Community Resource Directory

Agenda created the Community Resource Directory (CRD) in order to give Ann Arbor community organizations a forum in which to publicize their activities and to inform the public about what types of activities and resources are available to them locally. 

What you read in the CRD was written by organization members, except for our minor edits. The length and format of the individual listings is reflective of the actual text given to us.

For last month's premier issue of Agenda, approximately fifty Ann Arbor-based organizations were asked to participate in the CRD. About half the groups contacted responded and appeared in April's CRD. This month we have nearly the same number of entries--a couple new listings and a couple deleted listings (due to missing the copy deadline).

There is a great diversity of grassroots organizations in Ann Arbor, as you will see by reading the CRD. And there are many more locally-based community groups than those that appear here. It is important to us that the CRD maintain this representative diversity, so we invite all Ann Arbor grassroots organizations to contact Agenda to find out how to go about being included. Our phone number is 996-8018.

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Arts and Culture

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The Performance Network of Ann Arbor

408 W. Washington Street

Ann Arbor, Mi 48103

663-0681

The Performance Network of Ann Arbor is a collectively-run, intimate theatre including shop, storage, and rehearsal space. It is designed to promote the production, presentation, and discussion of politically-committed and experimental theatre, literature, music, video, and cinema through a variety of means, such as workshops, screenings, installations, performances dhd critiques. The Performance Network of Ann Arbor is available to other arts organizations or individuals to rent at a nominal fee as a shop, workshop, or performance space. We provide resources to the community in the form of space and equipment: a 150-seat theatre with sound and lighting systems, expertise in arts management, outreach programming and education, and creativity in the various media. As our name implies, we function as a liaison for artists, political organizations and the community.

The Performance Network of Ann Arbor is committed to producing alternative work in all media of the arts as well as promoting the active involvement of all members of the community in the arts. To this end, we have housed a young people's theatre company, women's music concerts, an original symphony composed by local musicians, a multicultural theatre festival, a festival of Black independent cinema, a play which toured union locals, and other socially conscious theatre featuring post-performance discussions about social and cultural significance. In addition, our Works in Progress series produces new works by local writers and performers for discussion and critique by actors, directors, writers and audiences. Besides fostering non-traditional artists and audiences in cinema, theatre, and music, we encourage the production and exhibition of innovative and archival work in video through our tape installations.

The Performance Network is located in a large industrial warehouse space, empty at the time the theatre began, and now itself a network of artists and crafts persons, collectively sharing materials, resources, talent and energy.

In the future, we will continue to present work which confronts crucial issues and develops new forms. We will enhance our workshops and thus encourage active participation in the arts by the community, breaking down the distinction between artist and audience.

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Environment

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The Ecology Center of Ann Arbor

417 Detroit Street

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

761-3186

Statement of Purpose

Environmental issues are manifestations of many of society's most pressing problems, such as the need to manage our dwindling resource base more carefully and the question of how to respond to the pressure for rapid development of complex technologies. These issues range in scope from local to global, from preserving wilderness areas to revitalizing our urban centers. Solutions to these problems will only arise through examining and changing our institutions, our lifestyles, and our attitudes toward the human infrastructure and the environment.

The mission of the Ecology Center is to effectively channel community resources into meaningful action on environmental issues. The Ecology Center is therefore an organization that values diversity in its membership and has deep roots in the surrounding community. The Center offers a unique opportunity for individuals to contribute their time and effort toward a cause that is unquestionably vital.

The Center pursues its broad aims through numerous programs , each of which may have several components: education, advocacy, demonstration, and service. In all of these programs, the Ecology Center maintains a balance between involvement at the local level and involvement on a broader scale, where these are clearly relevant to the interests of the Centers membership and the surrounding community.

Meeting Times and Places

Meetings of Ecology Center committees and task forces, including an issues steering committee, pesticides task force, environmental education committee and others, take place at 3 to 5 week intervals, and new volunteers are invited. Informal orientation meetings with a staff person prior to involvement are usually scheduled.

Membership Profile

The Ecology Center has over 2,000 member households, mostly in the Ann Arbor area. Members include over 150 businesses and approximately 200 volunteers. Membership rates are $15 per household, $5 for seniors. Regular volunteers receive a free membership. Member benefits include a year's subscription to Ecology Reports, the Center's monthly newsletter, environmental alerts on critical local issues, discounts on Center publications and merchandise, energy visits, voting rights to elect board members, and invitations to member activities. Sponsorships, bequests, and special contributions are welcomed.

Organizational Structure

The Ecology Center is organized as a non-profit corporation with a board of directors to oversee the operations of the organization. Committees of the board (made up of community members, volunteers, and board members), citizen task forces, and staff at the Center all make recommendations to the Board of Directors on organizational issues. The staff of the Ecology Center are organized democratically, rather than hierarchically, with major decisions of the staff being made by the consensus of the staff. All staff receive the same rate of pay for their work.

Committees of the Board include: a recycling-incentives committee, a personnel committee, a committee on resources, an education committee, an issues steering committee, and a number of ad hoc committees. Current Board members include: president, Barbara Wykes, vice-president, Ken Ludwig, treasurer, Pat Corey, secretary, Susan Morrison, and staff representatives: Frances Bunch, Leroy Cappaert, Joyce Chesbrough, John Edgren, Jim Frey, and Nancy Stone.

The Ecology Center practices affirmative action for minorities, differently abled individuals, and others in its staff hirings.

Community Services

Environmental information and Referral: Assistance by phone is available Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, and Saturday, 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Environmental Library and Resource Center: Over 2,000 books, hundreds of topical files, journals and curricula are available for public use, Monday through Friday, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm and Saturday, 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Recycle Ann Arbor Monthly Curbside Pickups: The Center provides set-scheduled monthly pick ups of recyclables on every city street. Trucks pick up newspapers, glass, tin cans, aluminum, used motor oil and batteries. Call the Ecology Center to determine your pickup day.

Commercial Recycling Pickups: Special pickups may be arranged for local businesses and institutions wishing to recycle. Call the Ecology Center for further information.

Recycling Drop-Off Station: The Center also operates a drop-off station for nonresidents and those who just can't wait for their pickup day or have missed it. The station is open Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Home Energy Works: The Center's Energy Team offers weatherization, energy education, and comprehensive audits to renters, homeowners, and property managers, and is available for community development contracts. Services are often free to low-income households. Cali the Ecology Center to see if you qualify for a free home visit.

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Gay Rights

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AIDS Action Alliance (A5)

c/o Human Sexuality Advocates Office

3118 Michigan Union

Ann Arbor, Mi 48109

763-4186

AIDS Action Alliance (A5) is a nonprofit, democratically organized group recognized by the student government of the University of Michigan. We are composed of interested students and staff members at U of M, and are open to members of the Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County community. Our goals are twofold. First, to educate members of our community about AIDS. We have done this through workshop forums open to the public. Second, to be active politically to guarantee the rights of people with AIDS (PWAs), ARC (AIDS related complex), and positive HTLV-III tests, as well as gay men and lesbians who are coming under attack because of the misperception of AIDS as a "gay disease."

Future activities will include working to repeal a communicable disease policy approved by the Ann Arbor School Board, which allows for exclusion of a student or staff member "reasonably suspected" of having a communicable disease, including AIDS, ARC, or a positive HTLV-III test. (This policy is in opposition to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, which states that people with AIDS should be allowed to work and attend school as long as they are physically capable of doing so.) We also hope to network with other political and educational groups in the area and to make information on AIDS available to their memberships. We hope this networking will allow us to set up a series of small group rap discussions on issues pertaining to AIDS, as well as obtain community-wide support for sound public policy on issues raised by AIDS.

We will be meeting every other Tuesday, starting May 6, in the Michigan League at 7 pm. The room number will be available on a list on the main floor.

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Gay Liberation

c/o 4117 Michigan Union

Ann Arbor, Mi 48109

INFO: 763-4186

HOTLINE: 662-1977

Statement of Purpose

To provide information, counseling, and related social services for people concerned about sexual orientation: (1) maintain Hotline for crisis intervention, peer counseling, referral; (2) help provide factual information to offset prejudice and misinformation about lesbians and gay men; (3) work to obtain human and civil rights for lesbians and gay men; (4) consult and cooperate with other community groups and agencies; (5) help other lesbian and gay male groups organize.

Meetings and Membership

Our meetings vary according to purpose (counseling, education, etc.). Call for information. Our organization is made up of students, staff, U of M faculty, and people from the larger community. Currently there are approximately 50 members.

Organizational Structure

Gay Liberation has the Executive Offices of President, vice-president, secretary, treasurer. We also do a lot of work in Subcommittees: Counseling, Group Workers, Education Workers, and Civil Rights.

Community Services

Hotline: Crisis intervention, peer counseling, referral.

Education: Workshops on lesbian and gay male concerns, with an emphasis on how people in helping professions can work positively with lesbian and gay male clients.

Speakers Bureau: Call for information.

Current News

Gay Liberation is helping plan Lesbian-Gay Pride Week, which is scheduled for June 21-28 in Ann Arbor. Anyone who would like to contribute time, energy and talent, please call the group organizing alternative planning at 663-3514, or GLOHRYA2 (Gay-Lesbian Organization for Human Rights Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor) at 572-1779. Also, Gay Liberation is cooperating with groups responding to concerns about AIDS. These groups welcome helpers of any sexual orientation. For information, call Jim at 763-4186. We are making preparations for Hotline and group work training. If interested, please call Jim at 763-4186. We need sincere, talented, committed volunteers who feel positive about their gay orientation and possess good communication skills.

Coming Events

Sunday, May 4, "Positive Gay Identity Conference," Marygrove College, Detroit. Call 763-4186 or 863-7255 for information.

Friday, May 16: Pride Week Planning Meeting, sponsored by GLORHYA2, 7 PM, Michigan League Rooms 4 and 5.

Memorial Day Weekend: Caving trip to Kentucky. For information, call David at 769-2443.

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Housing

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Ann Arbor Tenants Union (AATU)

4001 Michigan Union

Ann Arbor, Ml 48109

763-6876

Purpose

The AATU provides counseling, tenant organizing and advocacy, and educational activities designed to empower tenants. Most people in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti community are tenants, and in general, tenants are a rising percentage of the population in the United States. The "dream" of home ownership is over for most Americans who did not purchase a home before 1973 or who did not survive the foreclosure onslaught of the Reagan years.

Among the problems which tenants report to the AATU are high rents, discrimination (race, age, income, sex), shabby conditions, invasions of privacy, theft of security deposits, threats and intimidation, slow service, and rent increases.

