Community Event: Backyard Party for Peace – Newton Highlands
2025-06-22 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Newton Highlands (address provided upon registration)
Enjoy the summer with Massachusetts Peace Action board member Susan Mirsky at her home in Newton Highlands!
Bring your voice and an instrument for some musical fun. :)
Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to updates about MAPA’s development, key elements of the peace agenda, and our ongoing efforts in fighting the genocide in Gaza, ending the war in Ukraine, addressing the twin threats of nuclear war and climate devestation, and cutting the military budget.
There will be plenty of refreshments, with vegan options available. Feel free to bring your favorite dish!
Please email info@masspeaceaction.org or call 617-354-1957 for the full address (close to Newton Highlands T stop!).
For questions, contact Susan Mirsky at 617-875-7160 or smirsky7@gmail.com.
Register to attend.

No War with Iran - Emergency Rally
2025-06-22 13:00 - 15:00 | Park Street Station, Tremont St and Park Street, Boston, MA, 02108, United States
President Trump’s unprovoked attack on Iran is incredibly dangerous, unnecessary, and illegal. His unilateral action threatens to embroil the United States in another costly war in the Middle East, just like George W. Bush did with his attack on Iraq. His unconstitutional action endangers people across the region and American service members dangerously deployed there. Congress must stop these illegal actions immediately.

Volunteer at MAPA’s Table - Cambridge River Festival
2025-06-21 12:00 - 18:00 | Memorial Drive near Eliot House, Memorial Drive and JFK Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138
The Cambridge River Festival will take place on Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 12 PM to 6 PM on the banks of the Charles River near Memorial Drive.
MAPA will set up our peace and justice outreach table. Join us for an hour or two to distribute pamphlets, buttons, and Not Another Bomb signs, and ask people to sign the latest peace petitions. We will be working in four shifts, so sign up below if you are available!
Register for a shift.

MA Medicaid Defenders Phonebank
2025-06-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Online Event
ASK VOTERS TO TELL CONGRESS:
#SAVEMEDICAID #SAVESNAP

We are calling voters in the most critical states to urge them to contact their Senator and tell them to vote against the largest cuts to healthcare and food nutrition benefits in US history! If they are willing, we can immediately patch them through to their Senator to deliver a clear message: Medicaid and SNAP Save Lives and you should NOT vote to cut it!
Please read this important information.
We are calling voters in the most critical states to urge them to contact their Senator and tell them to vote against the largest cuts to healthcare and food nutrition benefits in US history! If they are willing, we can immediately patch them through to their Senator to deliver a clear message: Medicaid and SNAP Save Lives and you should NOT vote to cut it!

FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW TO MAKE CALLS

5:00 – 7:00PM (Eastern)
CALL INTO [Maine/COLLINS]Click HERE to make callsClick HERE for Maine Fact Sheet

Click here to RSVP for more shifts.
More information about calls and the auto-dialer system is provided below
Table of Contents

Phone Banking Overview: Who? What? Why? How?

Using the Dialer

Phone Banking Overview: Who? What? Why? How?
Why are we making calls today?
Congress is advancing a budget proposal that would gut Medicaid and SNAP benefits for no other reason than to fund more tax breaks for billionaires. Instead of addressing the real culprits—the ultra-rich and corporations who are driving up costs and prioritizing profits over people—these cuts target working families and communities already struggling to get by. Any cuts to Medicaid and food nutrition benefits put millions of people at risk and will result in people losing access to healthcare and food.
Who are we talking to?
We are calling constituents who are most impacted and most likely to oppose these cuts and may be willing to contact their Senator, especially those whose Senators have not committed to fully protecting Medicaid and SNAP.

What are we talking about?
We are making sure constituents understand that their Senator has not committed to fully protecting Medicaid or SNAP benefits. We will offer to patch them through to their representative’s office to deliver a brief but urgent message: Any cuts to Medicaid or food nutrition benefits put millions of people at risk and will result in people losing their healthcare and reliable access to food.
Using the Dialer
SCALE TO WIN DIALER REFRESHER
Short Deck on Scale to Win
Scale to Win: How to Make Calls in Detail
Interactive Training Course
Step 1: Click the URL of the phone bank we’re currently dialing into, linked to at the top of this doc.
Step 2: Click “Preview Script” to walk through the structure of the conversation as it will flow through the dialer. If you’d like additional talking points, any available documents will be available here, linked to in the corresponding state in the Table of Contents on page 1.
Step 3: When you feel ready to dial, select Call on this Device to make calls using the phone or computer you’re viewing the link on. Your device may prompt you for permissions to use your microphone, Allow permissions.
Step 4: Press the blue Start Calling button when you are ready to being dialing.
Step 5: If you prefer to call on your phone and use the laptop to read the script, select Call Another Way to connect your
Step 6: Follow the prompts and dial in to the phonebank using the number generated by Scale to Win

