1. LEFT FILM NIGHT
Sunday, October 25, 7 pm
Centre for Socialist Education, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver
(corner of Clark & E. Georgia)
FROZEN RIVER
Written and directed by Courtney Hunt, USA, 2008, 97 minutes
Just before Christmas near a border crossing on the Mohawk reservation between New York State and Quebec, two women - one white, one Mohawk - are faced with desperate circumstances. Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) is struggling to raise two sons alone after her gambling-addicted husband disappears with the family’s car. Working part-time for minimum wage at the Yankee Dollar store, Ray witnesses a Mohawk woman driving the missing vehicle. When she tries to retrieve the car from Lila Littlewolf (Misty Upham), Ray is drawn into helping smuggle immigrants into the U.S. across a frozen river. Nominated for two Academy awards, Frozen River raises crucial questions: Does the river mark a genuine boundary between Canada and the U.S., or is it simply part of the Mohawk Nation geography? Can the common struggle for economic survival overcome historic barriers of racism and prejudice? Can a human being be “illegal”?
A collection will be taken during this Left Film Night towards the legal defence of indigenous environmental campaigner John Graham. Accused in the 1975 murder of American Indian Movement activist Anna Mae Aquash, John Graham was extradited from Vancouver to stand trial in South Dakota, despite the lack of any credible evidence against him. For updates, visit www.grahamdefense.org.
No charge for admission; donations welcome. Coffee and refreshments available. Left Film Nights are presented by the Centre for Socialist Education, Young Communist League, and the Vancouver East and Montivero Clubs of the Communist Party of Canada. Call 604-255-2041 or email
2. BBQ & Rally for Striking Maple Ridge Extra Foods Workers
Show your support for striking Maple Ridge Extra Foods workers by attending a Barbeque Rally on Saturday, October 31.
These UFCW 1518 members are going into their tenth month on the picket line having been on strike since December 2008. At this point, talks have stalled with Westfair/Loblaws. The main issues are wages, benefits, and job security.
The New Westminster & District Labour Council and the Fraser Valley Labour Council are sponsoring the rally. All union members and affiliates are urged to attend.
The BBQ will be held at Extra Foods at the corner of Dewdney Trunk Road and 224th in Maple Ridge from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM on October 31st.
The YCL supports the struggle of the Maple Ridge Extra Foods Workers and will be attending the rally. Please come join us and show your solidarity.
3. Leafleting at Big Box Stores
The YCL will be lending a helping hand to the efforts of union organizers to take on big box stores in BC. On November 1st we will be taking part in direct leaflet drops at big box stores in the Vancouver-Burnaby area. Since we plan to take the owners and management of these stores by surprise we will provide further information like the meet up place, stores we will visit etc. to you if you contacts us to say that you are attending. It will take place on November 1st starting at 1:30pm.
4. World Peace Forum Teach-In
The YCL will be participating the in World Peace Forum teach-in this year. Details are below. November 11th will be a special series of panels for youth and students. There will also be an activist career fair at which the YCL will be one of the featured organizations. We encourage all of our members and friends to attend.
The World Peace Forum Society presents
1929-1939- FROM CRASH TO CATASTROPHE
A TEACH IN ON WHAT HAPPENED AND ITS LESSONS TODAY
NOV. 7, 8 & 11
MARITIME LABOUR CENTRE
1880 Triumph Street
http://www.peaceforumteachin.org/ or www.worldpeaceforumbc.ca
The 'Great' Depression, the rise of fascism, the debates that shook the workers' movement, the Spanish Civil War, the transformation from coal to oil, the rise of the American Empire, the origins of mass media, the birth of mass industrial unions, youth, anti-war and solidarity movements and much more- the 'thirties' were a decade that had a huge impact on the world we live in today and the tasks that face activists.
Following the success of the first World Peace Forum Teach In in 2008 which looked at the impact of World War I this gathering of academics, artists and activists will discuss and debate the decade between the great 'crash' of October 1929 and the official beginning of the Second World War in September of 1939.
With the goal of supporting peace, economic and social justice and ecological sustainability, the World Peace Forum is creating a program featuring speakers from across North America who will shed light on the roots of the present in the past. In plenary sessions and smaller workshops the lessons of history and the tasks of today will be discussed and debated. On Remembrance Day- November 11- there will be a special series of panels for young people- the generation who will decide what the future of humanity will look like and whether there will be one.
Program information available at http://www.peaceforumteachin.org/
To get involved- info@worldpeaceforumbc.ca
5. Pro-Choice Action - November 13th
The YCL will be taking action in defense of women's right to reproductive choice on November 13th at noon. A group of YCLers and friends dressed in medieval/feudal garb will gather at Commercial & Broadway along side the group of anti-choice demonstrators who inhabit the corner each Friday afternoon. We will be drawing attention to the absurdity of the archaic, anti-women ideas they espouse but also to the danger they pose to womens rights. It won't be the first time we have taken these people on, but the creative twist of the event is sure to get some attention. Feel free to join us.
6. Silkscreening Party 2
Since we unfortunately had to postpone our silkscreening party this weekend we will be holding in November instead on the 14th starting at 1:30pm. We are currently working on a simple, but attractive design for some flags which we will be silkscreening. These will be a great way to make the YCL visible at rallies in the future. This is our first trial run with silkscreening but we plan to do many bigger and better things, like t-shirts, once we get practiced up. Come join us, it will be a lot of fun. Wear expendable clothes as we will be dealing with ink and other materials which could stain fabric.
7. YCL Study Group - Dialectical Materialism Pt. 2
This month we will complete our discussion of Dialectical Materialism, led by Paul Bjarnason of the BC Committee of the Communist Party. It will be Wednesday, November 18th, 7pm at the Centre for Socialist Education (706 Clark Dr.)
Suggested reading: Materialism and the Dialectical Method by Maurice Cornforth. If you would like a .PDF copy of this material, please e-mail redstar@ycl-ljc.ca
8. Fundraising Dinner & Movie Night
We will be holding a Dinner & Movie Night fundraiser in late November to raise funds for our upcoming Convention and for Rebel Youth Magazine. Details TBA shortly.
