Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Some early summer events and anniversaries

More items will be added and some may be listed without full endorsement.   

Workers' Memorial Day

The NC AFL-CIO is sending emails asking the NC Commissioner of Labor / NC Department of Labor to attend the Workers' Memorial Day commemoration next year (it was marked April 27th this year). 

May is National Bike Month.    

June is NC LGBT Pride Month (  governor.nc.gov/news/governor-roy-cooper-proclaims-june-lgbt-pride-month ) 

Chapel Hill Peace Vigil

It is now on the DST schedule, 5 - 6pm on Fridays at the corner of East Franklin and Elliot streets (Village Plaza shopping center, near Whole Foods).


2018 library book sales


The huge Wake County Public Libraries book sale will be May 3-6 at the Expo Center at the State Fairgrounds (www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/booksale.aspx  ).

Amazingly, FODL has already announced its book sales for the year, and there are many (maybe a lot of library books are being retired in recent years):  April 28, June 9-10, August 4, September 15-16, October 27, and December 1-2.  There will be a flash sale of adult and young adult fiction books May 18th 4 - 7pm at the usual location at Books Among Friends at Northgate Mall.   

The next Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library book sales will be September 7-9 and December 7-9 ( friendschpl.org/wp/book-sales/ ).
 
Like the Durham libraries, Lee County libraries have ongoing booksales at the branches.
 
International Workers' Day / May Day is May 1st, a Tuesday this year. 

Durham May Day march

The Durham Workers' Assembly is organizing a rally and march.  There will be an opening rally at 6pm at the Durham Police Headquarters (505 West Chapel Hill Street) and a march at 6:30 ending at 7pm in the Durham County Jail/DPAC area.  For more information, see:  www.facebook.com/events/1640701615984073/?active_tab=about 

Single - payer health insurance talks

Dr Ed Weisbart, MD, CPE, FAAFP, chair of the Missouri branch of Physicians for a National Health Plan and formerly Chief Medical Officer of Express Scripts, will offer a conservative economic arguments, such as reduction of the national debt and improving the health care market, for single-payer health insurance in Chapel Hill and Durham in early May:

Thursday, May 3rd at the United Church of Chapel Hill (1321 MLK Boulevard) at 6:30pm.
Friday, May 4th at Epworth United Methodist Church (3002 Hope Valley Road, Durham) at 9:30am.
May 4th at the Duke University Hospital North Medical Auditorium (2301 Erwin Road) at 12pm.
May 4th at the Carolina Meadows Lecture Hall (100 Whippoorwill Lane, Chapel Hill) at 4pm.

For more information and livestreaming, see:   www.facebook.com/healthcareforallyall/

End Medical Neglect!  Protest to Kick CCS Out of Durham

The Inside - Outside Alliance is organizing a protest Friday, May 4th 6 - 7pm at the Durham County Jail (219 South Mangum Street) against Correct Care Solutions, the for-profit medical provider for Durham's prisoners.  For details, see:  www.facebook.com/events/165573414133903/

Karl Marx was born 200 years ago, May 5, 1818, in Trier, Germany.   

Marx at 200:  A birthday celebration and political discussion

The Durham Branch of the Workers World Party is hosting an event at 6pm on May 5th at Lions Park (516 Dennis Avenue, Raleigh).  There will be refreshments and childcare will be available.  For more information see:  www.facebook.com/events/347497955757909/

Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) commemorates the Mexican victory over invading French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 and has become an important Mexican-American holiday and is celebrated in several countries.  Mexico celebrates its independence day September 16th, marking events in 1810. 

Free Comic Book Day is also May 5th (www.freecomicbookday.com/  ). 

Children's Book Week is April 30th to May 6th (everychildareader.net/cbw/ ) . 

The annual Haw River Festival will be May 6th in Saxapahaw ( hawriver.org/events/upcoming-events/ ).

Primary elections in North Carolina will be Tuesday, May 8th.  Any runoffs will be June 26th or July 17th, and the general election will be November 6th (there is a schedule at:  www.dconc.gov/home/showdocument?id=24338 ).   

May 9th is Victory Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe.

