KPFA radio and Democracy Now! present Amy Goodman. America's foremost investigative journalist, Democracy Now! host and New York Times best-selling author discusses Breaking the Sound Barrier. Breaking the Sound Barrier proves the power that independent journalism can play in the struggle for a better world, one in which ordinary citizens are the true experts of their own lives and communities.

Amy Goodman, America's foremost investigative journalist, Democracy Now! host, and New York Times best-selling author discusses her new book, Breaking the Sound Barrier. Introduced by book editor and Democracy Now! producer, Dennis Moynihan.

Submissions are open in fiction, documentary, short, animation, experimental, student and children's films.

Bay Area Social Equity Caucus - a program of Urban Habitat - presents Creating Policy and Building Infrastructure for Local Hire Programs That Reduce Poverty.

We urge all union members and community allies to honor the picket lines in UTPE's struggle for a fair contract. UC's refusal to bargain in good faith has forced this unfair Labor Practice strike. UC continues to be the worst employer in the state. Come join workers and students in this rally!

Global warming is effecting our jobs, our health, and our pockets. Now is the time to demand solutions that clean our air, create green-collar jobs, save us money, and improve public health. Join the Oakland Climate Action Coalition in celebrating the community-based solutions we hope to see in Oakland's Energy & Action Plan. Don't miss this inspiring evening of live performances, free food, and community as we showcase the solutions that will make Oakland a model green city.

Experiences of Women and effects of Diaspora on them, colonization/decolonization and creation of cultural forms, political economic relationships historically and now between Ph. and US. Aimee Suzara and TBA

Community Cinema presents the preview screening of Between The Folds. Think origami is just paper planes and cranes? Meet a determined group of theoretical scientists and fine artists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at hard earned graduated degrees to forge new lives as modern-day paper folders. Together they reinterpret the world in paper, creating a wild mix of sensibilities towards art, science, creativity and meaning. (Nearest Civic Center BART)

Re-making news Across the Border features speakers Franc Contreras ("Drug Violence in Mexico: one correspondent's perspective on local and international news coverage" and Laura Villafuerte (News coverage of Mexico's drug war: a Mexican perspective).

Join Change to Win and other progressive groups at the US Chamber of Commerce Regional Convention at the Fairmont Hotel to protest their increasingly strident and pro-big business positions on financial regulation, CEO pay, net neutrality, and climate change legislation.

BACKGROUND:
From Change to Win:
Under Tom Donahue's leadership, the Chamber:
* Opposes regulating the markets, products and practices that generated massive payouts to Wall Street executives, but ultimately devastated their companies and caused the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
* Fights reforms that would make executive compensation more transparent, financial statements more reliable and accounting fraud more difficult to conceal.
* Attacks the ability of government agencies to investigate and hold accountable executives who may have engaged in wrongdoing.
* Opposes net neutrality regulations
* Opposes climate change legislation
* Defends executives accused or convicted of breaking the law, including ousted AIG head Hank Greenberg, who contributed $24.5 million to the Chamber; ex-Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio who is serving six years for insider trading that took place while Donohue was a Qwest director; and billionaire Philip Anschutz, perhaps Donohue's closest ally.

These activities are not in the interests of either the small businesses that make up 96% of the Chamber's members or American business generally. Rather, they are nothing more than attempts to defend discredited practices that enable executives to enrich themselves at shareholders' expense.

The Institute for Research and Labor Employment presents a seminar on Joan Fitzgerald's new book, Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development. Myra Armstrong is a professor and director of Law, and Society Programs at Northeastern University/Donald Vial Center. Please RSVP Myra Armstrong at zulu2@berkeley.edu if you would like to attend the the light buffet lunch as well.

All over the country workers, families, community groups, unions, and clergy are taking to the streets to speak out against the most prominent and nefarious crime committed every day against hard working people - WAGE THEFT! Please join us for this National Day of Action.

