A R E A

01) 05.01 Thu - May Day March 02) 05.01 Thu - Discussion - What is Precarity? Are you Precarious in your labor/life? 03) 05.01 Thu - Precarity Chicago Launch Party 04) 05.01 Thu - The Wobblies and 1968 on May Day @ Newberry Library 05) 05.02 Fri - Cafe Intifada: Commemorating 60 Years of Struggle 06) 05.02 Fri - Prison Abolition Discussion at Hull House 07) 05.02 Fri - the 8th Annual Chicago Anarchist Film Festival 08) 05.02 Fri - 4,000 Words for 4,000 Dead Soldiers - Downtown Public Art Project 09) 05.02 Fri - Neighborhood Writing Alliance @ Looptopia 10) 05.06 Tue - Hull House Free Soup Discussion Event 11) 05.07 Wed - Mingus Awareness Project 12) 05.08 Thu - 40 Years After 1968 Panel with Klonsky/Ayers/Nesbitt 13) 05.08 Thu - Harvey Milk Event @ Chicago Freedom School (CFS) 14) 05.10 and 11 Sat/Sun: FreeStore in Pullman - get stuff/givestuff 15) 05.12 Mon - AREA Chicago Fundraiser @ Danny's Tavern - Dance and Drink 16) 05.17 Sat - Communiversity about Labor Movements and Immigration @ CFS 17) 05.19 Mon - Neighborhood Writing Alliance/Journal of Ordinary Thought Fundraiser 18) 05.21 Wed - Women and Elections Event @ Hull House 19) 05.22 Thu - Work Against Work: Autonomism Potluck @ Mess Hall 01) MARCH MAY FIRST - MARCHA PRIMERO DE MAYO For the Rights of Immigrants and All Workers We Demand: Equal Rights in the Workplace for All Workers The Right to Unionize Employee Free Choice Act Fair Wages End the Occupation of Iraq Equal Access to Education Universal Health Care May 1st, 2008 International Workers Day Día Internacional de los Trabajadores When: Meet at 10:00 A.M Where: Union Park (Ashland and Lake) March at 12:00 PM If you or your organization would like to endorse the May First March, please send us an e-mail to:info@movimiento10demarzo.org Movimiento 10 de Marzo http://www.movimiento10demarzo.org/ 02) Thursday May 1, 2008 - 4:00PM New World Resource Center 1300 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 Precarity : Chicago presents - "Centering the Margin: Chicago Theory and Practice in Action" - Topic: What is precarity? Can Chicago activism benefit from it? - a new and irreguarly held series that will explore and crystallize the Chicago progressive/radical community's formulation of theory, strategy, and application. A central theoretical idea or topic will guide the discussion, with the intent of exploring what that idea/topic means to Chicago activism and whether there is a strategic usefulness to it. A social and friendly atmosphere will be stressed, where the intent is to foster non-hierarchical forms of debate and organization. Co-sponsored by Finding Our Roots, the Chicago Anarchist Film Festival, and the 49th Street Underground. 03) Thursday May 1, 2008 - 7:00PM Quenchers Saloon 2401 N Western Ave Chicago, IL 60647 Precarity : Chicago Debut Celebration Help celebrate the founding of Precarity : Chicago, a militant research collective organized around analyzing society and culture from the framework of precarity. The idea of precarity centers upon the belief that once welfare and industrial economies shifted toward neo-liberal capitalism, life has become more unpredictable, more intensified, and more oppressive globally. Precarity : Chicago will attempt to link this idea to Chicago activism through discussion, research and publication, social events, direct action, and artistic expression. So come out and help us start off right! Come for a fun night, come to get more information, come to see what this is all about, but just come! There will be a safe and fun atmosphere, entertainment, prizes, and other great stuff! A $5-$10 suggested donation is asked. Raffle prizes from Early To Bed, New World Resource Center, Caffe RoM, Fall of Autumn Press, and The Comic Vault. For more information on Precarity : Chicago or any of our events contact PrecarityChicago@gmail.com 04) Thursday, May 1, 2008, 6pm At the Newberry Library Celebrate May Day The WOBBLIES: Memory & Model, An Event about the IWW, the Industrial Workers of the World, two activists from 1968 Franklin & Penelope Rosemont and David Roediger & Leon M. Despres will speak. At the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago