News
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(updated 8/11/2009)
Eyewitness reports from GAZA and the West Bank!
Hear from a participant in the Viva Palestina delegation to Gaza
Thursday, August 13th, 6:00 PM
Room 126, Graduate School for Library and Information Science
501 E. Daniel (corner of 5th and Daniel)
Join us this Thursday evening to hear from a participant in the Viva Palestina delegation to Gaza from the Champaign-Urbana area who will speak about experiences collecting and delivering humanitarian aid to the Palestinian residents of Gaza during a brief but intense 24-hour crossing through the Rafah border. As well, Chris Tuck will be discussing his travel to the West Bank.
There will be time for discussion, as well as some preliminary information about planning for a December convoy to Gaza to keep up the pressure on Israel, the U.S., Egypt and the rest of the international community to end the siege on Gaza!
Please visit the Viva Palestina website at:
www.vivapalestina-us.org
The evening's speakers will include Antiwar Activists and ISO Members Martin Smith and Chris Tuck. -
(updated 8/11/2009)
AWARE on the Air
Every Tuesday including August 11th, 18th, ...
1:00-2:00pm recording session, Urbana Council Chambers
10:00pm UPTV channel 6 broadcast
Please come help talk about current events, AWARE activities, issues that bug you or that you think the Champaign-Urbana public should hear about, at the Urbana City Council chambers at 1:00pm sharp every Tuesday.
Broadcast is generally that same Tuesday evening at 10:00pm on UPTV cable channel 6.
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(updated 6/3/2008)
People's Pot Luck
Sunday, June 7th, 6-9pm
Independent Media Center,
202 S. Broadway, Urbana
The People's Pot Luck has become a monthly event at the IMC -- generally on the first Sunday of each month.
For those interested in forging stronger bonds in our community, to rally around important issues like housing, jobs, food, and health care, come to the June 7th People's Potluck!
Bring yourself, others, and (if you like) a dish to share. -
(updated 6/29/2009)
Monthly Anti-War Demonstration
POSTPONED AGAIN
due to conflict with Tour de Champaign
bicycle race on 7/11. -
(updated 7/5/2009)
July 4th Parade
11:30am - 2 PM Saturday
Group #47, on W side of Gregory (1 block W of Lincoln),
1/4 block north of Oregon
The theme of this year's parade is, "The Lasting Legacy of Lincoln". AWARE will celebrate it with placards bearing some of Lincoln's anti-war, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist statements, and others showing prominent people who shaped Lincoln's views or who embody ideals that we'd like to celebrate.
Update: Well, it didn't happen. The N-G reports that this year's was the first rain-cancelled 4th of July parade. Still we tried, and so did a bunch of other groups. Here are some pictures, including some of the signs made for this year (and we might use some of these in next week's Main Event):
http://dart.ncsa.uiuc.edu/slevy/aware/pix/4july09/fourth.html
Congratulations to all for good ideas, help, encouragement and support. Until next year... -
(updated 5/9/2008)
“The Take”
2:00PM Sunday, May 10th
Champaign Public Library (Robeson Pavilion rooms A & B)
Free showing of this great documentary film
by Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein.
Discussion and refreshments afterward.
"In suburban Buenes Aires, thirty unemployed auto-parts workers walk into their idle factory, roll out sleeping mats and refuse to leave. All they want is to re-start the silent machines. But this simple act -- The Take -- has the power to turn the globalization debate on its head.
The story of the workers' struggle is set against the dramatic backdrop of a crucial presidential election in Argentina, in which the architect of the economic collapse, Carlos Menem, is the front-runner. His cronies, the former owners, are circling: if he wins, they'll take back the companies that the movement has worked so hard to revive.
Armed only with slingshots and an abiding faith in shop-floor democracy, the workers face off against the bosses, bankers and a whole system that sees their beloved factories as nothing more than scrap metal for sale."
Sponsored by AWARE and Jobs with Justice. -
(updated 4/4/2008)
Monthly Anti-War Demonstration
Come demonstrate with us to oppose war and work for peace.
Saturday, April 4th, and the
first Saturday of each month, 2-4pm
Now returned to Main & Neil Sts., Champaign
This week is the 60th anniversary of the founding of NATO, and we're in solidarity with European demonstrations at the NATO meeting in Strasbourg, at which the US is urging further NATO commitment to the terrible war in Afghanistan. See this month's flyer. -
(updated 4/19/2008)
“Life in Occupied Palestine”
Anna Baltzer, Jewish American, Columbia graduate, Fulbright scholar, author, and granddaughter of Holocaust refugees, is touring the US with her book Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories.
Anna Baltzer
7-9pm, Saturday, April 25th
First Mennonite Church, 902 W Springfield
Springfield & Lincoln, Urbana
She will be in town to share her acclaimed presentation on the conflict in the Middle East and the joint Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent resistance that often goes unreported in the US media.
Anna's presentation will be followed by a live dabkeh performance.
Sponsored by the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Illinois. Co-sponsored by: Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center; First Mennonite Church; Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) UIUC; Students for Justice in Palestine; Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE). -
(updated 4/19/2008)
“Obama: The First 100 Days”
Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S. Vine, U.