AATU helps tenants deal with these housing and landlord problems as individuals and as organized tenants union locals.

Meetings and Membership

"How-to" meetings for tenants interested in organizing with their neighbors will be held on Monday, May 12, and Tuesday, May 27, at 7 pm in the TU office.

Memberships in the Tenants Union are $7.50 for low-income renters and students, $15 for working people, $20 for house membership, and $50 for sustainers.

AATU is a member organization of the National Tenants Union, the Ann Arbor Community Housing Coalition, the Michigan Ad-Hoc Committee on Housing, the Freedom Charter Coalition, and the National Low-income Housing Commission.

Organizational Structure

Services are provided to individuals and groups through the central service operation located at 4001 Michigan Union.

Tenants who share common building/landlord problems with their neighbors can form local tenants unions at the site where they live in order to bargain collectively with the landlord. The AATU can provide assistance. Locals are the way neighbors get together- through newsletters, door-to-door outreach, and general meetings of all tenants. Members participate in committees (negotiating, newsletter, outreach, etc.) that do the tasks the local needs done.

Community Services

Phone counseling is available on Mondays from noon to 5 pm and on Thursdays from 11 am to 4 pm.

Office counseling is available Wednesdays at 1 pm and 7 pm (other hours by appointment, please). Tenants attending a counseling session should bring photocopies of letters, leases, logs, photographs, etc.

The AATU publishes the booklets "How to Evict Your Landlord" (basic information on obtaining your tenants rights) and "Fight Back" (how-to manual for defending yourself from eviction). The AATU publishes other tenants rights literature and is also gearing up for publication of a local newsletter called "lnSite."

Back up services for tenants locals include research, graphics production, organizational and negotiating assistance, and networking with other tenants.

The AATU has a delegate on an Ann Arbor City Council committee that is revising the city housing code and proposing changes in bureaucratic policies. The final report from this committee is expected in the summer. Input from tenants is welcome.

Current News

AATU investigation of the city Housing Inspection Bureau (HIB) over the past year has led to substantiative changes in bureaucratic behavior.

Among the changes are:

1. The bureaucracy has agreed to end its long practice of granting so-called "administrative variances" to landlords. These "variances" were illegal, secret exemptions to the law granted to many landlords throughout town. Politically prominent landlords and campus addresses are prevalent among examples that have been uncovered.

2. The HIB will accept requests for inspections from tenants, as the law says, instead of discouraging tenants from using this city service by imposing improper requirements. The bureau will also stop informing landlords that tenants made complaints when the bureau is at the same time refusing to accept the tenants request for inspection.

3. The HIB will stop ignoring requests to enforce the city's Truth in Renting law, which says landlords must distribute the city-published "Rights and Duties of Tenants" booklet to tenants.

4. HIB officials will no longer order housing inspectors to ignore sections of the law in an attempt to void those sections at landlord request.

Substantiative changes have also occurred on the Housing Board of Appeals (HBA) which is a citizen's review board. In February, local landlord John Swisher, was forced to resign the HBA seat that he had occupied since 1979. AATU member Vickie Wilson was appointed to the vacant seat. To our knowledge, Wilson is the first active tenant to be appointed to the HBA. The AATU believes the next vacant HBA seat should be filled by a student tenant.

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Intergenerational Issues

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Gray Panthers of Huron Valley

1209 Island Drive #103

Ann Arbor, MI 48105

663-0786

Statement of Purpose

As advocates for social change, Gray Panthers initiate projects or work in coalition to promote peace efforts, a national health service, maintenance of Social Security benefits for all ages, decent affordable housing, and many similar issues. Emphasis is on intergenerational involvement and cooperation; all ages need to work together for peace and security.

Meeting Times and Places

The second Saturday of each month, September through June (no July or August meetings), in the second floor conference room of the main Ann Arbor Fire Station, at 107 North Fifth Avenue, from 2:00-4:00pm. The public is welcome. Meetings are open. (Monthly newsletter gives program for the upcoming meeting.)

Membership Profile

Seventy-plus paid members from different backgrounds and of varying ages, whose common denominator is a concern for abating social, political and economic injustice and oppression.

Organizational Structure

A steering committee, in which any member may participate at any meeting, does the planning, and determines actions, projects, and programs. It also establishes necessary financial and communications procedures. The consensus process applies. The committee meets twice a month. 

Gray Panthers of Huron Valley

Community Services

Advocacy at public meetings, presence at public rallies, aiding in petition drives. Individual members, either by training or background, serve in agencies dealing with housing, as counselors for assistance in Medicare and tax matters, in coalition with peace groups, and similar efforts.

Current News

The Covenant for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons, a campaign initiated by the local Gray Panthers chapter, now has 19 co-sponsoring Michigan organizations. It is also receiving wider national recognition and engendering growing interest. The Covenant concept calls for a boycott of consumer goods produced by nuclear weapons manufacturers, along with divestiture of stock holdings in those firms. Which manufacturers and which products one wishes to boycott are individual decisions, but all cases also call for letters to those companies' presidents telling them of the action taken and why.

A kit has been prepared for purchase (to help fund the campaign) which covers all ramifications of the effort, and is available for $5.00. It includes, among other useful information, a Buyer's Guide listing of the 30 major nuclear firms, the consumer products they turn out, and alternative sources for those products.

Coming Events

May 10- Monthly meeting, on planning for action. A work session, plus letter writing to political leaders.

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Labor

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Industrial Workers of the World

Southeastern Michigan General Membership Branch

42 S. Summit

Ypsilanti, Mi 48197

483-3478

Statement of Purpose

The I.W.W. Union advocates the ownership and control of all means of production and distribution by the working class. It promotes this purpose through workplace organizing and education. Tactically it differentiates itself from conventional unions through emphasis on direct action rather than reliance on the courts and government to achieve the ends of the working class.

In the short run, the I.W.W. helps workers organize for increased decision making power in the workplace as well as improved wages and benefits.

Meeting Times and Places

General membership meetings: Second Monday of every month, 5:45 pm, Room 4304 Michigan Union, 530 S. State, Ann Arbor. Informal working meetings every Monday, same time and place.

Membership Profile

Area membership includes the majority of the employees at: American Speedy Printing, 525 E. Jefferson, Detroit;  Ann Arbor Tenants' Union, in the Michigan Union; People's Wherehouse, 727 W. Ellsworth; University Cellar, 341 E. Liberty; and several other workers, both employed and unemployed, homemakers and students who are in agreement with the Union's principles. The I.W.W. has approximately 110 members in this area. The initiation fee is $5. Dues are $5 per month for workers making more than $300 per month, $2 per month for anyone making less than $300 per month.

Organizational Structure

All officers of the I.W.W. are elected annually. Between annual conventions the business of the I.W.W. is conducted by a seven member board of directors. lts only paid official is the General Secretary-Treasurer. The General Membership Branch is an umbrella group for the Job Shops mentioned above plus members who do not work in I.W.W. shops. The General Membership Branch has a secretary treasurer. I.W.W. shops have a lot of flexibility in determining their organizational structures. Most have a Branch secretary-treasurer, delegates who are authorized to sign up new members and collect dues, and stewards who process grievances. All decisions are made through democratic processes.

Community Services

Labor-organizing: Members of the I.W.W. are available to advise and assist anyone engaged in organizing which will promote worker control, regardless of whether the organizers ultimately desire affiliation with the I.W.W.

Current News

We are presently promoting boycotts of:

Coors beer- for the racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-civil liberties, and anti-union policies, and attitudes of the owners.

Hormel meat products- Hundreds of Hormel workers in Minnesota have been on strike for several months to oppose a concessionary contract. The company refuses to negotiate. The workers have faced attacks from the police and national guard, and have been abandoned by their union, the United Food and Commercial Workers. The Hormel workers' only hope to bring Hormel back to the negotiations table is through economic pressure.

Shell Oil- For corporate policies which abet apartheid in South Africa.

Coming Events

May 1 - 5: On the 100th anniversary of the Haymarket incident and the campaign for the eight hour day, the I.W.W. is sponsoring an international conference of progressive Unionists, to be held in Chicago. Unions and rank-and-file activists from Canada, Denmark, England, Japan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the U.S., and Venezuela are currently expected to participate, with many others expressing strong interest in attending if circumstances and finances permit.

May 19: Marek Garztecki, editor of "Voice of Solidarnosc," the London based information bulletin of the Polish Solidarnosc labor union in exile, will speak on the state of the labor movement in Poland. Solidarnosc is the Polish Union which excited the world by obtaining extensive freedom for Polish workers from 1980 until 1982 when it was forcibly suppressed by the government. It continues to function underground. Garztecki was and remains an active participant in the continuing struggle for workers' liberation.

7:30 pm, Pendleton Room, Michigan Union.

Admission is free, but donations to help cover Garztecki's travel expenses will be greatly appreciated. 

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Latin American Issues

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A2MISTAD Construction Brigade

802 Monroe

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

761-7960

Statement of Purpose

The A2MISTAD Construction Brigade is a project of HAP-NICA and thus is oriented to the same general goals given under the HAP-NICA listing. A2MISTAD was organized for the specific purpose of carrying through to completion the construction of a structure to house a soil-testing laboratory at the Agriculture School of the Autonomous National University of Nicaragua. This lab will use equipment donated by the Italian government and will do nutrient analysis of soils to help farmers make their land more productive and enable them to use fertilizers more effectively. A2MISTAD sees the soil-testing lab as crucial to their goal of self-sufficiency since so much of the Nicaraguan economy is agriculture based.

Important goals of the project are: Raising $20-30,000 for the purchase of tools and materials.

Increasing community awareness of the realities of Nicaragua and how the U.S. is involved there.

Establishing ties between Ann Arbor and Managua as a local peace initiative.

Sending a broadly-based community group to Managua to do the construction of the soil-testing laboratory. Experienced electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and masons will be needed for the brigade, as well as skilled and unskilled construction workers. The brigade will go to Nicaragua in mid-October, 1986 for 6 to 8 weeks.