IL 60626 Featuring noted historians and speakers, including David Roediger, Leon M. Despres, and Franklin & Penelope Rosemont, this special event celebrates the comprehensive IWW Collection (books, pamphlets, periodicals, photographs, and other items) now open to the public. This collection at Newberry is the only major collection of historic IWW material available in Chicago, the city in which the union began, and in which it maintained its headquarters for some eighty years. Roediger will speak on the 1886-87 Haymarket events, the origins of May Day and its influence on the IWW. Leon Despres will speak on the IWW's impressive traditions of Free Speech (The 1918 infamous trial of 101 Wobblies and their imprisonment was also a Chicago event). Franklin Rosemont will relate his adventures as a young IWW organizer hitchhiking across the country meeting and talking with old Wobblies in the 1960s, and its activities in 1968. Penelope Rosemont will speak about the IWW's legendary Solidarity Bookshop in Lincoln Park, in that same decade, and the later role of such old-time Wobblies as Fred Thompson, Jack Sheridan, Carlos Cortez, and Jenny Lahti Velsek in revitalizing the Chicago's Charles H. Kerr Company, the world's oldest working class publishing house. Contact Information: Rachel Bohlmann 312-255-3665 or Mary Janzen 312-255-3593janzenm@newberry.org Franklin Rosemont 773-465-7774 or 773-262-1329 arcane@ripco.com 05) -- On Friday, May 2nd, 2008, please join the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) in commemorating 60 years of Palestinian resistance to colonialism and occupation. This month of May marks the 60th anniversary of *al-Nakba* (Arabic for "catastrophe"), a time when more than 750,000 Palestinians were forced into exile and more than 500 Palestinian villages destroyed by Israeli Zionist forces. Join us as we continue the resistance through spoken word, hip-hop, music and art! *CAFE INTIFADA!* WHEN: Friday, May 2, 2008 Doors open at 6pm Shows starts at 7pm WHERE: Arab American Action Network 3148 W. 63rd Street, 2nd Floor Performances by: the AAAN's own Spoken Word & Hip Hop Youth Group, *SILENT ECHOES!* Breakdancing by *Power Breaking* of the SWYC University of Hip Hop Reggae/Hip-Hop Music by the *Ital Conquerors* Sounds by *DJ Robyo* And much more! $7-10 sliding scale $5 with student ID (no one turned away for lack of funds!) Food, drinks, and merchandise will be sold. All proceeds will support the AAAN's youth programs and the U.S. Palestine Conference Network's (USPCN's) efforts to mobilize for a Popular Palestinian Community Conference on August 8-10, 2008 in Chicago (palestineconference.com). For more information about the Cafe, or to perform, please call the AAAN at 773.436.6060, x. 105, or email aaanevent@gmail.com. Sponsored by: Arab American Action Network (AAAN), the Southwest Youth Collaborative (SWYC), Students for Justice in Palestine-UIC, Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago, Al-Awda-Chicago, and the U.S. Palestine Conference Network (USPCN), www.aaan.org www.myspace.com/italconquerors www.palestineconference.org www.swyc.org www.psgchicago.org www.sjp-uic.blogspot.com 06) Friday May 2 2 - 3:30 PM Imagine and Enact a World Without Prisons Coffee and cookies and conversation with Critical Resistance / CR 10 with Kai Barrow from Critical Resistance @ Hull House http://www.hullhousemuseum.org 800 South Halsted, Chicago For more information about CR see http://www.criticalresistance.org/article.php?list=type&type=36 07) Friday May 2nd Chicago Anarchist Film Festival http://home.comcast.net/~more_about_it/ 08) You are invited to a performance of 4000 WORDS 4000 DEAD Poet and artist Jennifer Karmin is collecting 4000 WORDS for the 4000 DEAD in Iraq. All words will be used to create a public poem. After reading the poem aloud, each word will be given away to passing pedestrians. Participating writers include: Manan Ahmed, Charles Bernstein, Anselm Berrigan, Maxine Chernoff, Catherine Daly, Arielle Greenberg, David Hernandez, Toni Asante Lightfoot, Joyelle McSweeney, Juliana Spahr, Stacy Szymaszek, Andrew Zawacki and more. Friday, May 2nd 5pm beginning in front of the Vietnam War Memorial Wabash & Wacker along the Chicago River 8:30pm ending at the DePaul Center 1 East Jackson Boulevard Chicago, IL Sponsored by Looptopia 2008 http://www.looptopia.com "I want to start with the milestone today of 4,000 dead in Iraq. Americans. And just what effect do you think it has on the country?" -- Martha Raddatz, ABC News' White House correspondent to Vice President Dick Cheney 09) Friday, May 2 – Defining Our Place in History. Chicago Temple (77 W Washington St.). 