Keynote speaker Paul Street - 7:00 PM
Panel Discussion - 8:00 PM
Thursday, April 30th
How would you judge President Obama's first hundred days?
Join in an evening of informative discussion and reflection about President Obama's first one hundred days in office. Hear differing viewpoints and perspectives regarding his domestic and foreign policy initiatives. Join in the discussion during the question and answer session following each segment of the evening's program.
Keynote speaker Paul Street is an independent policy researcher, journalist, historian, and speaker based in Iowa City, Iowa, and Chicago, Illinois. He is the author of four books: Empire and Inequality: America and the World Since 9/11; Segregated Schools: Educational Apartheid in the Post-Civil Rights Era; Racial Oppression in the Global Metropolis: a Living Black Chicago History, and most recently, Barack Obama and the Future of American Politics.
Panel discussion follows Street's talk. Enjoy a robust discussion as each panelist briefly highlights what he or she views as President Obama's major accomplishments and disappointments during his first hundred days in office.
Panelists:
- Carol Ammons - Local Community Activist and County Board Member
- Bob Naiman - National Coordinator of Just Foreign Policy
- Brian Gaines - Associate Professor, U of I Political Science Dept.
- Paul Diehl - Professor & Chairman, U of I Political Science Dept.
Sponsored by AWARE, the local Anti-War, Anti-Racism Effort.
See also the flyer (PDF form). -
(updated 4/4/2008)
People's Pot Luck
Sunday, April 5th, 6-9pm
Independent Media Center,
202 S. Broadway, Urbana
(w/guest speaker Aaron Hughes on Iraqi labor meeting)
The People's Pot Luck has become a monthly event at the IMC. (Next month, on May 2nd, it will coincide with the Central Illinois Social Forum gathering.)
For those interested in forging stronger bonds in our community, to rally around important issues like housing, jobs, food, and health care, come to the April 5 People's Potluck!
Bring yourself, others, and (if you like) a dish to share.
Also seeking donations, if you're willing & able to bring any of...- * lightweight, longsleeve men's workshirts, for migrant agricultural workers
- * any other clothes
- * (5 gal) plastic containers for container gardens
- * gardening tools (for a community gardening "tool library")
- * gardening books
We'll hear news from the groups organized at past Potluck events -- housing, food, labor, health care. And there'll be open-mike time if you want to speak.
Guest speaker: Aaron Hughes of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). He attended the first International Labor Conference ever held in Iraq, last month, at which a new confederation of Iraqi union organizations was formed. See: http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/ and come hear from Aaron about what's happening with labor in Iraq.
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(updated 1/12/2008)
"Renewing America's Promise of Peace and Justice"
2-4pm, Sunday, Jan. 18th
Champaign Public Library Pavilion Room "A"
200 W. Green St.
On April 4, 1967, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave one of the most important speeches of his career, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.” He condemned the great war of that time, the Vietnam war: its terrible consequences for the Vietnamese people, the promises of peace and freedom belied by our actions, and the war's corrosive effect on the people and the soul of America, and especially on the poor.
King did not stop there: he saw that war as “but a symptom of a deeper malady,” as part of a long historical pattern of injustice, of poverty, inequality and war, which could be addressed only through a revolution of values.
How can we understand today's America -- which pursues endless wars in the Middle East, where poverty is widespread, where the gap between rich and poor has grown enormously, where racism remains pervasive -- how can we understand it in the light of King's vision of 42 years ago? What lessons can we draw from it which we might share with the new Obama administration?
At this event, we will listen to King's “Beyond Vietnam” speech, talk about it, and hear from (at least) three panelists: Carol Ammons, Ricky Baldwin, and Ken Salo.
We'll also talk about what messages we might send to our new President Obama, and to the Congress. We'll bring pre-addressed postcards so you can write to them on the spot.
This event is free -- the public is welcome. Please join us!
(Click to read King's Beyond Vietnam speech.)
Sponsored by AWARE, the anti-war, anti-racism effort, and co-sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance (and likely other organizations soon).
(Note that this event ends at 4pm, an hour before the annual MLK Jr. community event at Krannert Center's Foellinger Great Hall. They'll have a keynote speaker, community choir performances, and the winners of the 2009 scholarship competition will be announced. That's from 5-7pm Jan 18th. Don't miss it! More on this and other C-U community events surrounding King's birthday -- all free and open to the public -- at:
http://www.admin.uiuc.edu/mlk/community.html ) -
(updated 1/1/2008)
Signmaking party for Saturday's Demonstration
Thursday, Jan. 1st, 3:00-6:00pm
Independent Media Center
Family Room (Basement)
We need new signs for Saturday's demonstration in protest of Israel's attacks on Gaza, the long-running siege, the injustice of Israeli occupation of Palestine, and US complicity in all of these.
