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Events for May 2012
Monday May 7, 7PM @ 2640 : The Emerging New Economy
The challenge is urgent: we need to build a more equitable & more sustainable world. And to do so, we need an economic system designed to work for the common good instead of a system designed to maximize corporate profits.
What most people don't realize is that we already have a whole new set of tools to help meet this challenge—the building blocks of the beginnings of the new economy are all around us, waiting to be used.
Join us for an evening dedicated to exploring the shape of the new economy, and highlighting some specific developments—like B-corps, cooperatives, and the Genuine Progress Indicator—that point us in the right direction. How can we use new tools and new strategies to create a Baltimore economy worth living in?
With guest speakers:
GAR ALPEROVITZ
Gar Alperovitz is the Lionel R. Bauman professor of political economy at the University of Maryland, the author of America Beyond Capitalism, and the cofounder of the Democracy Collaborative, an innovative progressive think tank developing new models for sustainable, equitable and cooperative community development.
JAMIE RASKIN
State Senator Jamie Raskin was the sponsor of Maryland's trailblazing legislation—the first in the US—which created the "benefit corporation" or B corp: a new form of incorporation that allows and encourages for-profit businesses to legally pursue social and environmental goals in a verifiable way.
DAPHNE WYSHAM
Daphne Wysham is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and the founder of the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network (SEEN). Her current research explores how alternative metrics to GDP, such as Maryland's "Genuine Progress Indicator", can be used to build a more sustainable society.
Friday May 11, 7PM @ Red Emma's : The People's Pension: The Struggle to Defend Social Security Since Reagan
We are extremely pleased to welcome Eric Laursen to speak about his groundbreaking historical account and analysis of the three decade struggle over Social Security. Arguably the most successful anti-poverty social program that the US has ever institutionalized and upkept, Laursen details how Social Security is the "glue" that binds Americans together as a community; as well as unveils in-depth research on revelations from: the Clinton Administration's plan to radically restructure Social Security, the retirement crisis, the personalities that have driven the three-decade long struggle to restructure/eliminate/defend Social Security, and the newest challenges we face in this recent financial crisis. In the aftermath of the debt reduction deal between Barack Obama and congressional Republicans, the 2012 election promises to be a kind of referendum on the size and role of government—including economic support programs like Social Security.In one of the most important books of the year, questions asked include: Why is the most popular and successful social program in American history, responsible for lifting generations out of poverty, now under continual assault by elements of the U.S. political elite? And, what has changed in American politics, society, and economics to make this possible? In the end, Laursen suggests that the only solution is taking Social Security out of the government's hands altogether. We hope you will join us for a discussion about this undeniably important topic with the author of one of the most necessary books of the year!
Wednesday May 16, 7PM @ Red Emma's : Performing Sex: The Making and Unmaking of Women's Erotic Lives
Please join us for the book event: Performing Sex: The Making and Unmaking of Women’s Erotic Lives. Performing Sex interrogates the unintended consequences of the women’s liberation movement from a feminist perspective, including topics like faking orgasm, women pretending to be bisexual at parties, female Viagra, and the minimization of sexual violence. Join author Breanne Fahs for a discussion about the elusive and contradictory aspects of sexual “liberation.” Fahs is an assistantprofessor of women and gender studies at Arizona State University and a practicing clinical psychologist specializing in issues of sexuality.
Sunday May 20, 3PM @ 2640 : Community Celebration to honor the life and work of Eric James / JahHannibal Abba-Ra
As many of you know, Red Emma's was deeply moved by the sudden passing of our dear friend and comrade Eric James (JahHannibal Abba-Ra): writer, artist, musician, activist, and gentle spirit, as well as the partner of our collective member, Pat Berry. Please join Red Emma's and the members of R.A.M. for a celebration of Eric's life and work. Let's come together as a collective not to mourn, but to celebrate and remember with a sharing of words, sounds, images, and food. This event is free and open to anyone touched by Eric's life, but donations for his family are encouraged.
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. 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. 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." David Harvey is a Distinguished Professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) and Director of The Center for Place, Culture and Politics. In 1982, while professor at Johns Hopkins, he was one of the founders of the Progressive Action Center. In the same year he published The Limits to Capital. With the publication of this work and 14 more, Harvey developed a Marxian theoretical approach he calls "historical-geographical materialism." Harvey gave the first Pfeffer memorial lecture in 2002, where he spoke about “The New Imperialism.” He is returning 10 years later for the culminating lecture of the series to discuss the dynamics of resistance against the dominance of finance capital as in the Occupy Wall Street Movement. His forthcoming book is Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution.
Friday May 25, 7PM @ 2640 : Indyreader Spring Party: Fundraiser and Celebration for the Launch of our New Website and Release of our New Print Issue, "Occupy the Economy"
Baltimore's Indypendent Reader invites you to our Spring party! We have a lot to celebrate... the launch of our new website, indyreader.org, and the release of our latest print edition, "Occupy the Economy." We hope you celebrate with us and contribute to our fundraising drive, where we hope to raise $10,000 by the end of the summer. We have big dreams for the project . . . purchasing media-making equipment, providing financial support to journalists, printing papers, and more. All of this so that we can continue to bring you social justice-oriented and community-created news. In order to realize our dreams, we need your help. So please join us in celebration at out Spring party. The door fee will be $5. (Of course, we will not say no if you donate more!) Beverages and assorted tasty treats (there will be vegan and gluten-free options!) will be sold. There will also be musical performances, drag performances, burlesque, dance, comedy, and so much more. We look forward to seeing you there!
In order to realize our dreams, we need your help. So please join us in celebration at out Spring party. The door fee will be $5, sliding scale. (Of course, we will not say no if you donate more!)
Monday May 28, 7PM @ Red Emma's : Truth and Revolution: The History of the Sojourner Truth Organization
In the 1970s and 1980s, as the movements of the sixties receded from view, the revolutionary left in the United States went through a series of profound political, demographic, and cultural transformations as it struggled to find its footing in a rapidly changing world. Join us as we welcome Chicago-based anarchist-historian Michael Staudenmaier, author of the new AK Press book, Truth and Revolution: A History of the Sojourner Truth Organization, which explores a small but powerfully resonant thread running through this arc of history. Perhaps most famous for its theoretical formulations of white skin privilege, the Sojourner Truth Organization also developed a novel analysis of class consciousness that reflected its commitment to an autonomist Marxism. In all the major arenas of its work—factory organizing, anti-imperialist solidarity, anti-nuclear and anti-fascist struggles, among many others—STO combined a strategic assessment of the urgent tasks facing an activist left with a theoretical sophistication that merits sustained attention. Drawing on detailed archival research and oral interviews, Truth and Revolution skillfully combines social and intellectual history approaches to shed light on both the theory and the practice of STO. Don't miss this important revolutionary history lesson!
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