[mgj-announce] DATE CHANGE! CALL TO ACTION: The WEF 1K Race To the Bottom

[Neil Watkins]

MGJ and NCJIS folks --

I have updated the call to action to reflect the new date (Tuesday, May 21) 
and scenario. This is in addition to the quarter-sheet outreach flyer that 
Ruth just sent out.  This call to action is probably more appropriate to 
send to listserves, whereas the other is best for printing out and 
leafleting with. Please send this to any lists you sent the old call to 
action to, and any new lists or groups you know of!!!  - Neil

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UPDATED CALL TO ACTION ** Please Note Date and Meeting Point Change Below!

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

ATTENTION ALL RUNNERS! -- ATTENTION ALL RUNNERS!

Join Thousands of People From Across the Economic Spectrum for the FIRST
EVER 1K RACE TO THE BOTTOM! Whether you're an MBA in the Rat Race or an
underemployed activist with the Human Race, this Race to the Bottom is a
can't-miss event for anyone trying to get ahead *or* left behind.

--Watch CORPORATIONS GROAN under the weight of billions of dollars in
tax-free profits as immigrants are denied basic services!

--Feel the HEAT OF COMPETITION as it drags down workers, environmental
protection and human rights!

--See the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM SLITHER its way from one five star hotel to
the next!

--Hear the THUNDER OF THOUSANDS of the working poor pound the asphalt!

--Watch Corporate EXECUTIVES BRIBE THEIR WAY into new markets!
Awards immediately after the race in the categories of:

         --Most Depraved Workfare Boss
         --Country That Busted the Most Unions to Please Multinational 
Corporations
         --Politician Quickest to Blame Poor Women for Society's Problems

So Where's it all Happening? NOTE DATE AND TIME CHANGE!!!

The 1K RACE TO THE BOTTOM starts with a rally at the U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce (site of the regional World Economic Forum meeting) at **4 pm on 
TUESDAY, MAY 21**.  The "Race to the Bottom" begins at 6pm sharp and ends 
at the World Bank.

DETAILS:
When: Tuesday, May 21, 4-7 PM
Where: Starts with a rally at the Chamber of Commerce (site of the World 
Economic Forum regional meeting) at 4 pm, on Connecticut Ave., NW between H 
and I Streets, right across from Lafayette Park and the White House.
The race begins from the site of the Chamber of Commerce at 6 pm and ends 
in Murrow Park across from the IMF/WB headquarters, 18th & H Sts. NW, 
Wash., DC at 6:30 or 7 pm with a short rally.

Who: National Coalition for Jobs and Income Support and the Mobilization 
for Global Justice.

For more background and contact information, visit <www.globalizethis.org> 
and <www.nationalcampaign.org>. And don't forget your running shoes!

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For more details, read on:

In a new alliance between the global justice movement and the anti-poverty
movement, the Mobilization for Global Justice (MGJ) and the National
Campaign for Jobs and Income Security (NCJIS) are joining forces to
confront the world's privileged and elite as they gather for the
Trans-Atlantic meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

We call on all those who care about ending poverty at home and abroad to
join us in this event, which promises to fill the streets outside the
closed doors of the WEF with a loud, boisterous rally and theatrical Race
to the Bottom. Help us send a clear message to the world's wealthy and to
the politicians they control: We demand an end to policies that impoverish
people everywhere. We demand an end to the policies that concentrate
wealth, income and power in the hands of the WEF members and a select few,
while leaving one in six children in the United States in poverty, and
billions around the world struggling to survive on less than two dollars a
day.

With the collaboration of NCJIS, whose members are predominantly those
living in poverty directly affected by the regressive "Welfare Reform" of
1996, the MGJ hopes to launch a strong, enduring coalition to link local
and global poverty issues and to immediately impact President Bush's
proposed welfare legislation, which only further penalizes the poor while
doing nothing to end poverty.

NCJIS is a coalition of more than 1000 grassroots community groups
composed primarily of and led by low-income people. It believes that
people most affected by public policies must develoup solutions and speak
in their own voices. NCJIS is spearheading a national effort to to
transform TANF into a meaningful anti-poverty program. In March of 2002,
NCJIS held a day of events in DC, that involved rallies, lobbying and two
separate direct actions involving over 1000 people and two notorious
enemies of poverty reduction: the Heritage Foundation and the Democratic
Leadership Council. For more information, see <www.nationalcampaign.org>.

The Mobilization for Global Justice is a Washington, DC based organization
of groups and individuals focused on the growing problem of corporate
globalization in today's world. It sponsors educational events, rallies
and demonstrations that serve to highlight the harmful neo-liberal
economic policies carried out by unaccountable, undemocratic international
financial institutions. Visit our web site at <www.globalizethis.org>.

Please add your ride or housing posting for the 1K RACE TO THE BOTTOM at
<http://riseup.net/may2002/>

Meetings in DC every Wednesday night, see www.globalizethis.org or email
racetothebottom at nationalcampaign.org for details.

Additional events are planned for the days around the WEF meeting, such as
kickoff events for the Washington, DC Social Forum planned for this fall.

P.S. Remember to bring your running shoes!



* Please note NEW address and phone number *

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Neil Watkins
World Bank Bonds Boycott
Center for Economic Justice
733 15th St., NW, Suite 928
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202) 393-6665
Fax: (202) 393-1358
Web: www.worldbankboycott.org

To receive occasional updates on the World Bank Bonds boycott, join our 
listserve:
Send blank e-mail to <bank-boycott-subscribe at yahoogroups.com>.