Teach-in

A report back from a fact-finding delegation to Colombia

Monday November 16 at 7:00 PM — Murphy 116, UNC-Chapel Hill

RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=173315794784&ref=ts

"The government does not care for the poor and has completely abandoned us to poverty. Human life is worth only the value of a bullet." - Colombian Trade Unionist

Upon returning from their August 2009 fact finding delegation to Colombia, members of the Colombia Action Network and Campaign for Labor Rights have been touring across the country to spread the message of solidarity with the Colombian people, share eyewitness reports about the facts on the ground in Colombia, and build the movement to halt the proposed seven U.S. military bases in Colombia.

The delegation met with farm workers, students, and human rights activists and lawyers, and heard testimony from Afro-Colombian Communities, displaced peoples, and many that have experienced and continue to suffer from paramilitary violence. The delegation met with leaders and rank-and-file organizers in the Colombian people's struggles, and has a broad range of perspectives about the effects of U.S. intervention in Colombia.

Join us for a report from participants in the delegation, and learn more about U.S. intervention in Colombia, how this relates to the infamous School of the Americas, and what we can do to support the people of Colombia. The event will be Monday November 16 at 7:00 PM in Murphy 116, UNC-Chapel Hill.

We welcome endorsements and co-sponsors from other organizations, please contact us if you are interested!

In solidarity,

Students for a Democratic Society
unc.sds@gmail.com | http://www.chapelhilsds.org

What: SDS Summer School--Media Training for Campus Activists
When: Wednesday, June 3, 5:30pm
Where: Internationalist Books (405 W Franklin Street)

Ever wanted to learn how to write a press release? Holding an event or action and want to get lots of media coverage? How do you get your message out when speaking to the media?

Come out this Wednesday to a workshop hosted by UNC Chapel Hill SDS for any campus activist who wants to learn the answers to these and many more questions about how to do effective media work. We'll be having an hour long workshop facilitated by Independent Voices producer Elena Everett, who will share what she knows about doing activist media work and answer any questions you may have!

Please spread the word to other folks and organizations you think may be interested!

This will be the first in what will be a series of skillshares and workshops for campus activists that will take place throughout the summer. Other workshops that we're planning to hold include a facilitation and consensus building training, flier making 101, and anti-oppression trainings, among other things. Keep an eye out for these and other workshops throughout the summer!

Please RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=83390690678

SDS is a co-sponsor of this event

This program will try to make sense of events in Gaza by providing historical, legal and human contexts. Speakers will provide the background behind the news, and bring into focus the faces behind the headlines. Why is this war continuing? And what can we do to bring it to an end?

Find out this Thursday, Feb 21, when Iraqi-American Dahlia Wasfi gives a presentation about her experiences in occupied Iraq and the need for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops. Jason Hurd, an Iraq war veteran and president of the Asheville chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War will give a short introduction. Dr. Wasfi's presentation will be followed by a facilitated question and answer period.

When: Thursday February 21 at 7 PM
Where: Dey Hall room 307

UNC-Chapel Hill SDS will host an event, "Report Back: A Meeting With the Iraqi Resistance." Kosta Harlan, member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, recently traveled to Italy to attend the international conference, "With the Resistance, for a Just Peace in the Middle East". The conference marks the first time that leaders of the Iraqi national resistance have been able to speak in the West. Kosta will report back on who the resistance is and why they fight; the current conditions of the U.S. occupation of Iraq; the birth and development of the Iraqi resistance; and the tasks of the U.S. antiwar movement. Q&A to follow.

Monday, February 12th @ 6:30pm, 103 Bingham Hall

Imelda Daza-Cotes was an activist and a member of the Patriotic Union (UP) in Colombia. The UP was created through peace accords in 1984, as a leftist alternative to the two ruling parties. 4,000 UP members, activists, candidates and elected officials were assassinated by military and paramilitary forces supported by the right-wing government. Daza-Cotes was elected to office representing the Patriotic Union and fled from Colombia to protect her life. She is currently a professor of Economics in Sweden.

Monday November 13th: The Pit @ 3-5pm

We are hosting the Beehive Collective! They will use two of their awesome murals and a 6 foot tall storybook to lead an interactive discussion about the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Plan Colombia, Plan Puebla Panama and how these plans affect the people of Latin America. They are a volunteer run non-profit graphic collective from Maine and are also traveling to Ft. Benning. They will use money we give them to print their newest graphic and distribute copies for free at the Mesoamerican Foro this winter.

Information and pictures

Wednesday November 8th: Dey 404 @ 7pm

We will screen "Guns and Greed," a short film that brings to light some of the atrocities committed by SOA-graduates and the movement to close the School of the Americas. Students and local activists who have been to Venezuela and Colombia will lead a discussion after the film.

Join SDS and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) for a special screening of "The Ground Truth", a powerful new documentary featuring interviews with veterans of the Iraq war. The film will be followed by a discussion with members of IVAW.

Thursday November 2, 6pm in Bingham Hall 103.

Free food and drink!