"Right, Temporarily Defeated, Is Stronger Than Evil Triumphant"
Thursday, January 13, 2005(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Martin Luther King, Jr's words are a guiding force for local activists
girding themselves for another year of struggle as they seize the occasion of
Martin Luther King Day to celebrate solidarity:
Thursday, 1/13:
"Jack O'Dell: Just a Human Rights Foot Soldier"
7P; National Museum
of Natural History, Constitution Avenue at 10th Street, NW
Currently
Consultant on International Affairs to the National Rainbow Coalition, O'Dell
worked with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLS) as director of voter registration in seven Southern states,
from 1961 to 1963. O'Dell volunteered for the U.S. Merchant Marine during World
War II, traveled extensively as a merchant seaman in the years immediately
following the war and was an active member of the National Maritime Union. This
event is billed as "A Conversation with James Early" featuring music by local
singer and activist Luci Murphy.
RSVP to 202-287-3382 or AMRSVP@si.edu
Sunday, 1/16:
MLK's Call For Justice: Responding As Jews To The Crisis In
Housing
12-2:30P; Tifereth Israel Congregation, 7701 16th Street NW (at
Juniper St.), Washington, DC
Jews United For Justice, AtOne (Area Tikkun Olam
Network) and Tifereth Israel Congregation invite you to join in a special MLK
weekend brunch event on housing issues. Come explore how we can meet the
challenge of making housing accessible and affordable in our region, and learn
how you can make a difference!
Featuring: Adrian Fenty, DC Councilman; Sharon
Grosfeld, Maryland State Legislator; George Leventhal, Montgomery County
Councilman; Moderated by Michael Bodaken, President of the National Housing
Trust.
RSVP to Avi Rosenblit at jufj@earthlink.net, or 202-331-5835
(JUFJ)
Sponsored by Area Tikkun Olam Network (AtOne is composed of several
congregations and Jewish community groups); Jews United for Justice (JUFJ); and
Tifereth Israel Congregation Social Action Committee.
Tuesday,
1/18: Jewish Interpretations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a
Dream" Speech: Tikkun Olam Text Study With Simon Amiel
7P; DC JCC,
16th St. at Q St. NW, room 3
Celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. by studying the inspiring "I Have a Dream" speech in a Talmudic format
developed by Hillel's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning.
RSVP to
jufj@earthlink.net
Thursday, 1/20: FILM: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard
Rustin
7P; Provisions Library, 1611 Connecticut Ave, NW, Second
Floor,
Presented in cooperation with Quaker Arts; members $5 non-members
$8
A master strategist and tireless social activist, Bayard Rustin is best
remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest
nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. Raised as a pacifist Quaker
and steeped in Mahatma Gandhi's protest techniques, Rustin brought his deep
convictions into the heart of the
American civil rights movement, helping
Martin Luther King, Jr. become an international symbol of peace and nonviolence.
A longtime supporter of workers' rights, Rustin participated in many strikes and
was a staunch ally to organized labor, helping found the A. Philip Randolph
Institute (APRI) in 1964, named for his mentor. Despite his remarkable
contributions, Rustin was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and
fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay
man in a fiercely homophobic era. Five years in the making and the winner of
numerous awards, BROTHER OUTSIDER presents a feature-length documentary
portrait, focusing on Rustin's activism for peace, racial equality, economic
justice and human rights.
agrifffiths@provisionslibrary.org
Friday, 1/21: Solidarity In Living Color
7-10P;
Plymouth Congregational UCC, 5301 North Capital St., NE
Rally and Cultural
Festival to showcase solidarity in living color "calls on the diverse
progressive community to connect the struggles of many and focus our energy
together to achieve common goals" and features Rosie O'Donnell,
comedian/actor/writer, Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator, United for Peace and
Justice, Rev. Graylan Hagler, Pastor, Plymouth Congregational UCC and UFPJ
Co-Founder, Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder of Global Exchange and Code Pink, Damu
Smith, Founder of Black Voices for Peace, Adele Welty, 911 Families for Peaceful
Tomorrows and mother of Timothy, a firefighter killed at the World Trade Center
on 911 and others.
gshagler@earthlink.net
HONORING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR ACROSS THE US: In cities
nationwide--including Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, San Antonio, Texas and
Los Angeles, union members will mark the holiday in a variety of activities. For
a state-by-state listing of King Day events, click here.