February 28, 2007, 7:00 - 9:00pm
University of Washington, Seattle, Smith Hall 120

National Wal-Mart Sweatshop Worker Speaking Tour

This national tour includes three speakers: a cut-flower worker from Colombia, a grocery store worker from Florida, and a garment union organizer from India. All three speakers have experienced first hand the unacceptable conditions on farms and in factories because of the purchasing practices of big box retailers such as Wal-Mart.

Sponsored by: The International Labor Rights Fund
Co-sponsored by: United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, and the Student Labor Action Project

Detailed information: International Labor Rights Fund Website

February 28, 2007, 4:30pm
Western Washington University
516 High Street, Bellingham

Burma's Internally Displaced People: Where Public Health Meets Human Rights

Larry Dohrs, Co-Chair, Board of Directors
U. S. Campaign for Burma

Information: burma@u.washington.edu

February 27, 2007, 7:00 - 8:30pm
Seattle Public Library - Central Library
1000 Fourth, Seattle

International Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution:
The Power of a Positive No

William Ury, Director
Global Negotiation Project, Harvard University

From ethnic wars in Russia and Yugoslavia, to wildcat strikes in a Kentucky coalmine, William Ury has mediated disputes throughout the world. Join us for a discussion with Mr. Ury as he shares the skills and techniques of conflict resolution that have made him one of the world’s leading negotiation specialists. William Ury has served as a consultant to the Pentagon, the White House, and many of America’s biggest corporations. He worked with President Carter to found the International Negotiation Network, and he is the bestselling author of Getting to Yes and Getting Past No.

Cost: Members and Students with ID $5, Non-members $10

Sponsored by: World Affairs Council

Information and registration: 206-441-5910 or event website

February 27, 2007, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Seattle University, Bannan Room 102
901 - 12th Avenue, Seattle

National Wal-Mart Sweatshop Worker Speaking Tour

This national tour includes three speakers: a cut-flower worker from Colombia, a grocery store worker from Florida, and a garment union organizer from India. All three speakers have experienced first hand the unacceptable conditions on farms and in factories because of the purchasing practices of big box retailers such as Wal-Mart.

Sponsored by: The International Labor Rights Fund
Co-sponsored by: United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, and the Student Labor Action Project

Detailed information: International Labor Rights Fund Website

February 25, 2007, Register 4:30pm, Program 5:00pm
East Shore Unitarian Church
12700 South East 32nd Street, Bellevue

Restoring America’s Good Name Abroad

Dr. William Schultz, Former Executive Director
Amnesty International U.S.A.

As Executive Director of Amnesty International USA from 1994-2006, Dr. Schulz headed the American section of the world’s oldest and largest international human rights organization. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC; a Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; and an Adjunct Professor at the New School in New York City.

This is a free event.

Sponsored by: Puget Sound Unitarian Universalist Council, ACLU of Washington, American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International Puget Sound, Hate Free Zone, and the World Affairs Council of Seattle.

Information: 425-747-3780 or East Shore Unitarian Church Website
WAC Event Website

February 24, 2007
University of Washington, Seattle, Kane Hall

2007 ACLU Annual Membership Conference
Challenges in the 21st Century

See conference website for detailed information.

February 23, 2007, 7:00pm
Western Washington University
Fairhaven College Auditorium
Bellingham

National Wal-Mart Sweatshop Worker Speaking Tour

This national tour includes three speakers: a cut-flower worker from Colombia, a grocery store worker from Florida, and a garment union organizer from India. All three speakers have experienced first hand the unacceptable conditions on farms and in factories because of the purchasing practices of big box retailers such as Wal-Mart.

Sponsored by: The International Labor Rights Fund
Co-sponsored by: United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, and the Student Labor Action Project

Detailed information: International Labor Rights Fund Website

February 23, 2007, 7:00 - 9:30pm
Keystone Church
5019 Keystone Place N., Seattle (Wallingford)

Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies
"Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion"
104 minutes, Tom Peosay, 2002

The venerable Tulku Yeshi of Sakya Monastery, and Tibetan-born Rigdzin Tingkhyewill explain and discuss the current situation in Tibet.

A definitive exploration of a well-known yet little understood subject, this film tells the epic story of modern Tibet: a story of struggle and suffering, courage and compassion. The story of the Dalai Lama's efforts to maintain a non-violent struggle for justice takes on renewed relevance in a world focused on war and terrorism. In the words of Tibetan intellectual Lhasang Tsering, "All leaders in the world are talking about peace, but nobody is doing anything about it. Everybody is condemning violence, but nobody is doing anything to support non-violence." Nevertheless, despite more than fifty years of oppression, Lhasang stresses that Tibetans "have not lost the hope and the courage to be free." "Cry of the Snow Lion" powerfully examines the history of devastation in Tibet, the international significance of the Tibetan issue today, and the spiritual beliefs that continue to inspire hope for the future.