6:30-7:30pm. Free. As part of Looptopia, writers from Neighborhood Writing Alliance workshops will read pieces connecting their personal stories to historical moments. For more information, see www.jot.org or call Mairead at 773.684.2742. 10) Hull-House Kitchen: Re-thinking Soup Tuesdays at noon, beginning May 6 12-1:30pm Jane Addams Hull-House Museum Residents' Dining Hall 800 South Halsted FREE (donations from $.01 to $1,000,000 gladly accepted) Please join us for free soup and conversation regarding food, sustainable living, and other issues. We will meet in the historic Resident's Dining Hall, where Jane Addams and other important social reformers met daily to share meals and ideas. http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/Events/kitchen/ 11) What: Mingus Awareness Project 2 Where: Velvet Lounge 67 E. Cermak Road When: Wednesday, May 7 (8 p.m.) On Wednesday, May 7th, a group of musicians and a poet will gather at the Velvet Lounge (67 E. Cermak Road in Chicago) to celebrate the life and music of Charles Mingus, and to benefit the Les Turner ALS Foundation. Mingus, an American musical hero who died of ALS, is one of the greatest figures in jazz history. His bass playing, compositions and philosophy have transcended his genre and left indelible marks on music history. The Mingus Awareness Project 2 is being organized by the Borderbend Arts Collective. For more information about MAP2, please call 312.543.7027. For more information about the Les Turner ALS Foundation, please contact 847.679.3311 or events@lesturnerals.org. www.mingusawarenessproject.org www.velvetlounge.net 12) 40 years of 1968 The problematic drama of the past in the present with Bill Ayers, Mike Klonsky, and Prexy Nesbitt Thursday, May 8, 2008, 6PM School of the Art Institute of Chicago 280 S. Columbus Drive main auditorium co-sponsored by Students for a Democratic Society and Platypus http://platypus1789.home.comcast.net/~platypus1789/platypus_fora.htm 13) Thursday, May 8 – Campaign Trailblazers: Harvey Milk – 5:30 – 8 pm @ http://www.chicagofreedomschool.org/ 719 S. State St., Suite 3N Chicago, IL 60605 p: 312.435.1201 f: 312.435.1203 Email: info@chicagofreedomschool.org 14) Everything is Coming to You You Better Get Ready The Free Store in PULLMAN At the Pullman State Historic Site (home of the historic Hotel Florence) 11111 South Forrestville Avenue The Free Store returns for May! 10th and 11th. Come by and get your mom something nice. Saturday, May 10 from Noon – 6 pm Sunday, May 11 from Noon – 4 pm Feel free to bring stuff to give away. Be prepared to take stuff home! We're going to have a BBQ going both afternoons so feel free to bring food/beverage to eat, drink, and share with others. DIRECTIONS TO THE PULLMAN STATE HISTORIC SITE and information about the neighborhood: http://www.pullman-museum.org The Pullman State Historic Site and Hotel Florence is located at 11111 South Forrestville. Drivers: The Pullman State Historic Site is easily accessible from Interstate 94, using either exit 66A (111th Street) or 66B (115th Street). Take a left before the viaduct – it's a huge building, you can't miss it! Parking is available on Forrestville in front of the Hotel and throughout the neighborhood. By Public Transit: The Metra Electric train stations at 111th Street and 115th Street are within a short walking distance. The Chicago South Shore and South Bend commuter rail also stops at the 115th Street station. