Thursday, April 28
Del Mar Theatre, Santa Cruz • 7 pm

Proclamation to honor Reel Work and the 100th Anniversary of the IWW

presented by City of Santa Cruz Mayor Mike Rotkin

May 1 is Mayday, the anarchist day of remembrance and rage in spirit of the activists who were framed and murdered by the government of Chicago on May 1, 1886. It is the tragedy of the Haymarket Martyrs that reminds us all of the very real threat of police and government violence towards outspoken individuals. Working people who demand their rights have always felt the fear of retribution: many activists for human rights ironically live with the knowledge that they could be imprisoned or killed for standing up and speaking out. Refusal to bow down to these pressures is the driving force behind Mayday actions, strikes, and rallies all over the world. [see Supersphere.com]

In Santa Cruz, May Day 2005 will include an International Workers Day Parade organized with the support of the Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival, Art & Revolution and the newly formed Santa Cruz General Membership Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World. The IWW will gather at the Tom Scribner statue at 11:30am and then march to the Town Clock. At 12:00pm, labor organizer Fred Hirsh will speak at the Town Clock rally about struggles faced by local workers. People will then march to the Poet & Patriot (320 Cedar St) for a 1:00pm screening of "The Wobblies." Following the film, there will be a discussion about the future of the labor movement.

At 6:00pm at the Portuguese Hall (216 Evergreen St), the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council is sponsoring a film screening, International Workers Day Dinner and a discussion with California State Treasurer Phil Angelides and Deborah Burger, President of the California Nurses Association. "Wal-Mart's War On The Workers" is a short film made by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and details the anti-union tactics of Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, which has proposed to open a store in Pajaro.

See also: IWW 100th Anniversary May Day Celebration and Santa Cruz Branch Formation || Industrial Workers of the World || May Day and the Haymarket Martyrs || Lumberjack - By Tom Scribner || About Tom Scribner

On May 7th the UCSC Anarchist Research Cluster and the Center for Cultural Studies will host a one-day conference and conversation exploring and contextualizing contemporary anarchism.

Organizing questions include: How can we think adequately about anarchism’s place in current social justice movements? What resources does anarchism present us for addressing the current moment? What is it about this current conjuncture that resonates with anarchism? How might anarchism be a part of re-politicizing the academic left?

The conference will include two panels with ample time for discussion, and an extended lunch discussion. Conference speakers include Iain Boal, Arif Dirlik, Carwil James, John Holloway, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Barry Pateman, Roger White, and Eddie Yuen.

The open form of the conference will facilitate a roundtable atmosphere for all to participate actively.

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Weekly Cartoon from Dirtworshiping Heathens Sketchbook...

Critical Mass is this friday in Santa Cruz!