The Venerable Tulku Yeshi of Sakya Monastery in Greenwood is the author of eight books and has received teachings from 25 masters representing all five schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan-born Rigdzin Tingkhye has been the translator for senior Tibetan Buddhist lamas and geshes and is the proprietor of the Pema Kharpo Shop.

Free! - donations very much appreciated!!

Sponsored by: Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice

Information: Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies Website

February 23, 2007, Register 11:30am, Luncheon 12:00pm
Westin Hotel
1900 Fifth Avenue, Seattle

Senator McCain: His Vision for the United States' Role in the World

John McCain, U. S. Senator

Senator McCain will be speaking about his vision for the United States in the World. What is the role of the U.S. in the global community? How should the U.S. position itself over the next decade? What are the challenges, and how should they be addressed? What are the future global impacts on Washington State? Senator McCain will address these topics of global relevance and their relation to the Puget Sound region.

Senator McCain is the Senior Senator from Arizona and has served in the United States Congress since 1982. He is currently the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He also serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Prior to his election to Congress, Senator McCain served in the United States Navy from 1958 – 1981, and is the recipient of the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross.

The luncheon will feature open seating so please plan to arrive early.
Regrettably, we cannot offer refunds after Friday, February 16.

Cost: $75
Sponsored by: World Affairs Council

Information and registration: 206-441-5910 or event website

February 23, 2007, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Seatle University, Lemieux Library, Shafer Auditorium

Teaching about the Holocaust: A Seminar for Educators

Stephen Feinberg
Director of National Outreach
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Workshops include: Nazi Racial Ideology, Guidelines for Teaching the Holocaust, Local Resources, Myths and Misconceptions, a panel of Holocaust Educators sharing their favorite lessons, and a special presentation by Holocaust survivor Thomas Blatt.

Cost: $20. Clock hours available. Lunch and materials provided.

Sponsored by: Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Seattle University

Information and registration: 206-441-5747 or email - info@wsherc.org or Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center Website or Seminar Brochure

February 22, 2007, 7:00 - 9:00pm
University of Washington, Seattle, Odegaard Library

Using Images and Exhibits to Reach About the Holocaust

Stephen Feinberg
Director of National Outreach
U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Feinberg will offer an excellent program for educators. Don’t miss this opportunity! Clock hours available.

Sponsored by: The Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.

RSVP: ikennedy@wsherc.org

Information: 206-441-5747 or Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center Website

February 22, 2007, 2:30 - 4:30pm
University of Washington, Seattle, Allen Library Auditorium

Documentary Film Showing:
"State of Fear"
(Directed by Paco de Onis, Peter Kinoy and Pamela Yates, 2005, 94 min.)

Adam Warren, Assistant Professor
UW Department of History

Join Adam Warren as he hosts "State of Fear." This documentary looks at the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s official report regarding atrocities committed on both sides during the twenty-year war between the Shining Path guerrilla movement and the Peruvian government.

February 21, 2007, 7:00 - 8:30pm
Seattle Public Central Library, Microsoft Auditorium
1000 Fourth Avenue (between Madison & Spring), Seattle

Book Event: Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan
Ann Jones, Journalist and Activist

Ann Jones has written about violence against women in the United States in such books as Next Time She'll Be Dead and Women Who Kill, and about trans-African travel in search of a South African rainmaker in Looking for Lovedu: Days and Nights in Africa.

Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan (Metropolitan) is her account of volunteering to teach English to Afghan high school teachers and working on behalf of women in Afghanistan in the days after 9/11. A potent and disturbing new book, Jones examines the dire situation of women in postwar Afghanistan. Jones, who spent much time in Kabul's women's prisons and schools, witnessed firsthand the effects of stunning physical and psychological abuse.

Free admission is on a first-come, first-serve basis (no tickets). Parking in the Central Library garage will be available for a special $5 rate.

Co-Sponsored by: Elliott Bay Book Company and Seattle Public Library Washington Center for the Book

Information: 206-386-4636 or SPL Author Event Website

February 16 - 18, 2007
Northwest Film Forum
1515 - 12th Avenue (between Pike and Pine), Seattle

Seattle Human Rights Film Festival

Amnesty International Puget Sound proudly announces the 15th annual Seattle Human Rights Film Festival. A total of 10 short and feature- length films from a myriad of international talents will screen. These films expose the global struggle for freedom and dignity against oppression and injustice. The Saturday screenings focus on the Stop Violence Against Women Campaign, now in its third year. Discussions with filmmakers and activists will follow each film.

