Events
PRISON – The 6th annual Beyond the Bars Conference will take place March 4-6, 2016 at Columbia University. This year’s conference, Connecting the Struggles, aims to connect the many ways in which mass incarceration has impacted individuals, families and communities.
Contact: http://centerforjustice.columbia.edu.
U.S/SAUDI ARABIA – CODEPINK, along with the Nation Magazine, Institute for Policy Studies, Peace Action, and many other organizations, is hosting a two-day summit examining the policies and practices of Saudi Arabia and U.S.-Saudi ties, March 5-6, in Washington, DC.
Contact: http://www.codepink.org 2016saudisummit.
LABOR/WOMEN – The Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition connects individuals and organizations with the March 23, 1911 Triangle Factory Fire. Commemoration events are planned through the month in New York City, beginning March 6.
Contact: http://rememberthe trianglefire.org.
FERGUSON/SPRING BREAK – Civic leaders and activists in Ferguson, MO. have designed an alternative break experience as one of the next steps in their community’s rebuilding and healing process, March 7- April 11.
Contact: FergusonAlternativeSpring [email protected]; http://ferguson alternativ espringbreak.tumblr.com/.
WOMYN – March 8 is International Womyn’s Day. Events are planned worldwide. Musician Irka Mateo is releasing song Palenqueras, a tribute to the Palenquera women of Colombia, cultural and historical icons of San Basilio de Palenque, the first free town of African descendants in America.
Contact: http://www.international womensday.com/.
LGBTQ – Rainbow Health Ontario hosts Canada’s largest LGBTQ health conference, March 9-11, in London, Ontario.
Contact: Rainbow Health Ontario, Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne Street, Toronto ON M5A 2S5; 416.324.4100; http://www.rainbow healthontario.ca/conference/.
ARTS – Arts Day is March 9, in Madison, WI. It’s a day of celebrating, networking, learning and speaking up, with people who care about Wisconsin’s future.
Contact: PO Box 1054, Madison, WI 53701; 608-255-8316; info@arts wisconsin.org; http://www.artswisconsin.org/.
TRANSGENDER – The Keystone Conference: A Celebration of Gender Diversity, will be held March 9-13, in Harrisburg, PA.
Contact: [email protected]; http://transcentralpa.org/keystone.htm.
YOUNG FEMINIST – The 12th Annual National Young Feminist Leadership Conference will be held March 12-14, in Washington, DC, sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation.
Contact: 1600 Wilson Blvd, Suite 801, Arlington, VA 22209; 866-444-3652; [email protected]; http://www.feminist campus.org/.
CANNABIS – The annual National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference will be held March 18-22, in Washington, DC, hosted by Americans For Safe Access and others.
Contact: 202-857-4272; info@safeaccess now.org; http://www.safeaccessnow.org/.
YOUTH POETRY – Louder Than A Bomb, the largest youth poetry festival in the world, through March 19, in Chicago, hosted by Youth Chicago Authors.
Contact:http://youngchicagoauthors.org.
SOFTWARE – The LibrePlanet conference will be held March 19-20, in Cambridge, MA. LibrePlanet is an annual conference hosted by the Free Software Foundation for people who care about their digital freedoms, bringing together software developers, policy experts, activists, and computer users to learn skills, share accomplishments, and address challenges facing the free software movement. LibrePlanet 2016 will feature programming for a wide range of ages and experience levels.
Contact: https://www.libreplanet.org/2016/
DRONES – March 27-April 2, a national mobilization is planned at Creech Drone Base in Nevada, to shut down assassin drone operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. Sponsored by CODEPINK: Women for Peace, Nevada Desert Experience, Veterans for Peace and Voices for Creative Nonviolence.
Contact: 216 South Meramec Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63105; 314-725-6005; bfp@ veteransforpeace.org; http://www.veterans forpeace.org/.
LABOR- Railroad Workers United Biennial Convention will be held March 30-April 1, in Chicago.
Contact: Railroad Workers United, PO Box 2131, Reno, NV 89505; 206-984-3051; http://railroadworker sunited.org/.
HIP-HOP – “Show & Prove” Hip Hop Studies Conference is dedicated to being a platform for scholars from around the world who do focused work on Hip Hop culture. April 8-9, in Riverside, CA.
Contact: 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521; 951-827-1012; http://ideasandsociety.ucr.edu/conferences/otherwise_worlds.
