Thursday 9/15: Kickoff meeting for Fall 2011 – Global Crisis meets Global Resistance

Global Crisis meets Global Resistance:

Why You Should Be a Socialist

With Jen Roesch, Editorial Board Member of the International Socialist Review

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Hamilton Hall, Room 517

We can no longer sit and wait for politicians and corporations to fix the environmental, economic, and social disasters they themselves have created. The endless quest for wealth is what is ruining the economy; their endless drive for power is what keeps us at war. Neither party has a plan to solve these probems, because the problem is global and systemic. Every country in the world is another Egypt, England and Chile waiting to happen.We are socialists. We believe in fighting for a world where education is free. Where people have access to health care and sociali security. Where it shouldn’t take decades before LGBT people have equal rights. Where racism does not exist. Where women have control over their own bodies. Where we all have control over our lives – where ordinary people make the decisions about the issues that effect them.

We are socialists. You should be too! Join us for a discussion about getting involved with the ISO this semester.

Facebook invite HERE

To get a better idea of our politics and what we do – check out socialist worker

And we’re back for Fall 2011

Greetings from the Barnard-Columbia International Socialist Organization.

This blog is back!

Sometime last February, we stopped updating this events blog because, honestly, the world was too damn exciting a place to be living in. Between the strike and occupation of the state house in Madison, Wisconsin, to the revolutionary wave of uprisings that are still bringing regimes to their knees across North Africa and the Middle East, to protests on Wall St., to a re-emergent women’s rights movement, and trying to keep ROTC off of Columbia’s campus, we became so busy that we forgot to keep this blog updated. But we’re back and we’re ready for a new year of activism and radical education at Columbia, so please check back often, whether you’re a first year or a post-doc and get involved whenever you like – or rather, as soon as you can.

Thurs 2/17: A Radical History of Columbia

A Radical History of Columbia

Thursday, February 17
7:30pm – 9:30pm
Hamilton Hall 603

{Students outside of the occupation of Hamilton Hall in 1985 demanding that Columbia divest from apartheid South Africa}

In 1968, students from Students for a Democratic Society and the Student Afro-American Society occupied Hamilton Hall protesting Columbia’s expansion into Harlem. By building connections with black residents who were impacted by the Columbia expansion project, they were able to strengthen their movement. During this same period, students were able to push the university to stop hosting the ROTC military officer training program as part of the movement against Columbia’s connections to the Vietnam War.

In 1985, after building a campaign on campus for years, students occupied Hamilton demanding that Columbia divest from apartheid South Africa. As a result of the occupation, the university finally agreed to divest. In 1996, Columbia University students spent months demanding a Center for Ethnic Studies and won. These are just some of the many examples of radical students organizing and winning struggles at our university.

Just as in 1968, when student anti-war activism helped get ROTC off of Columbia’s campus, today students are again faced with the task of keeping the same military training program off our campus. As students fought to get the University to divest from apartheid South Africa, now students are beginning to organize for divestment from the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Join the Barnard-Columbia International Socialist Organization in a discussion about the radical history at Columbia University – and how theses struggles from the past can help us build a left on campus today.

columbia.iso@gmail.com (contact us!)
nycsocialist.org (for upcoming events and movements in NYC that we’re building)
socialistworker.org (for news and analysis)

Wed 2/23: Marx in Soho, a play by Howard Zinn

Marx in Soho
a play by Howard Zinn

with the original performer, Brian Jones

Wednesday, February 23
7:00pm – 8:30pm
Glicker-Milstein Black Box Theatre in the Diana Center, Barnard College
Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 night of performance
Buy tickets in advance at: http://www.cuarts.com/calendar/view/type/4/event_id/9464

A fundraiser for the Center for Economic Research and Social Change

Please join us at this exclusive performance of Marx in Soho, a play written by the great radical historian Howard Zinn (1922-2010).

{writer Howard Zinn and performer Brian Jones}

Zinn’s play Marx in Soho is a witty and insightful answer to the question, “If Karl Marx could see the world today, what would he say?”

The premise of this “play on history” is that Karl Marx has agitated with the authorities of the afterlife for a chance to clear his name. Through a bureaucratic error, though, Marx is sent to Soho in New York, rather than his old stomping ground in London, to make his case. Playwright Howard Zinn introduces us to Marx’s wife, Jenny, his children, the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, and a host of other characters. Marx in Soho is a brilliant introduction to Marx’s life, his analysis of society, and his passion for radical change. Zinn also shows how Marx’s ideas are relevant in today’s world.