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus route #111 provides direct service to Pullman and connects with the CTA Red Line at 95th/Dan Ryan station. The Hotel site, which is under restoration, will be open for viewing during the Free Store. ////////////////////////// We have very limited ability to pick things up from you this round. Please ask us for a pick-up only if you have a full truckload within the city of Chicago. Idea: you may want to coordinate with friends and neighbors who live nearby to create a full truckload. TO HELP: Best way to help us for this particular Free Store is to drive your own stuff down to Pullman on the day(s) of and/or volunteer to be available to drive others home after their shopping is done. If you have a car, truck, or van and strong bodies available for bringing pick-ups down to Pullman the week of the Free Store, please contact us. More Free Stores to follow this season. Please join us for the fun in Pullman! More info: contact Salem salem@temporaryservices.org or (773) 562-1428 The Free Store is put together by Melinda Fries, Zena Sakowski, Rob Kelly, and Salem Collo-Julin. Thanks to Erika Mikkalo, Shari Parker, and the Pullman State Historic Site for their help this round. Feel free to forward this message to others. 15) Come Drink to Support AREA Chicago, your favorite magazine about the City and its social movements Monday, May 12th 2008 9pm-2am Danny's Tavern 1951 W Dickens Ave (Cross Street: Damen Avenue) View Map (http://tinyurl.com/yz8st4 ) Directions: Bus: 50 to Dickens Ave; 73 to Damen Ave Peace Party is a monthly program organized by danny's tavern to fund small operation non-profits in the Chicago area. This month the money gets split between AREA Chicago and Arts for Life. DJs: Naomi Walker, Jeff Parker, Jocelyn Brown, and Josh Abrams. 16) Saturday, May 17 – Communiversity: Labor Movements and Immigration – 10 am – 4 pm @ http://www.chicagofreedomschool.org/ 719 S. State St., Suite 3N Chicago, IL 60605 p: 312.435.1201 f: 312.435.1203 Email: info@chicagofreedomschool.org 17) Monday, May 19 – Every Person Is a Philosopher: An Evening with the Journal of Ordinary Thought. Roosevelt University Library (430 S. Michigan Ave, 10th fl.) 5:30-7:30pm. Tickets at www.jot.org. Includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, with student fee available. This year, the Neighborhood Writing Alliance’s annual benefit features readings from Margo Jefferson, Pulitzer prize-winning critic (and author of On Michael Jackson), Brad Norris (St. Leonard’s House Writing Workshop), and Kamilyn Baskerville (The CARA Program Writing Workshop). For more information, see www.jot.org or call Mairead at 773.684.2742. 18) Wednesday, May 21 – The Fight for the Right: Women, Voting and Elections in America @ Hull House Museum – 6 – 8:30 pm Jane Addams Hull-House Museum Residents' Dining Hall 800 South Halsted 19) Thursday, May 22, 2008 7:30p-9:30p "Work Against Work" TheLegacy of the Ultra Left, part 3. Potluck and discussion. Bring something to share. Join Joe Feinberg for potluck and discussion. This is a continuation in a series exploring the changing nature of work in our time and in history. All events approach work as a complex activity thru which we may be utterly debased or magnificently elevated; thru which we may destroy the world or revolutionize it. Texts to be discussed are available online at http://49underground.org/nextevents.php_. Attendees are not expected to read all the articles, but please come prepared to discuss what you are able to read. The series is co-organized by the 49th Street Underground (http://.49underground.org), Finding Roots (http://mayfirst.wordpress.com) and members of the Industrial Workers of the World (http://iww.org) This month's discussion: Autonomism Today Concurrent with a recent resurgence of radical street protests in many parts of the world, there has been a rebirth of interest in many of the theories that informed the last major global wave of insurrection, in the 1960s. At the same time, there been many new attempts to re-formulate older theoretical formulations in ways appropriate for the current historical moment. The combination of these two tendencies can be seen most clearly in the most recent contributions coming from the “autonomist” tradition, including especially the works of Toni Negri and John Holloway. @ Mess Hall 6932 North Glenwood Avenue messhall.org