All over the country workers, families, community groups, unions and clergy are taking to the streets to speak out against the most prominent and nefarious crime committed every day against hard working people - wage theft!

Vigil to Commemorate the Ten Year Anniversary of the deaths of immigrant South Asian girls employed by Berkeley landowner Lakireddy Bali Reddy. Please join us for a rally to remember the survivors of the 1999 Reddy sexual exploitation and labor trafficking case that took place in Berkeley, CA. Lakireddy Bali Reddy continues to own and operate numerous properties in Berkeley. We cannot forget our responsibilities as South Asians, people of color, and residents of the Bay Area to stand up against continued gender discrimination, wage theft, and exploitation of immigrants within our communities.

This three-day session is designed for entry-level organizers, individuals who want to learn more about organizing, and members of community-based organizations. The curriculum includes hands on fieldwork, role plays and discussions. During this high-intensity training, participants learn how to canvas, participate in campaign development and actions, and learn history of remarkable feats of organization in communities of color in the fight for justice.

We are pleased to announce our annual community celebration and fund raiser for autonomous Zapatista communities. Our celebration begins at 5:30 with a welcome dinner and reception for Carlos Marentes, our keynote speaker. The dinner reception cost $30. The dinner and reception are followed by a 7:00 PM musical program; Admission to only the musical performance and keynote presentation is $5-$20.

This is a community celebration and fundraiser for Zapatista Communities. There will be a special musical performance by Mamacoatl and a dinner reception for Carlos Marentes at 5:30 PM. $30 includes the price of dinner, reception and the program that begins at 7:00 PM.

This is a 27-day event designed for activists, allies, and agents of social change. Practice Periods are 27 days of daily inner practice in the midst of our urban lives. The 6-point, 360 degree personal change program helps you examine your relationship to yourself, your community, and the world. Join the movement to make inner change matter for real social change.

It's the 4th quarter; Is your fundraising program in scoring position? Get ready to make those last minute asks and end the fiscal year in the black. Join us for a workshop on incorporating message with method and learn how to put these fund development essentials into action: Outlining Strategies / Writing a Winning Message / Making Solicitations a Year-Round Endeavor / Creating Your Network Lists / Learning about Donor Cycles.

Airplay is the story of love and war, a 50-year struggle for the soul of music radio, told by the deejays and the artists they made rock stars. If you want to see how America works, look at what happened to rock radio.

This month we are very excited to have Jennifer Lindsay of the A-List on BlogTalkRadio as a guest speaker. Jennifer is a social media strategist, speaker and new media pioneer, who spearheads a variety of social media functions and programs for her clients - helping them achieve maximum benefit from their social media investment.

Mass die-in in Union square on the 25th Anniversary of the Dow Chemical disaster that killed thousands in Bhopal, India.

Bay Area group to organize international observers. Columbia will hold national elections for members of congress early next year at a time when the government is rife with scandals. Ted Lewis, director of human rights programs at Global Exchange will discuss the role of the election international observer missions in Colombia in the context of violence, mass displacement, and the presence of armed illegal actors.

UC Berkeley announces Day of Dialogue with Social Pioneers of Social Media to discuss The Future of the Forum: Internet Communities and the Public Interest. How will innovations such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google Wave expand public participatory democracy and enhance public interest nationally and internationally?

Pacific Film Archive presents Miklos Jansco's (Hungry, 1966, 94 minutes) The Round-Up. A prison on the vast Hungarian plains, the prisoners and the guards that circle therein, are at the crux of this critique of the relations between the powerful and the powerless.

Guilt and shame are common issues for White people seeking to acknowledge and address racism. White people's shame about racism often shows up as behaviors that reinforce racist dynamics, including denial, defensiveness, passivity and self-absorption, the calling out of which often serves to deepen shame and limit white people's receptivity. How can we respond compassionately to this shame without condoning the resulting racist dynamics? Vanissar Tarakali will offer a workshop that brings theory and embodied practice together.

