Happy Black History Month! The San Francisco Chronicle has put together a helpful guide for on-going events / celebrations taking place around the Bay Area in honor of Black History Month. Art events, performances and more ways to celebrate are available to view here.
Below are three events happening this week!
‘From Enslavement to the Path of Freedom: The Power of Black Resistance’ Exhibition
Curated by Petaluma Blacks for Community Development, the exhibition addresses ongoing oppression encountered by African Americans. Open house/docent tour 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 10 through March 26. Free. Petaluma Historical Museum, 20 Fourth St., Petaluma. 707-778-4398. petalumamuseum.com
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Roots of Faith: An Offering of Sacred Song and Movement
Explore living links between African and African American spiritual musical traditions with the Awon Ohun Omnira (Voices of Freedom) choir. Led by musical/artistic director Tobaji Stewart, Yoruba chants for the ancestors accompanied by Bata drums will be followed by a community Ring Shout. 9:30 a.m.-noon Feb. 11. Free-$60, reservations required. Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 510-430-2255. mills.northeastern.edu
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Black History Month Point Pinole Stroll
Celebrate Black History Month with a stroll around Point Pinole. Learn about the local history of Parchester Village, explore the Dotson family marsh and hear about the history of the family it was named after. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Feb. 11. Free. Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, 5551 Giant Hwy, Richmond. 510-544-2233. baynature.org
Recommended Reading for this week:
New $2.2 Billion Arms Package for Ukraine Includes Longer-Range Rockets by Dave DeCamp on Antiwar
Upcoming Peace Actions to Support:
Organized by National Alliance on Mental Illness: Thursday, February 9th @ 6:00M on Zoom (Registration Link)
Rage Against the War Machine: Rally in Washington D.C (February 19th)
“On February 19, Washington, DC, will witness a protest against the war in Ukraine that marks a sharp departure from past demonstrations. The lead demand is simple and direct, “Not One More Penny for war in Ukraine.” It is a demand that emphasizes what we in the US can do to end the war, not what others can do. After all, the only government we have the power to influence is our own” – John Walsh (Peace Center Advocacy Committee Member, article published on Counterpunch 1/25/23)
SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE, Spring Action 2023
Veterans For Peace & CODEPINK are collaborating for a powerful peace convergence!
SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE! (April 15 – 22, 2023)
Holloman Drone Base, Southern New Mexico
Co-sponsored by CODEPINK, Ban Killer Drones & Veterans for Peace
Background: The campaign to nonviolently stop the US killer drone program orchestrated out of Creech AFB, Nevada is EXPANDING!Our Spring Action is moving to the southern New Mexico desert, at Holloman Killer Drone Base, April 15 – 22! This is a national mobilization. Please join us & bring friends. Our organizing is calling for at least 300 people across the country to converge in peaceful resistance! If you can help, please contact us!
Creech AFB in Nevada, is now understood to be the “grandfather” of all U.S. drone bases: The covert U.S. Drone Assassination Program started there, and it remains the central control center in a complex assassin drones network. Shut Down Creech, our 14 year campaign to resist drone warfare at Creech AFB, with week-long peaceful protests has been successful: Our persistence has contributed greatly to the rapid turnover of drone pilots and operators in the program. We will return to Creech for our fall action week later this year!
Why Holloman and Why Now?
The drone pilot/operator training program was moved from Creech to Holloman Air Force Base a few years ago. This explains the noticeably decreased commute traffic and decreased number of Reaper drones flying over the Nevada desert. Newer recruits are more likely to be impacted and called to their conscience. The secrecy of the drone program keeps it from the public eye. “Drone strikes” are rarely mentioned in the media or by the military, and the term “Air Strikes” provides convenient “shelter” from public scrutiny. Our presence will uncover the secrecy!
What we do know:
- Holloman AFB is the #1 producer of drone pilots and operators in the U.S.! It “graduates more than 600 students annually.” (per Holloman’s website)
- Holloman currently hosts the Royal Air Force RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) Formal Training Unit (FTU) and the Italian Air Force RPA training courses.
- Modern warfare has become a technical warfare using remotely controlled killing machines and autonomous weaponry. Countries are racing to obtain the most advanced drones and robotic weapons to compete with a very frightening global reality. (Read attached articles about the role of drones in the Ukraine war.) A more violent world is being created in our name, with our tax dollars.
The Shut Down Creech organizing team is collaborating with New Mexico Veterans For Peace activists to nonviolently resist drone warfare at Holloman. We are calling our expanded campaign:
SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE! Diplomacy not War…Stop Militarism for the Planet!