Community Services and Coming Events

At present, the A2MISTAD Construction Brigade is busy raising the funds it will take to construct the Nicaraguan soil laboratory. Fundraising activities range from selling T-shirts and buttons to contacting foundations for grants. This is hard work, but in light of the overall commitment the Brigade has made to construct this facility it seems enjoyable. About one hundred people discovered this at the Brigade's last fundraising event, as of this writing, at East Quad's Halfway Inn. Hugh McGuiness and Jim Kirk, both local musicians, each sang and played a set of folk tunes, and then combined their talents in a third set for the world premier of this duet. Thanks to everyone who came and supported A2MISTAD that evening. The Brigade raised enough money to raise at least one wall of the laboratory in Managua, next October. Many other interesting and entertaining events are planned for the near future to make supporting A2MISTAD easy and enjoyable. Watch for these announcements. One such event will be the big bash the Brigade is planning for Saturday, July 19 to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 Nicaraguan Revolution which, among other things, enabled the agrarian reforms that A2MISTAD now seeks to complement by building this soil testing laboratory. Save your fireworks for this one!

Besides fundraising, the Brigade has myriad other projects started to prepare for the construction of this building. Several new committees were formed within A2MISTAD including one dealing with tools and materials, another will be documenting the Brigade's work, and still another will be designing the building. The latter was made possible by acquiring the skills of some local designers with architectural experience. They are Will Glover, Sabu Mahmood, Rich Ahern and Mark Schuler. The Design Committee invites input from any interested persons in the building trades and sciences.

Recruitment is another area the Brigade is focusing on now. There is an active search for people with building skills, Spanish fluency, and health care experience. Even if people from the community cannot travel to Nicaragua with the Brigade, members are still needed for organizational and support work here. The Brigade has a slide-documentary on agriculture in revolutionary Nicaragua with a speaker available for presentation to community groups. Call, write, or visit one of A2MISTAD's 7:30 pm Sunday meetings at the Michigan Union.

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Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC)

c/o Margaret Reeves

2142 Stone Dr

Ann Arbor, Mi 48105

769-0027 or 764-1446

Statement of Purpose

The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) is devoted to securing collective bargaining agreements between the Campbell Soup Company, the migrant farm workers of the Midwest, and the growers. FLOC has just recently (February 21, 1986) suspended a seven year old boycott of Campbell's products on the condition that Campbell's continues improving the deplorable working conditions of the Midwest's migrant farmworkers and facilitating unionization efforts.

Meetings and Membership

The Ann Arbor chapter of FLOC meets every Wednesday at 5:45 pm in Room 4318 of the Michigan Union. Meetings usually last about one hour. There are currently seven active members of FLOC in Ann Arbor. Most are affiliated with other progressive political organizations on campus.

Community Services

FLOC holds numerous benefits and bake sales, donating all proceeds to FLOC's headquarters in Toledo, Ohio. In addition, the organization seeks to inform citizens about the plight of the migrant farmworkers.

Current News

The big news from FLOC is the recently-announced suspension of the Campbell's boycott, following the signing of unprecedented collective bargaining agreements giving farmworkers a voice over their own affairs. Yes, all you ardent supporters of the boycott can now indulge in Campbell's soup, V-8 juice, Prego spaghetti sauce, ad infinitum. However, FLOC remains concerned with the future of collective bargaining agreements. The fight has just begun; the recently signed agreements cover only 600 workers in Ohio and Michigan. FLOC shall continue to press for unionization and a recognition of all workers' basic rights, and if for any reason Campbell's reneges on its pledge, the boycott will be reinstated. FLOC's next goal is to sign up more of the nearly 1 million agricultural workers in the U.S.

FLOC is currently pressuring other large companies, such as Heinz, to secure collective bargaining agreements with growers, farmworkers, and the companies. In addition, FLOC needs people to work in the food booth during the Ann Arbor Art Fair, July 23-26. For information, call Margaret Reeves at 769-0027 or 764-1446, or call Fran DuRivage at 763-1675 or 763-0130. The food booth has traditionally been both a successful fundraiser and a great time.

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Humanitarian Assistance Project for Independent Agricultural Development in Nicaragua HAP-NICA

802 Monroe

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

761-7960

Statement of Purpose

HAP-NICA is a non-profit organization conducting a national campaign of aid for Nicaraguan agriculture. We are affiliated with the Guild House Campus Ministry of Ann Arbor, an ecumenical ministry devoted to principles of human justice. HAP-NICA's aid to Nicaraguan agriculture takes three forms:

Material aid: This includes raising money for spare parts for farm machinery, supplies such as seeds and fertilizer, and educational materials.

Technical assistance: We send professors to teach courses and consultants to offer advice and help design projects.

Research and Development: We cooperate with Nicaraguan scientists in developing sound agricultural practices.

Organizational Structure

The various chapters across North America of HAP-NICA are currently relatively autonomous. As the founding chapter, Ann Arbor HAP-NICA continues to act as a clearinghouse, both for information on projects from Nicaragua and for contributions (tax-deductible) from across North America.

Ann Arbor HAP-NICA has a three-member steering committee which monitors the progress of various projects and prepares meeting agendas. Ongoing tasks are carried out by individuals or committees of individuals.

The A2MISTAD Construction Brigade (see above) is an autonomous project of HAP-NICA with its own organizational structure and meeting schedule.

Membership Profile

Ann Arbor membership now consists of about 10-20 people (not including the affiliated A2MlSTAD Construction Brigade) who are both students and permanent Ann Arbor residents. Five members of Ann Arbor HAP-NICA are now in Nicaragua for an extended period giving technical and research assistance.

Meeting Times and Places

General meetings are scheduled to coordinate these ongoing activities such as fundraising, bookkeeping, newsletter production, procurement and shipment of materials and money, mail-order sales of our slide show and T-shirts, educational outreach, and speaking engagements. Meetings are held on alternate Thursdays at 5:30 pm at the Michigan Union. Committee meetings are scheduled informally between the general meetings. General meetings in May will be held on May 1, May 15 and May 29. Those interested in becoming involved are welcome to attend or to contact our office by phone at 761 -7960.

Current News

HAP-NICA has an excellent, professionally designed sound-and-slide show called "Seeds of Hope," produced by Joseph Pelava, which provides an introduction to the Nicaraguan revolution and the effects of the U.S.-sponsored war there, with particular reference to agriculture. It is available for showing along with speakers from HAP-NICA. There are also copies for rent or for sale.

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Latin American Solidarity Committee (LASC)

4120 Michigan Union

Ann Arbor Mi 48109

665-8438

Statement of Purpose LASC is a nonprofit group dedicated to supporting the legitimate aspirations of Latin American peoples to self-determination. Our goals are to increase awareness here about contemporary realities in Latin America and the U.S. role in perpetuating these, and to pressure our government to change its military, political, and economic policies toward Latin America.

Meeting and Membership

We meet every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. in the Michigan Union. Stop at the information desk for the room location. Occasionally we will meet nearby when rooms in the Union are unavailable; in this case the information desk at the Union will tell you the building and room number. The latest information on meetings and events can also be obtained by calling the LASC office at 665-8438. The office is normally staffed from 12-2 pm on weekdays, and messages can be left on the answering machine at all other times.

Our members are students, faculty, staff, and members of the Ann Arbor community. Weekly meetings attract about 60-100 members. Sometimes we break up into discussion groups, since these are large meetings. It's a friendly group and a good number of members often go out for beer after the meetings.

Organizational Structure

LASC has four main committees: Fund-raising, publicity, newsletter, and outreach. Most of the work gets done in these committees or in temporary groups that form around particular events. So it's easy to get involved even if you can't make the Wednesday night meetings.

There is also a steering committee of five members, elected for staggered four month terms. They are responsible for making sure that things get done and making decisions that must be made between meetings. LASC is a very democratic organization, and since the steering committee has very little power, there are no power struggles or factions. Differences of opinion arise but most decisions end up being made by a consensus or something very close to it.

Community Services

LASC sponsors educational events such as films and speakers. Our outreach committee also sends people to University or high school classes or any place else we're invited to talk about the issues. Our newsletter, La Palabra, is sent to about 800 subscribers and contains a summary of local activity, upcoming events, and some national and international news.

We also organize public demonstrations, such as the recent protest at our U.S. Representative Carl Purcell's office, in which 118 people were arrested for acts of non-violent civil disobedience (see article in this issue of Agenda).

Recent LASC Events

In response to the United States' bombing of Libya, LASC helped organize a protest on the Diag at noon on April 16. Speakers included representatives from the Association of Arab-American University Graduates, the November 29th Committee for Palestine, and LASC.

About 100 protesters gathered in the cold rain as the speakers denounced the attack as well as the hypocrisy of the Reagan administration's supposed "fight against terrorism." Our government is currently supporting what is perhaps the largest terrorist force in the world-- the Nicaraguan contras-- as well as supplying the planes and bombs that are used to terrorize the civilian population of El Salvador.

LASC members felt that it was particularly important to protest the attack on Libya, since it presents a very menacing example of our government's brutality towards the people of Third World nations in general. The complete spinelessness of almost all of Congress, as well as the media, in going along with this senseless violence made it even more important that our voices be heard. U.S. Senators Don Riegle and Carl Levin from Michigan were among those who appeared on the TV news the night of the bombing, praising the attack.

The Reagan administration has previously threatened to carry out "surgical air strikes" against Nicaragua if the Salvadoran guerillas were seen to be using anti-aircraft missiles against the U.S.-supplied air force. We can only speculate as to whether the attack on Libya was a trial run for such an action, or whether anyone would want to see Reagan's "irrefutable evidence" that Nicaragua has anything to do with what goes on in El Salvador.

LASC also organized a march of about 100 people on April 10 to protest U.S. aid to the Contras. The march proceeded from the Diag to the Federal Building. In keeping with their tradition, The Ann Arbor News did not report either of these two events. NBC News from Detroit (Channel 4) covered the April 16th protest, although it was eliminated from the 11 pm news and was so badly misrepresented (as a demonstration of "support for Gaddafi") on the 6 pm news, that we are demanding a correction.

Current Happenings

LASC will hold a demonstration as planned, along with other local peace groups, at the Federal Building (Fifth and Liberty), the day after any form of aid to the contras is passed by the House. The demonstration will begin at 5:00 pm. However, it is not clear at this point when this might happen (we hope never!).

The vote on contra aid was postponed indefinitely after it was first tied to a 1.7 billion dollar spending bill which Reagan opposed. The House Republicans then decided to scuttle the contra aid package when it looked like all they could get was a "compromise" which would have required Reagan to negotiate with Nicaragua before all of the money was released. They hope to re-introduce the administration's proposal as a separate bill by May 12, but it is not clear that they will be able to do so. Even if they succeed, the bill would probably then have to go to the Senate, since it will most likely differ from the version that the Senate has already passed.

