"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.