Wednesday, February 6 at 6pm – Small conference room at Milwaukee Public Library (2727 Fond Du Lac Ave in Milwaukee)
Next Wednesday, this free event will allow participants to write letters of support to queer people held in prison and to read and respond to their letters in an effort to eliminate the violence of incarceration. For more info, click here.
Facebook and Eventbrite
The People’s Mayoral Forum gets past political jargon and digs deeper into candidate solutions, experiences and expertise.
During the Mayoral Race, local leaders have produced insightful forums that only seem to scratch the surface of candidate history, solutions, and expertise. The community has asked for more…
YGB has heard the community’s cry for deeper questions with deeper answers that get past the political answers that everyone knows and reveals specifics.The People’s Mayoral Forum: Getting Past the Politics is brought to you by the Young Gifted and Black Coalition and MovementFund.comThe Young Gifted and Black Coalition is a grass roots social justice organization dedicated to meeting community needs, building collective analysis and advocating for the end of State Violence in all it’s forms including poverty, mass incarceration, homelessness, police brutality and other social injustice.This is your time to ask the REAL questions and get the REAL answers from our city’s potential leader. Attendance is Free and Open to the public. So Please, share this with your friends and family and let’s make sure our mayoral candidates hear from us in the best way possible.
Sign Petition: https://bit.ly/2TtcEYU
Chrystul Kizer is an incarcerated trafficking survivor who is being charged with life in prison for acting in self-defense against her trafficker. The punishment that Chrystul is facing for defending her own life signals that black women and girls have no selves to defend. Right now Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley has the power to drop all charges against Chrystul immediately. We are urging Graveley to do the right thing and drop all charges now so that instead of enduring more violence, Chrystul’s healing can being with her family and community. Please show your support for Chrystul by signing this petition! Her next hearing is scheduled for February 21, 2019. Preliminary Hearing
Sign Petition: https://bit.ly/2TtcEYU
https://bolivariannyc.wordpress.com/
WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING IN VENEZUELA
Since early April this year, Venezuelans have been suffering the consequences of violent street protests, resulting in more than 60 deaths, hundreds more injured and millions of dollars in value in the destruction of public and private property. We are deeply sorry for the death of so many people, both civilians and law enforcement agents. Media reporting on this situation, however, has been strongly biased, with news outlets falsely depicting Venezuela as a country in state of economic collapse and at war, where peaceful protesters are violently repressed by a dictatorial government. Here are the facts: https://bit.ly/2MMCGnf
https://bolivariannyc.wordpress.com/
JANUARY 26, 2019—We, the members of the Black Alliance for Peace, uphold our political stance in the face of aggressions waged by the United States. Two of BAP’s core principles are an unwavering commitment to self-determination for peoples and nations alike and opposition to imperialism in all its varied and brutal forms. Therefore, unlike so many who are confused about Venezuela, we say without equivocation that we oppose the illegal and immoral attempts by the United States and their Organization of American States (OAS) allies to interfere in the internal affairs of Venezuela.
No objective right has been bestowed upon the United States to impose its will on any sovereign people or nation. We categorically reject the arrogant and white supremacist assumption that the United States—itself a capitalist dictatorship—should arbitrarily take the liberty to presume leadership and rationalize its intervention into any nation by evoking a flimsy, laughable and ostensible argument that it is supporting democracy and/or human rights.
Were it not for the abject hypocrisy exercised by the United States, the irony in the case of Venezuela would be more laughable than tragic. On the one hand, a nation that annually pretends to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., skirts over the many people’s understanding that he was murdered because of his opposition to U.S. state violence. That the United States would unleash a plan to subvert Venezuela—which would cost thousands of innocent lives—reminds us as Black people of the same methodology applied during the murderous and draconian tenure of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover who unleashed the COINTELPRO program in U.S. Black communities.Militarized U.S. police forces, many of whom have received training from the Israeli state, enjoy impunity for the state-sanctioned execution of our people…. https://bit.ly/2RxoKOP
HANDS OFF VENEZUELA!
STOP U.S. SUBVERSION AND LAWLESSNESS!
CLOSE U.S. AND NATO BASES!
U.S. OUT OF AFRICA—SHUT DOWN AFRICOM!
January 26, 2019 Stand For Peace! at Dr. MLK & North Avenues, Milwaukee
Photo: WI BOPM
This month’s EXPO Meeting will include a presentation by Alan Schultz on the Columbia University Justice Lab’s report on mass supervision in Wisconsin. We will include the testimonies of people who have been directly impacted by Wisconsin’s horrific, racist system of mass supervision. This event will be at Room 108 at Welford Sanders Enterprise Center, 2821 N. Vel Phillips Avenue, Milwaukee, 6 P.M.