Admission: $8.00 or $5.00 for students, seniors and low income.
Festival passes: $40.00 or $20.00 for students, seniors and low income.

For detailed information visit the Festival Website or email filmfest@aiwashington.org or call 206-228-8369

Sponsored by: Amnesty International Group 4

February 16, 2007, 7:00 - 9:30pm
Keystone Church
5019 Keystone Place N., Seattle (Wallingford)

Friday Night At The Meaningful Movies
"A Force More Powerful: Gandhi's Salt March"
(30 minutes, Steve York, 2000)

Bernie Meyer appears as Gandhi during the famous 1930 Salt March when he enjoined Indians to protest the British salt monopoly – a turning point in the movement that paved the way for India’s independence from Britain. Gandhi, the most influential figure in the history of nonviolent resistance, steered a shrewdly strategic, ever-escalating course of "noncooperation" that included mass demonstrations, strikes, and the boycott of British goods.

Free and open to the public! ..but Donations are kindly accepted.

Sponsored by: Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice
Information: Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies Website

February 15, 2007, Dinner - 6:30pm, Program - 7:30pm
New Freeway Hall
5018 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle

Black History Month Video Showing:
"Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders"

Through moving interviews and powerful archival footage, this award-winning documentary takes up the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi from the point of view of ordinary African-American women who organized the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. These women risked their physical safety, jobs and even their lives to courageously challenge the entrenched political structure of the Deep South and successfully altered the course of U. S. history by fighting for equal education and the right to vote.

Featured in the film are Victoria Gray Adams, Annie Devine and Fannie Lou Hamer, the first black women ever to be seated on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Also highlighted are Unita Blackwell, the first African-American woman mayor in Mississippi; Elsie Dorsey, who grew up on a plantation and went on to earn a doctorate in social work; and May Bertha Carter, whose children were the first to integrate schools in Drew, Mississippi.

Dinner, with vegetarian option - $7.50 donation.
The building is wheelchair accessible.
Sponsored by: Radical Women
Everyone welcome. info, rides or childcare, please call in advance.
Information - 206-722-6057 or email RWseattle@mindspring.com.

February 13, 2007, 6:30 - 8:00pm
University of Washington, Seattle, Electrical Engineering, Room 105

A Country that Works: Getting America Back on Track

Andy Stern, President
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

Sponsored by: Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies
Co-sponsred by: SEIU Local 925

Information: 206-543-7946 or pcls@u.washington.edu

February 13, 2007, 5:00 - 7:00pm
Ethnic Cultural Center, Chicano Room 3931 Brooklyn Avenue N. E., Seattle

Celebrate Black History Month
Film Screening: "Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin"

Bayard Rustin was Martin Luther King Jr.'s "right-hand-man" during the Civil Rights Movement. Learn about the man who brought passive non-violent resistence to the movement. This is the definitive film biography of one of the most "controversial" figures of the Civil Rights Movement. He was one of the first freedom riders, an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King and A. Philip Randolph, and the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. Intelligent, gregarious, and charismatic, Rustin was denied his place in the limelight for one reason-he was gay.

Sponsored by: UW Q Center
Information: 206-897-1430 or qcenter@u.washington.edu

February 11, 2007, 7:30pm
Seattle Center, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
Nesholm Family Lecture Hall

Film Showing: "Another Side of Peace"
(2004, 58 minutes)
Part of the 1st Annual Northwest Folklife Documentary Film Festival, Crossing Borders

Folowed by a discussion with filmmakers Ellen Frick & Gretchen Burger and Palestinian-American Laila Suidan.

Roni Hirshenzon is a 60-year-old Israeli man who has suffered as much as any parent can imagine. Both of Roni's sons are dead. He lost his oldest son, Amir, in a double suicide bombing. His younger son, Elad, committed suicide five years later, following the death of his best friend in yet another bombing. Putting anger and despair aside, Roni co-founded The Parents Circle, a support group for bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost children in the conflict. "Another Side of Peace" follows Roni's internal journey to come to terms with the deaths of his two sons, and his efforts to reach reconciliation and promote peace. He works with Ghazi Briegieth, his Palestinian counterpart, to connect with other bereaved families in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Another Side of Peace Website

Cost: $7.50 with discounted package prices available.
Information; Crossing Borders Website

February 10, 2007, 1:00pm
Seattle Center, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
Nesholm Family Lecture Hall

Film Showing: "The Spirit Wrestlers"
Part of the 1st Annual Northwest Folklife Documentary Film Festival, Crossing Borders

"The Spirit Wrestlers" exposes the dramatic and troubling story of the Russian-speaking Doukhobor community in Canada. In explaining a poorly-understood conflict in Canadian history, it portrays successive government efforts to assimilate a unique and proud people.

