Saturday Sept. 17th

2pm
106 Lathrop St. Lansing, MI 48912

Reverend Pinkney has long been on the front lines of the struggles for justice. In Benton Harbor he is part of confronting the politicians, corporations and court systems that deny Benton Harbor residents their rights and any sense of justice on a daily basis. Benton Harbor is the first place the controversial emergency financial manager (EFM) legislation has been put in place, removing even the illusion of democracy from local government by stripping elected officials of any decision making power and handing it to the EFM, who among other things, has the authority to void union contracts. Reverend Pinkney will speak about the latest attack on Benton Harbor and what it means for the rest of the state.

House Bills HB 4024 and HB 4026 would create an e-verify system around all state contracts to target immigrants working to support their families. Supporters of these bills talk about protecting american jobs while using immigrant workers as scapegoats for the state of the economy here in Michigan. We reject the racist implications of the e-verify system, call for solidarity between ALL workers and demand a stop to the attacks on ALL working families and immigrants. Join us in protesting these proposed bills and in opposition to a right wing rally in support of them happening at the same time.

HB 4024
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/House/htm/2011-HIB-4024.htm
HB 4026
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/House/htm/2011-HIB-4026.htm

Saturday September 10th, 2011
Open House @ 7pm
Libertarias Screening @ 9pm
106 Lathrop Street

The open house is a chance for radicals, social justice activists and members of the community to relax, talk and enjoy themselves together in the spirit of building a culture of resistance.
In 1936 the Spanish military attempted to take over the government of Spain. The Spanish workers rose up in opposition, proclaiming a social revolution. Libertarias is the story of a group of the Free Women of Spain (Mujeres Libres) and their experiences defending the revolution.

LIBERTARIAS!

Wednesday September 7th
Rally Against Islamaphobia and Hate
6pm-8pm
Steps of the Lansing Capital

Join us in protesting Terry Jones, the Koran burning, Islamaphobic bigot who will be speaking in front of the State Capital.  Jones, who burned a Koran in Dearborn in April and declared September 11th “International burn a Quran Day”,  will also be speaking on Thursday September 8th at 7pm in the Radisson with a speech titled, “The Destructive Force: Islam”.  People are encouraged to challenge Jones and his message of hate on that day as well.  This bigot has no place in our communities and should be challenged wherever he shows his face.

Flyering and Picket demanding that Wal-Mart immediately end the sexual abuse, rape, torture, and beatings of young women guest workers at the Classic factory in Jordan.

for more information: http://www.globallabourrights.org/

Tell Wal-Mart to stop the rapes at their apparel manufacturer! Since at least 2007, workers at Classic Fashion Apparel Ltd., a Jordanian company whose clients include U.S.-based Wal-Mart and Target corporations, have claimed that factory managers were sexually abusing women. In June of 2011 Jordanian authorities finally arrested a manager after a female employee came forward to accuse him of rape.

Wal-Mart, like many other large corporations, began using third-party monitors to pay surprise visits to the factories of its suppliers after a string of embarrassing revelations in the 1990s, including some suppliers’ alleged use of child labor. But the factory owner and independent monitors employed by the retailers and the brands made at the factory said they were never able to corroborate the accounts because the accusers, typically guest workers from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, never made an official complaint.

In June 2011, however, a 26-year-old Bangladeshi woman, encouraged by the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, a U.S.-based group funded by labor unions, told Jordanian investigators that she had been raped by the factory’s top manager since arriving in March, and she submitted to a medical examination. Jordan has become a magnet for apparel manufacturing since 2001, when the U.S. ratified a free-trade agreement allowing American companies to import goods from the country without tariffs. Most of the clothing is made by guest workers from countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China, who typically work under low-wage contracts.

Statements have been collected from more than a dozen current and former workers at Classic Fa shion, who alleged that women were raped by company managers. The statements didn’t identify the accusers by name. Many Asian workers are eager to come to Jordan to earn more than they could back home. Many of them sell plots of land and borrow money from family to afford fees needed to secure the contracts to work abroad. But some of the women at Classic Fashion said in an interview that they felt trapped upon landing at the factory, with no choice but to remain and retire their debts.

Wal-Mart said it had heard claims about sex abuse at Classic Fashion in 2006 but, working with the company’s auditors and the country’s Labor Ministry, wasn’t able to substantiate them. Classic Fashion makes a clothing line called Danskin Now, which is sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. Please tell Wal-Mart to immediately end the sexual abuse, rape, torture, and beatings of young women guest workers at the Classic factory in Jordan.

March & Celebration

International Workers’ Day
Immigrant Rights

May 1st 2011
2pm – March
3-6pm Celebration

March Starts at the Lansing Capital. Celebration
will be at 106 Lathrop St. Lansing, MI 48912

The social cuts are part of a broader attack on working and poor people and must be confronted. May 1st is International Workers’ Day and in recent years has been an important day in the struggle for Immigrant Rights. The holiday began as part of the struggle for the 8 hour day and to honor the Haymarket Massacre and Martyrs of 1886.  In 2011, We are seeing attacks on working and poor people from Wisconsin to Michigan and beyond, and attacks on Immigrants in Arizona and across the country. When they say cut back, we say fight back! Happy May Day:)

Join us for May Day festivities to
honor struggles for justice and dignity.
Join us in  todays fight for workers’
and immigrant rights

shedding skin until i’m translucent: a multimedia theatrical performance exploring trauma, patriarchy and transformative healing

Wednesday November 17th @ 7pm at the NorthStar Center!

This is River’s debut as a solo performance artist. This performance is intended to tell the story of zir experiences as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse in a way that reconnects the pain and isolation to the broader context of a living, changing world in which painful emotions can be released. It will also name the connections between zir personal experiences and broader oppressive forces in ways that point to the possibilities of deep transformation, and create healing and empowerment for River and the audience.

The subtitle could have included additional items such as queerness, resilience, ecopsychology and biomythography but it seemed to be long enough already.

The show will include poetry, creative non-fiction, music, and (hopefully) video. Obviously, the show involves some intense, potentially triggering topics, so please be aware of that.