This temporary defeat of aid to the contras is a significant achievement and must be attributed to the organized efforts of solidarity groups across the country. LASC is currently considering the various options we can pursue to help defeat contra aid again. Stop by a meeting if you want to help or call us at 665-8438.

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Nicaragua Medical Aid Project (NMAP)

2007 Washtenaw

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

764-7442 or 769-1442

Statement of Purpose

In January, 1984 a group of Ann Arbor people formed the Nicaragua Medical Aid Project to support the Nicaraguan government's efforts to improve the health of its people. Since the overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship in 1979, health care has been a fundamental commitment in Nicaragua. Dramatic changes occurred, especially for the 90% of the population which under Somoza received only 10% of health services. Nicaragua's efforts have been commended by the World Health Organization and UNICEF as a "model for primary health care in other Third World countries."

These advances are increasingly threatened by a combination of military aggression and economic pressure. U.S.-sponsored contras have specifically targeted medical supplies, buildings, and personnel. The murders of a West German and a French physician forced the withdrawal of all foreign health workers from the border. Contras destroyed 41 newly built rural house centers and a warehouse containing over a million dollars worth of medicine. U.S. economic sanctions, which imposed a trade embargo and cut off credit from international agencies, greatly increased Nicaragua's difficulty in obtaining medical supplies.

NMAP collects medical supplies and money to meet specific requests by health care facilities in Nicaragua. We believe that mobilizing public opinion against further funding of the contras, whether governmental or private, is as important as providing material aid. U.S. citizens who truly desire to benefit the Nicaraguan people must not only provide material support, but also work to reverse our government's policies which undermine the health and violate the human rights of Nicaragua's people.

Meeting and Membership

Our meetings are informal. Meetings are small, held in homes. Work focuses on activities outside meetings. We get help from other organizations on specific projects.

Call NMAP for times and places.

NMAP's membership is made up of public health and health care professionals, students, and concerned community people. Membership in NMAP ($20/year regular, $10 low income) includes subscription to LINKS, a national journal on Central American health rights.

Community Services

In Nicaragua: Delivering requested medical supplies to the Hospital Infantil in Managua and to rural health centers... repairing microscopes throughout Nicaragua and providing spare parts... buying pharmaceuticals at 3% of cost through the Medicines for Central America Fund... sending emergency medical kits for use in war zones and rural health posts... contributing to the purchase of generators for health care facilities needing electric power... supplying repair parts for U.S. made medical equipment.

In the United States: Speaking and showing slides about health care in Nicaragua.. .working with the National Central America Health Rights Network (NCAHRN) to coordinate our efforts with those of more than 50 local medical aid groups across the United States... participating in attempts to stop U.S. aggression against Nicaragua such as Ann Arbor's ballot Proposal A for Peace in Central America.

To host a speaker/slide presentation in your home, classroom, place of worship, club, etc., call Rev. Robert Hauert at 764-7442.

Current News

Groups and individuals across the state have been busy this past month in final efforts to box up and label medical supplies and equipment for transport to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 25. They have all participated in CARAVAN, a medical aid project initiated by Midwest groups affiliated with the National Central America Health Rights Network (NCAHRN).

CARAVAN is being coordinated in Southeastern Michigan by NMAP. A 24-foot truck left Ann Arbor for Milwaukee on April 25. There it joined other vehicles with materials collected from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. This material aid was then loaded into a 20-ton shipping container which should arrive in Nicaragua in June.

The following list catalogues items collected in Michigan for the CARAVAN project:

* NMAP members collected about 1200 cubic feet of medical supplies and equipment valued at an estimated $55,000.

* Close to $3,000 was donated to fund transport and shipping costs.

* A local truck-packing union has donated labor.

* Equipment and money have come from Detroit-area Central America solidarity groups, as well as groups and individuals in East Lansing, Adrian, Hillsdale, Flint, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.

* In the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area donations have come from local hospitals, medical centers, private medical equipment supply houses and local clinics as well as private individuals.

Specific items donated include:

- 200 boxes of miscellaneous medical supplies and equipment including children's vitamins, sutures, syringes, IV tubing, gauze, petri dishes, bandage material, walkers and crutches.

-2 kidney dialysis machines.

- EKG machines.

- 40 intensive care unit heart monitor devices.

- an incubator.

- 50 blood pressure measuring devices.

- stethoscopes from students at the U of M, WSU, and MSU to address a special request from the University of Nicaragua School of Medicine in León.

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Peace and Disarmament

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Ann Arbor War Tax Dissidents/U.S. Peace Tax Fund

c/o Mary Lou Kerwin

1427 Broadway

Ann Arbor, Mi 48105

662-2838

Statement of Purpose

Ann Arbor War Tax Dissidents (AAWTD) works for passage of the U.S. Peace Tax Fund bill (a law permitting people morally opposed to war to have the military portion of their taxes allocated to peacemaking), and provides counseling and information resources for persons conscientiously opposed to payment of war taxes.

Meeting Time and Place

AAWTD generally meets the third Saturday of each month in the Pine Room of the Wesley Foundation, 602 East Huron, Ann Arbor. AAWTD is affiliated with the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC) and with the National Campaign For a Peace Tax Fund (NCPTF). AAWTD is of an informal nature with a diverse membership and a volunteer coordinator.

Community Services

AAWTD provides the community with a Speakers Bureau, workshops, forums, information hotlines (contact appropriate number listed below), and Taxes for Peace (a slide show). For information, contact:

Mary Lou Kerwin at 662-2838 for general information about AAWTD.

David Bassett at 662-1373 about the U.S. Peace Tax Fund bill.

Fran Elliot at 663-2655 about war tax resistance.

Current News and Events

The regular May meeting of Ann Arbor War Tax Dissidents will be in the Pine Room of the Wesley Foundation, 602 East Huron, Ann Arbor, from 12 noon to 3:00 pm, Saturday, May 17, 1986. Agenda:

(1) Report from David Bassett on the annual National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund Membership Meeting, Seminar, and Lobbying Day in Washington, D.C., status of Bill H.R. 3032, S.1468, and local lobbying strategies.

(2) Planning and arrangements for our booth at the Engineering Arch corner of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair (July 23-26).

(3) War-tax resistance information, manuals and counseling available.

Brown bag lunch; beverages provided; all welcome. For information: 663-2655.

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Campuses Against Weapons in Space (CAWS)

4101 Michigan Union

Ann Arbor, Mi 48109

763-3241

Meeting Times and Places

We are trying to set up a new schedule for the spring and summer. Anyone staying over this period, please contact Robyn at 662-8607 or 996-5973.

Statement of Purpose

In April of 1985, the Division of Research and Development Administration (DRDA) advertised in the University Record for professors to submit Strategic Defense Initiative (S.D.I.) proposals to the government. Some students responded with a sit-in at the DRDA. They demanded that the University research the implications of the controversial "Star Wars" defense shield before making any official endorsement. Since these demands were left unmet, the students formed Campuses Against Weapons in Space in June of 1985. If the administration was unwilling to investigate S.D.I., we would!

Thus, CAWS organized the successful "S.D.I. and Universities Conference" in early October of 1985. Almost 1500 students, faculty, and concerned citizens came to hear such renowned speakers as James Ionson, a Director of the S.D.I. Organization, and Edith Ballantyne, Secretary General of the Women's International League for Peace, debate the pros and cons of "Star Wars."

Since then, CAWS has been involved in many activities, including guerilla theater on the Diag, vigils, marches, and protests. Overall, our purpose is to educate the University and Ann Arbor community about the dangers of "Star Wars" and the general increasing militarization of our university and our nation. Moreover, our goal is to effect legislative change to decrease the possibility of nuclear war.

Membership Profile

CAWS has a core membership of approximately fifteen people, which includes students, faculty, and staff from the University, as well as concerned Ann Arbor residents. Our meetings are informal, with decisions arrived at by consensus of the members. We have no executive offices. Instead, all members share equally in the work, responsibilities, and benefits. However, for our planned activities we are able to mobilize large numbers of supporters because of our affiliations with groups from the Freedom Charter (Latin American Solidarity Committee, Free South Africa Coordinating Committee), Campus Ministries, and other peace groups (Michigan Alliance for Disarmament and Beyond War).

Community Services

Speakers from CAWS are available for any group upon request. We also have a hotline (763-3241) to answer questions during office hours (9 AM to 5 PM).

Current News

Our main concern at present is the review of the guidelines on classified research at the University of Michigan. The current guidelines were enacted in 1972 in response to the Vietnam War. They are as follows:

1) "The University will not enter into or renew any agreement or contract, or accept any grant, the clearly foreseeable and probable result of which, or any specific purpose of which is to destroy human life or to incapacitate human beings."

2) The University will not enter into or renew any agreement or contract, or accept any grant, that limits open publication of the results of research beyond one year."

However, in August of 1985, the University Regents passed a resolution calling for an executive committee to review the guidelines. In an Ann Arbor News article on July 8, 1985, Regent Roach stated: "Maybe we will discover that the guidelines are a product of their time and that they have outlived their usefulness."

In response to this threat to the guidelines, CAWS has continually pressed the ad-hoc review committee to keep the present guidelines, as well as abolish all classified research, and all research, classified and unclassified, that is destructive to human life. We will continue to work towards these ends up to the time that the Regents make their decision, due either in late April or early next fall.

Included with our concern over the guidelines is the overall increasing militarization of our University. This is evident in Vice-President for Research Linda Wilson's pledge to double Department of Defense research at the University by 1990. Steps have already been taken in this direction. Currently, five S.D.I. projects are being performed at U of M, worth $577 million. Still pending acceptance are proposals totaling another $5 million. It is the opinion of CAWS that the University ceases to be a free functioning, independent institution for an unbiased education when it persists in allying itself to the government by becoming an appendage to its Defense Department. CAWS is working for a free University and a free society, free from government manipulation and militarization, and free from fear of nuclear war.

Coming Events

CAWS is planning a demonstration against Star Wars research at the graduation ceremony on May 3. You do not need a ticket to join in the fun at the front of Michigan Stadium at 1 pm.

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SANE

National Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy

1416 Hill Street

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

663-3913

Statement of Goals and Policies

SANE's goals are the reversal of the nuclear arms race and conversion from a military to a civilian economy.

We condemn the nuclear arms race as a threat to the survival of humanity and urge sharp cutbacks and reductions of nuclear armaments. Our ultimate objective is the complete elimination of all nuclear war threats. To this end we support a bilateral United States-Soviet Union nuclear weapons freeze as the first step toward strategic arms reduction agreements. We also urge the consideration of independent national initiatives to reduce tensions and lower nuclear arms stockpiles.