ABORTION – CLPP (Civil Liberties and Public Policy) 35th anniversary annual conference, From Abortion Rights to Social Justice: Building the Movement for Reproductive Freedom, will take place April 8-10, 2016 at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA.
Contact: Civil Liberties and Public Policy, 893 West Street, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA 01002; 413-559-6976; [email protected]; http://clpp.hampshire.edu/conference.
MILITARY SPENDING – April 13 is a Global Day of Action on Military Spending. Events are planned worldwide.
Contact: http://demilitarize.org/.
POETRY – The annual Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness 2016 will be held April 14-17, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is Poems of Provocation & Witness.
Contact: Split This Rock, 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036; 202-787-5210; [email protected]; http://www.splitthisrock.org/.
ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR – The 10th Annual New York City Anarchist Book Fair will be held in its original site at Judson Memorial Church, April 16, with workshops, books, childcare, video projections, art, panels, more. The Anarchist Art Festival will be April 15-16.
Contact: [email protected]; http://anarchistbookfair.net/.
EDUCATION – The 3rd Annual Network for Public Education Conference will be held April 16-17, in Chicago, under the theme, And Justice for All: Strengthening Public Education for Each Child, with keynote speakers and workshops.
Contact: P.O. Box 44200; Tuscon, AZ 85733; 520-324-0881; http://www .networkfor publiceducation.org/.
DIGITAL BLACKNESS – The Digital Blackness Conference will be held April 22-23, 2016 at Rutgers University. It will bring together scholars, students, activists, and artists to interrogate the many new modes, customs, and arrangements of racial identity as they are mediated through digital technologies.
Contact: digitalblackness@rutgersdigita lblackness.com; http://www.rutgersdigita lblackness.com.
MAY DAY – May 1 is May Day. Workers of the world will celebrate the 125th anniversary of International WorkerÆs Day. Born out of a call for an eight-hour workday in the United States, this day is an opportunity for all workers to show their solidarity with one another, as well as to renew the call for labor rights.
IMMIGRANTS/REFUGEES – Grant- makers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) will host the GCIR’s National Convening, Immigrants, Philanthropy, and the American Dream, May 3-5, in Austin, TX.
Contact: PO Box 1100, Sebastopol, CA 95473-1100; 707-824-4374; https:// www.gcir.org/.
WORKERS / FILM – The 5th Annual Workers Unite Film Festival will be May 4-21, in New York City.
Contact: http://www.workersunite filmfestival.org/.
MARIJUANA – On May 7, the first Saturday in May, marijuana legalization activists will hold informational and educational events, rallies and marches in over 300 cities around the world.
Contact: http://cannabisparade.org/.
MOTHER’S DAY – The 19th Annual Mother’s Day Walk For Peace will be May 8, in Dorchester, MA.
Contact: http://mothersdaywalk4 peace.org/.
INCARCERATION/YOUTH – May 15-21 is National Week of Action Against Incarcerating Youth. Events are organized in cities nationwide.
Contact: http://savethekidsgroup.org/.
MALCOLM X – May 19th is the birthday of Malcolm X. Calls have been issued for a holiday, Claim Malcolm X Day, to celebrate the birthday of a freedom fighter.
FOOD/MONSANTO – March Against Monsanto will be May 21 in New York City and elsewhere.
Contact: http://www.march-against- monsanto.com/.
LEFT FORUM – The 2016 Left Forum will be held May 20-22, at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
Contact: 212-817-2003; leftforum @leftforum.org; http://www.leftforum.org.
FEMINISM/SCI-FI – The feminist science fiction convention WisCon 40 is scheduled for May 27-30 in Madison, WI.
Contact: WisCon, SF3, PO Box 1624, Madison, WI 53701; concom37@ wiscon.info; http://www.wiscon.info/.
MULTICULTURE- The annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) will take place May 31-June 4, in San Francisco, CA.
Contact: SWCHRS, 3200 Marshall Avenue, Suite 290, Norman, OK 73072; 405-325-3694; [email protected]; www.ncore.ou.edu.
JUSTICE – The Justice Conference will be held in Chicago, June 3-4. The Justice Conference is an annual national primary conference that seeks to educate, inspire and connect people around a shared concern for biblical and social justice, the vulnerable and oppressed.
Contact: http://thejusticeconference.com/.
