Boston Democratic Socialists of America

Event Calendar

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See the Yankee Radical for more information on these events. (Note: Web announcements may preceed Yankee Radical publication. Or not.)

Event Scrapbook (Reports on Past Events)

Date	Event
Thurs Sept 27 2007	Boston DSA'S Debs-Thomas-Bernstein Award Reception Honoring Marie Kennedy & Chris Tilly
Wed April 25, 2007	Boston Democratic Socialists of America/MIT Young Democratic Socialists Forum The Pink Tide: Resistance and Regeneration in Latin America speakers: Maria Aguiar, Grassroots International* [unable to attend because of an injury] Peter Winn, Tufts University* Jose Antonio Lucero, Temple University* Kendra Fehrer, Martin Luther King, Jr. Bolivarian Circle* * Organizational affiliation given for identification, only. Since the Monroe Doctrine, if not before, the United States has regarded the Americas south its national borders as its own private sphere of interest, feeling free to meddle in its economies or national governments at will. Most recently, this has taken the form of pushing a neoliberal "free trade" agenda on the region, where "free trade" is interpreted as providing an ideal environment for investment and profit by global capital. The agenda has been typified by crippling national debt, "structural adjustment" programs that curtail social services, and a model of export led growth that has devastated local economies. This agenda has become known as the "Washington Consensus". In the past decade, or so, resistance to this neoliberal "consensus" has been growing in the region. Resistance has many forms, all interrelated: growing mass movements of the poor; increasing self-organization of small producers, agrarian or otherwise; factory takeovers by working people; electoral victories by socialist and other left-leaning political parties... The electoral victories have resulted in governments based on, or at least legitimately responding to, the underlying mass movements. New policies of these governments have included efforts to restructure debt, repudiate the neoliberal "structural adjustments", increase regional economic cooperation, and invite trade and investment from non-US sources such as Spain and China - in short, to build a model of regional prosperity and independence, out from under the thumb of the US government and international corporate investors. Our speakers, scholars and activists of the Left, with deep involvement in Latin America, led an engaging discussion of these issues.  Event was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA.
Thurs April 19, 2007	MIT Young Democratic Socialists Forum Towards a Post-Capitalist World: An Evening with Authors Gar Alperovitz and David Schweickart moderated by Democratic Socialists of America National Steering Committee Chair Joe Schwartz, (Prof. of Political Science, Temple University) Is there a better way to organize society than the predator/prey system of capitalism?  Is there a way to achieve socialism without creating a totalitarian society? Or, is it true, as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, that "There is No Alternative"?  Professors Gar Alperovitz and David Schweickart joined us for a lively discussion about what a post-capitalist world will really look like, visions of which which both have outlined in their books, America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy and After Capitalism.   Event was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge MA.
Sun Sept 24 2006	Debs-Thomas-Bernstein Award Reception 4-6 pm, at the home of , 8 Dunstable Road, Cambridge MA Boston DSA presented its 27th Debs-Thomas-Bernstein Award to Massachusetts Neighbor to Neighbor Director Harris Gruman, at the Cambridge Home of 2001 Michael Harrington Award recipient John Maher and his wife Ellen Sarkisian.  A former Boston DSA chair, Harris began organizing for social and economic justice in the mid-1980's.  Since joining Neighbor to Neighbor, he has led successful campaigns to increase child care funding , win progressive tax reform, and raise the minimum wage, as well as helping to elect numerous progressive's to Congress and the state legislature.  Proceeds from went to support the work of Boston DSA and the Mass Alliance, a coalition of unions, civil rights, environmental and community groups which endorses and campaigns for progressive candidates in State legislative elections.  The afternoon also showcased the Alliance as a successful example of how progressives can organize at the grassroots level for real political change
Mar 3, 2005	Boston DSA Forum After Capitalism - Socialist Alternatives A Talk and Discussion with David Schweickart (Professor of Philosophy, Loyola Univerisity, Chicago) plus a panel of discussants: Harris Gruman (Neighbor to Neighbor & DSA), Noémi Gizspenc and Chris Mackin (Ownership Associates), Pasqualino Colombaro (labor & community activist) The rule of global capital sometimes seems undefeatable, and the intellectual victory of its primary theology — classical economics — often seems complete.  Is this unjust, plutocratic system really the best we can do?  In this forum, David Schweickart presented his ideas for an alternative to global capitalism that he calls "Economic Democracy".  Event sponsors included: Democratic Socialists of America, Tellus Institute, Massachusetts Global Action, GEO (Grassroots Economic Organizing), Dollars & Sense, Committees of Correspondence for Democracy & Socialism (Boston chapter), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (Boston).
Dec 8, 2003	Democratic Socialists of America Forum: Women and Globalization speakers: Maria M. Aguiar, Global Program Director, Grassroots International* Dr. Elaine Bernard, Director, Labor & Workplace Program, Harvard Law School* Dr. Ellen Israel Rosen, Women's Studies Research Ctr, Brandeis University* (author of "Making Sweatshops", a book on the globalization of the textile and apparel industries.) *Affiliations are given for identification purposes. Three distinguished scholars and activists discuss the effects on women of an economy increasingly global in its relentless pursuit of a low-wage work force.   A 2-CD complete audio recording of this event is available for purchase - contact Boston DSA.
June 26, 2003	2003 Debs-Thomas-Bernstein Awards Honoring Leaders for Social & Economic Justice Ed Collins, Vice President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO Khalida Smalls of Alternatives for Community and Environment, coordinator of the T Rider’s Union.
Nov 21, 2002	National Day of Action against Wal-Mart For more information on the Wal-Mart campaign check out Ellen Rosen's article in the Yankee Radical. and see http://dsausa.org/lowwage/lowwage.html,.
Sept 28, 2002	Boston DSA September Retreat:  Labor Action in support of Shaws/Star Market workers. (Boston Indy Media article.)
June 13, 2002	25th Annual Debs-Thomas-Bernstein Awards Honoring Women of the House State Representatives Pat Jehlen and Anne Paulson
June 12, 2001	Debs-Thomas-Bernstein Reception honoring Ed Clark, Dessima Williams and John Maher
Oct 30, 2001	Forum on Welfare, Children and Families:  The Impact of Welfare Reform with William Julius Wilson
	AFSC Videos of Past BGAN Events [Note:  The website with these videos seems to be broken, but I'm leaving the links here in the hope that it will come back online. -- webmaster] Charlie Derber December 11, 2001 Charlie Derber Q&A from Dec 11 Elaine Bernard November 13, 2001 Full videos of some events may be available.  Contact the American Friends Service Committee Video Library at 617-497-5273.

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