Nancy MacLean speaking in Durham

Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains, will speak Wednesday, May 9th 2 - 4pm at Extraordinary Adventures in Chapel Hill (200 South Elliot Street).  This is a fundraiser for women's graduate scholarships offered by the Orange, Durham, and Chatham Counties Branch of the American Association of University Women.  For details see:  durhammag.com/event/aauw-scholarship-event-democracy-in-chains-with-dr-nancy-maclean-author/ 

VUSE boycott actions

There will be a picket by the YAYA, the youth wing of the National Farmworker Ministry (NFWM) Thursday, May 10th at the Circle K at 4100 Hillsborough Road in Raleigh ( www.facebook.com/events/840658282948249/ ).  10 YAYA members are coming from Florida to join this event and others. 

There will be a Triangle Friends of Farmworkers picket at the Circle K near the intersection of Highway 54 and Fayetteville Road in Durham Tuesday, May 14 5 - 5:45 pm ( www.facebook.com/trianglefriendsoffarmworkers/ ).

The NFWM is also organizing a picket at a Circle K in Greensboro (1550 West Lee Street) May 16th 5 - 6pm ( www.facebook.com/events/157742458397099/ ).

There will be a picket at the Circle K at the corner of Franklin and Estes streets in Chapel Hill, May 18th 5 - 5:45pm. 

People are being asked to sign the Farm Labor Organizing Committee's petition to 7-11, Couche Tard (Circle K and Kangaroo), and WAWA:  actionnetwork.org/petitions/until-reynolds-signs-an-agreement-with-floc-drop-vuse?source=direct_link&

Groups are asked to endorse the boycott by writing to the CEO of Reynolds American.

For more information see:  nfwm.org/boycott-reynolds-american-vuse/

National Public Gardens Day is May 11th, the Friday before Mother's Day weekend:  www.publicgardens.org/programs/national-public-gardens-day/about-national-public-gardens-day

International Migratory Bird Day is Saturday, May 12th. 

Nakba memorial / solidarity with Gaza rally

There will be a rally 2 - 4pm at the Peace and Justice Plaza (in front of the old post office on Franklin Street across from UNC) Saturday, May 12th, marking the dispossession of the native inhabitants of Palestine in 1948 and Israeli violence against the people of Gaza today.   

NCBG Spring Plant Sale and Festival

The NC Botanical Garden will hold its annual spring plant sale Saturday, May 12th, 3 - 7pm.  The Garden and nearby nurseries will sell native plants, and there will be live music, food trucks, educational events, and a raffle.  For more information, see:  ncbg.unc.edu/2018-events/

Resistance Rodeo 2018

This Durham People's Alliance event with many groups tabling will be at Durham Central Park May 12th 4 - 7pm.  The first Resistance Rodeo was last year.  For more information see www.durhampa.org/resistance_rodeo_2018 .

Mother's Day in the US is Sunday, May 13th and has pacifist and social welfare roots. 

I've heard that this is also the time to see the mountain laurels blooming at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, south of Hillsborough, across the Eno River, and probably elsewhere along the Eno (www.ncparks.gov/occoneechee-mountain-state-natural-area ).  The end of the ice ages left brown elfin butterflies stranded on Occoneechee, white pines at the White Pines Nature Preserve south of Pittsboro, and Eastern hemlocks at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary.  In many cases species that live on mountains are very at risk from climate change, because they can only retreat up, and at some point there may be nowhere else to go for cooler conditions.  Non-native pests also threaten the hemlocks. 

May 13, 1985 police surrounded the MOVE house in Philadelphia and a few hours later bombed it by helicopter.  In all, 11 members of MOVE, including 5 children, were killed, with 2 survivors (1 adult and 1 child), and around 61 houses in the neighborhood burned to the ground.

Poor People's Campaign:  A Call for Moral Revival May 13 - June 21 ( www.poorpeoplescampaign.org )

There will be a rally Monday, May 14th 2 - 4pm in Raleigh's Bicentennial Mall with the theme of Somebody's hurting our children:  child poverty, women, and people with disabilities

Nakba Day is May 15th, marking the dispossession of the native Palestinians in 1948 through violence, such as at Deir Yassin. 

Nahida Halaby Gordon, PhD, editor of the book Palestine is Our Home, will speak at Durham's First Presbyterian Church (305 East Main Street) Monday, May 14th at 12:30pm.  Feel free to bring lunch and there will be light dessert and beverages.  Organized by the Coalition for Peace with Justice (www.cpwj.org/).   

The last known sighting of a Costa Rican golden toad was May 15, 1989 and they are thought to be extinct.  The species was first described scientifically in 1966.  There is still debate about the cause, but this might be an early example of anthropogenic climate change killing a species.  Possibly the cause was a chytrid fungus epidemic, possibly assisted by climate change, and a major threat to frog species in many countries.          

