The following writeup is from Pax Christi Tampa Bay
Mar. 3, 2010
Pax Christi Tampa Bay E-mail Newsletter
NEWSLETTER ITEMS
1. Weekly calendar of regular local peace and justice events
2. Lenten farmworker shirt drive
3. Help for Haitian burn victims
4. Eckerd College’s Plight and Promise of Africa
5. Pax Christi Youth Retreat
6. Refuge Thrift Store grand opening
7. Execution this Tuesday
8. Eliminating nuclear weapons talk
9. Environmental book study
10. 16th Annual Peace and Justice Conference
11. Iraq invasion anniversary actions
12. Southern Exposure music festival with Stetson Kennedy
13. Singer/songwriter/activist Anne Feeney
14. March on Washington
15. “Way of the Cross Today” contemporary Stations of the Cross
16. CIW mobile Modern Slavery Museum
17. Fair Food drawing contest
18. Congressional bill to reduce nukes, help children
19. National Farm Worker Ministry’s Youth and Young Adult Network list of actions
20. Upcoming events
Good folks,
A hundred people filled Lakewood United Church of Christ to hear Fr.
Roy Bourgeois talk about the School of the Americas/WHINSEC, SOA
Watch’s campaign to close the school, and his journey as a
peacemaker. WMNF radio aired a two-part report about Fr.
Bourgeois’ appearance. To hear part one, click here; to
hear part two, click here. To hear an interview on RadioActivity
with Rob Lorei, in which Fr. Bourgeois also addresses women’s
ordination in the Catholic Church, click here
URGENT ACTION NEEDED: The state of Florida is planning to kill David
Johnston at 6:00 PM next Tuesday, March 9. Click here to email
the Governor or call (850) 488-7146; FAX: (850) 487-0801.
Anti-death penalty activists will gather in Pinellas County from
5:00-6:00 PM on Tuesday, March 9 at the intersection of Ulmerton Road
and 49th Street N. in mid-Pinellas County. More details are below.
To receive updates on executions and other death penalty issues from
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, click here
On Good Friday, Christians remember the execution of Jesus, a poor man
with no wealth or political connections. Jesus lived in a land
under the occupation of the Roman military. His challenge to the
authorities was so great that he was tortured to death by the
Romans. Today, Florida’s Death Row is filled with the
poor. The people of Iraq and Afghanistan are reeling from the
United States’ military occupation.
This Good Friday, April 20, at 5:30 PM beginning on the corner of 1st
Ave. and 6th St. N. in downtown St. Petersburg, Pax Christi Tampa Bay
will conduct its annual “Way of the Cross Today.” We
will follow the traditional stages, or “stations,” of
Jesus’ crucifixion during the Roman Empire set in the modern
context of the 20110 American Empire. This is a sobering and
renewing experience for those engaged in the struggle for justice and
peace. More information is below.
Also below is the Weekly Calendar of regular peace and justice
activities in west Florida, and information on concerts, marches, a
book study, demonstrations, retreats, on-line activism and other
activities that promote a more peaceful and just world.
Pax Christi Tampa Bay
weekly calendar
JUSTICE RADIO: Overnight Underground is a new radio program featuring
lively socially conscious and politically provocative music;
announcements of local peace and justice events; good news about those
in the struggle for peace and justice; and listings of social services
in the Tampa Bay area. The show is broadcast from 1:00 AM-4:00
every Tuesday morning on WMNF 88.5 FM. Each show is available
online for the week following the broadcast at
http://wmnf.org/programs/329
Dunedin peace cornering: Cornering is at Alternate 19, in front of the
Dunedin Marina in Dunedin, 4:30-6:00 PM on Wednesdays; parking is
available at the Dunedin Marina. For more information (FMI): Melissa or
Kim
NEW SITE: PEACE FIRST: Peace First will gather at the corner of 34th
Street and 22nd Avenue S. in St. Petersburg every Wednesday in March
from 5:00-6:00 PM. Participants usually gather afterward at a nearby
restaurant for a meal. FMI: SMcCown@tampabay.rr.com
WEEKLY PEACE DEMONSTRATION: The Pasco County Peace Vigil is held at US
19 and Ridge Rd. in Port Richey every Friday from 7:30-8:30 AM.