We'll supply materials. Please come with sign ideas -- or e-mail suggestions if you have some and don't have time to be there. -
(updated 1/1/2008)
Emergency Demonstration in Support of the People of Gaza
Saturday, Jan. 3rd, 2:00-4:00pm
at AWARE's usual monthly demonstration time but
different site: University & State
(SE corner of West Side Park, downtown Champaign)
We must respond to Israel's continuing attacks on the people of Gaza, and call for an end to the violence and to the long-running siege which has created a humanitarian catastrophe there.
AWARE's monthly anti-war protest on Jan. 3rd will be devoted to an emergency demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
However the place will be different: a few blocks away but still in downtown Champaign. Let's meet at:University Ave. and State St. (SE corner of West Side Park)
(Reason: Since November's fire, southbound Neil remains closed at Main St., and we expect little traffic there. University and State worked well in December so let's try it again. This is not a permanent move; we still consider Main & Neil the "usual" site. Someone will be at Main & Neil to redirect those who don't hear about the move.)
Please help us send a message to the Bush and Obama adminstrations, to call for an end to the violence in Gaza, a lifting of the blockade, and return to negotiations for a just peace with the Palestinian people. The US' unquestioning support for Israel's use of vastly disproportionate power makes us complicit in the fruitless cycle of violence and oppression. -
(updated 1/19/2008)
Vigil in support of Gaza
7:00PM, Thursday, Jan. 22nd
U of I Quad, just S of Illini Union
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) will hold a vigil in support of Gaza on Thursday evening, Jan. 22nd, at 7pm, on the south side of the Illini Union. -
(updated 1/19/2008)
IMC Fundraiser -- Performer Dave Lippman
8:00PM, Saturday, Jan. 24th
Independent Media Center, 202 S. Broadway, U.
Dave Lippman (AKA "George Shrub") - performer, satirist (see davelippman.com) will be at the IMC, 202 S. Broadway, Urbana, starting 8:00PM on Sat. Jan. 24th.
Tickets are $12 at the door. This is a fundraiser for the IMC.
Lippman will also appear on WEFT at 10AM and 11AM the same day. More information: 493-4654. -
(updated 1/19/2008)
Fundraiser for Islamic Relief to aid Gaza
5:00 PM, Sunday, Jan. 25th
Hanford Inn & Suites
2408 N. Cunningham Ave, U.
Muslim American Society and the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center (CIMIC) are having a fundraiser for Islamic Relief (irw.org), an organization which helps supply urgently needed humanitarian and medical supplies to those suffering in Gaza (and many other places).
This will be at Hanford Inn and Suites, 2408 N. Cunningham Ave., Urbana (note different location from last year's fundraiser), at 5:00 PM Sunday, Jan. 25th.
Tickets: $15 for adults including dinner. -
The Beehive Collective visits C-U
Wednesday, Nov. 12th on UofI Campus
1:00pm Temple Buell Hall atrium
611 E. Loredo Taft Dr, Champaign
AND
7:00pm Allen Hall
1005 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana
DISMANTLING MONOCULTURE
The struggle of diversity vs. homogenization in the Americas
The Beehive Collective are visual and verbal artists, taking on complex problems -- globalization, exploitation of Central American resources, "Free Trade" -- interviewing many people affected by the issues, and creating giant murals and posters to make them clear and compelling. They like bees. And activist ants. Their art is anti-copyrighted, available to all. They're now on a fundraising tour, gathering support for their current project,
Mesoamérica Resiste Plan Puebla Panamá
http://www.beehivecollective.org/english/ppp.htm
The events are free, open to all. (Contributions are welcome of course!) -
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Winter Soldier Champaign-Urbana
True Stories from the Men and Woman
Who Fought the War on Terrorism
Events on Thursday, Nov. 13th:
noon antiwar rally on UofI Quad
11am-4pm AFSC "Eyes Wide Open" exhibit on Quad
6-9pm Panels with Eyewitness Testimony
from veterans and from Iraqis
Mumford Hall room 103
1301 W. Gregory Drive
(SW corner of Gregory & Goodwin, UofI)
Last March in Washington, DC, Iraq Veterans Against the War held a "Winter Soldier" gathering, featuring testimony from veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, from Iraqis, from journalists and scholars, to speak to the realities of war and occupation.
Since then, several local IVAW chapters around the US have held Winter Soldier events.
On Thursday, Nov. 13th, the central Illinois chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War is putting on "Winter Soldier Urbana Champaign", with a noontime antiwar rally, an American Friends Service "Eyes Wide Open" Boots exhibit showing the cost of war, and -- especially -- testimony in two panels, starting at 6:00pm, in Mumford Hall, room 103.
Mumford Hall is on the UofI campus at 1301 W. Gregory, the SW corner of Gregory and Goodwin. Parking is available at the garage, a block east along Gregory.
