Socialist Party Massachusetts News

3/28: Boston Local Business Meeting

2010-02-28T16:30:00.000-08:00

The Socialist Party of Boston will meet at 5:30 pm on Sunday, 28 March 2010 in the Lucy Parsons Center. Heading into the busy spring, we'll review International Women's Day events and the 20 March National March on Washington, and work on organizing upcoming events, especially May Day. More details can be found in the preliminary agenda.

Members, supporters, and the curious are all invited to attend.

The Lucy Parsons Center is located at 549 Columbus Ave. in the South End, near the Mass Ave. T stop on the Orange Line, the Symphony T stop on the Green Line (E), and the #1 bus line.

More information -- Meetup event

3/18: Deadline for submissions to The Socialist

2010-02-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

Thursday, 18 March is the deadline for submissions to the May Day edition of The Socialist. May Day is a key holiday for working people throughout the world and, in the US, a day that has been revived by immigrant laborers.

For more on May Day see this essay by socialist Joseph Coldwell.

Email submissions and inquiries to Billy Wharton, wawharton (at) yahoo (dot) com. As a reminder, the Socialist WebZine publishes weekly so keep those submissions coming.

3/12: Celebrating the Radical Ideas of Howard Zinn

2010-02-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

Join the Socialist Party, at a celebration of the radical ideas and revolutionary message of Howard Zinn. The program will include a short video, presentations by activists, music, and lively discussion.

7 pm at the Community Church of Boston (565 Boylston St., Copley Square).

More information -- Meetup event

3/10: Socializing for Socialism

2010-02-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Join Boston-area socialists and supporters for an informal get-together on Wednesday evening, 10 March. This should be a relaxed and fun opportunity to meet up and chat, maybe get a drink or something to eat, so stop by and bring your friends.

We're planning to head out after the May Day Committee meeting, which will be held at 7 pm in Encuentro5 (33 Harrison Ave., fifth floor, by the Chinatown T stop on the Orange Line). After the meeting we will head to the Otherside Cafe (207 Newbury St.) for drinks, food and conversation.

More information -- Meetup event

3/7: Statewide Conference Call

2010-02-28T16:14:00.000-08:00

The Socialist Party of Massachusetts will hold a statewide conference call at 8 pm on Sunday evening, 7 March.

These regular monthly conference calls help socialists throughout the state keep in touch and be more active and coordinated at the statewide level. Though there is no set agenda for the call, we expect to hear reports from across the state, coordinate statewide projects, and plan for the coming months.

The call is open to SP members. Other supporters may request call-in information by contacting us at spboston (at) spboston (dot) org.

Meetup event

3/7: International Women's Day

2010-02-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

Celebrate [http://socialistparty-usa.org/iwd2010/ International Women's Day] with the Socialist Party and Code Pink.

We will rally at Copley Square at 1pm (begin to gather starting at noon), march to the Park Street T at 2, and end with a brief silent vigil to mourn the dead and a final call to action before dispersing.

More information -- Meetup event

2/28: 2010 Massachusetts State Convention

2010-02-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

The 2010 State Convention of the Socialist Party of Massachusetts, will be held on Sunday, 28 February, beginning at 1 pm in the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) office in Cambridge.

AFSC is wheelchair accessible and is located at 2161 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, between the Porter Square and Davis Square T stops on the red line.

The State Convention will bring together socialists from across the state to work on statewide projects, campaigns, and organization. Special attention will go to organizing new locals, as well as to the role and organization of the state organization and how it relates with locals, and with members in unorganized regions. More information can be found in the preliminary agenda currently being developed.

Feel free to contact us for information about carpools, or with any questions.

Facebook event -- Meetup event

2/27: Regional Antiwar Coalition Meeting

2010-02-11T02:20:00.000-08:00

The next general meeting of the New England United regional antiwar coalition will be 1-5 pm on Saturday, 27 February, at Encuentro5 (33 Harrison Ave., fifth floor, by the Chinatown T stop on the Orange Line).

The meeting will open with a discussion about the current crisis in Haiti, "Who Killed Haiti and Why?: The US occupation and the fight to rebuild a country free from exploitation" (flyer).

More information -- Meetup event

2/21: Boston Local Business Meeting

2010-02-11T01:16:00.000-08:00

The Socialist Party of Boston will meet at 5:30 pm on Sunday, 21 February 2010 in the Lucy Parsons Center. We've kicked off 2010 with a burst of activity that will only get more exciting as we head into the busy spring. After our State Convention next week, there are a series of important events we need to work on organizing, from International Women's Day on 8 March and the 20 March National March on Washington, to May Day. More details can be found in the preliminary agenda.

Members, supporters, and the curious are all invited to attend.

The Lucy Parsons Center is located at 549 Columbus Ave. in the South End, near the Mass Ave. T stop on the Orange Line, the Symphony T stop on the Green Line (E), and the #1 bus line.