While SANE supports the need for a legitimate national defense, we oppose policies of increased military spending and overseas interventionism as a threat to world peace and a detriment to American security. We urge a new, more peacefully oriented U.S. foreign policy and call for the elimination of support for corrupt foreign dictatorships. America should advance economic and political progress in the world, not militarism and repression.

We believe that national security rests as much on a strong economy and just society as on military preparedness. Excessive arms spending actually weakens civilian industry and undermines our economic competitiveness in the world. We believe that conversion from military to civilian industry is essential for the economic well-being of America and its citizens. The millions of workers who now depend on the arms race for their livelihood should be entitled to job security through planned economic conversion. To this end SANE works with the International Association of Machinists and other unions to urge alternatives to the military budget and prepare plans for converting military facilities and workers to civilian purposes.

As a citizen's lobby, SANE promotes real democracy in U.S. foreign and military policy decision making. This country's state, defense and intelligence bureaucracies are rife with corruption and incompetence. They operate within a shroud of secrecy, removed from the concerns and needs of the country's citizens. If this is to change, the public must have accurate, unbiased information about foreign policy and legitimate defense needs. SANE is committed to providing such information to as many people as possible through a year-round national community outreach program. Since 1982 the organization's field representatives have contacted millions of average citizens in towns and cities coast-to-coast. It is a top priority for SANE to expand this program.

Meeting Time and Places

The Ann Arbor SANE office s in the Friends Center at 1416 Hill Street. Our group is somewhat distinct in that our operations are conducted primarily by paid staff rather than member volunteers. The staff size varies from a low of about 15 to as many as 30, depending on the time of year, political need, and the availability of Ann Arbor's student community for full-time employment. We meet daily to review our work and plan for the future. SANE members and interested individuals are always welcome in the office to discuss the issues, and participate in organizing projects. We can set up regular meeting times for volunteer corps at the convenience of those who wish to participate.

Membership Profile

From its founding in the late fifties until the late seventies, SANE was known as a small organization of prominent states-people and philanthropists with reliable backing by liberal citizens. Today, SANE is the largest peace organization in the United States with a grassroots membership of about 150,000 and doubling every year. Most of the membership has been recruited recently through an ambitious community outreach program. They are representative of the great diversity of American society- rich and poor, people of all races and ethnic backgrounds, politically conservative and radical, from high school students to great-great-grandmothers, from navy admirals and congressional leaders to pacifists and homemakers.

That's the key to SANE's effectiveness as a congressional lobby; we cannot be labelled except as "American."

Organizational Structure and Community Services

SANE is organized as a citizen's lobby. The members are represented by an expert lobbying staff that has direct access to Congress. The field offices are headed by a state director who coordinates the activities of a program and canvass staff. The Ann Arbor office has four committees or task forces devoted to membership development, political or electoral action, fundraising and field operations. Through the work of these committees, we keep our members informed of congressional action on foreign and military policy, build our volunteer corps, train potential activists, participate in electoral campaigns by petitioning and running public ad campaigns and phone banks before votes, raise funds for SANE activities for local movement work and to increase the peace community's resource base, and conduct a door-to-door canvass throughout the state.

The Ann Arbor Office can provide speakers for community groups, and when time and energy permit, trained activists for local campaigns.

Current News

At the moment we are savoring the success of Proposal A. The benefit for the Coalition for Peace in Central America, which SANE hosted at the Nectarine Ballroom, was the place to be on March 27. Over 500 people turned out, and we were able to turn over $1,100 to the Proposal A campaign. Thanks to all for helping us make it a great time and a great fundraiser. A special thanks to Mike Bender, co-owner of the Nectarine, for all his cooperation, help, and donation of $250.

Our expert training staff is gearing up for the summer explosion of students and teachers who want to work for peace. We can accommodate an almost unlimited number of committed people. Please contact us!

(See the employment ad in Agenda or The Ann Arbor News.)

Coming Events and Activities

Locally and nationally, SANE will be working on legislation to effect the following goals: elimination of military assistance to the contras in and out of Nicaragua, a drastic reduction in military funding for the government of El Salvador, the promotion of U.S. participation in the Contadora Peace Process, a congressionally mandated moratorium on funding for nuclear warhead testing, pursuant to an international Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and the elimination of funds for the Star Wars program that would violate existing arms control agreements.

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Washtenaw County Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament, Inc. (WAND)

P. O. Box 1815

Ann Arbor, Mi 48106-1815

761-1718

Statement of Purpose

Washtenaw County WAND was formed in December of 1984 by a core group of 12 individuals, and became an affiliate of the national WAND organization, which was formed in 1980 by Dr. Helen Caldicott.

The primary purpose of our local organization is to empower women personally and politically, and to broaden the constituency of individuals who are working towards the elimination of nuclear weapons. We subscribe to the national WAND organization's objectives of educating ourselves and the public about the dangers of continued weapons production and influencing our congressional representatives by informed lobbying. To this end, during 1985, a fully functional organization which does lobbying, coalition-building, fundraising, public speaking, publicity, and monthly educational presentations was established.

Meeting Times and Places

Meetings are open to the general public on the second Sunday of the month at St. Aidan's Episcopal/Northside Presbyterian Churches, 1679 Broadway, Ann Arbor. Doors open at 7:00 pm for coffee, conversation and material displays. The meeting begins at 7:30 pm with the program or speaker at 8:30 pm and audience reaction at 9:00 pm. The meeting concludes at 9:30 pm. Babysitting is available in the church nursery during the meeting.

Membership Profile

Membership is open to all. Current membership is approximately 175, most of these being women ranging in age from 17 to 70 with the majority in the age range of 25 to 45. Men are welcome and encouraged to join. Membership fees are $25 per year with scholarships available for low income persons. Membership benefits include a subscription to our local monthly newsletter, copies of the national WAND bulletin, and discounts on books and other materials.

Organizational Structure

The organization is formally incorporated as a 501 (c) (4) not-for-profit Corporation. Designation as a charitable 501 (c) (3) organization has been applied for. The structure is that of a paid general membership with a Coordinating Committee consisting of the Chairs of all of the Committees plus the Officers. The Officers are President, Vice President and two Members-at-Large.

The Officers constitute the Executive Committee which is responsible for translating policy and making more specific day-to-day decisions. The Executive Committee is also legally and financially responsible for the organization. The Coordinating Committee makes the broad policy decisions and guidelines. Elections of the Executive Committee are held once a year at the annual meeting.

The active work of the organization takes place through the committee structure. Committees include Education, Lobbying, Speakers Bureau, Political Strategies, Membership/Welcoming, Publicity, Fundraising, Publications, Sales and Newsletter.

Community Services

Information Hotline: 761-1718. The hotline delivers a 3 minute taped message which announces important lobbying information, WAND meetings scheduled for the month plus the times of other community events.

Speakers Bureau: Speakers are available to speak on a wide range of topics for small informal groups, classes, public forums, rallies, etc. Contact Nancy Hanke at 973-6925.

Current Events

Sunday, May 11: In lieu of the general meeting a Mother's Day Festival of Peace will be held at West Park from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Even though the credit for founding Mother's Day is usually given to Anna Jarvis, history shows that Julia Ward Howe of Boston was an early originator of the idea of celebrating a day focused on mothers and peace. Acutely aware of the losses women and the nation suffered during the Civil War and distressed by the carnage of the Franco-Prussian War, she conceived of the day as a time when everyone should dedicate themselves anew to the task of bringing about world peace. (See article elsewhere in this issue.)

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Hunger and Poverty

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World Hunger Education-Action Committee (WHE-AC)

4202 Michigan Union

Ann Arbor, Mi 48109

663-4301

WHE-AC's work focuses on the causes of, and solutions to, world hunger. Our objectives include educating ourselves and the campus community through reading groups, films, speakers, presentations, research, and group actions. We are dedicated to understanding the complex social, political, economic, and environmental forces that both create and promote world hunger. We advocate self-determinism and long-term development as viable solutions. Thus we support and work closely with Oxfam America and the Institute for Food and Development Policy.

Meetings and Membership

We are a small group of ten to twenty U of M students, staff, and Ann Arbor community members. Our structure is non-hierarchical. We organize ourselves to meet the needs of each specific project. We meet every Monday at 7 pm in 4202 Michigan Union. We have various resources including newsletters from Food First and Oxfam America available in our office.

Coming Events

The major project WHE-AC is currently working on is Oxfam America's "Tools for Peace and Justice in Central America and the Eastern Caribbean Campaign." Oxfam America is a development agency funding self-help projects throughout Central America, Asia, and Africa. This will be Oxfam's third "Tools" campaign. Last year we raised over $800 which we used to purchase tools that were sent to Nicaragua. There are two goals of this campaign: first, to raise funds to support and expand the development work on Oxfam in these areas; second, to raise awareness of the situations in these countries and how U.S. policy affects them.

WHE-AC will hold our organizational meeting for the "Tools for Peace and Justice Campaign" at 7 pm on Monday, May 12 in the Michigan Union. Please join us and bring your thoughts and ideas. We are hoping that this year's campaign will be a broad based community effort.

For those of you leaving for the summer, we hope you have an enjoyable one. Look for WHE-AC in September at Festifall.

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Progressive Church

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Guild House

802 Monroe

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

662-5189

The Guild House is a United Campus Ministry

Guild House is dedicated to engaging in the struggles for justice and liberation at the University of Michigan and in our world. It is a campus ministry deeply rooted in the life and work of the Christian faith and of other traditions and groups that share a ministry of concern for human fulfillment and a just and humane society. Exodus and resurrection, liberation and transformation, empowerment and change are important paradigms that inform our several religious and spiritual perspectives and serve to guide our common ministry. We share with sisters and brothers everywhere a commitment to non-violent action for the rights to a more meaningful and spiritual existence for the oppressed. Like all people and institutions we are not neutral, we stand with those who struggle for human justice and decency.

Guild house staff meets with students, faculty and staff on personal issues as well as systemic concerns like racism, sexism and homophobia. We work in coalition with other groups and individuals, among them LASC (Latin American Solidarity Committee) and CAWS (Campuses Against Weapons in Space). Guild house also supports groups and individuals by providing space for meetings and staff time for projects and groups.

May Events

Beans and Rice Dinner: Dinners are held every Wednesday from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. A $2 donation is requested ($1 for children from 6-12 years). Proceeds from the dinner go to direct aid projects in Central America.

