[mgj-announce] Notes 4/20/05

[Althea Swett]

Notes 4/20/05

UPCOMING MEETINGS::
Thank You Card Writing Party
Monday, April 25
6:30pm to ?? 
4033 New Hampshire Avenue
Metro: Green Line to Georgia Ave./Petworth station. 
Walk North up New Hampshire Avenue.  House will be on
the right side of the street.

Fundraising Meeting
Wednesday, April 27th 
6:30-7pm @ St. Stephen’s Church 
Metro: Green Line to Columbia Heights.  Walk west on
Irving to 16th Ave.  Take a right and follow 16th
North until you reach Newton St.  St.  Stephen’s is on
the corner of Newton and 16th – enter at the red door
on the side of the building – meeting is in basement
cafeteria.
Wheelchair access is around the back of the church.

General Meeting
Wednesday, April 27th 
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm @ St. Stephen’s Church 
See above for directions.

LOOSE ENDS::
Z-Magazine article:: Jon, Lia, Edward, and Hope will
be working on the rough drafts of these articles
(Basav also may be working on this).

Celebration/Fundraiser:: Fundraising (Kendra, Katie,
Tia, Keith, Morrigan) will work out a venue/date for
this event

ONWARD::
Future Campaigns &Proposals::
1) Civil Society Forum – World Bank, Friday April 22 @
4:30-5 pm.  MGJ will help hand out flyers to World
Bank employees (around 1pm that day there will be an
“award” presentation)
2) Tax the Bank -  MGJ is committed to keeping the
subject a focus in conjunction with the local strategy
group – Next meeting TBA. 
3) Bio-Democracy -  A proposal is yet to be made
stating that MGJ will work with the organizers of
Bio-Democracy days of action in Philadelphia to
deteremine our role.  MGJ will bring out our focus on
the World Bank/IMF and global justice through
highlighting the links and connections between
bio-democracy and global struggles for social justice.
4) CAFTA -  MGJ wanted as theatrical support – a great
opportunity to work with immigrant groups and show our
solidarity with these groups.  
PROPOSAL:: to formally joing Stop CAFTA Coalition –
stopcafta.org – our involvement is completely up to us
after that.
***CONSENSED***
5) Fall Meetings of Bank and Fund – September 25th in
DC – mark your calendars NOW!!!
6) Mountain Justice Summer – Direct Actions being
planned in protest of (and with the aims of blocking)
mountain top removal mining (an extractive industry
that displaces people locally in W. Virginia – ties to
MGJ’s issues closely).  
**Jon is going to do more research on this and try to
figure out where we can fit in if we want to engage –
point was made that we should really try and provide
solidarity esp. in media relations b/c we have
connections in DC it may be hard for MJS folks to get.
7) Plan Puebla Panama and Roadless Summer – Super
highway being built with support of Inter-American
Development Bank.  From Canada, through the US
(Indiana is a center of Roadless Summer organizing),
through to Puebla, Mexico and on down to Panama – will
displace a LOT of folks, promote extractive industry
(e.g. oil), and will encourage, and be coupled with,
environmentally destructive projects (e.g. dams).
**Tia is going to keep on the research and we’ll try
and keep our ears open for places where we can plug in
to provide solidarity and support.
8) Retreat – A retreat needed to focus on MGJ’s goals,
what we need to improve on (outreach, connections with
Direct Action networks around the nation, movement 
building), and where we’re headed.  
**Hope will take suggestions on dates that work for
folks.  E-mail her by Wednesday the 27th (next General
Meeting) to let her know your schedule.  Hope’s e-mail
is hope at 50years.org.
9) DAWN – DAWN wants to organize a celebratory event
for student organizers at AU, Georgetown, GWU, etc. to
network and have their work recognized and discussed –
A sort of congratulatory skill-share for student
organizers which will help to create connections so
that at the beginning of the next school year we’ll
all be able to start organizing together right off the
bat.  DAWN wants MGJ to co-sponsor/endorse this event
and help do outreach for it, figure out logistics, and
perhaps find a speaker – this all needs to happen
within the next 3 weeks – May 8th, 9th, 10th ?  
**Proposal:: MGJ will collaborate with DAWN on joint
venture to congratulate recent successes of student
organizers to create and event wehre we can all
network together – the format of the congratulatory
event will be figured out by the working group DAWN
and MGJ will form.
***CONSENSED***
10) Immigrant Action – Immigraion action 27th
Wednesday details on Basav e-mail to lists – Chelsea
and Basav will work on a flyer.
**Proposal:: MGJ will support and show up to flyer.
***CONSENSED***

ANNOUNCEMENTS::
April 30th – Boys & Girls Club 10-2pm, 14th and
Clifton NW – MGJ should come out and support.


Immigrant Action - Wednesday, April 27th, 2005 3:00 PM

Rally in Front of the Capitol
In Upper Senate Park (Constitution Ave btw New Jersey
and Delaware).

On April 27th, the National Coalition for Dignity and
Residency for
Immigrants and allies will converge in Washington DC
for a national day of action and lobby day. Mexicanos
Sin Fronteras, of Virginia, Washington DC, and
Maryland, calls on all those who support human rights
and dignity for immigrants to participate in this day
of action. At 3:00 PM we are organizing a protest in
from of the congress of the United States to demand
permanent residence for all undocumented immigrants.
This is crucial moment to raise our voices and demand
recognition of our human rights.

Despite our important role in U.S. culture, society
and economy,
undocumented immigrants are subject to abuse and
exploitation by
unscrupulous employers and others who use the threat
of deportation to
impose illegally low pay, dangerous working
conditions, and other 
abuses. Legal residence for immigrants would improve
wages and conditions for all
working-class people by granting basic rights to this
most exploited sector of the workforce.

Senators from both parties are working on a
bi-partisan legalization proposal for the immigrant
workers who work hard to contribute to the greatness
of this country. However, racist groups in Congress
are seeking to stop anything that would favor
immigrants. For example, the REAL ID Act, sponsored by
House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner, which
passed the House of Representatives in February of
2005, would construct the largest wall yet on Mexican
border, make it more difficult for genuine refugees to
get asylum, further eliminate due process for
immigrants, and impede
immigrants from getting driver’s licenses. This
legislation fails to address root causes, serving only
to further criminalize individuals whose work is an
essential part of the United States economy, thereby
suppressing wages in sectors that employ immigrants
and making it more difficult for immigrants to obtain
humane working and living conditions.

Mexicanos Sin Fronteras calls for all those who
support rights and dignity
for immigrants to come to the rally:

3:00 pm in front of the Capitol in Upper Senate Park
(Constitution Ave.
between New Jersey and Delaware).

For more information, email
mexicanossinfronteras at yahoo.com or call
(202)544-9355.


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