More information -- Meetup event

2/14: Howard Zinn Memorial planning meeting

2010-02-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

Howard Zinn inspired many throughout the movement for peace and social justice to raise our voices, speak out, and organize. Last Sunday a planning meeting was held to organize a celebration of his contributions as well as the causes that he supported.

We decided we would like to hold an activity on March 6 which would have an outdoor as well as indoor character. An activity where everyone was invited, a "peoples celebration" of sorts.

Our next planning meeting is scheduled for this Sunday at 12:30 pm to work through more of the details. Everyone is invited so please spread the word.

City-wide Planning Meeting
12:30-2:30 pm at Encuentro 5
33 Harrison Ave., fifth floor
(Chinatown stop on the Orange Line T)

Meetup event

2/11: Gaza Freedom March Report-Back

2010-02-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Come hear the stories of eyewitness participants Sarah Roche-Mahdi, Emily King, and Becky Thompson.

The Gaza Freedom March brought together hundreds of people from 43 countries, including high-profile leaders, to challenge the inhumane and illegal siege on Gaza. Organized by the US-based CodePink and UK-based Viva Palestina, the march brought hundreds of people to Egypt to bring badly-needed humanitarian supplies to Gaza and march against the ongoing blockade of Gaza.

To our dismay the Egyptian authorities did not allow the march to proceed and activists scrambled to make their voices heard despite the overt repression. Come hear the personal accounts of their journey to Egypt with the Gaza Freedom March!

7 pm in Room 101 of Boston University's Kenmore Classroom Building, 565 Commonwealth Ave., Kenmore Square.

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2/7: Statewide Conference Call

2010-01-17T18:15:00.000-08:00

The Socialist Party of Massachusetts will hold a statewide conference call at 8 pm on Sunday evening, 7 February.

These regular monthly conference calls help socialists throughout the state keep in touch and be more active and coordinated at the statewide level. Though there is no set agenda for the call, we expect to hear reports from across the state, coordinate statewide projects, and plan for the coming months.

The call is open to SP members. Other supporters may request call-in information by contacting us at spboston (at) spboston (dot) org.

Meetup event

1/30: Regional Antiwar Conference

2010-01-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

The New England United antiwar coalition will hold its regional conference in room 34-101 at MIT (50 Vassar St., Cambridge), from 10:30 am to 6 pm on Saturday, 30 January.

Come to share analyses; to map regional campaigns to strengthen the antiwar movement; to plan for national and local spring antiwar mobilizations, and other efforts to stop the wars and bring the troops home now.

More information -- Meetup event

1/25: Deadline for submissions to The Socialist

2010-01-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Monday, 25 January is the deadline for submissions to the International Women's Day edition of The Socialist. The edition will be produced for the March 8th celebrations of IWD, which is important day for socialists to highlight the stories of women as the makers of history and, especially, the role of women in grassroots political struggles.

For more on the socialist origins of IWD see this article by the historian Temma Kaplan.

Email submissions and inquiries to Billy Wharton, wawharton (at) yahoo (dot) com. As a reminder, the Socialist WebZine publishes weekly so keep those submissions coming.

1/21: Envelope-stuffing party

2010-01-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

We need volunteers to help stuff envelopes for our next mailing. All of our materials and labor for our mailings are donated by volunteers, and we can always use another pair of hands!

Join us in Braintree for conversation and pizza as we get the word out about our upcoming actions and events! Contact us for the location and directions.

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Solidarity with the People of Haiti

2010-01-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

A statement of the Socialist Party USA

The Socialist Party USA stands in solidarity with the people of Haiti after the devastating earthquake that hit the island. Estimates of the dead are more than one hundred thousand and significant parts of the capital city Port-au-Prince's infrastructure have been destroyed. The full extent of the damage will not be known for days and the country seems certain to be thrust into a humanitarian crisis even more serious than the one that exists on a daily basis.

While this disaster has natural origins, it occurred within a nation that had already been ravaged by capitalism. Haiti is a model case for the failure of the neoliberal economic model and the negative legacies of US militarism in the region.

Read the full statement here.

1/18: Shut Down Guanatánamo Bay Prison!

2010-01-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!
Shut Down Guanatánamo Bay Prison!
Stop torture! End arbitrary detentions!
Stop trying to fight terror with terror!

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, 18 January, by demanding the US government close Guantanamo Bay and abolish torture. Witness Against Torture has put out a national call to action on this one year anniversary of Obama's promise to close the prison. Obama is on track to break this promise and not deliver hope to those who need it the most.

We will meet at the Park St. Plaza (by the Park St. T station on the Red Line) at 5 pm. Those who come early will have the opportunity to wear an orange jumpsuit to demonstrate the suffering of Guantanamo prisoners. We expect many commuters will see our action outside Park Street.