Join Global Exchange's Kevin Danaher for the local premiere of Philippe Diaz' documentary film on global inequality. Highest box office receipts of any film in the NYC metropolitan area last month!

Join Project Censored in celebrating the release of Censored 2010, Peter Phillip's final yearbook coedited with Mickey Huff. Meet Ben Frymer, the new director of Project Censored, and founder Carl Jensen. Good food, beer, wine, and great conversation. Reception 6:00 PM - Music and Speakers 7:30-9:00 PM

Celebrate the release of the latest issue of Race, Poverty, and the Environment: Climate Change: Catalyst or Catastrophe? Enjoy the music, mingle, nibble on hors d'oeuvres, receive a free copy of the latest RP&E, and enjoy.

Carolina Dutton and Dale Sorensen were part of a Task Force/SOA Watch delegation to Chile. The delegation also traveled south to the region where one half of the Mapuche population resides. There they were able to visit political prisoners and witnessed firsthand the repression of the Mapuche by the Chilean government who accuse them of "terrorism" when they try to take back their lands that have been stolen by the Chilean government.

Radical Women Business meeting will focus on priorities for 2010, including plans for protesting the right wing Walk for Life and elections of new membership. A winter buffet with vegetarian option will be served at 6:15 PM.

The Western Regional Office of Amnesty International would like to invite you to our Human Rights Day Open House. Every year Amnesty International marks the anniversary of the adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with actions around the globe. With this open house we would like to celebrate and highlight the tireless dedication of local organizations and their noble work fighting for economic and social justice here in the SF Bay Area. Wine and light appetizers will be served.

Pacific Film Archive presents Miklos Jancso's (Hungary, 1972, 88 minutes) Red Psalm. Jancso won Best Director for this riveting psalm-song set during an ill-fated Hungarian farmworkers' revolt. "Perhaps the most ecstatic fusion of political and formal radicalism since Dozvhenko's Earth.

In this 2-day experiential workshop, we will bring compassionate awareness and insight to individual and collective blocks to effective white anti-racist action and community-building. We will learn embodied practices that support creative, connected anti-racist responses when situations throw us off balance. Through discussion and practice, we will empower each other to challenge systemic racism and support the leadership of people of color. Sliding scale $125-$325.

The Hillside Club and KPFA Radio present A Woman's Voice: Lectures by Women with Political Passion, featuring Gloria Bowles and Kathleen Weaver. Two long time Berkeley friends who have written new books discuss their experiences writing women's biography and autobiography.

The Institute for the Critical Study of Society invites you to join them in an analysis of our society from a working-class perspective. Marx's historical materialism has been counter-posed to women's liberation (and vice versa) since the beginning of the modern Women's Liberation Movement. Can Marx's view of labor address the schism between Marxism and feminism?

In this 5th year, The Purpose Prize provides 10 awards totaling $750,000 to social innovators, 60 years and older, who are creating new ways to solve our most pressing social issues. Nominations - including self nominations - are due by March 5th, 2010. Please help us identify social innovators over 60, who are putting their passion to work for the greater good in encore careers.

Two books by David Solnit & Rebecca Solnit will be launched: (1) A Paradise Built in Hell - Why is it that in the immediate aftermath of a disaster people are suddenly become more resilient, resourceful, generous, empathetic, and brave, motivated by a newfound sense of urgency and purpose? (2) The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle - From dawn to dusk on November 30, 1999, tens of thousands of people shut down the World Trade Organization meeting, facing cops firing tear gas and rubber bullets, the National Guard, and the suspension of liberties.

Friends, family, and allies are invited to join Bay Localize in our beautiful downtown offices to celebrate this year's victories and recharge for 2010. Come toast with us and mingle with the community resilience movement.

Pay Day Loans carry interest rates of over 400 percent catching working people in a long-term debt trap. San Francisco city leaders in partnership with local credit unions, will help relieve this burden on hardworking San Franciscans by launching PayDayPlus SF, a low cost emergency loan available to city residents at 13 locations. U.S. Rep., Jackie Speier, Mayor Gavin Newsom, and SF City and County Treasurer Jose Cisneros will appear at the press conference.

