12/13 - "The People Speak" Live Screening Party & End of Year Celebration

Join us for an End of Year Party
If your holiday wishes include peace and justice for all, come celebrate the season and the end of the quarter with the International Socialist Organization, our friends and our allies. Come for good food and drink and fiery political conversation to warm your heart on a cold night. We’ll take inspiration from the long awaited documentary film premiering on the History Chanel,
THE PEOPLE SPEAK

Live Screening of THE PEOPLE SPEAK

Inspired by Howard Zinn's books A People's History of the United States and, Voices of a People's History of the United States co-authored with Anthony Arnove, THE PEOPLE SPEAK includes performances by Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Danny Glover, Lupe Fiasco, Marisa Tomei and many more….

Radical Book Fair

Give yourself an early holiday present, or surprise the politicos in your life with great radical books from Haymarket Books

Drinks and Movie Snacks

will be available as a fundraiser for the ISO

Sunday December 13, 7:00pm

1819 Harvard Ave, lower unit (Click for Directions)

Come at 7pm for pre-show drinks, snacks, and socializing 

THE PEOPLE SPEAK premieres on the History Chanel at 8pm

RSVP and spread the word on Facebook 

This will be out last event before we take a 2 week holiday break.
Our next meeting will be on Wed, January 6th.

Using dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans, the documentary feature film THE PEOPLE SPEAK gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history, forging a nation from the bottom up with their insistence on equality and justice.

Check out THE PEOPLE SPEAK on the History Chanel Website for more info and videos

Dave Zirin Reviews THE PEOPLE SPEAK

The revolution will be televised (this Sunday)
Author and Nation sportswriter Dave Zirin is looking forward to the premier of a television documentary that brings to life the work of "people's historian" Howard Zinn. December 11, 2009. 

ON DECEMBER 13, a date I've basically had tattooed on my arm like the guy from Memento, The People Speak finally makes its debut on the History Channel (8 p.m. EST, check your local listings). This is more than just must-see-TV. It is nothing less than the life's work of "people's historian" Howard Zinn brought to life by some of the most talented actors, musicians and poets in the country....   Read the full article

And check out the ISR guide to The People Speak
International Socialist Review magazine provides a list of related historical articles to accompany The People Speak.

12/12 RALLY: Pass Health Care Reform! STOP STUPAK!

Join the ISO at this weekend's Planned Parenthood Rally. We’ll be there to support a woman’s right to abortion as well as make our voices heard for REAL health care reform -- that isn’t just a give away to private insurance companies.

Join thousands of Washingtonians to speak with one voice and let our elected officials know: we support health care reform that protects women's health!

Health Care Reform Rallies are being held across Washington state on December 12th. This is your chance to speak up not only in support of Health Care Reform, but also to stop Congress from taking away abortion coverage. Women must be better off after health care reform than they are today.

Rally for Health Care Reform: Health Care for the Holidays
Saturday, December 12th - 2:00-3:00pm
Occidental Park
316 Occidental Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104

This event is rain or shine. 

Sponsored by Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest
 http://www.ppaction.org/ppaow/events/SeattleHCRrally1212/details.tcl

12/9 The First Battle in Seattle

A People's History of Seattle Series:
The First Battle in Seattle
1919 Seattle General Strike 

Wed Dec 9 - UW School for Social Work Room B14
corner of 15th N.E. and N.E. 41st

Everyone knows that November 30 marks the 10th anniversary of the "Battle in Seattle" protests against the WTO. 40,000 plus trade unionists, environmentalists, anarchists, socialists and other protesters united to shut down the WTO.

Fewer know about the first "Battle in Seattle" -- the 1919 Seattle General Strike. For five days in February over 100,000 workers not only struck, but they ran the city without the bosses or the governments approval. Mass kitchens fed over 30,000 a day. Limited laundry services and garbage collection for hospitals and milk deliveries for families were provided. For a brief time Seattle workers showed the power an organized working class has.  Join us for a discussion on the lessons to be learned from both the 10th anniversary of the WTO protests and the 90th anniversary of the General Strike!

Part of the International Socialist Organization's People's History of Seattle Series. Click on the link below for PDFs of previous talks in the series.  A Peoples History of Seattle, Darrin Hoop, 2009 Northwest Socialist Conference

And from

Seattle in the hands of workers Leia Petty reviews a republished classic "Revolution in Seattle" that tells the story of the 1919 general strike and helps us reclaim the history of working-class radicalism in the U.S.

12/2 Stupak: Playing Politics with Women's Lives

Wed Dec 2nd 7-9pm, UW School for Social Work Room B14

We will have a two part meeting this week -- A political discussion of the Stupak amendment and Abortion rights followed by an organizational discussion about organizing on the UW campus in the Winter Quarter.

1. Stupak: Playing Politics with Women's Lives
(1 hour)

There was a lot of back-patting after the House of Representatives narrowly passed a health care reform law November 7. In the spirit of bipartisan compromise, even the fact that the bill included an amendment shredding poor women's access to abortion -- the broadest restrictions on funding for abortion since the Hyde Amendment passed in 1976 -- was a point of pride for some Democratic politicians.

Join us for a discussion of why abortions rights are central to women's liberation, the Stupak Amendment and it ramifications, and what type of movement it will take to not only defeat this latest attack but win free abortion on demand for all who need it. 

Check out recent Articles on Abortion Rights from 

• Playing politics with women's lives
• Abortion should be health care
• A new way to attack abortion
• A crisis in abortion funding
  
• The anti-choice deception
• Fight the right and stand up for choice
• Keeping Dr. Emily's open
  

and From the International Socialist Review
Two Articles by Sharon Smith on Abortion Rights and the need for a new movement

• A shorter article from July/Aug 2009 Defending abortion rights
  and a longer analysis Sept/Oct 2005 Abortion rights under attack

2. UW Organizing for Winter Quarter (40 mins)

For the second section of the meeting we will be brainstorming and discussing our campus activism for the upcoming Winter Quarter. Bring ideas for what we should be involved in on campus and join in the discussion!