More information -- Meetup event -- Facebook event

1/17: Boston Socialist Party meeting

2010-01-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Socialist Party of Boston will meet at 5:30 pm on Sunday, 17 January 2010 in the Lucy Parsons Center. We have a lot of events to organize in the coming weeks and months, even before we get into the busy spring from International Women's Day on 8 March and the 20 March National March on Washington to May Day. More details can be found in the preliminary agenda.

Members, supporters, and the curious are all invited to attend.

The Lucy Parsons Center is located at 549 Columbus Ave. in the South End, near the Mass Ave. T stop on the Orange Line, the Symphony T stop on the Green Line (E), and the #1 bus line.

More information -- Meetup event

1/13: Socializing for Socialism

2010-01-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

Join Boston-area socialists and supporters for an informal get-together Wednesday evening, 13 January. This should be a relaxed and fun opportunity to meet up and chat, maybe get a drink or something to eat, so stop by and bring your friends.

We're planning to head out after the May Day Committee meeting, which will be held at 7 pm in Encuentro5 (33 Harrison Ave., fifth floor, by the Chinatown T stop on the Orange Line). After the meeting we will walk to the South Street Diner (178 Kneeland St.) for drinks, food and conversation (the menu has vegetarian options and can probably accommodate vegans as well).

More information -- Meetup event

1/2: Statewide Conference Call

2010-01-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

The Socialist Party of Massachusetts will hold a statewide conference call at 8 pm on Saturday evening, 2 January. This will be the first in a regular monthly series of conference calls to help us be more active and coordinated at the statewide level.

Though there is no set agenda for the call, we expect to hear reports from across the state, coordinate statewide projects, and plan for the upcoming year.

The call is open to SP members. Other supporters may request call-in information by contacting us at spboston (at) spboston (dot) org.

Meetup event

1/2: Boston Socialist Party meeting

2009-12-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

After a blizzard-related delay, the Socialist Party of Boston will meet at 5:30 pm on Saturday, 2 January 2010 in the Lucy Parsons Center. A preliminary agenda is being developed.

Members, supporters, and the curious are all invited to attend.

The Lucy Parsons Center is located at 549 Columbus Ave. in the South End, near the Mass Ave. T stop on the Orange Line, the Symphony T stop on the Green Line (E), and the #1 bus line.

More information -- Meetup event

National Day of Action to Defend Education

2009-12-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

A statement of the Socialist Party USA

The Socialist Party USA (SP-USA) endorses the call for a National Day of Action to Defend Education to be held on March 4th, 2010. SP-USA locals through out the country will participate in organizing political actions in defense of education. The SP-USA endorsement is part of a national call made by student groups responsible for recent campus occupations and student protests in California and New York City.

The call for protest is a response to recent actions by State and Local governments to reduce education budgets as a way to fill in budget gaps. At least 26 states are implementing cuts to K-12 education programs, including Illinois whose cuts will make more than 10,000 children ineligible for early childhood education and Massachusetts, which carried out deep cuts on a number of early care programs. Cuts in other states will result in tuition increases, school closings, privatization, the elimination of after-school programs, and general restrictions on access to higher education.

The SP-USA opposes all cuts to education. We believe that access to free, high quality, public education at all stages of life is a fundamental human right. As such, we fully support the call for a national day of action in order to express our opposition to the education cutbacks taking place throughout the nation.

Read the full statement here.

Faith and Socialism Holiday Greeting

2009-12-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

By Josh Hatala of the Socialist Party Faith & Socialism Commission

The Holidays are a time filled with stark contradictions. While most religions offer inspiring messages of peace and love, commercial enterprises attempt to put a price tag on every human emotion and social relation. But the shiniest presents in the world can¿t hide the raw inequalities that exist in our country and across the globe. This Holiday season, as a member of the Faith and Socialism Commission, I ask you to consider what really matters - our communities, our planet and the cause of social justice.

Read the full statement here.

12/31: First Night Against the Wars

2009-12-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Join the Socialist Party and the Greater Boston Stop the Wars Coalition at our annual antiwar action during Boston's First Night celebrations.

From 1 to 7 pm in Copley Square, we will share our antiwar message with thousands of First Night revelers and distribute food, stickers, literature, and enthusiasm for engaging in a new year campaigning against Washington's wars.

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12/16: Introduction to Democratic Socialism

2009-12-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

Meet local activists with the Socialist Party USA
Learn what Democratic Socialism is all about in plain English
Find out how you can make an impact in today's movements, locally and globally

The Socialist Party of Boston is hosting this meeting for new people who want to learn about socialism and our work in Boston. Brief presentations will be followed by open discussion to address the questions and interests of participants. This event is totally free and everyone is welcome to come!

7-9 pm in the first-floor lounge of Boston University's Metcalf Science Center (590 Commonwealth Ave., by the Blandford St. T stop of the Green Line (B)).

More information -- Facebook event -- Meetup event