After fleeing persecution in Russia in 1899, this pacifist, communal people eventually settled in British Columbia, just north of the U.S.-Canada border, where they struggled to retain their own culture and values. The Doukhobors (which means ‘"spirit wrestlers") faced government attempts to split up their communally-owned settlements and force their children to assimilate by attending state schools. Matters worsened after the Russian Revolution, when the Canadian government confused the Doukhobor traditional, communal lifestyle with communist beliefs abroad. The result was a conflict that produced blatant abuses of state power, including the forced removal of many Doukhobor children from their homes. One sect, the Sons of Freedom, responded with vehement resistance, culminating in acts of arson, group nudity and bombings of public buildings.

Presenter Biography - Andrei Bondoreff
Andrei Bondoreff was born into a Doukhobor family and has been involved in Doukhobor cultural activies throughout his entire life. He has sung in Doukhobor choirs in British Columbia and Saskatchewan for many years and attends Doukhobor cultural gatherings annually. As a scholar, Bondoreff has conducted extensive ethno-historical research on the Doukhobors, with a focus on sectarian divisions. His graduate work investigates the breadth, scope and nature of the terrorism emanating from the Sons of Freedom faction of Doukhoborism which is the primary focus of this film.

Bondoreff writes regularly for the Doukhobor magazine Iskra Magazine on a wide range of social, political and religious topics. Most recently, Bondoreff researched the Mysterious Death of Peter Verigin in 1924 for the "Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History" website, funded by Heritage Canada.

Spirit Wrestlers Website

Cost: $7.50 with discounted package prices available.
Information; Crossing Borders Website

February 10, 2007
12:00 noon - March for Justice
Portland Avenue Park
Portland Avenue between 35th and E. Fairbanks, Tacoma

1:00 pm - Rally for Justice
U. S. Federal Court House
1717 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma

14th Annual Northwest Regional
International Day of Solidarity for Leonard Peltier,

Performances by:
The Aztec Dancers
United Nations: Native Rap Activists
Albert Combs

Speakers:
Matilaja: Yu’Pik/Yakama, Tacoma LPSG: M.C.
Robert Robideau: Co-Director of the LPDC and Co Defendant
Shelly Vendiola: Indigenous Women’s Network
Steve Hapy: Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group
Arthur J. Miller, Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group
David Duenas: Puyallup
Juan Jose Bocanegra: Every Worker’s Movement
Frank Reynolds: Native American Coalition
Bill Bichsel: Catholic Worker, JWJ
Zoltan Grossman: Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, Faculty Evergreen's Native American Studies

Donations Needed! Please send to:

Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group
P.O. Box 5464
Tacoma, WA 98415-0464

For information and email flyers contact - bayou@blarg.net

For up-dates and notices on helping Leonard Peltier please sign up on the NW Peltier Support e-mail list by sending an e-mail to: nwpeltiersupport-subscribe@lists.riseup.net.

February 9, 2007, 8:30pm
UW Hillel
17th and 50th, Seattle

Combatants for Peace

The event is called ‘Combatants for Peace’ and it is a nationwide tour which features two very important speakers who are advocating for a peaceful, nonviolent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The first speaker, Suleiman Al-Hamri, was involved in a Palestinian terrorist organization until he was arrested and jailed. When he was released he decided not to go back to his old ways but to become a nonviolent proponent for peace. The second speaker, Shimon Katz, was an Israeli soldier in the IDF who, after studying eastern philosophy, has also decided to become an advocate for a nonviolent solution to the conflict.

The organizers of this event hope to start (a) an open, comfortable relationship between Jews, Arabs, and Muslims on campus and (b) a dialogue between different groups (and opinions) on a shared issue such as this. Members of groups such as Huskies For Israel, the Muslim Student Association, and the Arab Student Organization will be attending.