Participants meet at Denny’s afterward for breakfast. FMI:
www.flpan.org or bettejo@flpan.org
SILENT PEACE VIGIL IN SARASOTA: Join the Southwest Florida Coalition
for Peace and Justice for a silent vigil for peace on Fridays from
4:00-5:00 PM at the Sarasota Bayfront (near Marina Jack's) off Route
41, just after the Ringling cutoff. FMI: http://www.swfcpj.org/
FRIDAY PICNIC AND SHARING IN ST. PETE: At 7:00 PM each Friday, the St.
Petersburg Friends sponsor a picnic that provides food for
between 50 and 125 people each week. The picnic is at the
Unitarian Universalist Church, 719 Arlington Avenue N. on Mirror Lake
Drive in downtown St. Petersburg. Volunteers, supplies and food
are needed, especially food that is easy to carry and slow to spoil,
such as peanut butter sandwiches, cheese and crackers, etc., as well as
T-shirts and blankets. Toiletries, clean t-shirts, jeans or work
pants, and blankets are needed. FMI and to help: Ed at (727) 327-1954
or Dottie at (727) 647-6929.
PEACE DEMONSTRATION: Join the Nature Coast Coalition for Peace and
Justice at the corner of U.S. 19/Commercial Way and State Road
50/Cortez Boulevard from 10:00 AM-12:00 noon every other Saturday in
Spring Hill. FMI: brianmor@tampabay.rr.com or (352) 686-9936.
BRADENTON PEACE GATHERING: Join the Green Bridge Patriots to protest
the war every Sunday at the base of the Green Bridge beginning at 11:00
AM in Palmetto. FMI: alvinlevie@hotmail.com or (941) 747-0941.
STAND FOR PEACE: The Social Concerns Committee and the
Youth Group at Spirit of Life Unitarian Universalists in Odessa is
sponsoring a Stand for Peace at the intersection of Tarpon Springs Road
and Burrell Road on the third Sunday of every month from 12:45 -
1:45 PM. FMI: http://www.spiritoflifeuu.org/
single events
LENTEN LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT DRIVE: For farmworkers, the Diocese of
St. Petersburg is collecting long-sleeved shirts, infant supplies, and
personal hygiene products. The drive ends March 31. More
details and a list of drop-off points can be found by clicking here
LOCAL Assistance for Haitian Burn Victims: Catholic Charities is
coordinating services for the Haitians that have been flown into Tampa
with Humanitarian Parole and is currently assisting 46 families with
medical needs - most of them burn victims. They need volunteers
who can help with transportation, office assistance, food preparation,
vehicles, interpretation and clothing. FMI and to volunteer,
call Denise at (813) 631-4370, x 215.
PLIGHT AND PROMISE OF AFRICA AT ECKERD COLLEGE: During 2010, Eckerd
College in St. Petersburg is hosting lectures, films, concerts,
activism and art concerning Africa. The website for the program
is at http://africa.eckerd.edu/; a listing of events with links is
below.
John Prendergast: "Stopping Rape as a War Weapon: Congo and Beyond"
Thu, 03/04/2010 - 7:30pm
Fox Hall at Eckerd College
John Prendergast, Eckerd Students and Alumni: "Taking Action: Reflections on Service-Learning and Social Justice in Africa"
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 7:00pm
Miller Auditorium at Eckerd College
Elie Wiesel and John Prendergast: "From the Holocaust to Darfur: If We Had Only Learned Our Lesson"
Thu, 03/11/2010 - 7:30pm
Where:
Progress Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater, 400 First Street South, St. Petersburg
This event is free and open to the public; reserved tickets are
required. Maximum of 4 tickets per person. All tickets will be
distributed by Eckerd College. Due to the high volume of tickets
distributed, we strongly encourage that all reservations will be
submitted via the online form. K-12 teachers and youth directors
requesting group seating for students should contact us here.
Photo Exhibit: "Images from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda and Malawi"
Fri, 03/12/2010 (All day) - Sun, 03/28/2010 (All day)
The Studio@620, 620 First Avenue South, St. Petersburg, 727.895.6620
PAX CHRISTI YOUTH RETREAT: The Pax Christi Young Adult/Student Winter
Retreat will be March 5-7 just outside of Jacksonville, Florida. For
more information on the retreat, click here to go to the Pax Christi
USA website or see the event page on Facebook.
