[act-ma] 12/3 Beyond Capitalism - This Saturday with Gar Alperovitz/Dinner Next Wednesday w/Shannon, Manuela, Jacks, Reyes & Chomsky

[Suren Moodliar]

After this Saturday's #Occupy Unity March (see here for more
details<http://occupyunity.eventbrite.com/>,
#99Unity hashtag), there are 2 important events that we feel *you *want to
know about: (1) Gar Alperovitz will be speaking to his book, America Beyond
Capitalism on Saturday 12/3; (2) encuentro 5 is honoring Paul Shannon,
Dorotea Manuela, Robin Jacks, Sergio Reyes and Avi Chomsky at a dinner on
Wednesday, 12/7. Both events take place at 33 Harrison Ave, 5th floor,
Boston, MA 02111. For directions visit: http://www.encuentro5.org Details
follow below.

1. Alperovitz: America Beyond Capitalism
 When they say, "there's no alternative..."

*Saturday, December 3, 2011, 6:00 p.m.  *As discontent with the economic
and political status quo mounts in the wake of the “great recession”,
America Beyond Capitalism is a book whose time has come. Gar Alperovitz’s
expert diagnosis of the long-term structural crisis of the American
economic and political system is accompanied by detailed, practical answers
to the problems we face as a society. Unlike many books that reserve a few
pages of a concluding chapter to offer generalized, tentative solutions,
Alperovitz marshals years of research into emerging “new economy”
strategies to present a comprehensive picture of practical bottom-up
efforts currently underway in thousands of communities across the United
States. All democratize wealth and empower communities, not corporations:
worker-ownership, cooperatives, community land trusts, social enterprises,
along with many supporting municipal, state and longer term federal
strategies as well. America Beyond Capitalism is a call to arms, an
eminently practical roadmap for laying foundations to change a faltering
system that increasingly fails to sustain the great American values of
equality, liberty and meaningful democracy.

*Gar Alperovitz is the Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy at
the University of Maryland and co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative.
He is the author of numerous books, including Unjust Deserts (with Lew
Daly), Making a Place For Community (with Thad Williamson and David
Imbroscio), Rebuilding America (with Jeff Faux) and, in connection with
foreign policy, Atomic Diplomacy and The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb.*

See also, "Principles for a New Economy" by the New Economy
Network<http://www.encuentro5.org/home/node/231>
.
 2. *encuentro5 *Turns 5! Commemorative Dinner

*Wednesday, Dec. 7th, 7pm: Celebrating 5 solid years and 5 inspiring
honorees!*

As a  dynamic movement-building space, encuentro 5 has balanced the
day-to-day needs of grassroots organizations and community groups with the
wide-ranging social change goals that their organizers embrace for 5 solid
years of solidarity and inspiration.

For e5, challenging the militarism and corporate globalization that
institutionalize the current moment of capitalism and white supremacy has
meant offering a space for the spontaneous needs of local groups, housing
over a dozen resident organizations, offering offices for new projects and
small NGOs, archiving the efforts of social movements, providing
cross-movement institutional memory, resourcing emerging projects with much
needed research, materials and equipment, and ongoing daily efforts of
networking and support.

Although it has meant a lot of intense work, it has also been greatly
inspiring to connect with creative activists, engaging writers, soulful
musicians and dedicated community members. Together, we have made e5 a
platform for major demonstrations, thoughtful debates, heartwarming
performances, and strategic conversations as a review of the e5 website
reveals.

Always thriving on the insights and energy of countless groups and
individuals, we chose five exemplary honorees who have contributed directly
to e5's programming and/or inspired the work we do. To honor them and to
launch the e5 *movement-builders sustainer program*, e5 is hosting its
first annual, Commemorative Dinner, at 7pm Wednesday, December 7, 2012. Click
here to RSVP <http://encuentro5.org/home/node/234>.

The five honorees are:
  *Sergio Reyes*, a Chilean-born revolutionary. musician, and founder of
the Boston May Day Committee and a founder of Latin at s for Social Change
*Avi Chomsky*, a scholar and activist whose work connects people across
borders

*Paul Shannon*, a peace movement veteran active in United for Justice with
Peace and a founder of the Majority Agenda Project who has been on staff at
the American Friends Service Committee for over 30 years.
    *Robin Jacks*, a long-time activist challenging low-wage work in the
South and a founder of the #OccupyBoston effort

  *Dorotea Manuela*, a founder of the Boston Rosa Parks Human Rights Day
Committee, a member of the Downtown Workers Center collective, and an
active defender of Puerto Rican sovereignty.

On December 7th, join us to honor these 5 outstanding movement builders, to
celebrate the extraordinary efforts of the e5 Residents and the expansive
social justice community, and to make e5 a sustainable effort for 2012! Click
here to RSVP <http://encuentro5.org/home/node/234>.
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