RICE AND BEAN DINNERS

May 7: Spicy Chicano Pintos (FLOC Beans)

May 14: Split Pea and Cabbage- lndia Style

May 21: Tofu and Veggies with Peanut Sauce

May 28: FLOC Beans

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Interfaith Council for Peace

604 E. Huron

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

663-1870

Office Hours: 9:30 am to 5:00 pm

Monday through Friday

Statement of Purpose

Interfaith Council for Peace, a nonprofit educational organization, believes in the possibility of a world where every woman, man and child has the opportunity to live in freedom, peace and without fear. Begun in 1965 by a small group of area clergy and lay persons, Interfaith Council for Peace focused on protesting U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Over the past twenty years, Interfaith's work has expanded to address justice concerns related to hunger and agriculture in addition to the on-going work for peace.

Since 1965, the Interfaith Council for Peace, a local chapter of the national Clergy and Laity Concerned (CALC), has worked to educate and promote action on these issues. We act as a clearinghouse for peace and justice activities in local religious congregations and in the community at large. Interfaith raises moral questions about disarmament, hunger, the U.S. food system, economic justice, and Central America. Donations are gratefully accepted and can be sent to the above address.

Meetings and Membership

Hunger Task Force: Wednesday, May 7, 7:30 pm in the Pine Room of First United Methodist Church (corner of State and Huron).

Disarmament Working Group: Friday, May 16, noon to 1 pm at the Interfaith Office. Agenda for this meeting includes discussion of Testing Moratorium and local response to the bombing of Libya.

Land, Food, and Justice Committee: Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 pm in the Pine Room of First United Methodist Church. This meeting will be devoted to plans for the third annual Farm Tour in August.

ICP's membership includes 60 area congregations and approximately 3,100 individuals.

Organizational Structure

The work of Interfaith Council for Peace is accomplished by three task forces: The Land, Food, and Justice Committee, the Hunger Task Force, and the Disarmament Working Group. In addition there is a Steering Committee which oversees the work of the staff and task forces. Officers are: the Rev. Peter Boeve (President), Barbara S. Hall (Secretary), and Robert Heald (Treasurer).

The work of the Disarmament Working Group includes: educational presentations to interested groups, sponsorship of speakers and public events, suggestions for lifestyle changes which will help to make our society a less violent one (e.g., boycotting war toys and examining issues related to parenting), discussion with the University community on the impacts of defense-related research on campus, and support for arms control legislation.

The work of the Hunger Task Force includes: the annual CROP/Hunger Walk, educational presentations to schools and other groups on domestic and international hunger, support of local free meal programs, and exploration of related economic justice issues and legislation.

Programs and projects of the Land, Food, and Justice Committee include: presentations to concerned groups, public tours of local farms, support of direct-marketing projects (e.g., farmers' markets and pick-your-own operations), and production of a seasonal/regional cookbook. The committee also works with groups involved in preserving agricultural land near urban areas, encourages support of local farmers through more seasonal eating, and supports legislation favoring small and moderate size farms and sustainable agricultural practices.

Community Services

ICP publishes a monthly newsletter which contains suggestions on how individuals can help on the various issues, maintains a lending library of both written and audio-visual materials on peace and justice concerns, and has a speakers bureau which includes both staff and task force members.

Current News

Covenant for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons kits are available f rom the ICP office for $5. The kit lists nuclear weapons contractors, the consumer products they manufacture and nonnuclear alternatives. There is a Season, a 117 page seasonal cookbook is available from the ICP office for $6. Drop in and visit us soon. The ICP office is located in the basement of the First United Methodist Church (corner of State and Huron).

Coming Events

May 4, Sunday: Children's Concert at The Ark featuring Trees, a local musical duo. The concert s appropriate for children ages 3-11 and is a benefit for ICP. Tickets are $2/child and $4/adult and are available at the door or in advance from the ICP office. There will be two performances, at 1:30 and 3:30 pm.

May 14, Wednesday, 7:30 pm: Fr. Jose Alas, a Salvadoran Catholic priest in exile, will speak about his work in El Salvador with the base Christian communities and Archbishop Oscar Romero (who was assassinated in 1980) as well as what people of faith here in the U.S. can do in response to U.S. policy. A quesadilla and coffee reception will follow with both Fr. Alas and the Celaya family (the family living in Sanctuary at the Ann Arbor Friends Meeting) available for discussion and questions about conditions in El Salvador (and whatever else you'd like to talk about!). Free; all welcome. Call the ICP office, 663-1870, for location of the event.

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Central America Education/Action Committee

(Informal committee of Interfaith Council for Peace)

Community Services Phone tree to lobby Congressman Carl Pursell and others against the continued militarization of Central America. (Leave name, address and phone number at the CP office: 663-1870.)

Speaker's Bureau and slide shows relating to Central America. (Call Barbara Francisco at 668-0249 to schedule.)

Beans and Rice Dinners every Wednesday, 6:00 pm-7:30 pm at Guild House, 802 Monroe. A donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children 6-12 suggested. (See the Beans and Rice Dinners listing below.)

We are still collecting materials for Betania Refugee Camp in El Salvador, the mission of Fr. Jim Feltz in Paiwas, Nicaragua, and the Border Witness: blue jeans, T-shirts, cotton clothing, and shoes for children, tennis balls, frisbees, garden trowels, sewing scissors, sewing machines, hammers and drills, all in good condition and not in need of mending, can be dropped off at the ICP office (labeled "MADRE").

The Border Witness program offers volunteers a 10 day-2 week experience along the Texas-Mexico border learning about the conditions that refugees fleeing oppression in El Salvador and Guatemala face upon entering the U.S. If you would be interested in participating in the Border Witness program and would be willing to speak to groups about your experience when you return, contact Kim Groome at the ICP office (663-1870) or Shirley McRae at Friends Meeting (761-7435) for more information. The organizers of the Beans and Rice Dinners are offering a partial "scholarship" to help with the expenses involved in volunteering for the Border Witness program.

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Beans and Rice Dinner

Guild House

802 Monroe

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

668-0249

The dinners were started to raise funds for Central American aid projects, to be a place for similarly-minded activists to break bread together, to share information, and to raise consciousness about supporting local farmers and in-season eating.

The sponsors, the Central American Education Action Committee (an Interfaith ad hoc task force), L.A.S.C., and Guild House served their first dinner on 1/23/85. Almost every Wednesday since, coordinators and cooks, Barb Francisco and Thea Lee, with occasional guest cooks, have served up delicious meals for local activists.

As of 3/26/86, the Rice and Beans dinners have donated $3,750 to a wide variety of projects. Of the $1,765 which was sent to Nicaragua, $1,000 went toward a nature center for children who have been psychologically damaged by the contra war. Another $100 went toward developing rural fish farms. Camp Betania, a camp for refugees from the air war, which is located south of San Salvador, El Salvador, received $200 in aid. Human rights groups called Mothers of the Disappeared in El Salvador and Guatemala, received $350. The San José, Costa Rica, Quaker Peace Center received $250 to help with its Peace education work.

The above partial list of donations shows that the money collected at the dinners has gone to worthwhile causes. However, in order to be able to help more aid projects, the Beans and Rice dinners needs your help. We need more activists and caring people to partake of the food, information sharing, and communal atmosphere. More plates, glasses, and cloth napkins are also needed. We also need donations for rice, beans, spices, apple eider, and Nicaraguan coffee.

For information, call Barb Francisco at 668-0249 or show up at Guild House for the Wednesday dinner.

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Coalition for Arms Control- 2nd District

1015 Church Street #5

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

663-4897

Statement of Purpose

After working together on an informal basis on arms control lobbying (the MX, Star Wars, chemical weapons) for the past 3 years, a number of groups have formally coalesced. It is hoped that the coalition effort will make weapons issues more visible in the media locally and will increase our ability to educate the public on these issues.

The current focus of the Coalition for Arms Control is on the need for a nuclear warhead testing moratorium and a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. There are bills in both the House of Representatives and the Senate which would cut off funds for testing of nuclear warheads for 6 months as long as the USSR does not test. We urge you to contact your Representative and Senators to encourage them to co-sponsor this legislation for a 6 month or longer testing moratorium (in the House it is called the Schroeder bill, HR 3442, and in the Senate it is called SR 2220. Addresses are: Rep._ , House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 and Sen. _, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510.

Meeting Times and Places

The Coalition for Arms Control meets once every 3-4 weeks on Saturdays at 9:30 am at 310 S. Ashley. If your organization is interested in joining the Coalition, please call 663-4897 or come to the next Coalition meeting on Saturday, May 3, 9:30 am, at 310 S. Ashley. If you are an individual interested in working on arms control lobbying efforts, please join one or more of the organizations involved in the Coalition (see below) or join one of the working committees of the Coalition: Events Committee, Publicity Committee, Computerization Committee (you will be greatly appreciated!).

Membership Profile

The Coalition for Arms Control includes the following organizations: Hillsdale Center for Peace Awareness, Common Cause, Gray Panthers, Guild House, Interfaith Council for Peace, Lawyers' Alliance for Nuclear Arms Control, Michigan Alliance for Disarmament, 1000 Cranes, Physicians for Social Responsibility, SANE, Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and the Western Wayne Peace Resource Center.

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New Jewish Agenda (NJA)

2208 Packard

Ann Arbor, Mi 48104

Statement of Purpose

We are Jews from a variety of backgrounds and affiliations committed to progressive human values and the building of a shared vision of Jewish life. Our history and tradition inspire us. Jewish experience and reachings can address the social, economic, and political issues of our time. Many of us find our inspiration in our people's historical resistance to oppression and from the Jewish presence at the forefront of movements for social change. Many of us base our convictions on the Jewish religious concept of tikun olam *(the just ordering of human society and the world), and the prophetic tradition of social justice.

We are dedicated to ensuring the survival and flourishing of the Jewish people. Jews must have the rights to which all people are entitled. But survival is only a precondition of Jewish life, not its purpose. Our agenda must be determined by our ethics, not our enemies. We need creative and vital Jewish institutions and practices that affirm the best of our traditions and involve members of our community who historically have been excluded.

We call on all Jews who share our vision to join us in working to achieve our goals in the Jewish and wider communities. To those whose visions differ from ours- let us discuss those differences. Authentic Jewish unity grows from respect for and understanding of diversity.

Society can be changed, and human cooperation can be achieved. Working for social progress not only reflects Jewish ideals, but enhances Jewish security. New Jewish Agenda upholds progressive Jewish values and affirms that the goals of peace and justice are attainable.