REFUGE THRIFT STORE GRAND OPENING: The grand opening of the Refuge
Thrift Store, 510 49th St. South in St. Petersburg, will be this
Saturday, March 6th beginning at noon. Free hamburgers, hotdogs and
refreshments will be served, and a DJ will provide music. The store
will carry books, furniture, clothes, electronics, and knick
knacks. Everything sold benefits the Refuge’s work with the
homeless and poor. The store is accepting donations; large
donations may be picked up. FMI: bruce@stpeteforpeace.org .
EXECUTION PROTEST: The state of Florida is planning to kill David
Johnston at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, March 9. Anti-death penalty
activists will gather in Pinellas County during the execution.
Details are below, including links to vigils elsewhere in the
state.
Last fall, the American Law Institute, which created the intellectual
framework for the current death penalty almost 50 years ago, said the
death penalty system is irretrievably broken and abandoned its support
for executions. One law professor called the group, which
consists of 4,000 judges, lawyers and law professors, “the only
intellectually respectable support for the death penalty system in the
United States.” To read a New York Times article on that
decision and other actions affecting the death penalty, click here
Contact information for Governor Crist is below. For a report in
the Lakeland Ledger about the enormous cost of the death penalty, click
here. To read about Floridians for Alternatives to the Death
Penalty’s concerns on the issue of cost, click here .
Demonstration During the Execution: Join Pax Christi Tampa Bay, Peace
First, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and other death
penalty opponents at an anti-death penalty vigil from 5:00-6:00 PM on
Tuesday, March 9 at the intersection of Ulmerton Road and 49th Street
N. in mid-Pinellas County. This is the site of past vigils.
Park in the lot next to Checkers on the northwest corner of the
intersection. Signs will be provided, or you can bring your
own. FMI: sjstew@gte.net or (727) 894-2832.
For prayer, study, and action suggestions about the death penalty from Pax Christi Florida, click here.
Take Action Now: Contact Gov. Crist to express your opposition to Florida’s executions:
Office of Governor Charlie Crist
State of Florida
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Press Control and click here to Email the Governor
Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146; FAX: (850) 487-0801
FMI: Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
(FADP) For a downloadable death penalty fact sheet with
talking points: http://www.fadp.org/FL_factsheet.pdf; click this link
for FADP suggestions to take action.
ELIMINATING NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Elaine Hallmark, the first Executive
Director Emeritus of the national organization of Beyond War, will give
a lecture on her recent trip to Copenhagen at the 2010 World Climate
Summit, and on the elimination of nuclear weapons. She will be
speaking at the Englewood Community Presbyterian Church, 405 S. McCall
Rd. in Englewood, Florida on Tuesday, March 9, at 7:00 PM. This
event is free. Hallmark will also speak to a small group,
(reservations required) at a luncheon on March 10 at the Manasota Beach
Club, 7660 Manasota Key Road in Englewood. Cost is $20 and
includes lunch. For more information & reservations, contact
Dr. Peter Duisberg, at (941) 474-5204.
ENVIRONMENTAL BOOK STUDY: The Social Justice Ministry/Green Team of St.
Paul Catholic Church is conducting a book study of Sharon Astyk's
Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front, or One Woman's
Solutions to Finding Abundance for Your Family while Coming to Terms
with Peak Oil, Climate Change and Hard Times. The study will meet
on the second and fourth Wednesdays of March, April and May from
7:00-9:00 PM in the Parish Center at St. Paul’s Catholic Church,
1800 12th Street North in St. Petersburg. Books can be ordered at
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/, a website that promotes global
literacy. FMI: walt231@mindspring.com.
16TH ANNUAL PEACE AND JUSTICE CONFERENCE: “Human Dignity
and Economic Justice” is the theme of the sixteenth annual Leaven
Conference. Workshop and class subjects include the environment,
human dignity and economic justice, executions’ impact on
families, homelessness, responding to the recession, ending genocide,
and farmworker justice. The conference will be from 8:00 AM-4:00
PM on Saturday, March 13 at the St. Thomas More Catholic Parish, 2506
Gulf Gate Drive in Sarasota. Cost is $10 in advance and $15 the
day of the event; a continental breakfast and box lunch are included.
