10/6-10/8, Malalai Joya & Noam Chomsky

No to US Wars; No to Warlords; No to Women’s Oppression

Sunday, Oct. 6, 7:00 pm

First Parish (U-U) Church, 3 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge

RECEPTION 5-6:30 PM

5-6:30 pm reception with Ms. Joya at First Parish to raise money for organizations and charities benefiting Afghan women and children before the evening program. Music and refreshments will be provided.

Malalai Joya is the bravest woman in Afghanistan and has received international acclaim for her work. She was elected to the national Parliament by the largest majority of any candidate, but then she was dismissed for publicly naming warlords and war criminals. She has become a victim of death threats and assassination attempts. Come and hear her speak out against injustice and learn about her memoir, A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice, available for purchase at the event. See http://www.malalaijoya.com/dcmj/

Noam Chomsky is a Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at MIT, a world-renowned activist and commentator on international affairs, and a critic of U.S. foreign policy. In a 2005 poll, he was voted the "world's top public intellectual" in Great Britain. He will speak about the past and future use of “humanitarian” intervention. Among his more recent books are: How the World Works, The Culture of Terrorism, On Western Terrorism: from Hiroshimo to DroneWarfare

Forum: Donation: $10. $5 students/seniors/unemployed Reception: Contribution requested: $20 $10 students/seniors/unemployed

Malalai Joya will also speak on Mon. & Tues. Oct. 7-8
Events are open to the public
Monday, Oct. 7
Noon, Tufts University, Barnum 104
3:30 pm, Univ. of Mass. Boston, Campus Center, Ballroom C, 3rd flr
7:00 pm, Wellesley College, Tishman Commons, Wang Campus Center
Tuesday, Oct. 8
1:00 pm, Suffolk University

Sponsored by: United for Justice with Peace, United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) Boston, Mass. Peace Action, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Boston, Mass. Global Action, Help Women Heal, Harvard Pakistan Caucus, Harvard Pakistan Society, Muslim Law Students Assoc., So. Asians for Global Justice

Ten-city national tour sponsored by:
United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) www.UNACpeace.org 518-227-6947
& the Afghan Women’s Mission www.afghanwomensmission.org
For further information, contact BostonUNAC@gmail.com 781-316-2018 www.unitedforpeace.org

9/12, U.S. bombs won't save Syria

Making sense of the Syrian revolution:
U.S. bombs won't save Syria

Thursday Sept 12, 2013, 7 PM
358 Washington Street
Dorchester, MA 02130 (directions)
(Four Corners/Geneva Stop on Fairmount Line, Bus 23)
Call/text (617) 506-3762 in case you get lost!

Proposed Agenda

1. U.S. Bombs Won't Save Syria: 45 mins
Please read "Nothing humanitarian about empire"
Additional resources
"Standing against both war & dictatorship"
"U.S. bombs won't save Syria"
"Imperial hypocrisy to justify an assault"

2. Assessing the Boston branch: 75 mins

It's tough to make sense of the debate on Syria. Obama and others favor bombing on humanitarian grounds -- but ignore the chemical weapons the U.S. and allies have used on civilians in other places. Some are against it, with Islamophobes claiming we shouldn't be supporting the "terrorists", and a few on the Left claiming Assad should be defended as "progressive".

We stand against imperialism and for Syrian self-determination & revolution from below. Only the Syrian people can complete their revolution against Assad. As American socialist John Reed stated "Uncle Sam is not one ever to give anybody something for nothing. He comes along with a sack stuffed with straw in one hand and a whip in the other."

Join in a discussion to begin making sense of what's going on in Syria, and figure out an alternative perspective from the mainstream rhetoric.

Then, join us as we continue to discuss the future of the Boston ISO, and how we can best organize ourselves in this period.

9/15, Marxism and Feminism Day School

Marxism Day School Series hosted by the Boston International Socialist Organization

Marxism and Feminism

Sunday, 9/15, 1pm

Epiphany School 154 Centre St Dorchester Ctr, MA 02124

Next to Shawmut Station on the red line

Childcare will be provided.

We are in a political moment where a new generation of feminists are seeking out and leading around an inter-sectional perspective on feminism and realize that you can’t talk about gender without talking about race and class and other forms of oppression. From recent exposure of the sterilization of women in California state prisons to the attack on Marissa Alexander, a black woman sent to prison for defending herself against domestic violence, there is an urgency for activists to develop an analysis of how these forms of oppression are directly connected and work to fight against them.

Angela Davis, a powerful leader and activist in the black power movement, is the author of the widely read Marxist text, Women, Race and Class. The book starts with the legacy of slavery and how slavery shaped the womanhood of black women and lays out the history of Black feminism and the struggle for liberation, dealing with the suffrage movement, the socialist movement and ideas around reproductive rights and housework. While social movements in US history have made some huge gains for women and people of color, women and black women in particular continue to face the deep oppression built into this system while at the same time leading today's struggles around public education and to raise the minimum wage. The analysis of women's oppression and the lessons from history are essential for the development of an inter-sectional approach today.