*Tikun Olam (Talmud, Mishnah Gittin 4:3 , also appears in the Aleynu prayer).

General Information

The Ann Arbor New Jewish Agenda chapter, active since 1979, welcomes you to join with us.

Some of you may have participated in our national NJA convention that was held in Ann Arbor last summer. At the local level, we are quite active with monthly membership meetings, Shabbat potlucks, and interest-group meetings. This year we've sponsored speakers addressing the issues of the sanctuary movement, the feminist movement, and the threat of Kahane to Israeli democracy. If you would like to receive our newsletter, become a member, or attend one of our events- or if you simply want more information- please call one of the following members:

Steering Committee - Rebecca Kanner 994-5717

Membership Committee - Evelyn Neuhaus 994-5171

Central America Interest Group - Judy Lipshitz 95-5210

Middle East Interest Group - Benjy Ben-Baruch 662-9217

Feminism Interest Group - Laurie White 665-7371

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Science and Technology

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New World Agriculture Group (NWAG)

4096 Natural Science Bldg.

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Mi 48109

764-1446

Arising n the late seventies from a local group of socially-concerned scientists, the New World Agriculture Group has developed into an international organization of about 100 ecologists, social scientists, and people interested in agriculture who seek alternatives to socially and ecologically destructive methods of contemporary agricultural production. Recognizing the interrelatedness of technical, social, and political concerns underlying larger problems in modern agriculture, NWAG members attempt to approach their study of agricultural problems and possible solutions in an interdisciplinary manner.

Exemplifying past research programs conducted by NWAG is its study of the potential use of intercropping techniques on midwestern tomato farms that would enable farmers to increase production without resorting to mechanization, which has the effect of displacing farmworkers from their jobs.

Presently, NWAG is working with the National University (UNAN) and the Union of Small and Medium-sized Farmers (UNAG) in Nicaragua. Nicaraguan agriculturalists hope to develop ways of reducing the use of Chemical fertilizers and pesticides which are expensive and bad for the environment, and so increase food production and become less dependent upon foreign inputs. There are several projects, for example, that are focused on the biological control of insect pests through the use of natural predators and parasites of the pests.

NWAG scientists are dispersed throughout the United States. The largest chapters exist on the Cornell, University of Michigan and University of Illinois campuses, although there are many active members located in Vermont, North Carolina, California, Kentucky, Minnesota, throughout Canada, and in Nicaragua.

NWAG has a steering committee consisting of a member from each of three regions: East, Midwest and West. There is also a Nicaragua Coordinating Committee. Beyond this there is relatively little structure, although regional and international meetings are conducted in a formal manner.

Here in Ann Arbor, NWAG members are presently researching the U.S. farm crisis, in an attempt to define it, discover its root causes, and understand approaches necessary for its resolution. Interested persons are welcome to attend our meetings and should call the NWAG-Ann Arbor office (764-1446) to express their interest and find out the place and time meetings occur.

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Senior Citizens

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Housing Bureau for Seniors, Inc.

1010 Wall Street

Ann Arbor, Mi 48109

763-0970

Community Services

The Housing Bureau for Seniors provides peer counseling to senior citizens and their families about housing choices in Washtenaw County. Volunteers are recruited from across the county to work as housing counselors at the Bureau, or in one of the Bureau's Outreach sites in Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, Saline, Chelsea or Whitmore Lake.

The Bureau's services are free, though donations are always happily accepted. All of the activities of the Bureau are funded through community contributions.

Coming Events

Training for new volunteer housing counselors begins in May. Because so much of the work at the Bureau requires detailed information about a wide variety of housing choices, as well as skillful counseling, the Bureau provides regular training for new as well as continuing counselors.

Listening skills, needs assessments and effective interviewing techniques are all important to Bureau counselors. Often it is difficult when counseling seniors and their adult families to know who is the real client- the senior or the adult child involved. Housing Bureau counselors learn to find ways to resolve these and other potential conflicts.

Helping an individual senior to find suitable housing can be a challenging task. Not all seniors need to go directly from the family home into a nursing home. There may be a variety of alternatives of which seniors and their families are not aware.

Retirement homes may be suitable for some. They tend to be costly, though they offer services which may not be found elsewhere: meals, housekeeping, laundry services, medical supervision, transportation, and special recreation or activity for seniors.

Financial considerations may mean that seniors wish to look into low cost housing. With an increasing senior population and decreasing housing resources available, finding subsidized housing is more and more difficult. There are often long waiting lists and complicated income parameters to consider.

Housing counselors learn to assist Bureau clients with these difficulties. Housing counselors at the Bureau volunteer to work two half-days each week. If you would like to learn more about becoming affiliated with the Housing Bureau for Seniors, contact Carole Lapidos, Volunteer Coordinator, 763-6642, or Carolyn Hastings, Executive Director of the Bureau, at 763-0970.

The offices of the Housing Bureau are located in the Turner Clinic; volunteers with the Bureau are affiliated with the volunteer programs with the University of Michigan hospitals.

May is Older Americans Month. Celebrate it by becoming involved with a program designed for and by our area's Older Americans!

Current Events

May is Older Americans Month. In celebration, The Housing Bureau for Seniors will present a slide show and housing workshop for senior citizens and their adult children Tuesday, May 27, from 1 to 2:30 pm at the Pittsfield Township Senior Center, 701 W. Ellsworth Road.

A potluck luncheon beginning at noon will precede the workshop; bring a dish to pass.

The workshop is free. To register, call 763-0970.

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South Africa

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Free South Africa Coordinating Committee (FSACC)

c/o M.S.A.

3909 Michigan Union

Ann Arbor, Ml 48109

Information:

Hector Delgado 971-7994

Barbara Ransby 769-8549

Statement of Purpose

Free South Africa Coordinating Committee (FSACC), formed in the spring of 1985, is committed to opposing the brutal system of apartheid in South Africa and to contributing in every way possible to the liberation movement there. FSACC produces literature and sponsors events to educate people about the crimes of apartheid and the ways in which the U.S. Government, U.S. corporations, and the University of Michigan help to underwrite that system. FSACC also pressures the University of Michigan to sever all economic ties with corporations doing business in South Africa, as part of a worldwide movement to isolate the South African government; and seeks to provide material aid to those engaged in the resistance movement and their families.

FSACC believes that in order to build an effective anti-apartheid movement in the United States, the link must be made between racism here and apartheid in South Africa. Finally, we condemn a foreign policy which fails to reflect a genuine concern for human rights and true democracy, clearly evidenced in the Reagan administration's terrorist attacks against the people of Nicaragua contrasted with his support of the white supremacist minority government in South Africa.

Meetings and Membership

Membership meetings are held every other Monday at 7 pm in the Center for Afro-American and African Studies Lounge, on the first floor of the West Engineering building. The steering committee meets every week at 6 pm in the same location.

FSACC membership is mainly undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan. Meetings have been attended by as many as 200, but the average attendance at meetings and the number of people forming the core of the membership is 35 to 45.

Community Services

FSACC distributes literature and provides speakers on South Africa and apartheid. It also sponsors films, protests, and various outreach activities like the 3-Day Teach-ln in the fall of 1985.

Organizational Structure

There is a Steering Committee of 8 to 10 individuals, elected each year at a full membership meeting. This body coordinates the work of the organization and proposes policies for consideration by the membership. There are four Project Committees responsible for specific activities. The RegentsMandela Committee is responsible for finding ways to persuade the University to give Nelson Mandela an honorary degree, to sell the rest of the stock that it owns in companies doing business in South Africa, and to take a stronger public stand against apartheid. The April 4th Committee is coordinating two weeks of anti-apartheid action starting March 20. The Liaison Committee is responsible for making and maintaining links with other groups whose activities are compatible with FSACC's and publishing a newsletter to inform the Ann Arbor community of FSACC and related activities. And finally, the Material Aid/Fundraising Committee is working on ways to provide direct material aid to groups and people in South Africa trying to dismantle apartheid and is also responsible for general fundraising for FSACC. At least one member from each committee is a member of the Steering Committee.

Current News

1. On March 20th FSACC built a shanty on the Diag to call attention to the situation in South Africa. It also kicked off a national two weeks of action against apartheid. The shanty was staffed 24 hours a day for the next two weeks. Many people asked questions and received literature on South Africa. We decided not to staff it after April 4th, and since then it has been destroyed three times by vandals, but each time we rebuilt it. On at least three different occasions people have tried to burn it down.

2. On March 24th over 300 people participated in a candlelight vigil for the victims of political violence in Central America and South Africa. March 24th is the day Archbishop Romero was murdered in El Salvador.

3. On April 3rd representatives from the ANC and SWAPO addressed a large group of students in the Michigan Union.

4. On April 4th there was a Freedom March against racism and apartheid through Ann Arbor. Over 500 people marched and participated in a rally. The ANC and SWAPO representatives spoke, as did several student organization leaders. April 4th was the day the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated 18 years ago. A plaque was placed on the shanty that day in memory of his assassination and to express hope that our brothers and sisters in South Africa will be free soon.

5. During the two weeks of action there were also films shown. FSACC was joined by several other organizations in planning and coordinating the two weeks of action.

6. FSACC also organized a call-in to President Shapiro's and Vice-President Kennedy's offices to inquire about the progress of the nomination of Nelson Mandela, by Professor Thomas Holt, for an honorary degree. Beginning April 4th we began to make daily visits to President Shapiro's office to discuss the nomination. He did not meet with us until April 16th. Meanwhile, we met with Vice-President Kennedy several times, and it was he who informed us for the first time that the University did not award honorary degrees in absentia. The policy statement on honorary degrees we had received from the University in November of 1985 did not include any reference to this. It was obvious that the University had been dealing with us in bad faith, especially because at every Regents' meeting we had addressed them on the nomination and not once did they inform us of this provision in the Regents' by-laws.

7. On April 17th five individuals spoke before the Regents on the Nelson Mandela nomination and at the end of the public comments section of their meeting, we informed them that we were occupying the Regents' conference room to protest their refusal to grant Nelson Mandela an honorary degree and to hold a vigil to express concern for the life of Mr. Mandela, who is in ill health after serving his 24th year in prison. We asked the Regents to have a dialogue with us, but they instead chose to walk out of the room. That evening two Regents spoke with representatives of the group, but while they were sympathetic in some respects, they were not prepared to move to give Mr. Mandela an honorary degree the next day. They did agree that the by-laws needed to be reviewed.