Brian Jones is a teacher, actor, and activist in NYC. His commentary and writing have been featured on MSNBC.com, the Huffington Post, GritTV and the International Socialist Review. Jones has also lent his voice to several audiobooks, including Howard Zinn’s one-man play Marx in Soho, Wallace Shawn’s Essays and Noam Chomsky’s Hopes and Prospects. He has been performing this play throughout the country since 1999.

This event is a fundraiser for the Center for Economic Research & Social Change (www.cersc.org), which aims to highlight the injustices facing marginalized people through education.

Hosted by the Barnard-Columbia International Socialist Organization

Saturday 2/12: Columbia Stands with Egypt!

Greetings from the Barnard-Columbia International Socialist Organization:

As I’m sure most of you know, 18 days of mass protest in Egypt have finally brought the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak to an end. This is a huge victory for the people of Egypt, people across North Africa and the Middle East, and a significant blow to US imperialism. Mubarak has been one of the United States and Israel’s staunchest allies, and the US government provides him with over one billion dollars of aid per year, most of it, military.

Socialist Worker has been providing daily and even hourly reports from Cairo – keep checking back all weekend!

We’re happy to be celebrating Mubarak’s downfall tomorrow on campus at 2pm and we hope you’ll join us!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=199916810023037

COLUMBIA STANDS WITH EGYPT
Saturday, February 12 · 2:00pm – 4:00pm
________________________________
Location: Columbia University
Low Plaza, 116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam

________________________________
Created By
Turath: The Arab Students’ Organization at Columbia University, Rhonda Shafei

THE DICTATOR IS OUT!!!!We will be rallying for Egypt, to celebrate the victory of Egyptians over Mubarak’s regime, and in support of its people’s unwavering hope. This party is the culmination of our heartfelt happiness and aspirations for a better future in Egypt.

Come speak out and share your thoughts at Columbia’s historic campus. The PARTY will take place AFTER the protest(?) scheduled by Amnesty International at the UN.

Revolt across North Africa and the Middle East: Discussions and Solidarity Events this week!

Starting with the popular uprising against the Tunisian dictator Ben Ali, a wave of rebellion has swept across a number of predominantly Arab countries. Tens of thousands of Egyptians have taken to the streets and clashed with security forces in a fight against the Mubarak dictatorship. US client states are on the defensive and the cracks in US empire are being revealed.  Join the NYC International Socialist Organization at several important events this week to analyze recent events and to stand in solidarity with the struggle for democracy.

On Friday, January 28th we will be hosting an informal discussion on the revolt in the Arab world with Matt Swagler and Mostafa Omar.

On Saturday, January 29th we will be taking part in a critical solidarity demonstration at the United Nations.  We will be demanding that the US end its support for the Mubarak dictatorship.

Later on Saturday we will also have an informal discussion at Brad’s cafe on campus about the basics of what is happening in Palestine.

On Saturday, February 5th we have organized a teach-in on the Wikileaks, and now the Palestine Papers, that will put the inspiring events of recent weeks in the broader context of the cracks in US empire.

Full details for each event are posted below.  Please spread the word.  For more info, you can check out the NYC ISO website at http://www.nycsocialist.org, email columbia.iso@gmail.com

 

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Revolt in the Arab World:

what happened, where could it lead?

Friday, Jan. 28 | 7-9pm | Puck Building (295 Lafayette), 4th Floor

As rebellion has spread from Tunisia to Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa, understanding these events is critical for the Left here in the U.S. Please bring questions and comments to an exciting discussion this Friday.

Discussion will be kicked off by presentations from:

Matt Swagler, PhD candidate in African History at Columbia, contributing author on Africa to SocialistWorker.org, member of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Mostafa Omar, Egyptian-American activist and contributing author in “The Struggle for Palestine.”

Please RSVP on Facebook! To learn more in advance of the discussion, check out the articles and videos below.

Articles

A revolution unfolds in Tunisia: Matt Swagler looks at the dynamics of the mass movement inTunisia that toppled a dictator–and what could come next there and in surrounding countries.

Tunisia and the global crisis: Canadian socialist David McNally, author of Global Slump: The Economics and Politics of Crisis and Resistance, sets the revolution in Tunisia in the context of a global economic crisis–and the growing resistance to it around the globe.

Egypt reaches the boiling point: International Socialist Review editor Ahmed Shawki, recently returned from Cairo, and Egyptian-American activist Mostafa Omar spoke to Lee Sustar about the significance of the protests, and the social and political forces that gave rise to them.