The presentation will be followed by a State Budget Advocacy Training led by EXPO organizers. This training is designed to gear people up for the upcoming Budget Hearings held statewide on the Governors Biennial Budget, He will be releasing his budget March 3, 2019 & the Budget Hearings will be announce closely after that date.
We invite our members to have a voice and join us at both the State Wide Budget Hearings and Madison Action Day on March 26, 2019.
You can access the Columbia Justice Lab Report here:
https://closemsdf.org/2019/01/22/columbia-justice-lab-report-on-mass-supervision-in-wisconsin/
More than eight out of ten Venezuelans oppose international intervention, both military and non-military, in their country, as well as the crippling sanctions imposed by the United States to force leftist President Nicolás Maduro out of power.
According to a study conducted in early January 2019 by the local polling firm Hinterlaces, 86 percent of Venezuelans would disagree with international military intervention. And 81 percent oppose the US sanctions that have gravely hurt the South American nation’s economy.
Posted by Wisconsin Muslim Journal | Jan 25, 2019 | Articles, Featured
“Palestine: Unlimited” transformed the walls of Village Church on January 15, with a unique photography exhibit by young Palestinian artists and media students from Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem.
Palestine: Unlimited presented the winners from Dar al-Kalima’s first photographic competition, in honor of the first female Palestinian photographer, Karimah Abboud. Images from the ten finalists were selected to help break stereotypes and share a realistic view for the public to experience Palestine’s true nature.
The opening night event included speeches from local clergy and remarks from Beth Nelson Chase, Executive Director of BrightStars of Bethlehem. A young Milwaukee artist, Brienz Ottman, also shared her travel photography, and Rev. Alexander Jacobs read some original and Palestinian poetry.
Surrounded by Israel’s Separation Wall since 2002, the traveling exhibit displayed moving and thought-provoking images of life in today’s Bethlehem. The collection of pictures also showcased the realities experienced by the Palestinian people. This year, Palestine has endured its 50th year of military occupation, the longest occupation in modern history.
The creativity and skills from students, and the positive spirit and potential they represent, shine through their profound imagery. Dar al-Kalima University is funded primarily by Lutheran and other communities of faith outside of the Holy Land, and offers an excellent education for Palestinian Christian and Muslim youth alike. The vision for the institution builds hope through imaginative, proactive, positive programs to achieve peace, justice, and fullness of life for all people in the Holy Land.
“The mission of BrightStars of Bethlehem is to raise awareness,” said Chase. “Raise those stories up in the spirit of hope rather than a story of despair.”
Despite people’s disbelief and critique of creating a university dedicated to arts and culture amid occupation, BrightStars was born 25 years ago out of the aspiration of Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb who said, “In the midst of conflict, art creates the room to breathe.”
Today, Bright Stars of Bethlehem has an expanding network of supporters in the U.S. that impact the lives of over 60,000 men, women, and children in Palestine, and over 500 students at the university.
The photographs by young Palestinians reveal their talents and hopes that thrive behind, and in spite of the Separation Wall. The photo used to promote the exhibit features a young girl reaching upwards against the background of a wall, beyond the limitations of her situation. The poignant symbolism illustrates the hopes and dreams of a child’s unlimited aspirations, and a spirit of determination to rise above her limiting circumstances.
“Just look at the pictures. They tell a story of pain and suffering, but also of perseverance,” said Hanan S., a Palestinian-Dominican attendee who remarked how clearly the suffering could be seen in the images.
Other photos portrayed the traumas of home demolition; the disappearances of loved ones; strong, proud, aspiring youth and weary elders at work and prayer; perplexed, and innocent children robbed of their childhood by the ubiquitous military presence. But their strength of character and humanity infuses all the images.
Adding a local connection to Milwaukee was Brienz, who had her photographic work featured alongside Palestine: Unlimited. Her art pieces included an image of two women in modern abayas or robe-like dress, taking a selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower.
“It feels really good. The photos collaborate well together. It is an honored to be a part of this exhibit,” said Brienz. “The movement is really powerful.”
Brienz has been a part of the Village Church congregation for her entire life, and previously displayed her images. But the special event provided her with a chance to share her message alongside an important exhibit. One of her goals is to educate the community, so that people know there are more parts to a culture than what is seen on the news. Brienz hopes that her work can help accomplish that.
“I think they are awesome,” said Esteban Ali, a visitor who noted the similarities in Brienz’s and the exhibit. “She did a good job trying to bring life to things we see as mundane. Everybody has an oppression. If not now, then at some point. It’s that same struggle.”
Prints of the Palestine: Unlimited photos, presented during the nationwide traveling exhibition, are also available during the event. Those funds are used to help financially support the art students for their work, and build a scholarship fund for other young students.
After the Village Church, the exhibit moves to the River West Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts from February to March, and then to the Islamic Resource Center where it will open on March 29 and run through the first two weeks of April. Further displays are planned in Milwaukee and around the country in the months to follow.