Carnival of the Animals is a holiday party show and auction. Artwork created by Colette Crutcher and her students will be available for sale to the highest bidder. Proceeds will benefit MCCLA. These sculptures were featured at the San Francisco Symphony's Day of the Dead Concert. Reception, refreshments and music.

If your nonprofit is considering overhauling your website, or have already has and is using Drupal, I'd love to talk with you. We,re overhauling the education fund portion of our websites and Convio. Drupal, editing html via Dreamweaver, and a custom content management system are all involved. I can give a lot of advice and would love to hear your experiences. Free food and drink.

Join the San Francisco Immigration Legal and Education Network (SFILEN) on International Migrants Day for an educational event so that together we can raise our voices, share our stories and demand, and advocate for just comprehensive immigration reform, educate our local, regional, state, and federal elected officials and mobilize for change! Invited Congressional Representatives include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez from Illinois.

Left Turn Movie Nights presents Argentina Turning Around. Our economy has collapsed. National unemployment is in the double digits, we all know someone who has lost their home in the foreclosure crisis. Join Left Turn Magazine to uncover how the Argentinian people are re-inventing their society to offer a better life for all through models of work, politics, and community.

San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom warns Alameda County against the proposed cuts to General Assistance from 12 down to 3 months out of the year. When the community makes its voice heard it can effect change. Join us to help GA recipients fight back against these cuts.

Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) invites Two-Spirit First Nations, American Indian, Native American, Indigenas and Indigenous people of the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands who are queer women of color to submit short films to our 6th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival, to be held on June 11-13, 2010 at the Brava Theater in San Francisco, CA. So send us your stories of credence, creation and creative resistance. Send us stories that allow us to remember the truth and hope for justice and love.

ARTWORKinternational, Inc. of Santa Fe, NM announces its Artist Business Career Development Grant for $12,000. This grant offers unrestricted support to visual artists by placing priority on advancing the grantee's career. Application deadline is 12/31/09. This grant is open to visual artists worldwide. Please visit website for details.

This film is a must-see for anyone interested in the current state of progressive politics and how these politics are being challenged by the rise of conservatism in America. Director Joe Winston and producer Laura Cohen will speak at select shows on Friday (1/11) and Saturday (1/7).

The Wisdom Project seeks to create a record of a multicultural group of people who have made their mark on the world.

The Tiburon Film Society will present this documentary film by Andre Gaumond. Trapped in paradise? Everyone dreams of discovering new horizons, finding the perfect place, and true happiness. For you and I, Vietnam might be such a place, but unfortunately for the Vietnamese, they can only dream. This traveler's documentary uncovers the true Vietnam seen through the eyes of its people.

KPFA Local Board Meeting - January 2010

Experienced grant writers are invited to the following free AAGP NorCal Brown Bag event. Cheryl A. Clarke, author of Storytelling for Grantseekers, will provide helpful tips for crafting successful proposal stories. She will discuss the parallel between story telling and grant writing.

The Board Match is a job-fair style event featuring over 100 Bay Area nonprofits whose leadership will be on hand to speak with you and other interested candidates about serving on their organization's board of directors. If you are interested in giving your time and talent as a board member for your favorite nonprofit, be sure to come to The Board Match.

A new documentary film by Helena Norberg-Hodge about the worldwide movement for economic localization. The film features Vandana Shiva, David Korten, Michael Shuman, Richard Heinerg, Rob Hopkins, Juliet Schor, Bill Mckibben, Zach Goldsmith and Samdhong Ripoche, among others. Panel discussion with the director to follow.

Capitalism Hits the Fan shows how and why the current global economic crisis is a crisis of the capitalist system. Its critical examination of the history, social costs, and proposed solutions for the crisis lead to the conclusion that system change should be among the solutions considered and debated today. Rick Wolff, economics professor at Yale University, recently turned to analyzing the buildup to today's economic crisis, its social effects, and the US government's "responses".