Program for the evening event:- 6:00-6:45pm: The Legacy of GI Resistance
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Joe Allen, author of "Vietnam: The (Last) War the U.S. Lost"
Joe Miller, UIUC lecturer, Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Richard Stacewicz, historian, author of "Winter Soldiers: An Oral History of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War"
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- 7:00-8:30pm Testimony by Iraqis and Veterans of the Global War on Terror
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Camilo Mejia, US Army, served in Iraq from April through October 2003; first soldier to be jailed for publicly refusing to return to Iraq
Patty McCann, IL Army National Guard, served in Iraq May 2003-2004
Jacob Crawford, US Navy, Central Illinois Iraq Veterans Against the War's Chapter President
Mike Mlekowski, US Marines, participated in the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003
Duane Linton, US Army, served in Iraq for ten months in 2007-8
Tanya R. Austin, US Army, former Arabic Linguist, Military Intelligence
Jason Wallace, Illinois Air National Guard, deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005
Raad Ismail, local Iraqi,
Raed Jarrar, Iraqi political analyst, and consultant to AFSC's Iraq Program,
will share the perspective of Iraqis
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- Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Champaign-Urbana
- Arab Students Association
- American Friends Service Committee
- Campus Greens
- Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE)
- Campus Antiwar Network (CAN)
- International Socialist Organization (ISO)
- Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
Related events, earlier that day- Noon 11/13 Rally on the UofI Quad (just south of Illini Union), opposing the continued occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in support of the veterans.
- 11am-4pm 11/13 AFSC "Eyes Wide Open / Boots on the Ground" exhibit, on the UofI Quad outside the English building, showing the human cost of the war in Iraq, with empty boots representing soldiers killed in Iraq, and names of some of the many Iraqis killed in this war. This traveling exhibit is brought by American Friends Service Committee; see http://www.afsc.org/eyes.
“The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail”
Sat 11/8 7:00pm -and- Sun 11/9 3:30pm
performed by the New Revels Players
Channing-Murray Foundation,
Oregon & Mathews, Urbana
This play, “The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail”, is named for the time Henry David Thoreau was jailed for refusing to pay a tax that would support a war he rejected -- the Mexican-American War -- an experience that led him to write the essay, Civil Disobedience. But the setting travels far from the jail cell, to a meeting with a runaway slave, to Ralph Waldo Emerson reminiscing about the young Thoreau -- as the stage directions say, "Time and space are awash here," and describe the main character:[...] this is young Thoreau -- not the bearded, weary-eyed savant of the postage stamp. Our Henry is a failure, a misfit -- not a nut -- but a painfully sane man in an insane world. And only through unflagging humor can he hold onto his sanity.
This play was written in the 1970s, in the midst of opposition to the Vietnam war, and its themes -- of standing against injustice, of civil disobedience, of individuality -- are as compelling now as then.Cost: $5 at the door.
- 6:00-6:45pm: The Legacy of GI Resistance
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(updated 10/7/2008)
Michael Moore film, "Slacker Uprising"
7:00pm Tuesday, Oct. 28th
Allen Hall Unit One
1005 W Gregory (Gregory, east of Goodwin)
Refreshments! Comfy Seats! Friendly Folks!
Free showing of Michael Moore's new film, Slacker Uprising, about mobilizing students to vote in the 2004 election.
Parking's free in the nearby parking garage.
We'll have door prizes. Show up and see. -
(updated 10/27/2008)
Naomi Klein
"Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism in Latin America" 7:30 pm Wed., Oct. 29th
Smith Hall Auditorium, 805 S. Mathews Ave, U.
and
also 3 events on Thu Oct 30th (see below)
Naomi Klein will outline a provocative interpretation of how the neoliberal project in Latin America was imposed, starting with the Pinochet regime in Chile, conceived as the first laboratory of the ideas of Milton Friedman and his "Chicago Boys." She then discusses Argentina and the impact of the Falklands War on economic policies, as well as Bolivia's meltdown in the 1980s. Klein's argument will show how military coups and neoliberal ideologues in these countries guided the path for the imposition of a new economic model.
Three more Naomi Klein events on the following day, Thursday, Oct 30th:- Thu 10:00am
- Interview on WILL-AM Focus 580 program
- Thu noon
- Book signing at Illini Union Bookstore
- Thu 2:00pm
- Roundtable Discussion: The Rise of Current Social Movements and Protests in Latin America, with Fernando Coronil (Prof. History/Anthropology, Michigan University, and Andrew Orta, Prof. Anthropology, UIUC). In Illini Union room 210, 2-4pm.
Sponsored by CAS Millercomm and Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (http://www.clacs.uiuc.edu/).Past Events
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(updated 10/6/2008)
Historian Dan Kenney
"Outsourcing our Sovereignty in War, Emergencies and Everyday Life"
Two events, both Friday, Oct. 10th:
10/10 Noon, UofI English bldg room 123 -- informal talk
10/10 5:30pm dinner at Tang Dynasty (reserve by Oct 8th)
10/10 7pm, Urbana City Council Chambers -- main event, also on UPTV
Dan Kenney speaks on Friday, Oct 10th, on problems with the with trend toward privatization of formerly public services: costs increase, service previously provided to the public goes only to those who can afford them, and accountability disappears.
When Blackwater, the largest private military contractor, massacres civilians, as they did a year ago in Nisour Square, Baghdad, they are not accountable since they cannot be prosecuted -- not under Iraqi law, under U.S. Military law, or in American courts.
As our health care system has become ever more private, with public hospitals disappearing, the mounting health costs are stunning. Fewer people can afford health care, even in emergencies, and the only way to challenge these costs is now through legal threats and lawsuits.
