1. Fiftieth anniversary of the civil rights sit-ins --When the walls of segregation toppled (45 mins)
In the first section of this week's meeting we will discuss the ISR article When the walls of segregation toppled by Brian Jones
This is an initial discussion is preparation for our
February 10th meeting on
The History of the Civil Rights Movement
with Guest Speaker Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor from Northwestern University in Chicago. Download a Postere here
There are many lessons to be learned from how the Civil Rights Movement was built, and how it developed over the years into a mass movement that not only successfully challenged the US institutions of Jim Crow segregation but also inspired the later 60's movements against the Vietnam War and fro Women's and Gay Liberation. Join us for this week's discussion and Save the Date for Feb 10th.
2. Eyewitness in Haiti: an Unnatural Disaster
Jesse Hagopian, Seattle ISO member, and laid-off Middle School teacher, was in Port-au-Prince with his 1-year-old son to visit his wife when the earthquake hit. His wife, an aid worker, works until the evening on most days, but by sheer luck, she came to the hotel where they were staying early on Tuesday--just minutes before the quake struck at 4:53 p.m. This spared Jesse and his family agonizing hours or days trying to find one another amid the chaos. Within hours, the hotel where they were staying became known as a place where some medical help was available, because another hotel guest happened to be an emergency medical technician. Jesse got a crash course in treating severe injuries--broken bones, head wounds and more--as people desperate for help kept arriving.
Jesse and his family were evacuated to the Domincan Republic on Sunday and returned to Seattle this Monday. We are currently working to build a large Eyewitness from Haiti meeting next Wednesday 1/27 at UW.
This week we will welcome Jesse back and hear a brief informal report from Jesse about his experiences (20 minutes or so) and we will spend the remaining 35 minutes working to organize for and coordinate outreach for next Wednesday's Meeting.
Please see the post below for press coverage of Jesse and his family in Haiti