BIKES – Bikes Not Bombs is holding its 29th annual Bike-A-Thon in Boston, MA on June 5.
Contact: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130; 617-522-0222; [email protected]; www.bikesnot bombs.org.
RADIO – The 40th Annual National Federation of Community Broadcasters Community Media Conference will be held June 8-11, in Denver, CO, with break-out sessions, two keynotes, affinity group summits, panel discussions and tours around the host city.
Contact: 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004; 202-756-2268; comments @nfcb.org; http://www.nfcb.org/.
PEACE CONFERENCE – Peace, Justice and Security is an international conference on conflict resolution and festival hosted in Columbus, OH, June 8-13.
Contact: http://www.creducation.org/.
CLASS – The Center for Study of Working Class Life at SUNY Stony Brook will host the How Class Works 2016 conference at Stony Brook: June 9-11, 2016.
Contact: [email protected]; http://www.stonybrook.edu/workingclass/; http://www.stonybrook.edu/workingclass/.
JUNETEENTH – June 16 is Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the announcement of the end of slavery in Texas and in the rest of the U.S. through the Emancipation Proclamation; June 19 is Juneteenth Independence Day.
Contact: http://nationaljuneteenth.com/ Juneteenth_Movement.html.
MEDIA – The 18th annual Allied Media Conference will be held June 16-19, in Detroit. Held every summer, the conference brings together a community of people using media to incite change: filmmakers, radio producers, technologists, youth organizers, writers, entrepreneurs, musicians, dancers, and artists.
Contact: Allied Media Projects, 4126 Third St., Detroit, MI 48201; 313-718-2267; http://alliedmedia.org/.
VEGAN FEST – The annual Mad City Vegan Fest will be held in Madison, WI, June 18. The annual event features food, speakers, and exhibitors.
Contact: 122 State Street, Suite 405 B, Madison, WI 53701; madcityveganfest @gmail.com; http://veganfest.org/.
Books
HUBERT HARRISON – Diasporic Africa Press has just published a New edition of Hubert H. Harrison’s When Africa Awakes: The Inside Story of the Stirrings and Strivings of the New Negro in the Western World, with Introductions and Notes by Jeffrey B. Perry.
Contact: http://www.dafricapress.com/.
POETRY – Half the Truth, by musician activist poet John Paul O’Connor, winner of the Violet Reed Haas Prize, has been released by Snake Nation Press.
Contact: http://www.snakenationpress.org/.
WORKERS – We Are One explores the lives of American workers from coast to coast, from all walks of life, in words and self-portrait photography. The collection examines their workplaces, life events and ideas about success, inspiring reflection on the role the union plays in their lives.
Contact: http://hardballpress.com/.
LGBTQP – The Big Gay Alphabet Coloring Book by Jacinta Bunnell highlights memorable victories and collective moments in LGBTQP culture.
Contact: http://queerbookcommittee.com/.
Film /Theater
PALESTINE – There Is A Field is a play about Aseel Asleh, a 17-year old Palestinian citizen of Israel killed by police in October 2000. Based on interviews and primary sources collected over 15 years, the play offers a uniquely personal lens for understanding inequality as the root of state violence and impunity, touring through April 9.
Contact: Jen Marlowe at donkeysaddle.org
WATER – In documentary Divide in Concord a fiery octogenarian activist spearheads a grassroots campaign to ban the sale of single-serve plastic bottled water in Concord, MA.
Contact: Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-3764; http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/.
BAHRAIN – Witness Bahrain is a documentary film that depicts moments of the often forgotten struggle for freedom, human rights and freedom in Bahrain. It is an in depth look inside the small Gulf Kingdom two years after the start of the Bahraini pro-democracy uprising.
Contact: http://donkeysaddle.org/.
FOOD – Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. After catching a glimpse of the billions of dollars of good food that is tossed each year in North America, the filmmakers pledge to quit grocery shopping cold turkey and survive only on foods that would otherwise be thrown away.
Contact: Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-3764; http://www.bullfrogfilms.com
FORESTS – Trees In Trouble: Saving America’s Urban Forests chronicles how one community confronted their tree crisis and fought the emerald ash borer, and invasive pest, by taking action. Through partnerships with scientists, city officials and citizens, this community was able to protect their urban forests for future generations.
Contact: Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-3764; http://www.bullfrogfilms.com.