To learn more about how all this works and what we might do about it, come to hear historian Dan Kenney.
He'll give two talks on Friday, Oct 10th, an informal one at noon in the UofI English building room 123, (on west side of main quad), and again more formally at 7:00pm in the Urbana City Council chambers. This will be broadcast live on UPTV cable channel 6, and rebroadcast over coming weeks.
Barbara Kessel is organizing a dinner with Kenney at Tang Dynasty, the Chinese restaurant on the south end of Lincoln Square, at 5:30pm Fri Oct 10th. Costs $12/person, reservations required by Oct 8th. Contact Barbara, barkes@gmail.com or 365-9473, to reserve a place.
[I think] Kenney will also be interviewed on the Labor Hour on WEFT-FM (90.1) on Saturday, Oct 11th.
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(updated 10/6/2008)
Dave Zirin
"A People's History of Sports in the United States"
250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play
Monday, Oct 6th, 7pm
Gregory Hall rm 317
A rollicking, rebellious, myth-busting history of sports in America that puts politics in the ring with pop culture!
About Dave Zirin and A People's History of Sports:
In this long-awaited book from the rising superstar of sportswriting, whose blog "The Edge of Sports" is read each week by thousands of people across the country, Dave Zirin offers a riotously entertaining chronicle of larger-than-life sporting characters and dramatic contests and what amounts to an alternative history of the United States as seen through the games its people played. Through Zirin's eyes, sports are never mere games, but a reflection of -- and spur toward -- the political conflicts that shape American society. -
(updated 9/22/2008)
Unity March 5
This is the fifth year of the Champaign-Urbana community Unity March!
"The Township Faces the Many Faces of Poverty"
11:00am, Saturday, Oct. 4th
Starts at Champaign Township Office
603 S. Randolph (Randolph & Green)
This year's central issue is to raise consciousness in Champaign of the Township referendum which will be on the ballot this November.
This year's Unity March begins with a gathering at the Township Office, at Randolph and Green -- there may be a demonstration there, so arrive early.
March begins at 11am, walking:- north on Randolph to University,
- east on Univeristy to Walnut St.,
- northeast on Walnut to the Times Center at Washington Ave.,
- east on Washington to 5th St., and
- north on 5th to Douglass Park for a rally and reception.
For Township General Assistance clients, poverty means having to do without basic needs, living on less than $3,000 per year. Nearly 700,000 Illinois citizens struggle in extreme poverty.
On Nov. 4, 2008, citizens of the City of Champaign Township must address poverty by voting on the Township Referendum, which will increase the property tax by 2 cents per $100 of assessed property value -- about $9 per year for a home with $150,000 market value. This would be enough to keep funding General Assistance in the Township, which supports a small number of extremely poor people in Champaign who have no other means of support.
Vote Yes on the township referendum to free Champaign from poverty.Unity March 5
- (updated 9/22/2008)
"Divided We Fall"
Showing of Valarie Kaur's documentary film "Divided We Fall". The film's web site describes it:
7pm, Thursday, Sep. 25 Channing-Murray Foundation 1209 W. Oregon (Oregon & Mathews), Urbana
Valarie Kaur was a 20-year-old college student when she set out across America in the aftermath of 9/11, camera in hand, to document hate violence against the Sikh, Muslim, and Arab American communities. From the still-shocked streets of Ground Zero to the desert towns of the American west, her epic journey confronts the forces unleashed in a time of national crisis -- racism and religion, fear and forgiveness -- until she finds the heart of America... halfway around the world.
Over the next five years, Kaur's journey unfolded into a larger exploration of 'who counts' as American. In 2005, she retraced her steps across the country, revisiting her original interviewees and interviewing scholars, lawyers, and legislators about race, religion, and security in post-9/11 America.- (updated 9/22/2008)
Winter Soldier: Champaign-Urbana Organizing Meeting
Organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, open to all allies 7:00pm Tuesday, Sep. 23 Noyes Lab room 163, on UIUC main quad
During March 13-16, 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War recreated the historic Winter Soldier Investigation first organized by Vietnam Veterans Against the War in 1971. Over forty members of IVAW testified about their experiences in the military, revealing the difficult and sobering truth about the realities faced day in and day out as participants in the Global War on Terror.
Iraq Veterans Against the War is now bringing Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan to communities throughout the country.
On November 13, we plan to bring Winter Soldier to Champaign-Urbana and have already scheduled Camilo Mejia, who spent nine months in jail for refusing to serve in Iraq, to speak along with IVAW members throughout the Great Lakes region. There will be no censors, no political partisanship, just real experiences shared with you by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) members and ally speakers.
PLEASE ATTEND OUR FIRST ORGANIZING MEETING, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. ALL ALLIES ARE WELCOME.- (updated 9/12/2008)
International Day of Prayer for Peace / Interfaith Dinner
Thursday, September 18, 6:30pm
Urbana Civic Center
108 E. Water St., Urbana
The Champaign-Urbana Interfaith Alliance is sponsoring An International Day of Prayer for Peace for all faith traditions at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2008, at the Urbana Civic Center, 108 E Water St, Urbana.