8. Over 50 students spent the night n the building, though there were as many as 150 students in the building on several occasions. They next day, Friday, April 18, we allowed the Regents to meet in the room, but had to interrupt them when it became obvious that they were not going to award Mr. Mandela an honorary degree. They were forced to adjourn and leave the room. We then moved to the table and someone moved to give Nelson Mandela an honorary degree. The motion was approved unanimously.

Coming Events

FSACC meetings are held Monday nights at 7:00 pm in the Center for Afro-American and African Studies lounge on the 1st floor of the West Engineering Building.

On May 3rd there will be an alternative commencement at 10:00 am in the Rackham Amphitheatre to honor Mr. Mandela. We hope to have a well-known keynote speaker and a representative from the ANC to accept the honorary degree for Mr. Mandela. The event will not conflict with the regular 1:00 pm commencement, out of respect to families of this year's graduates.

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South African Political Prisoner Bracelet Program

P. O. Box 2542

Ann Arbor, Ml 48106

973-2016

Statement of Purpose International Possibilities Unlimited (IPU) seeks to find creative and innovative approaches to address problems faced by people of color in the African diaspora. IPU is a multi-racial group which consists mostly of students at the University of Michigan. The purpose of our first project, the South African Political Prisoner Bracelet Program, is to educate the public about the plight of political prisoners in South Africa, and in particular to increase the public's awareness of the continued racial and socio-economic oppression of the people of Southern Africa.

Each of the bracelets bears the name of a South African political prisoner serving a life sentence. The bracelet should facilitate the development of a personal bond between the wearer and the prisoner named thereon and his family. In that vein, we provide addresses where participants can write a particular prisoner. In addition, a portion of the funds generated through the sale of the bracelets is contributed to other organizations whose central goals are consistent with IPU's. The organizations that we have consequently identified to receive IPU contributions include International Defense and Aid Fund for its international efforts over the past thirty years to free political prisoners, the National Free South Africa Movement, and Washington Office on Africa, for its work in raising people's consciousness and pressuring the United States government to place sanctions on the South African government.

Meetings and Membership

Meetings are held every Monday at 5:00 pm at 2501 Braeburn Circle. Please call 973-2016 to confirm the location.

IPU presently has seven working members. We carry out all aspects of the bracelet program and therefore we are a task-oriented organization. We invite all people who are interested in our program to attend the meetings, especially those with personal contacts or experience in marketing, accounting, computers, or graphic arts.

Organizational Structure

IPU is a non-profit Corporation with staff workers and a board of directors. The South African Political Prisoner Bracelet Program staff operates in four committees:

The Orders Committee processes mail orders, records sales, oversees stock of bracelets and brochures, and computerizes bookkeeping.

The Network Committee is responsible for contacting other student organizations, churches, and coordinating regional IPU representatives.

The Publicity Committee keeps track of and sends material to upcoming conferences, and is in charge of advertising.

The Education Committee is responsible for updating the informational brochure and newsletters sent to participants. In addition, it maintains current information on South Africa and political prisoners, and writes proposals for money to support these efforts.

Community Services

IPU has a speakers bureau. We are available to speak on South Africa, Namibia, and political prisoners, and to network or assist other organizations to develop anti-apartheid activities.

IPU is promoting the participation of churches in the Political Prisoner Bracelet Program in order to provide an opportunity for the people to contribute en masse to the liberation of South Africans. Churches are asked to adopt a political prisoner, buy bracelets, and generate funds to assist the political prisoners' families. Churches are also asked to identity a liaison person who is provided training on Southern Africa socio-political issues.

The bracelets cost $6.50 each plus tax for Michigan residents. To order, please send a check to:

IPU

P.O. Box 2542

Ann Arbor, Ml 48106

Current News

To date, IPU has sold over 1300 bracelets. Among the people who have been presented bracelets are Mayors Coleman Young of Detroit, Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, and Edward Pierce of Ann Arbor; also Ann Arbor City Councilman Larry Hunter, State Representatives Virgil Smith and Perry Bullard, and Michigan State Senator Lana Pollack, who have all sponsored divestiture legislation. On the national level, Senator Edward Kennedy, and Congressmen Howard Wolpe, John Conyers, Ronald Dellums, Steven Solarz, and William Gray, who cosponsored the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985, were given complimentary bracelets. Former U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner Dr. Mary Francis Berry, and many entertainers including Gil Scott-Heron, Harry Belafonte, Lou Rawls, Clifton Davis, and Steve Van Zandt, who produced and recorded the Sun City record project, are other recipients of the bracelets.

Political prisoners included in the South African Political Prisoner Bracelet Program are only those serving life sentences, and are used as symbols of all political prisoners in South Africa. To date, all political prisoners who have been given life sentences are males; consequently our bracelets only bear the names of men. Due to many requests for female prisoner bracelets and given the integral role women have played in the liberation of South Africa, we now include Thandi Modise, who is a woman currently serving a 16 year sentence in South Africa. She is serving the longest sentence for a woman.

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Student Rights

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Michigan Student Assembly

University of Michigan

3909 Michigan Union

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

763-3241

The Michigan Student Assembly is the campus-wide student government at the University of Michigan. "Campus-wide" means that MSA represents students in every U of M college and school. Since students in each college are represented by their own specific student governments, MSA focuses almost exclusively on matters of concern to all students such as the proposed Code of Non-Academic Conduct.

MSA is funded through a mandatory student fee of $5.07 per term, giving it total revenues of about $375,500. This money, however, is well accounted for and used primarily to fund Student Legal Services, the Ann Arbor Tenant Union, Advice magazine (which lists student course evaluations) and allocations to student organizations for campus events or projects that are deemed to have educational, cultural, or social significance. Some of the events that MSA has sponsored recently include forums concerning racism, sexism, and women's safety, and weapons research (such as "Star Wars and Universities"). MSA also staged a "summit meeting" between former MSA President Paul Josephson and U of M President Harold Shapiro and provided services such as free income-tax assistance and a "76-GRIPE" evening telephone line for students to voice their University-related concerns to MSA representaties.

The composition of MSA can be broken into two parts. First, the elected or appointed body, which consists of a president, vice-president, treasurer and 50 representatives from the various schools and colleges. (Incidentally, the current number of representatives was just raised to 50 from 32 with the completion of elections in March, giving significantly more representation to each school.) The other part of MSA is an administrative body, which is hired by the assembly at large. This administrative body usually consists of an administrative coordinator, numerous work-study assistants, a military research advisor, and a minorityaffairs researcher. Others are hired as needed.

The elected assembly itself is broken into ten committees. Those committees are chaired by a member of the assembly and filled by both members of the assembly and, in most cases, by interested parties outside MSA. The standing committees are: Rules and Elections which coordinates the MSA elections in March and November and is responsible for the authorship and interpretation of MSA Constitution and Compiled Code; Legislative Relations, which monitors all federal, state, local, and University legislation and reports its findings to the Assembly; Women's Issues, which lobbies in support of women's concerns and campus safety; Students' Rights, which ensures that students are treated fairly and leads the battle against the Code of Non-Academic Conduct; Student Organizations, which administrates the student groups that are MSA recognized; Budget Priorities, which allocates "free money" to MSA groups; Minority Affairs, which lobbies on behalf of all minorities and concentrates on increasing R, R, & G (Recruitment, Retention, and Graduation) on campus; Personnel, which hires and fires all Assembly employees, Communications, which oversees all MSA publications and publicity; and Academic Affairs, which monitors academic events or problems as they arise. Each of these committees, whether they address problems, projects, or new ideas, report at each Tuesday night General Assembly meeting.

What MSA ultimately boils down to is a lobbying group because it has little legislative power. It represents the voice of the majority of Michigan students and, with its financial and human resources, successfully lobbies the University administration, regents, faculty, city, state, and federal govemments in the interests of students. It has been very succesful in preventing the passage of the Code, getting a student seat on the all-new Computer Policy Committee, increasing the awareness of the administration towards students' needs and complaints, and it is constantly applying pressure for the establishment of a Student Regent.

MSA is also a service organization. It provides office space and equipment such as copiers, typewriters, a computer, an art studio, and conference rooms for over 400 student organizations for free or at very nominal costs. Also, it is constantly working on behalf of these student groups in their efforts to promote their projects or events.

In summary, MSA is a group of students with resources, a core of common interests, and institutional legitimacy that lobbies various other representative groups to improve the quality of student life on campus. MSA is also a student organization that provides services to other students and student organizations and a place where students can learn organizational skills and pursue their issue interests. MSA has open assembly meetings every Tuesday night during the regular school year at 7:30 pm. MSA is glad to accept volunteers to work with any of the committees, or it can provide informatton on any of the over 400 student groups it represents. Also, this is a very good time to get involved because the summer months tend to leave MSA somewhat shorthanded, making a lot of room for enthusiatic and motivated people to become involved in any number of the things mentioned above. For further information, contact David Lovinger at 763-3241.

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Women's Issues

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The Women's Crisis Center

P. O. Box 7413

Ann Arbor, Ml 48107

Office: 306 N. Division

Business: 761-9475

Crisis Line: 994-9100

Community Services

The Women's Crisis Center offers peer counseling and crisis intervention for all women in Washtenaw and surrounding counties.

The Crisis Line, 994-9100, operates Monday through Friday, 10 am to 10 pm. Callers are guaranteed anonymity and can talk to a peer counsellor who is there to provide non-judgemental support.

We sell low-cost, do-it-yourself divorce kits. Call 761-9475 for more information.

The Women's Crisis Center also offers referrals to hundreds of agencies and individuals in and around Washtenaw County.

Substance Abuse Support Group: For women in a substance abuse situation involving themselves or family and friends. The program is for 8 weeks, with a $25 donation to WCC/sliding scale. Call for more information.

Compulsive Eating Support Group: Evenings; donation; call WCC for more information.

Meetings and Membership

We hold meetings on the last Sunday of every month, from noon to 2 pm at St. Andrew's Church, 306 N. Division at Lawrence. Our next scheduled meeting is May 25.

The Women's Crisis Center is a nonprofit, grassroots, collectively-run organization made up of community women concerned with the needs of other women. There are currently 40 volunteers, all women, who are members of the Ann Arbor community and students.

We have one full-time Coordinator, a Board of Directors, volunteer peer phone counselors, and adminstrative volunteers.

Coming Events

Friday, May 2 to Sunday, May 11: WCC Peer Counselor Training. The training involves 30 hours over two weekends, a 6 month committment, and 4 hours per week after training. The fee is $20. Call 761-9475 for a screening interview.

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Don't forget! The deadline for inclusion in the CRD is the 19th.