Mubarek Faces Historic Challenge: An article providing a sense of the breadth of protests in Egypt, as well as the role of women protesters.

Videos

Capturing Tunisia protests on video

Tunisia police joint anti-government protests

Protests in Egypt

Day of Anger in Egypt

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Stand In Solidarity with the Struggle for Democracy in Egypt

Saturday, January 29th

1pm

United Nations

47th Street and 1st Avenue

Inspired by the successful ouster of the tyrant of Tunisia and the continued mobilizations in that country for justice, the masses in Egypt have engaged in huge rallies for two days straight, fighting off vicious police attacks and mass arrests. They have shown they will not give up – even in the face of guns, tear gas and other weapons supplied and paid for by the United States.A free Egypt is key to justice throughout the Arab world.  Come stand in solidarity with the brave people of Egypt.  Tell the US government to end its support for the Mubarak dictatorship.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************Saturday, 5pm, Brad’s Cafe – join the Barnard-Columbia Branch for an informal discussion about the events of the last two years in Palestine. Here are some starting places for background:

The attack on Gaza in 2008

http://socialistworker.org/2009/01/05/tearing-gaza-apart

The convoy/flotilla movement and Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions:

The new challenge to Israeli apartheid

What is BDS and why is it important:

http://socialistworker.org/2010/10/07/is-boycotting-israel-anti-semitic

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Wikileaks, the Palestine Papers and the Revolt in the Arab World:
The Cracks in US Empire

Saturday, February 5
6:30pm – 9:30pm
304 Barnard Hall
Barnard College
117th and Broadway

Morningside Heights, Manhattan

*US Imperialism in the Middle East * The Secret War in Pakistan * The Occupation of Afghanistan * The Rise of the US Security State * The US Government’s War on Democracy * The Rise of Resistance in the Arab World

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Sponsored by the International Socialist Organization
contact: nyciso@gmail.com | 646.421.2035

Also endorsed by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, NYU Students for Justice in Palestine, NY-Al Awda: The Palestine Right of Return Coalition and Haymarket Books

Featuring:

*MICHAEL SCHWARTZ on US Imperialism in the Middle East
(Author of “War Without End” and Professor of Sociology at SUNY Stonybrook)

*ARUN GUPTA on the US Government’s Profound Hatred of Democracy and the War on Dissent
(Founding Editor of The Indypendent)

*ADANER USMANI on the Secret War in Pakistan
(Student Activist based in NYC. Works with the Action for a Progressive Pakistan and Labour Party (LPP))

*ANAND GOPAL on the Occupation of Afghanistan
(Has reported on Afghanistan for the Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal)

*LAMIS DEEK on Israel’s War Plans
(Al-Awda NY: The Palestine Right of Return Coalition)

*MOSTAFA OMAR on The Revolt in the Arab World
(Egyptian-American Activist and member of the International Socialist Organization)

Thurs 7:30pm: ‘Never Again for Anyone’ tour – the Holocaust and the expulsion of Palestinians

On Thursday, the ISO will be hosting the ‘Never Again for Anyone’ tour at Barnard. (Details below again) The event features Hajo Meyer, a survivor of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, and Hatem Bazian, a Palestinian-American professor at UC Berkeley. They are touring to bring Jews and Muslims together in speaking out against the expulsion of Palestinians from their land and the ongoing oppression they face at the hands of the Israeli and US governments. Professor Bazian will also be speaking about the rise in islamophobia in the US today.

Our tour stop falls on Holocaust Remembrance Day – an important reminder that all those who face and have faced oppression deserve our solidarity. Unfortunately, supporters of the daily violence used by Israel and the US against Palestinians often invoke the Holocaust to justify those actions. As Meyer and others will argue on Thursday, the horrors of the Holocaust should not be used to now justify the ethnic cleansing of another group of people, but should remind us of the importance of struggling against all forms of institutional oppression.

Hope to see you on Thursday – the ISO will have a table outside the meeting – come and introduce yourself!
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NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE

NYC Tour Stop
Thursday, January 27th
7:30pm, Barnard College, 304 Barnard Hall
Broadway & 117th St (1 train to 116th St)

During the 2011 international Holocaust Remembrance Day, join Dr. Hajo Meyer in sharing the lesson of his experience in Auschwitz: Never Again for Anyone. Dr. Meyer will be joined by Dr. Hatem Bazian and other social justice and Palestinian activists to discuss the urgency of this message in the US and Canada.

In the face of the on-going ethnic cleansing of Palestine, attacks and persecution of Muslim and Arab communities in the US and Canada, and on-going attacks against the rights of other communities and immigrants, we assert a commitment to collective humanity against the application of “never again” to only a few.

