May 2006—issue 12

When the silent women cried out

When the silent women cried out There reigned a *deathly* silence... Around 45,000 acres of land stolen from the Tupi-Guarani, 10,000 Quilombola (African slaves descendants) families chased out of their territories, And millions of gallons of herbicide sprayed on the crops.

Labor unions join immigrant rallies

Spring 2006 will be remembered as the largest immigrant rights movement in the history of the United States. Hundreds of protests were planned nationwide on April 9 and 10, while in Boston the number of demonstrators doubled since last week as ten of thousands marched from the Commons to Copley Square.

Con-fusion: vote reform aims to limit choices

There is likely to be an election reform question on the State ballot this November. The subject will be "fusion voting."

Thinking about the unthinkable—and doing something about it

Once unthinkable: oil is approaching $75 a barrel.

Harvard’s neighbors want to know—what lies under Mahoney’s site?

What lies beneath Harvard’s construction site at the corner of Western Avenue and Memorial Drive?

Without union, immigrant workers still organize and win

On Tuesday, April 4, supporters of the embattled Ethnic Gourmet workforce began informational pickets at local Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Markets.

Boston area Zionists organizing for war against Sudan

On April 30th, supporters of a United Nations/U.S. military invasion of Sudan rallied in Washington DC. Zionist and proimperialist activists nationwide and in the Boston/Cambridge area are busy demonizing Sudan, repeating outrageous allegations of genocide” in Darfur against the Sudanese government and mischaracterizing the civil war in Darfur as being based on race or religion. The anti-Sudan rhetoric in the US media is intensifying.

State stalls again; Lafayette 8 back to Square 1

On the morning of April 13, the six remaining Lafayette Eight defendants and their supporters gathered in Cambridge District Court for what was supposed to be their trial. Instead the litigation process is back in the pretrial stage. A new pretrial hearing is now scheduled for June 5.

Looking at another side of Jarrett Barrios

continuation of a two-part article on State Senator Jarrett Barrios.

State sees opportunity in impending Storrow shutdown

At 11 AM on April 6, with little public notice, a hearing on the local impacts of the impending shutdown of Storrow Drive took place in Cambridge City Council chambers. Work will soon begin on replacing the tunnel/underpass along the esplanade in Boston.

Young People's Project Gulf tour: a message of healing and hope

The Finding Our Folk Tour (www.findingourfolk.org) was organized by the Young People’s Project (www.typp.org) as well as other national and local organizations, to visit the cities where Hurricane Katrina survivors were currently living.

Mass. Labor Notes — May 2006

(note: for links to the latest labor news from around the state, visit Jobs with Justice at www.massjwj.net)

Defending equal marriage rights

In just a few weeks, the Massachusetts legislature will take up a new Constitutional amendment—this one in the form of a ballot initiative—to repeal existing laws permitting same-sex couples to marry.

"A Day Without Immigrants"

May 1, 2006—Today I attended a rally in Boston Common held in solidarity with a nationwide protest against proposed immigration reform currently under consideration in the United States Senate.

Advocacy Journalism Thrives

Both conservatives and liberals complain about bias in the media. Should any of us believe what journalists report?