As most folks out there probably know by now Arizona recently passed SB 1070, an immigration law that requires police officers to detain individuals whom they have “reasonable suspicion” are not legal residents of the United States. Many fear, including myself, that this law will basically legalize racial profiling in Arizona, despite Gov. Jan Brewer’s insistance to the contrary. For those of us in New York City looking for a way to stand against this dispicable piece of legislation, there are several demonstrations tomorrow, Saturday May 1:

Rally in Union Square, starts at Noon, sponsored by the May 1 coalition

Rally and March in Foley Square (near City Hall), starts at 11 am, sponsored by the New York Immigration Coalition, The Alliance for Labor & Immigrant Rights & Jobs for All

And for those of you who can’t make it to these rallies or aren’t in NYC, please write to Gov. Jan Brewer here to express your opposition to SB 1070.

Since this law was passed I have read a number of moving blog posts, but one I would most highly recommend is over at the INCITE!blog, entitled “Confonting Citizenship in Sexual Assault.” (They have posted a trigger warning,  so keep that in mind before clicking the link.) As someone whose professional work focuses on sexual violence and intimate partner violence, my mind immediately went to the detrimental effect this policy will have upon immigrant people who are harmed by intimate partner violence and/or sexual violence. This post really highlights for me one of the numerous ways that immigration issues and feminism are linked.

A few weeks ago I drove to Amesville, Ohio to spend a weekend at SuBAMUH (Susan B. Anthony Memorial Unrest Home) as part of a larger oral history project on women-only intentional communities. I will say this: I’m surprised I came home.

SuBAMUH was founded in 1979 as a feminist education center. It’s 151 acres contains a campground, a communal kitchen, living spaces, a (naked)swimming pond and hiking trails. Aside from being a feminist safe space, SuBAMUH serves as a community center and works closely with nearby Ohio University in Athens. They offer workshops on topics such as wild edible plants, feminist parenting, safer sex, car mechanics and cheese making.

I conducted three interviews with two residents and the founder of SuBAMUH, Jan Griesinger, which I’ve included pieces of below. Jan lives in the farmhouse on the land, which serves as both her home and a main space for residents.  It is surrounded by cherry blossoms, a hot tub, and a small garden. It is a small museum of sorts dedicated to feminism and the Dayton Women’s Liberation movement, co-founded by Jan and her partner, Mary. We sat by her fire drinking SuBAMUH’s famous homemade Concord grape juice and eating cherry pie. Her cat lay on her lap, head on her chest, and would occasionally arch her back to knead her stomach. Jan got up occasional to stoke the fire and the interview lasted about an hour. Continue reading →

April 17, 2010 from 11am-7pm @ Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South in Manhattan [a wheelchair accessible, smoke-free environment with free childcare and food].

FTB is excited to be tabling with our tomorrow at the 4th annual NYC Anarchist Book Fair; a day-long event featuring many modes of anarchist cultural production: books, zines, film, art, and much more.   In addition there will be two days of panels, presentations, workshops, and skillshares on April 17 and 18.

From the website:

“The goal of the book fair is to enable people to connect with one another as well as to provide broader access to the rich and varied field of anarchist ideas and practices. Now is the perfect time to be exploring those ideas and practices and bringing them into play in our communities and the world. . . .a place where the ideas, activism, ethics, creativity and history of the contemporary anarchist movement come together in an exciting weekend of community and collaboration.”

Also on Saturday will be a day-long art event including a music improvisation workshop with Grady Gerbracht and John Loggia, a panel with Denise Carvalho about art collectives, a performance by Inbred Hybrid Collective, Paula Kohatsu of the Brazilian Sisters, a screening of The Yes Men’s latest film, video art by Adriana Varella, drawings by Tom Civil, posters by Josh MacPhee, Reverend Billy, Tassos Sagris and a tactical media workshop hosted by members of IMCollective.

Schedule of workshops and performances in the Judson Gym (see the workshops pagefor details):
11:00 Tactical Media (workshop)
12:30 Paula of the Brazilian Sisters (performance)
1:30 Synchronic Asymmetry: Non-Hierarchical Cooperative Improvisation (workshop)
3:30 Between the Social and the Public: Dialogic Action in Third-Space (panel)
5:30 Reverend Billy (performance)

Stop by our table and say hi!

********The Book Fair has a policy against racist, sexist, queer-phobic, and other disrespectful behavior that works against collective liberation for all communities.