With the 40 year neoliberal attack, we have seen the ruling class restructure the economy in ways that we have never seen before in history It is up to activists today to figure out how neoliberalism is affecting the oppression we face and what it means for our struggles against capitalism. Join the International Socialist Organization as we explore the rich history of black feminism, the need for reproductive justice, the development of Marxism and social reproduction theory and an understanding of how neoliberalism maintains its global strength through economic policy and gender oppression. The struggle for liberation today lies in the further development of social reproduction theory as a central part of the Marxist method for figuring out how our experiences relate to these ideas, and contribute to the development of a strategy to fight the racist, sexist neoliberal attack on the working class.

Part 1: Black Feminism, Marxism, and Reproduction

• Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis
• Killing the Black Body (chapters 1 & 3) by Dorothy Roberts

Part 2: Social Reproduction and Neoliberalism

Sharon Smith, Domestic Labor and Women's Opression

Supplemental Readings:

• Sylvia Federici,  A Feminist Critique of Marx
• Sue Ferguson, Canadian Contributions to Social Reproduction Feminism, Race and Embodied Labor

For more information: contact@bostonsocialism.org

2nd Annual New Jack City Candlelight Vigil, 8/21

2nd Annual 

New Jack City Candlelight Vigil 

Open Mic Edition

Wednesday August 21, 2013 6:00pm-8:30pm

Tent City 130 Dartmouth Street, Boston, MA 02116 

(Across from Back Bay/ Next to Copley Mall) 

Bring your stories. Bring your skills. This year will be an Open Mic event for all to showcase their talent. Light refreshments will be served. Volunteers and Donations of all sorts (ie food, papergoods, candles) are welcomed and appreciated. Please come out to show your support. 

http://www.live4bo.com/#!candlelight-vigil/ccau

Burrell's Story

On August 21, 2012, Burrell "BoJack" Ramsey was shot and killed by a Boston Police officer during what was supposed to a be a routine traffic stop. Despite the numerous witnesses, the investigation is stalling. To this day we still have no answer as to what happened or why no one was held accountable for their actions. Burrell was all about the people, and loved to express himself through rap. He was the kind of person who would give you his last dollar or the shirt off his back if it meant you would do something positive with it, with your life. Bo loved everyone and to see everyone doing well, becoming better than the stereotypes that urban youth are often dealt at an early age. Like many, Burrell has made mistakes in his life; he paid his debts and made a conscience effort to change his lifestyle for the better. When Bo's life was cut short in an incident that could have been prevented, Better Opportunities Inc (BO) was formed to initiate necessary changes in our communities. With Bo’s two passions in mind, helping people and music, the best way to honor his life was to assist as many people as possible in reaching for better opportunities and expressing themselves. BO's mission is to advocate for change and unity while promoting peace and strength in our communities through art and education.

8/15, A Dream Deferred? Victims of police violence speak out

Thurs 8/1: Mobilizing Boston to the March on Washington

Thursday August 1st, 2013, 7 PM

Spontaneous Celebrations
45 Danforth Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Call/text (617) 506-3762 in case you get lost!

RSVP on Facebook

Proposed Agenda
(1) Mobilizing Boston to the March on Washington
60 minutes
Suggested resources
The fight against racism doesn't stop here
The part of the dream they forget
Standing strong against the NYPD

(2) Learning through discussion and struggle: Socialist education & division of labor
45 minutes

This year is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. What was planned as a commemorative march in D.C. has transformed into a full blown nationwide mobilization -- bolstered by the protests in the wake of the Zimmerman verdict. How can we organize across the city, alongside civil rights, feminist, labor, and environmental activists, to bring people down for the march? As socialists, what is our role in helping to mobilize people, and how do we navigate working with liberal and non-revolutionary groups?

Finally, come to our meeting to discuss plans for a day school on Marxism-Feminism -- specifically Black Feminism & Social Reproduction Theory. If we hope to be solid activists in the struggles of today, we need to educate ourselves on important theory.

Where do we go from here? The fight against racism continues

Thursday July 26th, 2013, 7 PM

Spontaneous Celebrations
45 Danforth Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Call/text (617) 506-3762 in case you get lost!

RSVP on Facebook

Proposed Agenda
(1) Anti-Racist Perspectives and Organizing--60 minutes
Suggested resources
The fight against racism doesn't stop here
Trayvon Martin woke us up
"Who do you serve, who do you protect": The struggle against police brutality in New York

(2) Building the ISO: Contact Work Assessment--40 minutes 

With the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer came an outpouring of protest. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets across the country. But now comes the question: where do we go from here? Join us to discuss next steps in the fight against racism -- from local organizing to the mobilization to Washington, D.C. for a new March on Washington.

Trayvon Martin: The IN-justice System, Racism & Resistance

Across the country, tens of thousands of people have hit the streets after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the murder of Trayvon Martin. The enraging, tragic case of Trayvon Martin, like Emmett Till and so many others, has reaffirmed how racism is still at the heart of American society. We live with a system of “justice” that lets racist killers go free while warehousing millions of people of color into a "New Jim Crow" system of mass incarceration. To fight back, we must organize.

In Boston, there was a powerful rally and march in Dudley Square that brought together hundreds -- black, Latino, white, Muslim, Asian, LGBT, etc. How do we build upon this single protest? How do we build a strong, multiracial movement against racism & mass incarceration in our city?

Come to a panel discussion to figure out these and other questions.

Speakers TBA, but will include organizers in Boston as well as victims of racist injustice (and their families).

Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization. To co-sponsor, please e-mail umb.socialists@gmail.com or contact one of the hosts on Facebook.