The Work That Reconnects, hosted by Joanna Macy and Drew Dellinger, centers around issues of justice, spirit, generations, ecology, cosmology, and activism. This holiday weekend will have a special focus on diversity, social justice, and non-violence. Come join a community of dynamic young activists and leaders working collaboratively toward the healing and renewal of our world.

Mythmakers and Lawbreakers is a series of 14 original interviews with writers. Come join editor Magpie Robinson and local authors for a reading and fascinating presentation on the history of anarchism in science fiction and creative writing.

Please join us in San Jose for our tax policy convening, SHOW ME THE MONEY, to talk about California's broken tax policy and how to get involved in advocating for solutions. Featuring presentations by Kim Klein, CPEHN staff, and representatives from the criminal justice reform movement, schools, and social services talking about the impact of our broken tax system. This session will give you the skills and information to engage in the tax reform debate.

Join Executive Producer Danny Glover for the "Soundtrack for A Revolution Oscar Nomination Hopeful Celebration" on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday. Help celebrate the film in its quest for an Oscar and benefit the NAACP. Wyclef Jean, Josh Stone, Mary Mary, John Legends and others perform in Soundtrack for a Revolution.

Funding for the Jobs Now & Community Jobs Program ends on September 30, 2010. These jobs will also end on this date. The U.S. Senate will be debating in January whether to pass more job stimulus funding. Make your voices heard to your Senators. Continue the job stimulus funding! Include funding for "social infrastructure" - youth programs, tutoring, home care, children, elder care and other community service jobs. SEE WEBSITE FOR RALLY AND MARCH DETAILS.

Why Oppose the Olympic Games? A Speaking Tour by Indigenous Activists Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - 7:00 PM - Eastside Arts Alliance, 2277 International Blvd, Oakland - $5-$10 suggested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds). Hosted by Eastside Arts Alliance and Chiapas Support Committee. As part of a provincial and west coast speaking tour, an Indigenous activist from Canada will be speaking about the impacts of the upcoming Olympic Games, particularly on Indigenous peoples.

Some of America's best progressive PR practitioners are gathering for two days of panels, practical workshops, networking, and fun. Officials from giant corporations meet all the time to share their latest and greatest media relation strategies. This is our turn. It's the only national conference of its kind in the country. Tickets are $500 per person after December 15th.

Robert McChesney and John Nichols will talk about their new book, The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again. Their book expands on an essay that appeared last year in The Nation (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090406/nichols_mcchesney)

Calling all writers! This is a free informational event with writers and legal experts. If you've ever written anything that might be in the collection of a major library, you might be affected by the latest proposed settlement of a lawsuit on copyright infringement involving the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, and the owners of Google Book Search. Come find out about the settlement and "what's in it for writers".

Stories are as old humankind and are new each time we speak them. They influence our thinking in our families, in our organizations, in our political lives, and in our worlds. Story is the connective tissue bringing our relationships, processes and results in support of our vision. Together we will create and explore and reflect towards a deeper understanding of crafting and communicating the stories you want to tell.

Join Victor Lewis and Vanissar Tarakali for "Undoing Oppression". This embodied workshop for both people of color and white racial justice allies will explore the impact of trauma (personal, intimate, social) on our experiences of oppression, our participation in oppressive systems, and our efforts to free ourselves form both. By employing concrete tools and practices, we'll work with trauma and shame as they live in the bodymind, helping participants engage consciously with adaptations that keep oppression and privilege in place.

