Venezuela Film Festival

This looks fantastic and quite unique. I can't go, but maybe you can. Also keep an eye on the program for the Tribeca Film Festival, which also promises to be good. I will definitely try to make a few of those:

100% VENEZUELA IS BACK!
NYU-VENEZUELAN FILM FESTIVAL, SECOND EDITION
April 23-27, 2008
at New York University’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center
53 Washington Square South (between Sullivan &Thompson Streets)

http://www.nyu.edu/kjc/100_Venezuela/

UNC Sit-In

Notice regarding a sit-in at UNC-Chapel Hill:

Hi everyone,

It is our fifth day sitting in the administration building... in 10 minutes the building opens (woohoo!) and we can get a little fresh air.

We have set up a wordpress for updates and more information (it's a work in progress, but all the basics are on there): http://dsp4unc.wordpress.com/ Please check there for continuing updates.

Also, our lovely campus newspaper the Daily Tar Heel, printed some ridiculous articles about the sit-in... They're not bad so much as just ridiculous. I like how people who have never organized are advising us on tactics. This is the longest sit-in since the 1993 sit-in for the black cultural center, and seriously, this is what they come up with? Why not ask the thousands of people who support us and actually know what's going on? Sigh. If yall can write letters to the editor, we'd be much obliged.

Also, for local Triangle folk, letters to the editor to any of the local newspapers would be very very helpful for us.

http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2008/04/21/University/SitIn.Protest.Outlasts.Weekend-3337801.shtml

http://www.dailytarheel.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=cffff17f-9a67-4880-9490-ab718ac69211

Peace and solidarity,
the members of the occupying force

--
Salma Mirza
UNC-CH History, Class of 2008
Cell: (716) 432-1576, E-mail: salma@unc.edu[15] Organizer for Student Action with Workers
224 FPG Carolina Union, C.B. # 5210
http://www.uncsolidarity.org/
http://www.studentsagainstsweatshops.org/

Rally for Tufts Janitors

If you are in the Tufts area this Wednesday, be sure to check out the rally for Tufts Janitors on campus. If not, read Lou's post to find out other actions you can take on this issue.

Lets' Crash the Party!

So, this post is mostly directed at those in Ohhh-three! Sorry, the rest of you. But there are ways that others can help-- read on!

I have received multiple emails and postcards from Tufts telling me of the 2003 Five-Year Reunion Party to happen on May 17. All of them went in the trash. And then I got another one.

Something similar happened to me a couple of years ago when the University College had an alumni event. I ended up going with a couple of friends and although we had invitations, it felt like we were crashing the party. It was fun (though maybe not for them!). So I thought that I would see if there is interest in crashing the reunion party. Let me tell you what I have in mind:

The Social Justice Fund has funded the Jumbo Janitor Alliance, which is an organization that supports janitors at Tufts as they seek a better contract with One Source. Many people will remember that this struggle has been going on for quite some time. The late Gerald Gill was a strong supporter of the Tufts janitors, even before they were outsourced and were forced to take a drastic pay cut for doing the same work.

The class of '03 is having a fun affair at Vox Populi in Back Bay. Lets show them what the vox populi really sounds like and organize a voice of dissent for a fair contract for the Tufts Janitors. Register for the event an then shoot me an email to let me know that you are coming! Here is a place where the Tufts Progressive Alumni Network can really get to work!

For those of you not in '03, there is a list of other events going on. You can distribute information here or just email the organizers of these events letting them know how you feel.

We can have fun at our reunion. If we do it our way.

Tufts Janitor Contract Negotiations

The saga of Tufts' contract negotiations with the janitors continues. On April 24th, SEIU, the janitors' union, will begin negotiations with their employer, OneSource/ABM.

Join this Facebook group to keep updated: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16055330131

Mystic Garden needs your help

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lily Zhang <lily.zhang@tufts.edu>
Date: Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 4:03 PM
Subject: Mystic Garden needs your help
To: Lisette Le <lisette@cpaboston.org>


I am volunteering at The Welcome Project, a Somerville community group at the Mystic Public Housing Development. They work with Somerville immigrant community. One of their projects is a community garden at the housing development that was founded by Vietnamese immigrants 18 years ago.

Here is an article in this week's paper (with photos) about the Mystic Community Garden. The piece describes the efforts of the immigrant gardeners to re-open their garden this spring after nearly two years of gardening in buckets in a parking lot.

http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2008/04/community-garde.html

The article also includes a link to a page for people to sponsor the Garden by helping to raise the funds needed to purchase fencing materials and support the move into the new space.

You can link to this page at:

www.firstgiving.com/welcomeproject

Please forward to others who may be interested in helping support the rebirth of a new garden at the Mystic Public Housing Development.