Information:
Joshua Newson, University of Washington
newsonj@comcast.net or 425-442-6818

February 9, 2007, 7:00 - 9:30pm
Keystone Church
5019 Keystone Place N., Seattle (Wallingford)

Friday Night At The Meaningful Movies
"Granito de Arena" ("Grain of Sand") with filmmaker Jill Friedberg
(60 min, Jill Friedberg, 2005)

This is a film about the privatization of the public school system in Mexico and the struggle for democratic community education in the face of economic globalization. Filmmaker Jill Friedberg spent almost two years in southern Mexico documenting the strikes, marches, and direct actions of over 100,000 teachers, parents, and students fighting the privatization of Mexico's public schools. Featuring interviews with Eduardo Galeano and Maude Barlow, and a driving soundtrack by DJ Food, PlanB, Los Mosocos, and Correo Aereo, "Granito de Arena" fuels indignation, inspires action, and raises important questions about democracy, sovereignty, and the universal right to public education. Jill is just back from Oaxaca, and will give us an update on the situation there.

Information: Corrugated Films Website
Free and open to the public! ..but Donations are kindly accepted.

Sponsored by: Wallingford Neighbors for Peace and Justice
Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies Website

February 8, 2007, 7:00pm
Seattle University, Schafer Auditorium, Lemieux Library
901 - 12th Avenue, Seattle

Combatants For Peace:
Former Israeli and Palestinian Fighters Join to Break the Cycle of Violence

Shimon Katz, Former Israeli Soldier

Sulaiman Al Hamri, Former Palestinian Combatant and Prisoner

Learn how these veteran fighters have transformed themselves into peace advocates, rejecting violence and becoming warriors for peace through dialogue, education and advocacy.

Shimon Katz served four years as an officer in an elite Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat unit, then traveled to the Far East, studied meditation and became interested in non-violent ways of living. Since returning to Israel he has been called upon regularly by the IDF for a few weeks each year. "I remember the conflict I felt between the obligation I felt to 'serve' the country and my inner voice that told me that this isn't the way to act..." Katz has degrees in psychology and classical piano. In 2007 he begins studies in clinical social work at Yeshiva University in New York.

Sulaiman Al Hamri is the Palestinian Coordinator for Combatants for Peace. His long history of peace work includes co-founding Combatants for Peace in April 2005, and working with other Israeli peace groups such as Taayoush. Al Hamri also recently participated in the Swedish Human Rights Forum as a guest lecturer. He spent four-and-a-half years in Israeli prisons for his involvement in anti-occupation protests and demonstrations, before deciding to pursue a non-violent approach to resolving the conflict.

The Combatants for Peace movement was founded in 2005 by Israelis and Palestinians who were once actively involved in perpetuating the cycle of violence. Now they have put down their guns and aim to educate both peoples about non-violence, putting political pressure on both governments to stop the vicious cycle of violence and resume constructive dialogue.

Open to the public.
Guest parking entrance: 12th Avenue and East Marion Street, Seattle

Sponsored by: Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, Greater Seattle Chapter
Co-sponsored by: Seattle University, School of Theology and Ministry, Find Common Ground, Temple De Hirsch Sinai, Arab American Community Coalition, Hillel at the University of Washington, Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, American Friends Service Committee, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, World Affairs Council

February 5, 2007, 7:30pm
The Elliott Bay Book Company
101 S. Main Street, Seattle

Michael K. Honey, Associate Professor
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, UW Tacoma

Michael Honey, the former UW Seattle Harry Bridges Chair of Labor Studies and a stalwart presence within academic and activist labor circles for decades, will speak on his compelling new book, Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King's Last Campaign (W.W. Norton).

"From the poignant glimpses of the lives of Memphis's black sanitation workers to the back-room maneuvering among leadership allies and rivals, Michael Honey brings it all to life: the last campaign, the last days, the last hours, the final moments. This is a dramatic and engaging work of history, illuminating an entire era through the glittering examination of the final 'mountaintop' and the crevasse beyond." - Melissa Fay Greene. "A magisterial treatment...Michael Honey is to be saluted." - Cornel West. Michael Honey is also the author of Southern Labor and Black Civil Rights and Black Workers Remember.

Information: event website

February 3, 2007, VIP Reception - 6:00pm, Program - 7:00pm
Town Hall, Seattle
1119 Eighth Avenue (at Seneca Street), Seattle

Art of Living Foundation, Seattle Chapter:
Heroes of Humanity Awards

This event will honor people who have been selflessly helping people and making this community a better place to live. Local individuals who exemplify a dedication to human welfare will receive the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Award for Uplifting Human Values. The evening features musical performances by Pacifica Children’s Choir, Garnett and Beverly, and Human Harmony. Speakers include Raj Manhas, Seattle School Superintendent.

The Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Award for Uplifting Human Va