In the coffeehouse, you'll find delicious fair trade, organic coffee and espresso as well as a selection of vegan and vegetarian food. In the bookstore, you'll find books and periodicals on a wide range of topics, with a focus on radical politics and culture. We also offer free internet access, both through our wireless network and our public internet terminals.
If you are looking for information about 2640, the community events space we run in conjunction with St. John's United Methodist Church in Charles Village, please have a look at the 2640 website .
If you are looking for information about the Baltimore Free School, another project that's spun off from the Red Emma's Collective, please check out the Free School website.
A Review: "Moving Politics: Emotion and ACT UP's Fight Against AIDS"
by Deborah Gould
Published in 2009, Moving Politics: Emotion and ACT UP's Fight Against AIDS has become an immediate fundamental read for understanding modern social movements. At our ally project, The Baltimore Indypendent Reader, local activist, Mark Gunnery, writes a stunning review of the book. He discusses the writer's, Deborah Gould, analysis and historical accounting of the ACT UP movement, as well as her critiques on the importance of emotions in social movements. An important read for anyone interested in: social movement history/radical activism, queer history, and the importance of emotions in the worlds we create.
And, of course, we, here at ol' Red Emma's, carry copies of Moving Politics, if his review moves you to read it for yourself.
Our annual holiday window display ...
by Red Emma's
Photos of our beautiful red & black holiday window display, featuring some of our favorite picks for this year's non-denominational anarchist gift-giving season!
Audio: Carl Davidson on Mondragon and the Solidarity Economy
The presentation explored the genesis and trajectory of the Mondragon experiment, with an eye towards understanding how this model might be deployed to build a green economy in the US.
Cosponsored by Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle and moderated by Lawrence Grandpre. Donations from the door went to fund the struggle against the Youth Jail.
End of year break...
Red Emma's will close a little early, at 6PM, on January 31st, and reopen 10AM on January 4th.
Eddie Conway's January 2012 letter
Marshall "Eddie" Conway is a political prisoner, framed and incarcerated—for over four decades—for his work with the Baltimore branch of the Black Panther Party. We're posting this letter, his quarterly update to his friends and supporters, both to highlight the amazing work he continues to do while imprisoned, and also to spread the word about his parole process: Eddie needs our support! If you're interested in learning more about Eddie, the Panthers in Baltimore, the counterintelligence programs which put him in prison, or his long and inspiring struggles to continue his work of building community power even while locked away, there's no better place to start than Eddie's autobiography, Marshall Law: The Life and Times of a Baltimore Black Panther, published by our friends at AK Press.
Revolutionary Greetings, to all my family, friends, and supporters. The last few months have been a very busy time for me. I am very happy to report that some progress has been made in several areas. The best news to date is the progress with my parole situation. Since my last update letter, my lawyer filed a request for a parole hearing for me. I had the hearing on November 30, 2011. I met with two commissioners and they decided to advance my case to the next level of the parole process for persons with life sentences. That level requires a psychological evaluation, which means that sometime in the near future I will be transferred to another institution for a three month evaluation. This whole process is called a Risk Assessment, and once this level is completed the case goes before the full body of the parole commission. There are ten commissioners and a majority vote is required before the case can be sent to the governor who has the final right to approve or deny.
Important Message about "Fair" Trade Coffee
As third party certifications like Fair Trade and Organic are being co-opted by the multi-national roasters, small-scale operations are looking to alternatives to deepen the commitment to their growers. This past fall Trans Fair USA (AKA Fair Trade USA), one of the biggest Fair Trade labeling organizations, announced that it was to abandon it’s original commitment to the international Fair Trade system. They are now certifying large plantations and multi-national corporations to open up larger markets and increase profits. This goes in contrast to one of the original missions of Fair Trade labeling, which is to support democratic small farmer organizations, to ensure, equitable, fair and just outcomes for the small producers who often are exploited and marginalized by the industry. Roasters committed to supplying 100% Fair Trade coffee are unable to compete when these large coffee roasters carrying no more than 5, 10, 15% fair trade coffee are able to call their coffee Fair Trade certified. The certification no longer holds roasters accountable for the other aspects of trade beyond the set minimum price the way it once did.
Roasters like Just Coffee believe that Fair Trade means more than just paying the minimum price per pound, but establishing lasting relationships with growers. This translates to transparent trade, toward a model of direct trade (although Just Coffee is not explicitly direct trade), where a meaningful and lasting relationship is developed and maintained between the growers/ producers and sellers/ consumers.
Just Coffee is a part of Cooperative Coffees, a green coffee importing cooperative. Co-op Coffees works with community-based roasters that are committed to furthering fair and sustainable trade relationships for the benefit of the growers and their communities. Co-op Coffees works to promote transparent trade and provide sustainable development alternatives both to the growers abroad and the roasters here in the US.
Red Emma's is proud to carry and support coffee from roasters such as Just Coffee for their deep commitment to just, sustainable, and true fair trade.
Don't Miss the Red Emma's End of Year Celebration!
This Saturday, December 17: It's the first-ever Red Emma's Speakeasy, hosted by our favorite Wobbly sailor, Liam Flynn!
We're saving our traditional end-of-year Red & Black Ball for Spring this year, but we couldn't let the season pass without celebrating another successful year with all of our friends and supporters. And this year we have something extra to celebrate: the long-awaited opening of Liam Flynn's Ale House, the project of Red Emma's founding collective members Liam Flynn & Jessica Beil, and our new favorite pub (22 W. North Avenue).
