Change to Win holds founding convention
ST. LOUIS — Seventy-five percent of Change to Win’s $16 million budget will be earmarked for union organizing, delegates to the labor federation’s founding convention decided here Sept. 27. The affiliating unions are the Service Employees, Teamsters, Carpenters, Laborers, Food and Commercial Workers, Farmworkers, and Unite Here, which takes in hotel, apparel, laundry and casino workers. All but the Laborers and Farmworkers have disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO in recent months
A day of theater to benefit PWW
The 2005 annual fund drive is underway and more than $20,000 has been collected. Plans are underway across the country to raise thousands more.
Rural Mississippi hung out to dry
A full 22 days after Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, Robert Williams of Vancleave, Miss., is still waiting for a FEMA or a county truck — something. “I called FEMA, once the phones came back,” the 32-year-old church janitor told the Los Angeles Times. “They gave us a case number and said someone would be out as soon as possible. We have no idea when that will be.”
Make levees, not war: 300,000 marchers say End Iraq war
Protesters demand justice for hurricane survivors WASHINGTON — An estimated 300,000 antiwar demonstrators marched past the White House Sept. 24 chanting, “End the war now — Bring the troops home!” It was the mightiest peace outpouring since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Haitis endless struggle
On Feb. 29, 2004, elected Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed a second time and forced to leave the country. In “Aristide and the Endless Revolution,” veteran filmmaker Nicolas Rossier takes his camera to Haiti, the U.S., South Africa and Barbados to learn the truth about what led to Aristide’s expulsion from office. The result is an engaging, informative documentary that sheds light on the U.S. role in overthrowing a democratically elected president.
Houston fumbles hurricane evacuation
HOUSTON — My family and I decided to follow the evacuation recommendations issued by city officials for Houstonians, which was, “Move to higher ground.” We left at 5:30 a.m. Thursday in an effort to go to family in Arkansas. This was 36 hours before the projected time of arrival of Hurricane Rita. After traveling nine hours without air conditioning in 100-degree heat, we decided to turn back. We had only traveled 15 miles in that period of time. We were listening to a radio broadcast which repeatedly said that it was the right thing to evacuate. They said the city was surprised, but proud of the early response that citizens made to the disaster.
The legacy of Patricia Jonnie Lumpkin Ellis
Jonnie Lumpkin Ellis, known by her adopted name of “Pat,” died Aug. 29 in Chicago. Jonnie was one of 10 children. Her parents, Hattie and Elmo Lumpkin, raised their children to reject racism and ideas of “racial inferiority.” That took a lot of courage in the 1920s, since they lived in the orange groves of Orlando, Fla. Jonnie wanted to “change the system” but until she met the Communist Party, she was fighting alone.
Winter Soldier reveals grisly U.S. deeds in Vietnam
The Congressional Record from April 6-7, 1971, contains testimony taken in Detroit from Vietnam veterans. That testimony is the subject of “Winter Soldier,” a documentary that will get a one-week showing at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago and in more than 20 theaters across the U.S.
Senate, in narrow vote, OKs Bush rule on mercury
WASHINGTON — On Sept. 13 the U.S. Senate narrowly rejected a bipartisan resolution offered by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) that would have maintained a firm timetable for the reduction in mercury emissions from power plants.
Missouri activists press for LGBT rights
ST. LOUIS — While Missouri was the first state to add a discriminatory amendment to its state constitution banning same-gender marriage, the Show-Me State’s LGBT community has not backed down and has recommitted itself to achieving full equality.
