Indypendent Reader

On Friday, August 2nd, 2013, Arun Gupta came to Baltimore for two events: "The Importance of Independent Media" and "The United States of Fear." Gupta argues a path forward towards directly challenging the types of fear the state, corporations, and police use to repress the population, including: identifying our fears, having honest dialogue, and build real relationships and communities of trust and solidarity.

On August 1st, Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse welcomed reknowned historian and theorist Vijay Prashad to MICA's Graduate Studio Center. In this talk, Prashad presented his latest book, The Poorer Nations, which picks up where his incredible history of the Bandung/Non-Aligned Movement effort to forge a third world political project, 2007's The Darker Nations, left off.

On July 13, 2013, George Zimmerman was acquitted on the murder of Trayvon Martin. The nation disrupted and thousands rose in protest. Baltimore demonstrated that very night with actions like Luminous Intervention's projection over Route 83 Southbound reading "Justice for Trayvon" (they also demonstrated, via their enormous light projections, the following evening at the Eastern District's Supreme Court building calling for "Justice for Trayvon").

On Friday, June 21, the Marc Steiner Show featured Lawrence Brown as he discussed his Indyreader essay entitled, "Avarice and Avatar in Charm City: Stepping Up the Fight Against Displacement and Dispossession." The discussion covered the historical antecedents of displacement and dispossession and turned to recent gentrification and displacement efforts in the Middle East and Greenmount West communities in Baltimore. The participants discussed strategies for confronting displacement and dispossession, including community organizing, anti-displacement as a fundamental principle, and changing the city charter from a strong mayor system to a council manager form of government to increase community voice and participation.

The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey is a new book by Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt. Part cookbook, part political analysis, part history, The Gaza Kitchen is a book unlike any other.

Please check back later this week for the full Hit and Stay story and film review. In the meantime, however, please enjoy the full audio interview with Joe Tropea, one of the directors of the film. Also, don't sleep on purchasing your tickets for the two showings of this documentary at this upcoming weekend's Maryland Film Festival. There will be two screenings: Thursday, May 9, 7:30pm at the Charles Theater & Saturday, May 11, 1:30pm at MICA's Brown Center. 

As the 2013 Left Forum Conference draws near, we remember a speech given at last year's Left Forum (2012). Renowned professor, sociologist, and philosopher John Holloway inspired and transfixed us all. Attached is the audio from this incredible call-to-action speech, as well as a transcribed portion of his moving words. Audio By: Corey Reidy

Please check back later this week for full story. In the meantime, however, please enjoy this full audio interview with the two feminist organizers behind FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture. And, while you're at it, check out their Kickstarter campaign that is working to build their Monument Project, and please consider giving if you're able. Thank you!