The NC General Assembly reconvenes May 16th. 

NC Public Schools Day of Advocacy

There will be various events Wednesday, May 16th organized by the NC Association of Educators from 10am - 5pm in downtown Raleigh, including a Rally for Respect at 3pm at Bicentennial Plaza.  Several school systems have cancelled classes on the 16th.  For more information see:   www.facebook.com/events/1934619103516020/

Endangered Species Day is Friday, May 18th. 

Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman Ho Chi Minh was born May 19, 1890. 
 
The 9th annual Longleaf Festival will be May 19th at Harris Lake County Park in Wake County ( www.wakegov.com/parks/harrislake/Pages/Longleaf-Festival.aspx ). 

Palestinians Speak Justice tour

There will be talks on Palestinian Liberation Theology Sunday, May 20th 8am - 12:30pm at Durham's St Philips Episcopal Church (403 East Main Street).  The speakers are the executive director of the Friends of Sabeel North America, Tarek Abuata and Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem founder Rev Naim Ateek.  For more information see:  www.facebook.com/events/1815823395388396/

Balance and Accuracy in Journalism May meeting

The regular time and location have been changed, to hear from Palestinian liberation theologist Reverend Naim Ateek; from BAJ's email:

"The April 30 Democracy Now remembrance of Dr. James Cone
featured his articulation and founding of black liberation theology.
This powerful message emerged in the same decades as the theology of liberation
that swept Latin America.
 
By changing the time and place of our May program, we have 
the unusual opportunity to hear a talk by Anglican priest Naim Ateek,
founder of Sabeel, the Jerusalem based Palestinian liberation theology 
organization, whose book tour brings him to Chapel Hill on May 20.
 
    At 4PM Sunday May 20, in the Overlook Room of  
       Chapel of the Cross, 304 East Franklin St. 
                      Chapel Hill, NC 27514
               Balance & Accuracy in Journalism
                                    with 
               Friends of Sabeel North America
                                  presents
                       Rev. Dr. NAIM ATEEK 
       on PALESTINIAN LIBERATION THEOLOGY
 
Ateek’s book, A Palestinian Theology of Liberation: 
The Bible, Justice, and the Palestine-Israel Conflict, offers 
broad principles for achieving security, peace, and justice 
for all the peoples in Israel/Palestine.
Copies will be available for purchase at the talk.
 
The 5:15 service at Chapel of the Cross will feature
a sermon by Rev Ateek."  

Raising Wages NC Lobbying Day

There will a lobbying day to raise the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour Tuesday, May 22nd starting at 10am at the General Assembly.  Participants will receive training and free transportation is available from Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Wilmington.  For more information see:  actionnetwork.org/events/raising-wages-nc-lobby-day?source=direct_link&referrer=group-north-carolina-afl-cio 

World Turtle Day is Wednesday, May 23rd ( www.tortoise.com/ ).

Memorial Day - Remembering Victims of War May 28 Chapel Hill Public Library 2 - 3:30pm

During the Tulsa Race Riot May 31 - June 1, 1921 in Oklahoma there was fighting on the ground and incendiaries were dropped from private aircraft. 

Naksa Day is June 5th.  According to Wikipedia it marks Palestinian losses after the 1967 war. 

Durham Spark went public June 6, 2005. 

The Israeli military tried to sink the USS Liberty in international waters bordering Egypt June 8, 1967, killing 34 and wounding 174. 

Durham Pollinator Garden Bike Tour  

Keep Durham Beautiful is organizing an 8 to 10 mile bike tour of pollinator gardens in Durham Saturday, June 9th from 10am to 2pm.  It will start at the Durham Bike Co-op and end at Honeygirl Meadery, and there will be rides back to the starting point.  There will be a mead tasting, refreshments, and goodies from Burt's Bees.  There is a fee, $10 dollars beforehand, or $15 on the 9th.  For more information see:  www.keepdurhambeautiful.org or www.facebook.com/events/2037953089813275/

The Korea Peace Network (www.koreapeacenetwork.org/) will lobby in Washington, DC June 11 - 12.

Kim Jong Un is scheduled to meet with Trump June 12th in Singapore. 

Ernesto (Che) Guevara was born June 14, 1928 in Rosario, Argentina, but became famous for his role in the ongoing Cuban Revolution, and also fought in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bolivia, and traveled to many other countries.