Speakers: Hajo Meyer, Hatem Bazian, Hedy Epstein, Dawud Assad

Cost: $5-$20, No one turned away for lack of funds.

Tour sponsored by: American Muslims for Palestine, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Middle East Children’s Alliance

Local Endorsers: New York City Labor Against the War, Al-Awda NY, Columbia SJP, International Socialist Organization, Siegebusters, Existence is Resistance, CAAAV – Organizing Asian Communities

National Endorsers: US Palestinian Community Network, Sabeel – North America, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Israeli Coalition on House Demolitions – US, Tree of Life, Haymarket Books

For updated information and more tour locations: www.neveragainforanyone.com

Dr. Hajo G. Meyer was born in Bielefeld, Germany, in 1924. In 1939, at the age of 14, he fled alone to Holland to escape the Nazi regime. After the Germans occupied that country, he was captured by the Gestapo in 1944, and survived ten months in Auschwitz. After the war, he studied theoretical physics and became a researcher at Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven. He received his Ph.D. in 1956, and in 1974 became managing director of the lab. Retiring in 1984, he became a maker of violins, selling his instruments to professional musicians. He has devoted himself full-time to his work as an activist and essayist.

Dr. Hatem Bazian received his Ph.D in Philosophy and Islamic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, he is a senior lecturer in the departments of Near Eastern and Ethnic Studies. He served as an adjunct professor of law at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Bazian is a visiting professor in Religious Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California and adviser to the Religion, Politics, and Globalization Center at UC Berkeley as well as Academic Affairs at Zaytuna College of California. Dr. Bazian founded at Berkeley the Center for the Study and Documentation of Islamaphobia.

Calendar of upcoming Barnard-Columbia ISO events!

We’ve come up with quite a busy organizing calendar for the first half of the semester. Below you’ll find a list of major events that we have planned for the next couple weeks – and if they look good to you please come get involved and help us organize even more.

With the exception of this week, our regular meetings will take place every THURSDAY at 7:30pm in Hamilton Hall, room 603.

This Thursday, we are hosting a special event about Jewish and Muslim solidarity with the Palestinian struggle at Barnard. Details will follow this email.

TH 1/27 : ‘Never Again for Anyone’ tour stop at Barnard. Come hear Auschwitz survivor
Hajo Meyer and Palestinian-American professor Hatem Bazian speak about the Jewish and Muslim solidarity with the people of Palestine. The ISO is hosting this event! 7:30pm, Barnard Hall 304.

FRI 1/28: Friday night informal discussion: The revolt in Tunisia. 7pm, Puck Building at NYU. One of our Columbia members will be kicking off this discussion of the inspiring events in North Africa. Here is the facebook event page.

SAT 1/29: Socialist Worker article discussion series: Palestine. Afternoon time TBA, Brad’s Cafe on campus. At Columbia, we’re part of organizing with Students for Justice in Palestine – and this week we’ll be discussing some of the history and politics around the Palestinian struggle. Come join in – all are welcome.

SA 2/5 : ‘A Profound Hatred of Democracy’: What Wikileaks Exposes about the US Empire. 6:30pm, Barnard Hall 304. We have speakers lined up to talk about what the Wikileaks cables reveal about the US government’s actions in Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine – and about repression here in the US. Here is the facebook event page.

TH 2/10 : ‘A Radical History of Columbia.’ Come to a public meeting we are hosting on the rich legacy of activism, organizing and occupations that have taken place at Columbia – or in response to the university’s behavior in the city. 7:30pm, Hamilton Hall 603.

TH 2/24 : ‘Marx in Soho’ – fundraiser performance for the Center for Economic Research and Social Change. Don’t miss original performer Brian Jones in Howard Zinn’s political sharp and humorous play about Karl Marx brought back to present-day New York. Stay tuned for details!

More generally, we’re active in Palestine solidarity organzing on campus, and are interested in organizing to keep ROTC off of campus. There are many other movements we’ve been involved in during past semesters – from abortion clinic defense to restaurant workers organizing campaigns. Come join us if you’d like to help open up new opportunities for activism on and off campus…

See you Thursday!

Sunday 1/9: NYC March and Rally for Gaza

Join the ISO contingent for a March and Rally for Gaza

Sunday, 9 January 2011, 1:00pm

33rd and 6th Avenue, Manhattan, NY

ISO meet up: 12:00pm at Seattle’s Best Coffee, 100 West 33rd Street (6th Avenue)

We are mobilizing with Palestinian solidarity activitsts to remember the December 27, 2008  Zionist military savagely attacked Gaza. They used weapons paid for by the US to kill hundreds in the first day, and by the end of the three-week assault murdering at least 1,400 and wounding thousands more.