We encourage all to join in fasting from dawn to dusk on Thursday to call for peace, to become catalysts to transform America from conquest to community and from violence to reverence.
We will gather for a shared meal as a sign of our covenant with one another -- as individuals and as communities -- to stand by each other, and to work with one another to stand against violence in our communities and around the world.
Donation suggested $13.
Contact Sadia Bekal sbekal{at}uiuc.edu for reservations by Wednesday, Sept. 17th.
For more information, contact Earl and Jan Kellogg (earlkellogg{at}yahoo.com) or Conrad Wetzel (mc-wetzel{at}hotmail.com).- (updated 9/12/2008)
Comparing 1968 to 2008
Panel discussion
Tuesday, September 16, 7:00-8:30pm
Illini Union Courtyard Cafe (north side of main floor)
Antonia Darder, Jim Anderson, and Belden Fields will be on a panel discussing the differences between 1968 and the present, next Tuesday, 9/16, 7-8:30 in the Courtyard Cafe in the Illini Union.
The Courtyard Cafe is on the north side of the main floor of the Union.- (updated 9/8/2008)
"The Devil's Highway"
The book, "The Devil's Highway", is the story of the Yuma 14, the single largest tragedy in the southern Arizona desert of those attempting to cross the Mexican border into the United States.
Friday, September 12th
Two events:
noon-1:30pm, YMCA Friday Forum talk
YMCA Latzer Hall, 1001 S. Wright, Champaign
and
5-8pm, Pages for All Ages signing/reading
1201 Savoy Plaza, Savoy
Urrea's brilliant investigative reporting tells us what went wrong. In 2001, 26 men entered into the desert, and only 12 men emerged. This book tells the story from many different perspectives and with compassion for all involved: the survivors, the coyotes (those who get paid to lead people across the border), and the border patrol.
Several local book groups are reading Urrea's book, and more are being organized. If you'd like to read it with a group, please attend these events and sign up, or contact Patricia Syoen, psyoen35{at}sbcglobal.net.
Brought to you by the New Sanctuary Movement in Champaign-Urbana, http://www.prairienet.org/cu-nsm/.- (updated 9/8/2008)
Iran under Ahmadinejad
Ali Ansari from the St. Andrew's University in Scotland will speak on "Iran under Ahmadinejad". All are welcome.
Wednesday, September 10th, 4PM
Levis Faculty Center, 2nd floor
919 W. Illinois St., Urbana
This event is sponsored by the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and co-sponsored by the Center for Global Studies.- (updated 9/8/2008)
AWARE Presents meeting
AWARE Presents meeting. Upcoming events include Dan Kenney (speaking on military privatization); possible visit by Jeremy Scahill; possible visit by Juan Cole; Chris Tuck (who's been in Turkey); and some films worth showing.
7PM Thursday, September 11th
Storm Home, 304 E. George Huff Dr., U.- (updated 9/8/2008)
Campus Anti-War Network (CAN) meeting
College, Not Combat!
Tuesday, September 9th, 7PM
On UI Quad outside Noyes Lab
(or in Noyes 163 if raining)
CAN is all back from St. Paul and the Republican National Convention, and we're ready to keep the ball rolling here at U of Illinois! Our second meeting will be this Tuesday at 7:00, on the Quad outside Noyes Lab (assuming the weather is good - if it's raining, we will be in 163 Noyes Lab). (Lincoln Hall is now under construction, so we were moved to a new room.)
If you've never been to a CAN meeting before, or if you've been coming since we started, everyone is invited! We will be discussing the Republican National Convention and hammering out our plans for the semester - and the year - ahead.
If you've been hearing about the protests in St. Paul last week during the Republican National Convention, THIS is the meeting to come to! We have a number of members who were in the streets when the police used incredibly violent and repressive tactics against non-violent protesters.
And remember to join our Facebook group and read our blog http://uiuccan.blogspot.com/!- (updated 9/8/2008)
Sierra Club Environmental Candidates' Forum
State and US politicians from East-Central IL will give their views and respond to questions on environmental issues. The session will also be broadcast on UPTV. Speakers will be
Tuesday, September 9th, 7PM
Urbana City Council Chambers- Naomi Jakobsson, Illinois State House Representative, 103rd District (incumbent) (D).
- Frank Calabrese, candidate for Illinois State House Representative, 103rd District (R).
- Mike Frerichs, Illinois State Senator, 52nd District (D).
- Phil Bloomer, representing Tim Johnson, U. S. Congressman, Illinois 15th District (R).
- Steve Cox, candidate for U. S. Congress, Illinois 15th District (D).
- Bill Black, Illinois State House Representative, 104th District (incumbent) (R).
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the Forum's organizer, Jim Beauchamp, jwbeauch {at} illinois.edu.
Sponsored by the Prairie Group of the Sierra Club's Illinois chapter.