A Helluva CampTM provides condensed, content-rich, cutting-edge, and fun mini-camps and mini-conferences. Our goal is to give you information and training you can't find anywhere else about subjects that are exciting, practical, and up to the minute. Our goal is to fire up the can-do person in us all. 1/23 - Helluva Camp for Indie Filmmakers 1/30 - Helluva Camp for Nonprofit Rebels 4/24 - Helluva Camp for Film Production

The reproductive justice movement needs unity and revitalization. Join us as we plan for the 6th annual counter demonstration and march in support of reproductive justice for all. Organizing meetings will be held weekly every Tuesday (1/5 in San Francisco; 1/12 in Oakland; and 1/19 in SF) in preparation for our day of Action. If you are interested in future organizing meetings, please contact bacorrinfo@yahoo.com.

"Taking back KPFA - Images from 1999" is part of of the "Past, Present, and Future" exhibit at Expressions gallery. This important exhibition of art photos and memorabilia from the successful and historical resistance by the staff and listener community to take over the Pacifica network is currently on view until February 5th. There will be silent auctions of many of these items. Part of your purchase will go to support KPFA.

New America Media is calling for applications from ethnic media reporters and freelance journalists for its 2010 Fellowship, "Ethnic Elders Today and Tomorrow," underwritten by a grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies. Link on to the Ethnic Elders Fellowship application at http://bit.ly/7TtoWG

Welcome to the world's largest garbage village located on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. The Zaballeen (Arabic for garbage people) recycle 80 percent of the trash they collect - far more than other recycling initiatives. But now a multi-national corporation threatens their livelihood. Follow three teenage boys born into the business who are forced to make choices that will impact the survival of their community.

Join us for a public forum about using mapping and data visualization techniques for environmental journalism, scholarship, and policy, followed by a brief reception honoring 2009 James V. Risser Prize in Western Environmental Journalism recipients Hal Bernton, Justin Mayo and Steve Ringman.

This is a reminder that the next Bay Area Literary Roundtable Meeting convened by Poets & Writers will be held on Thursday, January 28th. This meeting provides a forum for dialogue and exchange of ideas between a diverse group of presenters, presses, and writers. Cheryl Klein, P&W Director of the California Office and Readings/Workshops (West), will moderate the discussion. Please RSVP to jfitzgerald@pw.org by January 21st.

Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center, will discuss two recent books on Asian and Latino labor organizing: "Miguel Contreras: Legacy of a Labor Leader" and "Organizing on Separate Shores- Vietnamese & Vietnamese-American Organizers".

The Bay Area International Children's Film Festival opens it's 3rd year on January 29th. The program will include award-winning feature length and short independent films. Children and children at heart will be engaged by eye-popping animation, amazing documentaries and stories that tackle important issues from a kids-eye view.

The KPFA Apprenticeship Program is now accepting applications for 2010. Learn radio journalism, feature production, blogging, community building and more! This is an 18 month training program for women and people of color. Download an application at www.firstvoicemap.org. See website for full details.

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a project of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, is dedicated to informed, innovative and ethical news reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy. Whether the topic is street crime, family violence, natural disaster, war or human rights, effective news reporting on traumatic events demands knowledge, skill and support. The Dart Center provides journalists around the world with the resources necessary to meet this challenge, drawing on a global, interdisciplinary network of news professionals, mental health experts, educators and researchers.

A Helluva Camp™ provides condensed, content-rich, cutting-edge, and fun mini-camps and mini-conferences. Our goal is to give you information and training you can’t find anywhere else about subjects that are exciting, practical, and up to the minute! Our goal is to fire up the can-do person in all of us. This class is for indie filmmakers who want new ideas and new ways to succeed in an increasingly competitive world. We cover topics that aren’t covered in most film schools, and our instructors are working filmmakers or real-life movers and shakers in their fields of expertise. This is a fantastic opportunity to network with other filmmakers and experts in many fields. You don’t want to miss this one!

The ATP is a nine-month leadership development and skills building course designed to train women and girls from the grassroots community to become effective health policy activists and advocates. In the initial intense 10-week course, participants learn community organizing and advocacy skills, including how to initiate and sustain letter-writing campaigns, effective legislative and media advocacy and other skills in an interactive environment. The central focus of the program is to empower Black women who are not traditionally part of the policy advocacy arena to advocate for their health and the health of their families. Through this program, we enhance and expand the network of activists, policymakers and leaders striving to improve the health of Black women in California. To date, the ATP has produced forty-four women's health advocates trained in Black women's health issues, media advocacy, community organizing and strategy development. THOSE ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM WILL BE NOTIFIED WITH DATE & LOCATION DETAILS.

