Seattle Inaugural Celebration of Our Hopes

2009-01-20T14:16:00.000-08:00

Celebrate this historic Inauguration

Yes We Can End the War -- Student Anti-War Walk Out and March
We voted Barack, Now Get Out of Kabul and Iraq!
Students across Seattle walk out, speak out, and march to Westlake center on Inauguration morning to demand an end to the war.

Followed by
City-wide Inauguration Day Celebration and Rally
A Demonstration of our Hopes
Community members from across Seattle join students, who have walked-out and marched to Westlake Center, for a celebration and rally. We will celebrate the end of the bush era with community, speakers, and music -- by making our voices heard and letting President Obama know what the real changes that we want and deserve are.

Students invite our allies in the community to join us in this celebration of our hopes:
January 20th | 1:30 p.m. | Westlake Center

Bring your organization, friends, and enthusiasm to let President Obama know the changes we want. Enjoy Speakers and Musical Performances by Canary Sing and Applekicker.

• End the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

• Defend Gay Marriage -- Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act

• Support the Employee Free Choice Act

• Money for Education, Healthcare, Housing, and Jobs – Not for Jails and War

• End the Budget Cuts and School Closures.

• End the Attacks on Immigrants Arabs & Muslims. Stop the I.C.E. Raids & Deportations.

• End US Support for Israel's starvation and massacres against the civilian population of Gaza.

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The political tide has turned – we have elected our first black president in a country that was founded on slavery – and we get to finally throw Bush and his neo-con bums out of office – there is much to celebrate on this historic Inauguration day.

Many of us are very excited about the wave of activism around Obama's election, and have been inspired by the radical hopes people have for his presidency -- to see the first black president become elected by a vocal, antiwar, young constituency is amazing. But we don't accept that just CEOs, military generals, or lobbyists should be the only ones to make demands on the President-elect. We face a continuation of the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan; the worst economic crisis since the great depression; budget cuts that are threatening to close our schools; a denial of equality and civil rights to gay and lesbians, immigrants, and people of color; and working people have no hope of a federal bailout to help us out. Change is coming to the White House, yet we know that real change will have to be built by our own hands.

This is why students in Campus Antiwar Network (CAN) chapters at Seattle Central Community College and the University of Washington, in conjunction with other radical student groups around the city, are calling for a student walk out on inauguration morning followed by a city wide community celebration and demonstration of our hopes at Westlake center. We can best celebrate the end of the old era by making our voices heard and letting President Obama know what the real changes that we want and deserve are.

Speakers list as of Jan 15, 2009

2009-01-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

Rally M.C.s
Ruben Bustamante: Jan. 2Oth Organizer, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Seattle Central Community College MeCha and Anti-War Collective; and Jason Farbman, Activist, Songwriter and performer.

Musical Performers:
Applekicker -- Jason Farbman, Activist, Songwriter and performer
Hidmo Acclaimed Canary Sing -- Hollis Wong-wear (ispire; good lucky money) and Madeleine Clifford (lioness).

Speakers:

• Carlos Marentes, El Comité Pro-Amnistia, May 1st Immigrant Rights Organizer, speaking on Immigrant Rights

• Professora Nada Elia, Author and Founding Member of the National Council Of Arab Americans, speaking on the attacks On Gaza.

• Kate Johnson, member of the International Socialist Organization, speaking on Politics and Struggle in a New Era

• Timothy Harris, Executive Director of Real Change Organizing Project, Speaking on the No New Jail and Stop the Sweeps Campaigns.

• Juan José Bocanegra, Labor Educator/Field Organizer, speaking on Unions and Immigrant Workers, and the Employee Free Choice Act.

• Queer Ally Coalition, speaker TBA , speaking on Marriage Equality

• Jessie Kindig, UW Campus Anti-War Network, Jan 20th Organizer, University of Washington Graduate student, speaking on the Student Anti-War Movement

• Seth Manzel and Tracy Manzel- Iraq Veterans Against The War, Speaking on the new G.I. coffeehouse, Coffee Strong, and I.V.A.W.

• Dan Troccoli, Educators, Students and Parents for a Better Vision of Seattle Schools, Teacher in the Seattle Public Schools, member of the Seattle Education Association*, and activist – speaking on school closures, budget cuts and Education.

Sound provided by: Bob Barnes, Jobs With Justice*

* organization listed for identification purposes only

2008-12-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

To download flyers: Click on image to get a full size version, then right click on the image and chooses "save image as".

Student Walk-Out flyer (you can add the meet up info for your school at the bottom)

Upcoming Student Planning Meetings

2008-12-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

City-wide Student Coordination meeting: Sat, January 16 4pm Caffe Vita (on Pike St. between 10th and 11th in Capitol Hill)