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to go into space, on June 16, 1963, piloting Vostok 6 and spending about three days in orbit.  According to Wikipedia, with this mission, Tereshkova logged more time in space than the entire US astronaut corps at the time. 

Bulgarian communist Georgi Dimitrov was born June 18, 1882 and was a general secretary of the Comintern and prime minister of Bulgaria.  Among other things, he is famous for his definition of fascism and advocating popular fronts against the fascists. 

National Pollinator Week is June 18 – 24 ( www.pollinator.org/pollinator-week ).

The summer solstice is June 21st. 

The Korean War officially began June 25, 1950, but fighting was already going on between revolutionary and counterrevolutionary forces, for example the Jeju Uprising officially began April 3, 1948. 

The Stonewall Riots began June 28, 1969.  

The Battle of Gettysburg was July 1 - 3, 1863 in Pennsylvania, and was the Civil War battle with the most casualties, missing, wounded, or killed.  Together with the Federal victory at Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 4th it is seen as a major turning point.    

July 3, 1988 the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 in Iranian airspace and while the ship was in Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, killing 290 civilians (66 children) from several countries.  The US government paid restitution, but refused to apologize and the captain and crew of the Vincennes received various awards.   

Eno River Festival

This 39th edition of the annual celebration will be Wednesday, July 4th and Saturday July 7th at West Point on the Eno ( www.enofest.org/#welcome ).  

July 12 is Día del Árbol (Day of the Tree), Mexico's version of Arbor Day (see Wikipedia and www.arborday.org/celebrate/world-dates.cfm ). 
 
National Moth Week is July 21 – 29 ( www.nationalmothweek.org/ ). 
Atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki August 6th and 9th 1945, respectively. 
 

Chapel Hill activist calendar: 

"Some Triangle Peace and Justice Events May 16 to 28, 2018
(Events listed in chronological order except for recurring ones posted at end)

TEACHER RALLY IN RALEIGH WEDNESDAY MAY 16   Many NC school systems (Carrboro-Carrboro City Schools, Orange, Durham, Wake) have confirmed they will take a day off during protest, led by  N.C. Association of Educators (NCAE). NCAE President Mark Jewell notes a precipitous decline in school funding since the recession.  Teacher pay has also been a focal point of NCAE; raises approved by lawmakers in recent years lifted North Carolina’s teacher pay ranking from near bottom to an estimated 37th this year, trailing national by $10,000.
 
HELP NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF RJ REYNOLDS’ E-CIGARETTE  Chapel Hill joins 45-minute monthly rallies at same Circle-Ks, suppliers of VUSE, to get RJR’s attention to negotiate with Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) to end abuses and human rights violations in its supply chain. Demand Circle-K take VUSE off its shelves.  5 - 5:45 p.m., Friday, May 18, Circle K convenience store, corner of East Franklin Street and Estes Drive. Contact  919-918-7713.
 
PALESTINIAN LIBERATION THEOLOGY  Anglican priest Naim Ateek, founder of  Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, a Christian liberation theology organization based in Jerusalem. A partner of Presbyterian Church USA, Sabeel has Friends of Sabeel chapters in many countries. Copies of Ateek’s book, A Palestinian Theology of Liberation , available.  4 p.m., Sunday, May 20, Overlook Room, Chapel of the Cross, 304 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill. Sponsored by Balance & Accuracy in Journalism  with  Friends of Sabeel North America.  919-542-2139.
 
THE DEEP STATE HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT Screening of former GOP congressional analyst Mike Lofgren's talking to Bill Moyers about America's " Deep State,"  in which elected and unelected figures collude to serve powerful vested interests, followed by discussion.1:15 p.m., Monday, May 21 , Carol Woods Assembly Hall, 750 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill. Forum for Peace and Justice, [judybellin at gmail period com].
 
JUSTICE ON JONES STREET LOBBYING & ADVOCACY DAY,  MAY 22  UU Justice Ministry of NC's 1st annual day at NC General Assembly calls us to let legislators hear UUs on issues such as voting rights, public education, gun violence, health care, environment.  9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 22, First Baptist Church, 101 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh. Learn about legislative process, how to talk with legislators, issues that may be considered; then lobby.  Please register: https://tinyurl.com/JonJ2018. [info at uuforwardtogether period org], 919-249-7939. 

