Upcoming Events: Week of 4/7

Posted on April 7, 2013

Events upcoming this week:

MONDAY, APRIL 8
2013 Human Rights Watch Film Festival
WHEN: Consecutive Mondays from April 8 – May 6
WHERE: Gene Siskel Film Center
DESCRIPTION: On consecutive Mondays from April 8 through May 6, the Gene Siskel Film Center collaborates with Human Rights Watch to present the 2013 Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Through the eyes of committed and courageous filmmakers, the festival showcases the heroic stories of activists and survivors from all over the world facing human rights issues. The featured works put a human face on threats to individual freedom and dignity, and celebrate the power of the human spirit and will to prevail. Discussion with filmmakers is a key component of this year’s festival. Confirmed guest appearances are noted with film descriptions, with more pending. Check this page updates.

TUESDAY, APRIL 9
Same Sex Marriage Decision in South Africa
WHEN: Tuesday, April 9, 4:00p – 5:00p 
WHERE:
The University of Chicago Law School, Courtroom, 1111 East 60th Street 
DESCRIPTION:
Justice Albie Sachs started his career in human rights activism at the age of seventeen and became an advocate at twenty one. The bulk of his work involved defending people charged under racist statutes and repressive security laws. He himself was raided by the security police, and eventually placed in solitary confinement without trial for two prolonged spells of detention. In 1966 he went into exile and spent the next 22 years teaching law in England and Mozambique. In 1988 he was blown up by a bomb placed in his car in Maputo by South African security agents, losing an arm and the sight of an eye. In 1990 he returned to South Africa and as a member of the Constitutional Committee and the National Executive of the ANC took an active part in the negotiations which led to South Africa becoming a constitutional democracy. After the first democratic election in 1994 he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to serve on the newly established Constitutional Court.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10
Can the President Kill US Citizens in Secret?
WHEN: April 10, 5:30p
WHERE:  Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W Adams St., Room 590
DESCRIPTION: Join the ACLU of Illinois and the American Constitution Society (Chicago Lawyer Chapter and Chicago-Kent College of Law Student Chapter) for a presentation by Georgetown Law Professor David D. Cole on “Can the President Kill U.S. Citizens in Secret? Targeted Killing and the Obama Administration’s War on Terror”. 1.0 hours of CLE credit (pending). Free and open to the public. RSVP requested.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11
Stand With Guantanamo Hunger Strikers: Shut It Down Now!
WHEN:
April 11, 4:30p – 6:30p
WHERE:
Federal Plaza, 50 W. Adams Street
DESCRIPTION:  
As the two month old hunger strike gains more attention from the mainstream media, the situation for those still held grows more dire by the day. The attention the hunger strike is being paid creates an important and urgent opportunity for the people of conscience who know that Guantanamo is a crime and completely illegitimate to act now to demand that these courageous men be released and that Guantanamo be shut down. We cannot allow Guantanamo to become the tomb of these men! For this reason World Can’t Wait, Witness Against Torture, and the Center for Constitutional Rights have called for a national day of protest against Guantanamo. Here in Chicago World Can’t Wait, Witness Against Torture, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Illinois Coalition Against Torture, and 8th Day Center for Peace and Justice are Co-Sponsoring a protest on Thursday April 11th to coincide with the protests across the country. * Meet at Federal Plaza at 4:30 PM for a short rally. * Nine people in orange jumpsuits will represent the 9 men who have died waiting for justice. * We encourage people to bring signs and banners and especially posters with the twitter hashtag #GitmoFreedomStrike or #GitmoHungerStrike for passerby with cellphones to find out what this is all about * We will process up State St, starting at Jackson and going up to Lake St. * We will close up by Lake & State with a poem and singing. There will be orange ribbons to represent the 166 men still held at Guantanamo.

Screening: Beyond Burkas and Bomber: Anti-Muslim Sentiment in America
WHEN: April 11, 5:00p CST (7:00p WST)
WHERE: Live streaming online
DESCRIPTION: With the production of this empowering film, the award-winning MediaLab team has set out to open a discussion about a largely marginalized portion of American society, explore how Islam is defined in America, and to counter negative impressions and stereotypes. While empowerment can be difficult to implement effectively, it can begin with the simple act of creating a personal connection to breakdown harmful stereotypes. During the event, follow us on Twitter with the hashtag #beyondbombers and lend your voice to the conversation. Watch from anywhere – we’ll be streaming live at plu.edu/soac.

FRIDAY, APRIL 12
Seeds of Change: Crossroads Fund Annual Benefit
WHEN: April 12, 5:30p
WHERE: Chicago Cultural Center, GAR Hall, 77 East Randolph Street Chicago, Illinois
DESCRIPTION: Join grantees, board members, and friends of Crossroads Fund as we celebrate our annual benefit. For more information and to buy tickets visit http://www.crossroadsfund.org/seedsofchange2013

SAVE THE DATE
Doctors of the Darkside: Screening & Panel Discussion
WHEN:
Thursday, April 18, 7:00p
WHERE:
Northwestern University, Room 122, Parkes Hall
DESCRIPTION:
Featuring panelists Mary Fabri, PsyD, Former Senior Director, Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center; Brad Olson, PhD, Co-Director, Community Psychology Program, National-Louis University; Frank Summers, PhD, ABPP Professor of Clinical Psychiatry Northwestern University

May Day: Solidarity Speak Out
WHEN
: May 1, 12:45p
WHERE: Union Park, Randolph and Ashland
DESCRIPTION: This May Day, Occupy Chicago asks supporters: Who does the American government work for? Occupy Chicago calls on our brothers and sisters throughout the city to join us on May 1st to stand up against the assaults on the 99%. At 12:45pm on May 1st we will gather at Union Park, Randolph and Ashland. At 1:00pm sharp we will engage in a lively speak-out on the issues affecting us all: austerity, debt, joblessness, foreclosures, endless war, gun violence, climate change, the war on drugs, school closings, the two-tiered justice system, deportations, etc. All are free to speak their minds! Then at 2:00pm, we will join in solidarity with the International Workers Day March for Immigration Reform. The march ends at Federal Plaza, Dearborn and Jackson.

Beneath the Blindfold Screening
WHEN:  Thursday, May 9, 7:30p
WHERE:  
Wellington Avenue United Church for Christ
DESCRIPTION: Co-presented by Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center, Percolator Films, and Human Rights Watch Chicago. Where are the voices of torture survivors? In a time when fictionalized accounts in Hollywood films like Zero Dark Thirty dominate the public’s understanding of torture, Beneath the Blindfold reveals the reality of life after torture. Four survivors from around the globe face the psychological and physical fallout from their experience, while going through the daunting steps of building new lives, careers, and relationships. Beneath the Blindfold takes an unflinching look at the consequences of torture through the eyes of survivors while celebrating their ability to regain agency and hope. Produced by Chicago filmmakers Kathy Berger and Ines Sommer, the documentary recently screened on Capitol Hill for members of Congress and their staff.

Tribute: A Brunch with Stan Willis
WHEN: June 22, 11:30a – 2:30p
WHERE: Small Business Center, Amberg Hall, 1140 N. Lamon Ave., Chicago
DESCRIPTION: Save the date!  Join CCDBR in honoring Stan Willis on June 22 from 11:30 – 2:30. Brunch, followed by program. For information/reservations, call: Brenetta Howell Barrett (312.733.9692) or Bob Clarke (773.281.5164), or email Bob Clarke, Shango1@aol.com.

Donate

Volunteer