Advance registration can be done online at www.dioceseofvenice.org FMI:
(941) 484-9543 or click here
IRAQ INVASION ANNIVERSARY: The Southwest Florida Coalition for Peace
and Justice will observe the seventh anniversary of the Iraq War
invasion with a sign rally on Friday, March 19 from 4:00-6:00 PM at the
Sarasota Bayfront (near Marina Jack's) off Route 41, just after the
Ringling cutoff. (NOTE: This is an hour longer than their usual
Friday demonstration) This action will coincide with the March
19th-20th Rally for Peace in Washington D.C. and in other major
cities. FMI: http://www.swfcpj.org/
MUSIC FESTIVAL WITH STETSON KENNEDY: The Southern Exposure Music &
Heritage Festival, hosted by and in honor of human rights activist and
folklorist Stetson Kennedy, will be Sunday, March 14th from
11:30-sundown at Alpine Groves Park, 2060 State Road 13 in Switzerland,
Florida. Performers include Arlo Guthrie and Family, Ramblin'
Jack Elliott, Frank Thomas, Anne Feeney, Alvah Allen, Willie Green,
Shorty Robbins, and many more. The festival features music, barn
dances, old Florida vendors, southern cooking, storytelling and kids'
activities. Cost is $15 for adults; children 12 and under are
free. Proceeds benefit the Stetson Kennedy Foundation and the
Guthrie Foundation. FMI: 904-209-3750 or
www.southernexposurefestival.com
SINGER/SONGWRITER/ACTIVIST ANNE FEENEY: Pittsburgh-based
singer/songwriter/agitator Anne Feeney describes her music as designed
to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” She
has performed her songs of peace and justice, including her anthem
“Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” at thousands of
rallies, picket lines and demonstrations over the past 35 years.
Singer Utah Phillips calls Feeney the “best labor singer in
North America, “ but her repertoire includes Irish, bluegrass,
traditional, labor, pop, folk and contemporary material. Opening
will be Louise "Goody Haines" and Tom Scudiero.
Anne Feeney will perform on Friday, March 19 at Sacred Lands, a Native
American mound. Parking entrance is at 1700 Park Street North in
St. Petersburg. Admission is $15.00. FMI or tickets:
www.sacredlands.info or call 727 347-0354.
MARCH ON WASHINGTON: A national rally and day of outreach in Washington
D.C. sponsored by A.N.S.W.E.R. to demand the withdrawal of all U.S. and
NATO forces from Afghanistan and Iraq will be March 19-20. FMI:
http://march20.org. For information on others going from the
Tampa Bay area, click here
CONTEMPORARY STATIONS OF THE CROSS: On Good Friday, Christians remember
the execution of Jesus, a poor man with no wealth or political
connections. Jesus lived in a land under the occupation of the
Roman military. His challenge to the authorities was so great
that he was tortured to death by the Romans. Today,
Florida’s Death Row is filled with the poor. The people of
Iraq and Afghanistan are reeling from the United States’ military
occupation.
On Good Friday, April 2, at 5:30 PM beginning on the corner of 1st Ave.
and 6th St. N. in downtown St. Petersburg, Pax Christi Tampa Bay will
conduct its annual “Way of the Cross Today.” We will
follow the traditional stages, or “stations,” of
Jesus’ crucifixion during the Roman Empire set in the modern
context of the 2010 American Empire. As we wind through downtown
St. Petersburg, we will find the parallels between the crucifixion of
Jesus and crucifixions today: war, homelessness, injustice, the School
of the Americas, the farmworkers’ struggle, gun violence and
ecological destruction. We will also find how the life and
teachings of Jesus call his followers to another way of life.
Based on the ritual written by the Los Angeles Catholic Worker,
“The Way of the Cross Today” is a sobering and renewing
experience for those engaged in the struggle for justice and peace.
Join Pax Christi Tampa Bay at the corner of 1st Ave. and 6th St. N. in
downtown St. Petersburg from 5:30-7:00 PM on Good Friday, April
10 for The Way of the Cross Today, the traditional stages of
Jesus’ Crucifixion interpreted in a contemporary setting of
poverty, lethal injection, war, and other modern crucifixions.
Participants gather at a nearby restaurant afterward for a meal.