- (updated 9/8/2008)
The Case for Socialism
featuring Shaun Harkin
Monday, Sept. 8, 7pm
Gregory Hall room 319
Come to the first meeting of the International Socialist Organization this semester:
Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister and friend to Ronald Reagan, famously declared that "there is no alternative" to capitalism and the free market. Today, amid the disaster of war in the Middle East and a slumping economy, her boasts ring hollow. Shaun Harkin explains why socialism offers the alternative.- (updated 9/4/2008)
"PTSD: Our Troops, Our Community"
War has been described as “hell.” This has never been made more evident than by the large number of men and women who currently suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, “PTSD”, as a result of their military experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sunday, September 7th, 2-4PM
Urbana Free Library Auditorium
Learn about this little-understood trauma of war and its effects on the lives of people living in our community.
Panelists:- Abigail Malone, Psychiatrist treating PTSD patients
- Martin Smith, Iraq Veterans Against the War
- Paul Anderson / Mike Mlekowski, Iraq Veterans suffering from PTSD symptoms
- Ann Russell, Clinical social worker / PTSD family member
- Trent Stevens, Disabled Veteran, U of I Academic Advisor
Hope you can attend. The event is free and open to all.
Sponsored by AWARE and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW).- (updated 8/21/2008)
U of I. Quad Day
Sunday, August 24th will be U of I Quad Day, when hundreds of student organizations have tables on the Quad (south of the Illini Union). Our friends in local chapters of IVAW and CAN will have a table, and AWARE people are invited to join them.
Sunday, Aug. 24th, noon-5pm
IVAW (Iraq Veterans Against the War) and
CAN (Campus Anti-War Network) will have a table, somewhere on the Quad.
(Yes, Quad Day is on a Sunday this year, since classes start on Monday, Aug. 25th.)- (updated 8/21/2008)
AWARE at the Urbana Sweet Corn Festival
AWARE'll be part of this annual festival.
Friday, Aug. 22nd, 5pm-11pm
Saturday, Aug. 23rd, 11am-11pm
AWARE booth on Race St. across from the Busey Bank lot- (updated 7/10/2008)
"Marx in Soho: A Play on History"
Due to some Brigadoon-like miracle, Karl Marx has been granted permission to return to earth for a day to explain once more to disciples and detractors alike what he really meant -- continuing to insist, for example, that he was not a Marxist. But a mixup in the celestial bureaucracy has resulted in him appearing in the Soho area of New York rather than London, where he lived and died.
A one-man play written by Howard Zinn
Fri 7/18 at U-C IMC, 202 S. Broadway, U.
Sat 7/19 at Channing-Murray, 1209 W. Oregon, U.
Both performances at 7:30pm
This is the premise of Howard Zinn's one-man play, "Marx in Soho: A Play on History," to be performed in Urbana on July 18 and 19. Zinn, a retired history professor at Boston University, is perhaps best known as the author of "A People's History of the United States". The role will be performed by Jerry Levy, professor of sociology in Marlboro College, Vermont.
Performances will be at 7:30 pm, Friday at the Independent Media Center in downtown Urbana (202 S. Broadway) and 7:30 pm Saturday at the Channing-Murray Foundation (1209 W. Oregon), near the University of Illinois campus. Suggested donation is $5 per person.
Any revenue in excess of expenses will benefit the IMC and C-M. For more details about the play go to http://www.levyarts.com/- (updated 7/10/2008)
Peace demonstration at alternate place & time
As part of trying to bring messages of peace to other parts of town, AWARE is sponsoring a special anti-war demonstration in a different place -- Country Fair shopping center -- and a different time of month -- Saturday, July 19th, 2-4pm.
No War on Iran
Sat July 19th, 2:00-4:00pm
Country Fair shopping center, Champaign
On Springfield Ave., one block W. of Mattis
This date coincides with a United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) call for coordinated nationwide action opposing war on Iran, July 19-21; see http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3915 .
(Note: Our regular first-Saturday-of-each-month peace demonstrations will continue to be at Main & Neil. This event is in addition to that series.)- Location for July 19th 2-4pm event:
Let's gather on the south side of Springfield, about a block west of Mattis, where there's a stoplight across from the Country Fair parking lot exit. We'll start out just west of that light.
That puts us on the sidewalk between the Arby's parking lot and Springfield Ave., and across Springfield from the bank.
Some eastbound drivers stop at the light; a tree gives shade to part of the sidewalk; and we might end up talking with some Arby's customers (though please keep to the sidewalk -- we don't want to give Arby's reason to complain).
If there are enough of us, we can spread out. A couple of the corners at the nearby Springfield and Mattis intersection may be good places to stand too. - Parking:
Try the large general-use lot just north of Springfield, where the bank, etc. are. Please don't park in Arby's lot or in other adjacent businesses'.
Also, the 50 Green and 70 Grey buses stop at Country Fair, as does the Southwest Direct MTD shuttle.
Hope you can come and help us call for peace.- (updated 7/9/2008)
"Sustainability -- A Choice to Consider:
Mike Nickerson and Donna Dillman from Lanark, Ontario, coordinators of "The Sustainability Project", an educational, non-profit organization that promotes green values, are traveling across Canada and into the US. Mike is the author of the new book: "Life, Money & Illusion: Living on Earth as if we want to stay".