So join us on Saturday, December 17 for an evening of revelry and rejoicing as we co-host a 20s-themed evening at Liam's. We'll provide the food, and you can expect great specials on 20s-era cocktails and more. Been longing to wear some fringe? Wear your flapper-style finest! Or head in a moodier Dorothy Parker inspired direction with a fur collar (fake, of course!) and a cloche. All are welcome! 8PM - Midnight; don't miss it!
A Debate Fundraiser for Leaders of A Beautiful Struggle
If you've been paying attention, you know that Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle is one of the smartest, most articulate collective voices on the streets of Baltimore City today. Uncompromisingly bringing a black liberation perspective to the problems faced by youth of color and the city as a whole, LBS has been formulating razor sharp policy tools, challenging the electoral status quo, and generally making exactly the kind of trouble Baltimore could use a lot more of.
So when LBS approached Red Emma's and 2640 about hosting a fundraiser to help them take their work to the next level, we were only too happy to agree; join us as we welcome LBS to 2640 for an evening of incisive debate, followed by a reception. (More details on the debate topic coming soon)
Thursday Feb 23, 7PM @ Red Emma's
Screening of "EL INFIERNO"
A black comedy based on ordinary life in Mexico following President Felipe Calderón’s declared “war against drug trafficking and organized crime,” El INFIERNO centers on Benny García’s return to his hometown in northern Mexico after being deported from the United States. Benny returns to find a changed town, where the only viable way to make a living is byentering the narco world. With dark humor, the film examines grotesque forms of narco violence and political corruption that constitute life in much of Mexico today.
Friday Feb 24, 7PM @ Red Emma's
Gender EDGE : gender variant/trans/queer punk arts activism
Gender EDGE Quarterly Events BEGIN!!!
These events are just simply a way for each one of us to continue to join together and push forward for all things militant, trans, gender varied, and queer. Collectively this will reinforce our stance on keeping it all steadfastly DIY, punk driven, and not in any way formulated/proper. We don’t need to be shaking hands and enduring lengthy submission processes. We need to be speaking up, we need to stay fiery and pissed, we need to continue doing everything we can through our creativity to make solid efforts toward obtaining reachable social change for our gender variant/trans/queer community. Gender EDGE is easily accessible for those producing all forms of art and thoughtful expression and it will always remain that way. So each one of us has such an opportunity here to unleash our art, release our emotions, and state strongly and consistently the empowerment that dwells within each of our souls as gender variant/queer/trans beings. Those who support us are just as welcome to attend and become involved. These events are open to everyone. There is a solid opportunity here to do something different and truly genuine for our community. Its no longer acceptable for society to not know how to treat us....to not know who we are and what we bring to the world. Within Gender EDGE there is no reason to focus on being so nice or official in any way……… and having power point presentations and stuffy sterile lectures……let's be loud, let’s make our points, let's ACTUALLY start to change some things with our art and our minds.
Each Gender EDGE quarterly event will include a performance aspect and an activist art gathering/planning session. Its a space to share your ideas, your art, your thoughts. Come out and support our collective, our movement, and our militant mission. NO MORE DESTROYED LIVES, NO MORE HIDDEN YEARS.
Wednesday Mar 7, 7PM @ 2640
screening: How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman
After forty years, How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman (1972) by legendary Brazilian filmmaker Nelson Pereira dos Santos still remains a dark classic of post-colonial film -- a Tropicalist allegory rooted in the conquests of the colonial past, the oppressive political realities of the twentieth century, and a cinema bent on devouring both. As a shipwrecked Frenchman navigates the anthropophagic territories of what is now known as colonial Brazil, he is made a slave, married off, and then fattened up for an upcoming feast prepared by his captors, the Tupinamba. This screening is presented by JHU's Program in Latin American Studies and Red Emma's. Free, donations to support the space welcome! Snacks will be available.
Thursday May 24, 7PM @ 2640
The Ric Pfeffer lecture: David Harvey
The Ric Pfeffer Lecture commemorates the life and work of Ric Pfeffer, a committed social justice activist and advocate who passed away in 2002. David Harvey, who developed his ideas around the geography of anticapitalism to a large extent during his extended residence in Baltimore, gave the first Pfeffer memorial lecture in 2002, where he spoke about "The New Imperialism." 2640 and Red Emma's have been honored to host several of the most recent Pfeffer lectures.
For this year's Lecture, which will commemorate the tenth anniversary of Ric's passing, David Harvey will be returning to Baltimore; more information about the topic of his talk is forthcoming.
The event will be free, but donations to the lecture fund—a project of the amazing Research Associates Foundation—to keep this tradition honoring Ric Pfeffer's legacy alive are always welcome.
Contrary to our plans last year or so, Red Emma's is not at the moment actively pursuing a new location for the bookstore and cafe. Instead, at least for the time being, we are concentrating our efforts on keeping the existing space thriving, but also on the 2640 project, a partnership between Red Emma's and St. John's United Methodist Church in Charles Village, where both parties are cooperating to restore the (beautiful) building at 2640 St. Paul St. and to put this building to work as a space for social justice organizing and independent culture. Like most big projects, this is going to take a lot of money and a lot of work - if you're able to offer either, please drop us a line at 2640 [at] redemmas.org.
800 St. Paul St. * Baltimore, MD 21202 * (410) 230-0450 * info@redemmas.org
Red Emma's is open Monday through Friday from 10AM-10PM, Saturday from 10AM-8PM, and Sunday from 10AM-6PM. Our weekly collective meetings are Sunday at 7PM, and are open to anyone interested in the project, except for the first Sunday of every month, which is closed to everyone except collective members.
Red Emma's is part of IU 660 of the Industrial Workers of the World, one of the only unions to recognize that worker collectives can stand in solidarity with those fighting the bosses as part of one big union.
