions designed to maximize discussion, sharing, and the process of
collective
thinking and planning.” In addition to strategic planning and setting
programmatic direction, UFPJ’s new national steering committee will be
elected
and coalition structure will be reviewed. It will offer unique
opportunities
for activists from around the country to share their experiences, learn
from
one another, and work together to help shape the national movement.
Visit www.UnitedforPeace.org
to learn more and
register. Contact 617-354-2169 or email members@masspeaceaction.org
to connect with local activists who will be attending.
Mon.
June 25: PEACE & PIZZA, MA Peace Action’s Monthly Meet-Up Join
us on the fourth Monday of every month to build community with MA Peace
Action
members and friends, discuss peace and justice issues, and get involved
in local activism. We'll
have free pizza, good company and more. 6:30 PM at 11 Garden Street,
Cambridge (Harvard Sq T) RSVP to members@masspeaceaction.org
or http://peace.meetup.com/170/.
Wed. June 27th – Sun. July 1st: Attend
the U.S.
Social Forum in Atlanta to Help Make Real the Vision that “Another
World Is Possible!” The US Social Forum
promises to
be a powerful gathering of peace and justice activists from across the
country
and around the world. Building upon the powerful World Social Forums
that
have united movements across the globe in recent years, organizers
describe the
first-ever USSF as “more than a conference, more than a networking
bonanza,
more than a reaction to war and repression. It will provide space to
build relationships, learn from each other's experiences, share our
analysis of
the problems our communities face, and bring renewed insight and
inspiration.
It will help develop leadership and develop consciousness, vision, and
strategy
needed to realize another world... We must declare what we want our
world to
look like and begin planning the path to get there. A global movement
is
rising. The USSF is our opportunity to demonstrate to the world Another
World
is Possible!” Learn more at www.ussf2007.org
where you can find program schedules, rides, housing and other
resources and
sign up to attend, along with several local activists from the
Mass peace
movement!