In the years before and since the massacres, Israel has imposed a siege on Gaza leading to malnutrition, stunted growth, and death — and a recent human rights report found that the announced “easing” of the siege never occurred. Murder by Israeli snipers of Gaza farmers trying to work their land is an everyday occurrence.

Meanwhile Israel’s main sponsor, the US, continues to block international legal bodies from pursuing the findings of war crimes during the attacks laid out in the Goldstone Report. Nor has justice been brought against the murderers of the Turkish and American citizens on the Mavi Marmara.

Within occupied ’48 Palestine, the Zionist government passes ever more explicitly racist laws against its Palestinian “citizens.” And on the diplomatic front, the US has dropped its farcical “direct talks” between unelected officials in favor of equally farcical “indirect talks,” all with the goal of imposing a final apartheid solution — one which will above all deny the right of return, a right cherished by the overwhelming majority of Gazans who came from ’48 Palestine.

The two years since the massacres have been years of mushrooming mobilization against Zionism’s crimes, and an unprecedented degree of isolation for the Israeli regime. But this has brought with it retaliation against Palestinians and their supporters, from harassment by campus officials to raids and grand jury subpoenas by the FBI.

This repression is a sign that the Zionists and their sponsors in Washington are worried — not only that further crimes will be met with equally fierce resistance, but also because they know Palestinians are more determined than ever to fight on until total liberation, until every refugee can return, until the land of Palestine is free from the river to the sea!

The demands include:

End the Siege!

No US Aid to Zionist Racism and Murder!

Bring Zionist War Criminals to Justice!

Free Palestine!

We need as many supporters as possible to show their solidarity with the international movement to support Palestinian freedom. We hope you can stand with us on January 9^th. Please spread the word!

Sponsored by: Al-Awda NY -The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, US Palestinian Community Network-NY, International Action Center, Hunter Students for Justice in Palestine, American Muslims for Palestine-NJ, American Muslims for Palestine-NY, Existence is Resistance, Palestinian Club – Brooklyn College, Columbia U. Students for Justice in Palestine, FiRE-Gabriela USA, Siege Busters Working Group, United National Antiwar Committee-NY, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, BAYAN USA, New York City Labor Against the War, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Labor for Palestine, International Socialist Organization, Socialist Action, ANSWER-NY, WESPAC

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Mon 12/27, 5pm: Rally & March Marking the Two Year Anniversary of the Gaza Massacre

Greetings from the Barnard-Columbia International Socialist Organization:

We hope everyone has finally wrapped up all their finals and is taking a much-deserved break. If you’re in New York, please join us at a protest on Monday marking the two year anniversary of Israel’s attack on Gaza. Israel’s massacre levelled many parts of the Gaza strip, destroyed major infrastructure (including 32 UN-run schools and Gaza’s only power plant), decimated agricultural production and ultimately killed nearly 1400 Palestinians.

Two years ago we were in the streets of New York many times as this horror unfolded. Students in the UK and US occupied their campuses to demand that their schools break ties with Israel, and at Columbia we restarted a Palestine solidarity group which has now evolved into Students for Justice in Palestine. Help us keep that spirit of activism and resistance alive on this anniversary.

For more on Israel’s attack, read here:
http://www.isreview.org/issues/64/feat-gaza.shtml

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Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174399205925174&ref=ts To show your support and endorse, please contact info@al-awdany.org

Rally & March on the Two Year Anniversary of the Attack on Gaza

Monday, 27 December 2010 ~ 5:00pm

Between 33rd & 34th Street & 6th Avenue, NY, NY

R   E   M   E   M   B   E   R      G   A   Z   A

Come stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza and show them that we remember!

Join us December 27th to demand:

Halt US Aid to Israel

End the Siege and illegal Blockade

Free Palestine

Hold Israel Accountable for War Crimes

Sponsored by: Al-Awda NY: the Palestine Right to Return Coalition,  Hunter-SJP, Columbia SJP, American Muslims for Palestine-NJ, American Muslims for Palestine-NY, US Palestinian Community Network-NY, Palestinian Club-Brooklyn College, Siege Busters Working Group, International Action Center, United National Antiwar Committee-NY, New York City Labor Against the War, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Labor for Palestine, International Socialist Organization, Socialist Action.