[act-ma] Cindy Sheehan in Boston Next Weekend! Also, Debate with Tea Party!

[Bryan Koulouris]

*The 4th Annual New England Socialist Conference is entitled “We Won’t Pay
for Their Crisis!”*


**Featuring* Cindy Sheehan and Steve Early*

*Also: Socialists Debate the Tea Party*


*Saturday and Sunday, October 16th and 17th*

*UMass-Boston, Wheatley Building’s First Floor*

*Main sessions will be held in the Snowden Auditorium, and workshop venues
will be clearly marked at the event.*


Facebook Event:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=149396868407456<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/event.php?eid=149396868407456>



*Schedule Below*



*Saturday, October 16th*


The event will begin at *1pm* with opening remarks and move on to the first
main session on *“The Economic Crisis and Working People.”*



Speakers will include* Alan Jones*, a founding member of Socialist
Alternative, an editor of Justice newspaper, and regular writer for
socialistworld.net.



*Genevieve Morse*, a shop steward in the Classified Staff Union at
UMass-Boston, will also be speaking.



Saturday’s second main session will begin roughly at *3:30pm*. This session
will feature *Cindy Sheehan*, and it is entitled “Socialism: Why We Need
It.”



*Speakers at 3:30:*



*Cindy Sheehan* is the country’s most prominent antiwar activist. Her
courageous stand after the loss of her son in Iraq has continued as she
strongly stands up against empire today.



*Bryan Koulouris* is an editor of Justice newspaper and a member of the
Committee for a Workers’ International Executive Committee.


Sunday, October 17th



With coffee and bagels, Sunday’s first main session will kick off at 10am.
It is entitled *“Labor’s Struggles in a Time of Crisis.”*



*Speakers* at this session:



*Steve Early* will facilitate the discussion. Steve is a labor journalist,
organizer and lawyer. He has written for the Boston Globe, Labor Notes,
Counterpunch and many other notable publications.



*John Harris* recently helped spearhead a successful organizing drive at his
job, getting a new bargaining unit of the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers formed.



*Marty Harrison* is a nurse in Philadelphia. She recently helped lead a
successful hospital strike at Temple University.

 At around *11:30am*, we will break out into a few small group discussions
happening simultaneously in separate rooms.


   1. Single Payer Health Care Isn’t Dead! -- Ashley Fox, socialized
   medicine campaigner throughout New England.
   2. Why Unions Matter – Rob Mirabito, Carpenters Local 33 (personal
   capacity)
   3. Racism in the age of Obama – Eljeer Hawkins, Bronx, NY author of “The
   State of Black America”
   4. Socialism and the Environment – Joshua Koritz, member of AFSCME Local
   3650 (personal capacity)

 *
*

*From 1pm to 2:30pm (on Sunday), we will have lunch on the site of the
event.*



*From 2:30 to 2:45, we will gather in the Snowden Auditorium for
announcements.*



*At around 2:45, we will begin another round of small group discussions,
again happening simultaneously with four options.*


1. Linking Labor and Immigrants’ Rights – Dorotea Manuela, activist with the
Boston May Day Coalition.
2. Defending and Extending Public Education -- Tom Crean, Chapter Leader in
Brooklyn, NY for the United Federation of Teachers.

3. War in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- Mike Russell, a school site
representative at David Ellis school in Roxbury.
4. The Media and Capitalism – Jeff Booth, member of AFSCME Local 3650 and
host of Socialist Alternative Radio on WMFO.


Around 4pm on Sunday, we will begin the debate between Socialist Alternative
and the Tea Party.


*Jesse Lessinger*, a campaigner against cuts in higher education and a
writer for socialistalternative.org will debate…



*Loren Spivack*, a prominent right-wing writer and lecturer known as the
“Free Market Warrior.”


There is a suggested $10 donation for this event, but nobody will be turned
away for lack of funds.

-- 
-Boston Socialist Alternative
www.socialistalternative.org
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