Lily Zhang
Tufts University '10
American Studies & Sociology

PAID SUMMER INTERNSHIP WITH OCA-NY

A generously paid internship opportunity with OCA-New York on hate crimes prevention and voting rights for Asian American communities in NYC! Please circulate widely!

========================================================

COLLEGE STUDENT NEEDED

PAID SUMMER INTERNSHIP WITH OCA-NY

May 15-August 30, 2008

The Organization of Chinese Americans-New York Chapter (OCA-NY ) seeks a college summer intern to work full-time on its hate crimes prevention and voting rights projects. The hate crimes prevention project is a collaboration between OCA-NY and youth organizations serving minority youth to organize an art competition among high school students in New York City. The college summer intern will work with the student planning committee for the art contest, help organize the training/workshops for the planning committee, advertise the competition and plan the opening reception of the art contest. The voting rights project includes supervising high school students do voter registration, conducting voting rights leadership trainings and helping prepare for OCA-NY "get out the vote" phonathon.

The College summer student must work well independently and in a group dynamics and have strong organizational and leadership skills. Travel between Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan and working some nights and weekends are required. Experience working with youth groups and knowledge of hate crimes and/or voting rights issues in the Asian American community in New York City is preferred.

Stipend: $3,000.00 for the period from May 15-August 30, 2008, plus subway travel costs

To apply: Send a current resume and an essay, no more than 500 words as to why you should be selected. Include two references: one from someone who is knowledgeable about your character and leadership skills and one from a professor that has taught you within the last year.

Send the application to: Organization of Chinese-Americans-New York Chapter

P.O. Box 3233, Church Street Station

New York, New York 10008

RE: 2008 Summer Intern Application-Combating Hate Crimes Project

Deadline for applying: April 25, 2008

This project is funded in part by grants from the OCA Allstate Foundation and the New York Community Trust. OCA-NY is a chapter of the OCA, a national non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well being of Asian Pacific Americans (APA). Its goals are to advocate for social justice, equal opportunity and fair treatment, to promote civic participation, education and leadership, to advance coalition building and to foster cultural heritage.

For more info: contact Liz OuYang at lizouyang@aol.com

--
++++++++++++++++++++++
Christina Chen
Columbia University, CC' 09
1750 Lerner Hall
New York, NY 10027
510-418-8792

...new situations bring new contradictions, requiring new visions.
– Grace Lee Boggs

Glenn Omatsu - Freedom Schooling: Reconceptualizing Asian American
Studies for Our Communities ::
http://www.boggscenter.org/ideas/edu/omatsu.shtml

International Affairs Forum - Student Award Contest

ANNOUNCEMENT:

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS FORUM
www.ia-forum.org


STUDENT AWARD CONTEST
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

SPRING 2008 AWARD: THE EU AND CLIMATE CHANGE

The European Union is considered to be at the forefront of addressing
climate change in the international arena. Based on your research,
discuss the EU's influence with regard to changing international
attitudes towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as a global
priority objective.


Essays should be between 750 and 2500 words, excluding footnotes.


PRIZES:

First Prize $1,000
Second Prize $500
Third Prize $250


Prizes will be awarded for the best essays as judged by IA-Forum
Editorial staff and a distinguished panel of judges. Winners and
finalists may also be published on IA-Forum.


Please read additional contest rules before applying. Use award
research tips for links to organizations and books listings that can
help start your paper.

The deadline for this contest is May 31, 2008.

International Affairs Forum (www.ia-forum.org) is a publication of the
Center for International Relations, a nonpartisan nonprofit
organization.

Contact us at editor@ia-forum.org

Center for International Relations
990 N. Quintana St.
Arlington, VA 22206
703-532-6800

Social Justice Fund Announces Spring Grantees

The Social Justice Fund is proud to announce the grantees from its spring application round. We are proud to support the work of these students and student groups in their quest for social justice at Tufts and beyond.

• Tessa Henry and the Emerging Black Leaders for support of the Emerging Black Leaders Symposium. Find out more at http://www.tuftsebls.org/site/ ($500)
• Erin Baldassari and the Synaptic Scholars for support of the Tufts Hip Hop for Social Change Festival ($500)
• John Chiosi and the Tufts chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility - for their display and awareness campaign around the AIDS Quilt ($660)
• Morissa Sobelson - for her summer research on the Community Health movement in Boston ($700)
• Emma Mayerson and the Jumbo Janitor's Alliance - for Dorm Clean-up events. Read about the Jumbo Janitors Alliance in the Tufts Daily.

April 3 - Climate Justice Series at Tufts

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Beverly Wright (Xavier University and the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice) and Ted Glick (U.S. Climate Emergency Council and the Climate Crisis Coalition) will speak on behalf of their work in environmental justice.

Thursday, April 3
Reception from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Rabb Room Lincoln Filene
Lecture at 6:00 p.m., Braker 01