MLK DAY

Conflict Kitchen cooks again

The Conflict Kitchen in Pittsburgh serves up justice with a side of community support, explain Josh Cascone and Alex Wood.

AFTER A death threat temporarily closed the Conflict Kitchen on November 8, the take-out eatery/art project reopened on November 12 after an outpouring of support from the community. 
Read more...

The struggle for justice in Palestine is continuing to build in Pittsburgh. The Conflict Kitchen's reopening represents a victory for the local Palestine solidarity struggle and was only possible due to the hard work of local activists speaking out against the injustice of U.S. government support for Israel's occupation of Palestine. As Dr. Martin Luther King once said, the United States is "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." Justice must therefore begin with Palestinian solidarity and opposition to U.S. aid for occupation and apartheid.

Hugo Chavez: Socialist of the 21st Century?

A Forum with Mike Gonzalez

Visiting Professor, University of Pittsburgh
Author, Hugo Chavez: Socialist of the Twenty-First Century

How did Hugo Chavez help the working class of Venezuela? 
What was the role of the working class in the revolutionary struggle? 
What is the state of the “revolution” after Chavez? 
What is “socialism of the 21st century?” 

COME JOIN THE DISCUSSION!

Thursday, November 20

7:30pm

Thomas Merton Center

5129 Penn Avenue

Hugo Chavez: Socialist for the Twenty-first Century by Mike Gonzalez

http://www.revolutionarylives.co.uk/his-death-left-a-number-of-unanswered-questionsmike-gonzalez-introduces-hugo-chavez/

SOCIALIST DAY SCHOOL - November 1st

ANOTHER WORLD IS NECESSARY

Getting Organized to Change the World

Saturday, November 1

 10:30am - 3:30pm

DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE: Global Struggle for Socialism
Speaker: 
Mike Gonzalez (author, Hugo Chavez: Socialist for the Twenty-First Century)

RACE, CLASS, GENDER: Connecting the Dots
Panelists include: 
Helen Gerhardt (Iraq war vet, social justice activist), Carl Redwood (Community Organizer), Danna Cascone (ISO) 

CAPITALISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Panelists include: 
Mel Packer (Marcellus Protest, Protect Our Parks), Russ Fedorka (ISO)

LOCATION: 
Pittsburgh Athletic Association (across from the Cathedral of Learning)
4215 Fifth Avenue
Rear entrance off of Lytton, downstairs in the Walnut Room

Admission is free, all welcome

Lunch is available for purchase onsite

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

Here's an article based on a radio interview with Paul LeBlanc on WESA-FM
http://wesa.fm/post/iso-wants-school-you-socialism

Social Gathering

Join us in welcoming revolutionary activists and scholars 

from The Netherlands and Britain who have just moved to the 'Burgh!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 -- 7:00-9:00 p.m.

317 S. PACIFIC AVENUE in Bloomfield/Friendship

(home of Jonah McAllister-Erickson and Jessica Benner)

RSVP: isopgh@gmail.com or 412-760-9716

Snacks and libations will be served!

War in the Middle East: Imperialism, Oppression and the Dynamics of Capitalism

Join the ISO to discuss the politics of imperialism and oppression in the Middle East with Ashley Smith, writer and co-editor of Socialist Worker and International Socialist Review.

Ashley Smith gives a rousing speech at the G20

Thursday, August 14

7:00PM

THOMAS MERTON CENTER

5129 PENN AVE

Admission is free!

THE MEANING OF MARXISM - a four session study group

MARXISM involves an approach to reality that was developed to help the working-class majority bring about a fundamental change from CAPITALISM (an economic dictatorship operating to maximize the profits of the wealthy) to SOCIALISM (an economic democracy in which “the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all”).

It is grounded in a sophisticated philosophical orientation, the social sciences, and an understanding of history. It developed in close interplay with workers’ struggles and the labor movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. If understood and utilized with intelligence and passion, it can be a powerful tool for understanding and changing the world.

We will be exploring the basics of Marxism by utilizing a fine introductory text by Paul D’Amato – The Meaning of Marxism.

July 31
Philosophy, History, Economics, pp 7-68

August 7
Workers, Revolution, Organization, pp 69-138

August 14
Imperialism, War, Oppression, Ecology pp 139-189

August 21
Arguments Against & For Socialism pp 190-221

The book is available for $14

All classes start at 7pm and run for one hour

at the Thomas Merton Center

5129 Penn Avenue

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US IN THIS EXPLORATION!

MARXISM & ANARCHISM

Readings & Discussion:

June 5: The Legacy of Albert Parsons and the contributions of the IWW

 The Legacy of the IWW - To Break their haughty power

June 12: Emma Goldman, Victor Serge, and Trotskyist and Anarchist accounts of Russian and Spanish Revolutions

 EMMA GOLDMAN: A life of controversy

June 19: Anarchism in the 21^st century

Contemporary Anarchism

The Leninist Protests Too Much: A response to Herb Gamberg

Thomas Merton Center

5129 Penn Avenue  

7:30pm

MARXISM AND NATIONAL SELF-DETERMINATION

A 3-part discussion on national self-determination from a Marxist perspective, Thursday nights, 7:30pm at: The Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue

Readings:

April 24: Lenin, “The Right to Self-Determination” and “The Question of Nationalities”

May 1: Trotsky, “The Question of Ukraine”

May 8: Paul D’Amato, “What Do We Say About the National Question” and excerpts from Ghassan Kanafani’s “Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine”

All of the readings can be found on SocialistWorker.org

Socialist Day School

Democracy & Social Justice—Pittsburgh and Beyond

Another World is Possible . . . Sharing Ideas for Social Transformation

Humanity at the Crossroads

April 12th Schedule of Events

9:30 – 10:00 a.m.

          Registration (modestly-priced coffee, tea, fruit, bagels)

10:00 a.m. 

     Welcome – Kathy Cunningham

     Global Capitalism, Global Anti-Capitalism - Shaun Harkin

10:30 a.m.

     Capitalism, Socialism, and Ecology - Mike Pastorkovich and Harvey Holtz

12:00 noon – Lunch (modestly-priced)

 1:00-2:30 p.m.

     Class, Race, Gender, Sexuality and the Struggle for Liberation – Tithi Bhattacharya

 2:45-4:15 p.m.

     Changing the World: Reform or Revolution? - Molly Nichols, Carl Redwood, Paul Le Blanc

Saturday April 12th

AVA Lounge

304 N. Craig St.

$5.00 suggested donation (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

GAZA UNDER SIEGE - Eva Bartlett

Thursday March 6th 8:15 pm at the Thomas Merton Center

Focus on Gaza:
Eyewitness Account from Gaza Under Siege

A look at agriculture, fishing, health, and all facets of life under siege.

Eva Bartlett is a Canadian journalist and human rights activist.

She has spent 3 of the last 5 years living in Gaza under siege.

Admission is free and open to the public

LENIN, ORGANIZATION, & REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE

Learning from the past, preparing for the future...

Three discussion sessions - Thursdays 7:30 - 8:30pm
February 27th readings:
 * Why NOT to Read Lenin (3 pages)
 * Lenin: A Succinct Biography (15 pages)

March 6th readings:
 * Brief Writings by Lenin

March 13th readings:
 * Towards a Revolutionary Socialist Party by Duncan Hallas
copies of readings provided at no cost

Join us in discussing how we can bring about a socialist democracy...

at the Thomas Merton Center

5129 Penn Ave

isopgh@gmail.com                     @isopittsburgh

Weekly Meetings are now on Thursdays!

This change will begin on January 23rd.

Meetings will continue to be held at the Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Avenue.

All meetings are open to the public.