Living on Earth as If We Want to Stay"
Monday, July 14th, 7:00pm
First Mennonite Church, 902 W Springfield
Springfield & Lincoln, Urbana
On Monday, July 14, at 7:00 p.m., they will speak at First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana (at Springfield & Lincoln) about the threat of global warming and practical steps that can be taken to maintain sustainability of life on Planet Earth.
Donna will also describe her recent campaign against uranium exploration and mining in Eastern Ontario, with focus on both the dangers of uranium mining for human health and the mining company's excursions onto lands of the First Nations peoples. You may learn about the protest that Donna and her associates held by visiting the web site: http://www.ccamu.ca/.
For more on the event, see the Sustainability Project's web site,
http://www.flora.org/sustain
or contact Conrad Wetzel, mc-wetzel {at} hotmail.com.- (updated 7/4/2008)
4th of July Parade
Join AWARE, IVAW, and other veterans, as we march in the July 4th Parade. Meet at Busey and Oregon in Urbana at 12:45.
Champaign County Freedom Celebration
Official theme: Honoring Our Military Heroes
AWARE theme: Honoring Our Military Heroes Who Speak Against War!
A few photos from the event...
(Find some other pictures here and here.)
AWARE 4 July 2008 Float!
- (updated 7/4/2008)
"Main Event" monthly protest
Monthly anti-war demonstration in downtown Champaign.
Saturday, July 5th, 2-4PM
Main & Neil, downtown Champaign
This month's theme will follow that for the 4th of July parade float: honoring military heroes who spoke out against war. Flyer here: http://imsahp.chambana.net/~randall/july5.pdf.
- (updated 7/9/2008)
AWARE on the Air
1:00-2:00pm every Tuesday is the weekly time for recording "AWARE on the Air" for broadcast on UPTV Cable Channel 6.
Recording hour for weekly UPTV session
Recording every Tuesday (including July 15th), 1-2pm
Urbana City Council chambers, 400 S. Vine, U.
Broadcast same Tuesday, 10pm, UPTV channel 6
We talk about upcoming events, issues of interest, arguments among participants, etc. It's a live recording, lasting one hour. Please come and participate! About four or five people have been showing up in recent weeks.
Broadcast is (normally) at 10pm that same Tuesday evening.
- (updated 5/31/2008)
National Conference for Media Reform
At least a couple of AWARE people are attending this.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 6-8
See http://www.freepress.net/conference/
- (updated 5/31/2008)
Celebrate Robert Wahlfeldt's life
On Sunday, June 15th, the community will come together to honor, celebrate and memorialize Robert J. "Grandpa" Wahlfeldt, who left us all earlier this year on March 26.
and Dedicate IMC Family Room in his name
Sunday, June 15, 2-4pm
IMC (Independent Media Center, main floor sun room),
202 S. Broadway, Urbana
For those of us who knew him, we'll have time and space to reminisce and tell stories of how he affected us. And for those of us who didn't have the opportunity to really get to know him, this is also a chance to learn more about his special importance as a friend and social justice activist.
All are encouraged to come and speak about Bob in whatever way they are moved or just be a part of the celebration as a witness.
- (updated 5/31/2008)
"Socialism 2008" in Chicago
See http://www.socialismconference.org/.
Annual ISO conference, held this year in Chicago
June 19-22nd, 2008
- (updated 5/31/2008)
Patrick Thompson's claim against Harvey Welch
Final ruling expected on Patrick Thompson's small claims case against Harvey Welch for return of legal fees due to ineffective representation of Patrick during his second trial.
Tue, June 24, 9:30am Courtroom D, Champaign Cty. Courthouse, 101 E. Main, U.
- (updated 5/31/2008)
Biofuels, the Carbon Cycle, and Midwest Agriculture
There are many questions regarding the impacts of biofuels on the environment and their place in our energy policy. Professor Evan DeLucia, head of the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Illinois, will speak about some of the major ecological issues surrounding biofuels, including the application of life cycle analysis, and discuss the University's BP-funded research to study the ecological implications of converting row crop agriculture to perennial biofuel crops. Learn more about this important and complex issue, and the future of biofuels.
Prof. Evan DeLucia
Monday, May 19th, 7:30pm
Urbana Free Library downstairs meeting room, 210 W. Green St., U.A Green Tea Discussion, sponsored by Prairie Green Party.
- (updated 5/31/2008)
"Enhancing Democracy in Champaign County: Where Do We Go From Here?"
Continuing the discussion from the original May 8th meeting called by [[Diana Vesik]].
Followup to 5/8 meeting
Thursday, May 22nd, 7pm
Urbana Free Library downstairs meeting room, 210 W. Green St., U.
- (updated 5/31/2008)
Call for Impeachment -- demonstration on I-74 & Neil Overpass
Stand up for impeachment and against war, following a national call by Code Pink -- people will hold signs on highway overpasses across the US on Memorial Day.
Monday, May 29th (Memorial Day), 1-3pm
Iraq Veterans Against The War and Vietnam Veterans Against The War marched with AWARE
