Saturday, May 09, 2015

ACT UP/NY + WHAM! Reading & ACT UP/SF's Reunion

The still alive and kicking ACT UP/Petrelis chapter is happy to share info on two important networking and sharing opportunities for activists of all ages, backgrounds and all their diverse contemporary concerns.

A girlfriend from Brooklyn, the feisty and fabulous Elizabeth Meixell, sent these deets my way this week:

"Examining three interconnected case studies, "Mobilizing New York: AIDS, Antipoverty, and Feminist Activism" by Tamar Carroll, powerfully demonstrates the ability of grassroots community activism to bridge racial and cultural differences and effect social change. There are two readings:

"May 13, at 7 pm at Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen Street, between Stanton and Rivington, Manhattan (with queer activist Kenyon Farrow, focused on AIDS activism).

"May 14, at 6 pm at Tamiment Library, 10th floor of Bobst Library, NYU, 70 Washington Square South, east of LaGuardia, Manhattan.

"Carroll traces the partnership between the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) and Women's Health Action and Mobilization (WHAM!), showing how gay men and feminists collaborated to create a supportive community for those affected by the AIDS epidemic, to improve health care, and to oppose homophobia and misogyny during the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing on a rich array of oral histories, archival records, newspapers, films, and photographs from post-World War II New York City, Carroll shows how poor people transformed the antipoverty organization Mobilization for Youth and shaped the subsequent War on Poverty."


My dear friend Peter Cashman, of the ACT UP/Los Angeles chapter, passed along this info that's happening in my own backyard. Pleased as pansy punch that he may journey up to San Francisco for these events. More info at the FB page:

"This June marks the 25th anniversary of the 6th International Conference on AIDS held at Moscone Center in San Francisco, and a group of San Francisco ACT UP alums is organizing a set of events here. We've been letting people know on Facebook we wanted to make sure you knew, and to ask you to let other folks know about it. Here's what we've planned so far, with a few more things in the works:

"June 20 -- panel discussion -- what we did and why it mattered, moderated by Deb Gould, panel including Mike Shriver, Jorge Cortinas, Eric Ciasullo, and me, plus others.

"June 20 evening -- party at Cafe Flore, ACT UP alums and our friends. June 21 afternoon -- memorial to honor those we've lost, at the Women's Building, followed by a march to the Castro.

"We're asking people to send in photos or other materials, especially if they can't come themselves, and we'll record, if not livestream the events. Please spread the word to people who may want to come to San Francisco for that weekend."

All events promise to be worthwhile, so check them out!

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