Events for March 2012

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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 Mar 8, 7PM @ Red Emma's : Crusade 2.0

Crusade 2.0: The West's Resurgent War Against Islam (March 2012, City Lights) looks at why anti-Islamic sentiment is on the rise and what can be done to stop it. In the book, John Feffer examines contemporary Islamophobia and discusses three "unfinished wars" that have deeply shaped Western opinion and policy: the Crusades, the Cold War, and the current "war on terror" that continues to dominate U.S. thinking. To end this war against Islam and promote mutual engagement, Feffer suggests the West: Bridge the cultural divide by replacing the "Judeo-Christian" with the broader "Abrahamic" framework that includes Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Bridge the political divide by urging the European Union to treat Turkey as a serious candidate for membership. End the cycles of militant Islamic extremism by having the U.S., Europe, and Israel end their policies of intervening in and occupying parts of the Muslim world.

Saturday Mar 10, 7PM @ Red Emma's : The Occupy Movement w/ Arun Gupta

In the last four months, Arun Gupta and Michelle Fawcett have visited more than 30 occupations in 21 states, discovering a movement of breathtaking diversity and popularity. In Detroit, Philadelphia, Denver and New Orleans they found occupations trying to cope with epidemic rates of homelessness and poverty. In Lexington, KY and Nashville occupiers talked about building local economies as one solution to the economic crisis. In Mobile, AL, they met a group of 20 young activists hopeful they could change one of the most conservative cities in the South. They found Occupy movements throughout Texas and in the Reddest of Red states, Wyoming and Idaho. In Portland and San Francisco, they encountered dynamic movements trying to figure out what happens after the occupations end.

Arun Gupta will analyze the nationwide scope of the movement, looking at the role of public space and democracy, the main political tendencies, how regional issues and demographics shape occupations, organizing strategies, and what is next for this powerful new movement. Short videos shot and edited by Michelle Fawcett will also be screened, revealing what various occupations look like on the ground.

Arun Gupta is a founding editor of The Indypendent and The Occupied Wall Street Journal. Along With Michelle Fawcett, he is reporting on the Occupy movement for Salon, The Guardian, The Nation, Alternet, Truthout, The Progressive and other outlets. He is writing a book on the Decline of American Empire for Haymarket Books. Their work is available at occupyusatoday.com

Thursday Mar 22, 7PM @ Red Emma's : RYAN HARVEY'S "SPRING OFFENSIVE" TOUR

Ryan has been touring the Southeast sharing stories and perspectives from Occupy encampments around the country and their counterparts in Europe, and helping stir up energy for the Occupy movements "Spring Offensive"! "Ryan has been writing and performing hard-hitting political folk songs for over ten years. A part of the Riot-Folk Collective, his music is aimed to support those working for positive change and to educate people about issues of peace and social & economic justice." He is also touring to promote his new album Ordinary Heroes, a collaborative work with violinist/journalist/documentarian Michael Fox. The recording, dedicated to historian and activist Howard Zinn, emphasizes and celebrates social movements as a means of overcoming injustice.

Friday Mar 23, 7PM @ Red Emma's : The Accumulation of Freedom: On Anarchist Economics

The only crisis of capitalism is capitalism itself. Let's toss credit default swaps, bailouts, environmental externalities and, while we're at it, private ownership of production in the dustbin of history. The Accumulation of Freedom (recently published by AK Press) brings together economists, historians, theorists, and activists for a first-of-its-kind study of anarchist economics. This book doesn't try to subvert the notion of economics—the editors accept the standard definition, but reject the notion that capitalism or central planning are acceptable ways to organize economic life.

Join us as we welcome editor Deric Shannon to Red Emma's for an engaging evening of debate around contemporary economics, and learn what anarchism has to tell us about the accepted notions of capitalism, centralization, and beyond. Don't miss it!

Tuesday Mar 27, 7PM @ Red Emma's : Research Associates Community Grants!

Interested in a $2,500 grant to fund your organization's summer work? Have an idea for organizing work or a research project that needs financial backing? Come out to Red Emma's to learn more about the Research Associates Community Grants program, a grassroots funding initiative that makes small-scale ($500 - $2500) grants available to organizations and individuals working on social-justice and community-building projects in the Baltimore area. Bring your application materials with you and get specific suggestions from RAF's board members on how to improve your application. Ask questions about what kinds of projects are, and are not eligible for RAF grants. Find out how you can get involved with Research Associates Foundation as a volunteer or as a board member! To download the application, visit the RAF website: http://www.rafbaltimore.org. Applications for the Spring grant cycle are due April 10.

Wednesday Mar 28, 7PM @ 2640 : Taking Ourselves Seriously: Developing Strategy for Social Transformation

The question of strategy - how we might win in the near and long term as we struggle against domination, exploitation, and oppression - is pressing. As anti-authoritarians, however, we frequently face barriers to thinking and acting strategically. These include fixating on principles over plans, fetishizing specific tactics, and organizing in crisis modes. Drawing on interviews with organizers across North America, this presentation will discuss these barriers, and potential ways we can move past them toward developing effective approaches for the long haul of social transformation. Together, we will explore how to build movements in the world as it is - engaging with where and how people are struggling - while cultivating strategies toward the world that we want. This presentation will especially highlight strategic approaches based on fighting for non-reformist reforms and building dual power.

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.