The awards honor outstanding reporting on issues that reflect Robert Kennedy's concerns including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world. Past winners include The Washington Post, National Public Radio and CBS's "60 Minutes." Please note there are separate entry forms for the Book Award, the TV/Radio Award, the Print Award and the High School/College Award.

KPFA management has flagrantly violated the CWA 9415 union contract at radio station KPFA by cutting hours of Flashpoints staff without regard to the union contract. Nora Barrows-Friedman had her hours cut 50% despite the fact that she has more seniority than many other employees. In fact Assistant Manager Amelia Gonzalez admitted that they had ignored the contract in layoffs and were consulting the union after the fact. Is this how management operates at KPFA? Panelists will also discuss how KPFA and Pacifica can again become an activist news and information portal for the community in these critical times.

Cathy Brooks and friends will be talking about various social technology-based Haitian relief efforts, and examine what's been working to get people mobilized and organized. How can we best continue to take effective action? Come prepared to share your experience and ideas.

Radical Women is proud to begin discussions of Clara Fraser’s Revolution, She Wrote. Fraser is the founding mother of socialist feminism and co-founder of Radical Women. The Fiery Feminist Theory Series will begin with the Introduction by science-fiction writer, Joanna Russ, and Clara’s essay, “Of Hermits, Hedonists and Related Narcissists.” Get to know the late Ms. Fraser through her words and appreciate her brilliance, humor and dedication to building a humane and democratic society. Everyone is welcome. Before the meeting, a delicious home-cooked buffet with vegetarian option will be served as a fundraiser for the organization, at 6:15 pm for a $7.50 donation. For more information or childcare, call 415-864-1278, or email baradicalwomen@earthlink.net.

Having returned from Haiti just four days before the catastrophic earthquake, members of the Task Force on the Americas will discuss the years of US intervention and devastating neoliberal policies that preceded this latest disaster. They will share their findings based on interviews with more than 70 people. The presentation is scheduled for Friday, February 12 at 7:30 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 9 Ross Valley Drive (at Fourth Street), San Rafael. Donations will benefit the SOPUDEP School. The school educates over 500 students from the poor neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince free of charge and provides many with their only meal of the day. Since the disaster the school is housing an emergency medical clinic staffed by Haitian and Cuban doctors.

Is racism a thing of the past? Panelists, former Black Panther Richard Brown and revolutionary feminist lesbian Merle Woo, will explore this idea promoted by the media during President Obama's election campaign, and how it measures up to the reality of African American lives today. Discussion to follow.

Thomas I. Yamashita Prize is awarded annually to an outstanding young social change activist in Northern California. The award of $2,500 honors a person whose work transforms the existing social landscape and serves as a bridge between the academy and the community.

Illegal raids of state public transportation funding are the biggest reason we're suffering brutal service cuts and fare hikes right now. Now, a proposed statewide ballot initiative wants to permanently protect these funds. Join us to discuss this tough topic with experts, plus network over wine and snacks.

Join Bay Area Women in Film and Media for a conversation on how best to utilize social media.

Victor Hugo López, Communications Coordinator at the Fray Bartolomé de las Casas Human Rights Center (Frayba) in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, will discuss human rights in Chiapas and the prospects for political change in 2010. The human rights situation in Chiapas has deteriorated rapidly in recent months, including an attack on a Fraba lawyer in September. As popular organizations wage peaceful struggles against paramilitary violence, tourism projects that displace campesinos, and illegal land grabs, the Frayba is at the often-dangerous forefront of human rights defense. Under attack from paramilitary groups, the army, and both the state and federal governments, the Frayba produces frequent human rights reports, defends cases in court and supports indigenous communities under attack.