Since we are walking, we recommend comfortable shoes. FMI:
jisacco@earthlink.net or (727) 866-1717
Modern-day Slavery Museum: The slavery museum is a mobile educational
vehicle in the form of a box-truck outfitted as a replica of the trucks
involved in the recent slavery prosecution and accompanied by
educational displays on modern-day slavery in Florida, its roots, its
causes, and its solutions. FMI, and to arrange for a museum visit to
your community, contact the Coalition of Immokalee Workers at
workers@ciw-online.org
FAIR FOOD DRAWING CONTEST: Support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers
by entering their Fair Food Drawing Contest. Young people from
pre-kindergarten can enter by drawing what “Fair Food”
means to them, and how everyone can work together with farm workers to
make a fairer world for the people who pick our fruits and
vegetables. Winners will have their art reproduced on CIW
postcards which will be distributed around the country. The
deadline is April 1. FMI, click here
REDUCING NUCLEAR WEAPONS, INCREASING CHILD WELFARE: “Global
Security Priorities” Resolution, H. Res. 278, introduced by Rep.
Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA), reduces the number of
and access to nuclear weapons and directs a portion of the resulting
$13 billion saved annually towards child survival, food security, and
universal education. H. Res. 278 urges the President to continue
negotiations to further reduce nuclear arms to minimal levels, to have
the U.S. and Russia agree to cut the number of deployed nuclear
weapons, to assist other countries in reducing and eliminating nuclear
weapons throughout the world, and to expand efforts to prevent
terrorists from gaining access to nuclear materials.
The bill currently has 25 co-sponsors; none are from Florida. For
a summary of the bill and a list of co-sponsors, click here For
more information and a link to send a message to your representative,
click here. The message to your representative is available here.
YAYA ACTIVISM: Below are opportunities for action from YAYA, the Youth
and Young Adult Network of the National Farm Worker Ministry.
Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Join thousands from across
the country at the March for America in Washington, DC on March 21. It
is up to us to bring Comprehensive Immigration reform this year!
Thousands of people depend on us! Please join us! Click for more Info.
End Child Labor in the Fields: Hundreds of thousands of children are
employed as farm workers in the United States, often working 10 or more
hours a day. They are often exposed to dangerous pesticides, experience
high rates of injury, and suffer fatalities at five times the rate of
other working youth. Barely half ever finish high school. The
Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE Act) would update
US law to ensure that all working children are protected equally. We
need your support to make sure that this bill is passed. Take Action.
Help farm workers who lost their jobs due to the recent Florida Freeze:
Contact us to find out where to drop off food donations or where to
send cash donations. Your help is urgently needed!
Protect Farm workers and their Communities from Pesticide Exposure:
Children in farming communities are on the front lines everyday because
they live, play and learn near agricultural fields. Protect rural kids
from pesticide drift. Take Action Urge the EPA to ban
Chloryrifos, one of the most toxic pesticides still in use. Take Action.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2010 TEACH PEACE CONFERENCE: “Where are the R’s in
PEACE? Rethinking Education, Restoring Justice, Respecting
Environment” will be April 9-10, 2010 at New College of
Florida. Sponsored by the Peace Education and Action Center. FMI:
peacenter@gmail.com
Farmworker Freedom March: Three-day march of farmworkers and allies
from Tampa to Lakeland (home of Publix) from April 16-18. FMI:
http://www.ciw-online.org/ or here.
FRANZ JÄEGERSTÄTTER RETREAT: Join Notre Dame theology
professor and Catholic Worker Michael Baxter for “Franz
Jägerstätter: A Man for Our Time?” which looks at the
life and witness of a man who suffered martyrdom rather than cooperate
with the Nazis. The retreat is sponsored by Mary’s House
Catholic Worker and will be held from April 16-18 at the Walnut Grove
United Methodist Church in Midfield, Alabama. FMI: Mary’s
House at (205) 780-2020 or shelleyd9@juno.com
PAX CHRISTI FLORIDA RETREAT: Jesus and the Gospel of Nonviolent
Resistance, with G. Simon Harak, S.J. will be at the Life Enrichment
Center near Leesburg, Florida from April 24-25. Rev. Harak helped found
Voices in the Wilderness, which has been nominated three times for the
Nobel Peace Prize, and has traveled to Iraq several times, violating
US/UN sanctions to bring medicine and toys to Iraqi hospitals. In 2003,
Rev. Harak joined the War Resisters League (WRL) as its National
Anti-Militarism Coordinator and created a speakers bureau on war
profiteering. Rev. Harak planned and directed Marquette
University’s Center for Peacemaking
(http://www.marquette.edu/peacemaking/) which was established in
2008. His many publications include Virtuous Passions: The
Formation of Christian Character; he is currently writing Vicious
Passions : The Deformation of Christian Character. FMI:
http://paxchristiflorida.org/
Contact Pax Christi:
paxchristi@stpeteforpeace.org
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