RECLAIMING THE RULE OF LAW:  NC COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON TORTURE NCCIT executive director Catherine Read and board member Christina Cowger review CIA torture program and North Carolina's role in facilitating that program.  Then they focus on North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture: genesis, goals, accomplishments, plans, and how public can participate. Video testimony from survivors. Q&A follows. 7 p.m., Thursday, May 24, Beth Meyer Synagogue, 504 Newton Road, Raleigh. 919-637-7678. 
 
ONGOING WAR ON IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES Memorial Day commemoration for victims of war featuring Rev. Issac S. Villegas, Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship in North Carolina. Memorial Day proclamations from offices of Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle and Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger. Readings, Music, and Poetry emphasizing costs of human displacement and casualties. Songs for Peace and Justice by Raging Grannies. 2 – 3:30 p.m., Monday, May 28, Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive. Orange County Peace Coalition, 919-929-3316. 
 
UNC STUDENT FIGHT AGAINST  WHITE  SUPREMACY
 Effort  to educate public about Silent Sam statue and build support to remove it. Submit comments to NC Historical Commission Monuments Study Committee: www.ncdcr.gov/comment-relocation-monuments. Join Women’s International  League  for Peace and Freedom—Triangle Branch to vigil and distribute information about history of  Silent Sam’s presence on  UNC campus.  Noon to 2 p.m., Wednesdays, Silent  Sam, East Franklin Street by Pettigrew Hall.  Community contact: [ekkeel2me at gmail period com]  or 252-944-7474.
 
MORE WAYS TO ASSIST SENDING BOOKS TO NC PRISONERS Prison Books Collective‘s volunteer workdays packing free books remain 1 to 4 p. m, Sundays, 4312 Etta Rd, Durham, when books may be donated. Donate money online or mail. Directions and information: https://prisonbooks.info/, [prisonbooks at gmail period com]."


Some additions:

POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN: A NATIONAL CALL FOR MORAL REVIVAL Join publicized, non-violent direct action, over 6 weeks  from May 13 to  June 23 to force a serious national examination of enmeshed evils of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, and war economy.  Theme for Week 5: Everybody's Got a Right to LIve:  Education, Living Wage Jobs, Income, Housing.  2-3:30 p.m., Monday, June 11. Bicentennial Plaza (between Jones and Edenton Streets, Raleigh. Info: northcarolina [at] poorpeoplescampaign [period org]. Take signs.
HELP NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF RJ REYNOLDS’ E-CIGARETTE  Raleigh joins 45-minute monthly rallies at same Circle-Ks, suppliers of VUSE, to get RJR’s attention to negotiate with Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) to end abuses and human rights violations in its supply chain. Demand Circle-K take VUSE off its shelves.  5:30- 6:15 p.m., Tuesday, June 12, Circle K convenience store, 4100 Western Blvd, Raleigh. National Farm Worker Ministry.  Contact  salan [at] nfwm [period org].

POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN: A NATIONAL CALL FOR MORAL REVIVAL Join publicized, non-violent direct action, over 6 weeks  from May 13 to  June 23 to force a serious national examination of enmeshed evils of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, and war economy.  Theme for Week 6: A New and Unsettling Force: Confronting the Distorted Moral Narrative. 2-3:30 p.m., Monday, June 18. Bicentennial Plaza (between Jones and Edenton Streets, Raleigh. Info: northcarolina [at] poorpeoplescampaign [period org]. Take signs.

 
HELP NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF RJ REYNOLDS’ E-CIGARETTE  Chapel Hill joins 45-minute monthly rallies at same Circle-Ks, suppliers of VUSE, to get RJR’s attention to negotiate with Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) to end abuses and human rights violations in its supply chain. Demand Circle-K take VUSE off its shelves.  5 - 5:45 p.m., Tuesday, June 19, Circle K convenience store, corner of East Franklin Street and Estes Drive. Contact: 919-918-7713.
HELP NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OF RJ REYNOLDS’ E-CIGARETTE  Durham joins 45-minute monthly rallies at same Circle-Ks, suppliers of VUSE, to get RJR’s attention to negotiate with Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) to end abuses and human rights violations in its supply chain. Demand Circle-K take VUSE off its shelves.  5 - 5:45 p.m., Tuesday, June 28, Circle K convenience store, 106 East NC 54, corner of 54 and Fayetteville Street, just north of I-40 exit to Fayetteville Street. Contact: daustin [at] mindspring." 



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