Please join ABAG and the Center for Cities & Schools (CC&S) for a conversation on the connection between planning and education and how to facilitate dialogue between the city governments and school districts. An overview of topics will include: how growth and new housing impacts schools, involving school districts in the planning process, transportation links, facilities, schools as community centers, and opportunities for student learning through civic engagement.

Federal economic stimulus funding passed by congress last year created jobs in non-profit organizations to provide services to the community in the Jobs Now and Community Jobs Program. That funding ends September 30, 2010, and so do those jobs. The U.S. Senate is now debating whether to pass more job stimulus funding. Make your voices heard to your Senators to continue the job stimulus funding and to include funding for social infrastructure: youth programs, tutoring, home care, childcare, eeldercare and other community service jobs. Come to a planning meeting to strategize on fighting to continue the funding.

The Knight Digital Media Center (in partnership with the USC Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, the Center for Communication Leadership and Public Policy, and the Online Journalism Review) will hold a special News Entrepreneur Boot Camp from May 16-21, 2010, in Los Angeles. With expenses paid, this intense one-week boot camp is designed for 20 competitively selected digital entrepreneurs with great ideas for community news and information initiatives in the public interest. Topics to be covered include: Identifying the best business model for sustained success; Developing a feasibility plan; Audience development and customer acquisition; Developing and implementing revenue and advertising strategies; Successful social networking models; Understanding and using analytics.

A Teach-in on Net Neutrality and Universal Broadband that will include a story station to generate posters, audio, video and theater that captures the personal experiences of participants and a video booth that will collect first-hand testimonies for submission to the National Broadband Plan Task Force in Washington. The event will run from 1:00pm – 3:00pm and will include a discussion of the relationship between media production and media access and the role of art in making social and policy change. Admission is free.

Prisoners of Conscience Committee, Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and Prison Radio Presents Free em All! Free Mumia! There will be a sneak preview of the full length new Film Operation Small Axe with the POCC Minister of information JR and Director Adimu Madyun on hand. This event is done in honor of the lives of Freedom Fighters Minister Huey P. Newton (Birthday Feb. 17th, 1942 and El Hajj Malik Shabazz (Assassinated Feb. 21, 1969)

Learn from and be energized by Bay Area Jewish change-makers, and celebrate the multitude of ways we are collectively working to create a more just and equitable world! The 3rd annual event, returning to the Contemporary Jewish Museum for a second year, will feature a panel moderated by the host of KQED Radio’s Forum Michael Krasny, numerous skills-share workshops, local social justice networking opportunities and special performances.

Why has the U.S. military been blocking aid from reaching Haitians, while calling itself a "peacekeeping" force? Discuss how to best help Haiti - and find out why the U.S. government and multi-national corporations are using the earthquake disaster to once again exploit this island nation. The meeting is free and all are welcome; Caribbean lunch served at 12:15pm for $8 donation.

JR Valrey and Holly Works are the remaining defendants of the Oakland 100, the arrest in the police crackdown against the protest in Oakland over the police murder of Oscar Grant on New Year's day. Framed on felony charges, both are facing years behind bars, but JR and Holly are INNOCENT!

Lupita Nyong'o (Kenya, 2009, 78 mins) Eight individuals from across a wide spectrum of Kenyan society, all united as albinos, share their stories in this documentary, a heartfelt counter to the recent serial murders of albinos in Africa.

Indy Arts wonders if all this online time doesn't need some time off. Using social media can empower, but without translating that into real-life activity, what does it amount to? Join our timely discussion on how to use online resources to improve our offline lives.

Participate in a lively discussion of the new anthology, Want to Start a Revolution? Radical Women in the Black Freedom Struggle. A panel will discuss not only the African American women heroes who led many movements simultaneously, but also the key role of Black women's leadership today. A buffet with vegetarian option will be served at 6:15 for a $7.50 donation to help with fund raising.