encuentro 5

Saturday, February 20th, 2010, 7:00 p.m. Join us for a fundraising night with live music, discussion, and Haitian food in solidarity with our Haitian sisters and brothers in their struggle and survival.

Guest Speaker: Dumas, a local Haitian artist and organizer, who has just returned from Haiti, will share his firsthand experiences and his thoughts on Haiti's struggle with economic imperialism.

Featuring: Op from the Foundation Movement, Sergio Reyes, Brian O'Connell & other local artists.

Suggested Entry Donation: $5 to $15 + donations for food and beverages.
Money will go to grassroots groups in Haiti and local Haitian communities.

Saturday, February 13, 2010, 6:00 p.m. Join Victor Wallis and Sylvia Escarcega in a discussion concerning the potential political and ethical contributions of indigenous thought and social movements to building alternatives to capitalism. Victor's paper, "Beyond 'Green Capitalism'" recently published in Monthly Review (61:9, February, 2010) provides a starting point for the conversation. In it, he notes the connection between the present economic recession, the crisis-ridden character of capitalist economy and the ecological limits to the capitalist growth model. But he goes on to observe that most of the world is still caught up in capitalist institutions and does not yet recognize the link between socialism and ecologically appropriate responses. He finds hope and examples in the Global South, insurgent socialism and indigenous resistance.

Thursday, February 4, 2010, 7:00 p.m. In the face of a deepening economic crisis and continuing brutal raids on immigrant workers and their communities, this event brings together union workers, immigrant organizers and community activists. It is part of the campaign by the Boston May Day Committee and its affiliates to unite workers across sector and borders. Join the conversation and help build toward May Day 2010!

Visit BostonMayDay.org for more information 

Thursday, January 28, 2010, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. While Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez continues to capture headlines, a much larger story involving a wider cast of characters has gone largely ignored. Venezuela Speaks!, published by PM Press, is a collection of interviews with activists and participants from across Venezuela’s social movements. From community media to land reform, cooperatives to communal councils, from the labor movement to the Afro-Venezuelan network, Venezuela Speaks! sheds light on the complex realities within the Bolivarian Revolution.

An Evening Celebrating the e5 Community

Saturday, January 16, 2010, 6:00 p.m. This gathering will also be an informal sending off event for local journalist and songwriter, Simon Rios, as he makes his voyage to India.

* New community club/coffeehouse at e5 invites you for a warm gathering! *

Sunday, December 27, 7:00 p.m. Good food, music, and dynamite documentaries from around the rebellious globe. We will explore some 20th century US propaganda through cartoons and magazine advertisements and counter-images of resistance art of the time. (It was also rumoured there will be a mini chess tournament...) Relax, enjoy the evening, make new connections for the new year, and support MESA's last stretch before the opening in January. This gathering will be a mini-fundraiser, with dinner plates at a sliding scale donation of $7 - $12 and drinks at $2-$3. Come join us!  Last time at MESA's... (read more).

A Discussion with Aarti Shahani, Mizue Aizeki & Joe Nevins

Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 5:30 p.m. Immigration reform will soon be on the national legislative agenda. All options on the table punish immigrants for global economic and policy failures. To consider the different bills, in particular the one that many progressives may offer critical support--HR 4321 aka the Guiterrez Bill--three important thinkers, Aarti Shahani (founder of Families for Freedom), Mizue Aizeki and Joseph Nevins (most recently authors of Dying to Live: A Story of U.S. Immigration in an Age of Global Apartheid) will join us for an early evening conversation and light dinner.

See here for summaries: 1. from the Immigration Policy Institute (this is an Adobe Acrobat [PDF] file)

Connecting the Issues: the Economy, the Climate Crisis, & War and Peace

Wednesday, December 16, 7:00 p.m. This conversation brings together 2 outstanding, long-time labor-movement activist intellectuals. It focuses on strategies for labor at this critical moment, particularly those that involve systematic collaboration with the peace/anti-war movement, climate justice movement, the single-payer health movement and the diverse coalition that elected Obama.

It also introduces the Majority Agenda Project as a potential solution to the strategic dilemma facing labor organizers: They care about a number of important issues that fall outside the traditional collective bargaining relationship but have to concentrate their work on areas prioritized by the needs of current campaigns.

A Journey into the Heart of Venezuela w/Director Pablo Navarrete

Monday, December 7, 2009, 7:00 p.m. February 2009 marked 10 years since Hugo Chavez took office, following a landslide election victory, and launched his revolution to bring radical change to Venezuela. While wildly popular with many in the country, Chavez's policies and his strongly-worded criticisms of the U.S. government have also made him powerful enemies, both at home and abroad, especially in the media.