Colombian leader speaks to Texans
DALLAS – Colombian trade unionist and congressman-elect Wilson Borja arrived here June 9 to speak about the issues burning between our country and his. Activists from Jobs with Justice and the North Texas Coalition for a Just Peace had prepared a heavy schedule of media interviews, public appearances and individual meetings for Borja’s four-day visit.
Candidate calls for recount
NEWARK, N.J. – In a closely contested run-off City Council election held here June 11, independent progressive candidate Ras Baraka was denied a seat as a Councilman-at-Large by a mere 85 votes. In these run-off elections, eight at-large City Council candidates were competing over four seats. Baraka came in fifth with 8,805 votes, which was 85 votes short of the 8,920 obtained by Gayle Chaneyfield-Jenkins, an incumbent City Council member.
Bush stonewalls world action on global warming
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has admitted something accepted by just about everyone but George Bush – that human activity is responsible for global warming. The EPA study, “Climate Action Report 2002,” was based on National Academy of Sciences research. It was prepared for the United Nations and projects the impact of global warming on the United States. For the entire article, click on the headline. To visit the global warming study by the EPA, click here.
Supporting people, not punishing the poor
Maribel Soto lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she raises her three children – aged 9, 11 and 14 – while she works 35 hours a week to receive government financial aid. She also organizes against “welfare reform” as part of Families United for Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE). She joined many other groups who are part of Grass Roots Organizing for Welfare Leadership (GROWL) to speak to legislators in Washington, D.C., last February.
International notes
Britain’s unions worried about attacks on workers’ rights/Bangladesh protesters target ‘Status of Forces’ pact with U.S. /Striking dockers paralyze Belgian ports/SACP condemns banks for HIV/AIDS discrimination/Cuba donates vaccine to Uruguay/German workers conduct ‘warning strikes’
Frederick J. Brown paints jazz
More than 30 portraits from 30 years of work by acclaimed painter Frederick J. Brown will be featured in the retrospective Frederick J. Brown: Portraits in Jazz, Blues, and Other Icons at the Kemper Museum in Kansas City, Mo., from June 16 to Sept. 1. The portraits celebrate trailblazers who have shaped American culture.
Concert celebrates Cuban music
MILWAUKEE – Over 200 people filled the First Unitarian Church on Milwaukee’s East Side Friday evening, May 24, to hear a benefit concert for the victims of Hurricane Michelle in Cuba. The concert of traditional, semi-classical and classical music from Cuba featured six musicians, including Cuban flutist Ana de la Cuesta.
Helen Sobell: Fighter against Cold War frame-ups
Helen Sobell, who fought to save Ethel and Julius Rosenberg from the electric chair and free her husband, Morton Sobell, from a 30 year prison term – all three framed on bogus “atom spy” charges – died this past April 15 in Redwood City, Calif. She was 84.
What it takes to walk the walk
Antonio wakes up two minutes before his alarm goes off to the sound of his little sister begging for five more minutes. To his left is his younger brother, to his right the sound of running water, and just below his feet was his back pack, which he casually donned haphazardly after squeezing in a couple bites of chorizo.
Can I get a witness?
It’s shaped up to be quite a Memorial Week – bookended with Monday’s holiday and Thursday’s traditional commemoration, which also happens to be the closing ceremony for World Trade Center recovery efforts. And there’s been a whole lot of witnessing going on.