No Genocide in Healthcare
2025-06-17 16:00 - 18:00 | Koch Institute, 500 Main St, Cambridge, MA, 02139
We will be picketing at 500 Main St, outside the Koch Institute at MIT, between 4-6:00 pm to say “No Genocide in Healthcare!” The MIT CEO conference, which is being billed (at only $4,450.00/ticket, cheaper if you’re a BioPharma Exec!) as a “not-to-be missed” networking event, will be co-hosted by MIT President Sally Kornbluth and will feature other genocide deniers and apologists from MGB CEO Dr. Ann Klibanski and Governor Maura Healey to Rep Jake Auchincloss and mayoral candidate Josh Kraft. Bring noise makers! Do your best to come out on June 17th to say No Genocide in Healthcare!

Father's Day Concert: for the Children of Gaza
2025-06-14 14:00 - 19:00 | Pulaski Park, 240 Main St, Northampton, MA, 01060, United States

No Kings, No War, on Pride Day
2025-06-14 10:00 - 15:00 | Copley Square, Boylston St and Dartmouth St, Boston, MA, 02115
On Saturday, June 14th, former President Donald Trump will spend at least $100 million of our taxpayer dollars on a military parade—a spectacle meant to glorify power and project strength, even as vital social services like Social Security, SNAP, and Medicaid face relentless cuts.
On the same day, you and I must raise our voices in response. On June 14, there will be a nationwide mobilization, a grassroots day of protest to reject this corruption, abuse of power, and the creeping normalization of authoritarianism and militarism.
Trump’s obscene event is not just a wasteful party at your and my expense. It is a deliberate embrace of militarism and strongman authoritarianism, both of which threaten peace around the world and erode the foundations of democracy and civil rights here at home. History teaches us that military parades are not harmless displays; they are the pageantry of authoritarianism, designed to intimidate dissent and normalize the idea that might makes right.
There will be hundreds of No Kings protests nationwide on June 14, including over 130 in Massachusetts. Find an event near you and bring your peace, Palestine, and Pride signs!
In Boston, No Kings Day coincides with Pride Day on June 14. We will amplify Pride by marching with our peace, Palestine, and Pride flags.We will not stand idly by while our queer and transgender brothers, sisters and nonbinary siblings are erased by this administration.
Logistics: MAPA supporters will assemble outside the CAVA restaurant on Boylston St, between Dartmouth and Exeter St, at 10:00am. Bring Palestine and peace flags, wear keffiyehs. We will leaflet the crowd, then join the parade which is supposed to start at 11:00. The parade will last from approximately 11am-1pm. The festival in the Common will run from 12pm-3pm. Check out the official Boston Pride website for more specific information and timing of events. If you would like to volunteer directly with Boston Pride for the People, please click here.
We’re fighting for democracy. Let’s make them listen.

No War with Iran - Emergency Rally
2025-06-13 11:00 - 12:00 | JFK Federal Building, Cambridge St at Sudbury St, Boston, MA, 02108, United States
Israel has struck Iran in an unprovoked attack on its civilian infrastructure in an attempt to drag the US into their senseless and dangerous wars in the Middle East.
The Israeli government has claimed this is a “preemptive” action, but Iran was not attacking, nor was it building a nuclear weapon. This strike was UNPROVOKEDand ILLEGAL under international law. It has needlessly put many innocent people in mortal danger.
On June 13th, we will rally at the JFK Federal Building to demand an end to US and Israeli aggression for a return to diplomacy over military confrontation.
Sponsors: National Iranian American Council, Jewish Voice for Peace Boston, Boston Coalition for Palestine, Massachusetts Peace Action, and more

Cuba: Land of Culture, Community, and Promise
2025-06-11 17:00 - 19:00 | Forbes Library, 20 West St, Northampton, MA, 01060
An evening of short films and discussion with people who travel to Cuba: Tuesday, June 11, 5-7 pm, Forbes Library, Northampton MA
Register to attend.

Por Primera Vez, 1967, the new Cuban Film Institute brings its mobile cinema truck to rural Cuba to show a film to farm families who have never seen a movie, have never had electricity, bringing them into the hopes and promises of the Revolution.
Recent shorts
What is going on in Cuba now, more than 50 years later?
The War on Cuba
How Palestinians Are Becoming Doctors in Cuba For Free
U.S. sanctions prevent Cuban farmers from getting prosthetic legs
What is Cuba like? What’s it like to travel there? What are the effects of the US Embargo, in place in 1961?
Talk with people who have just spent time in Cuba, having gone in a variety of different ways, for different reasons and with different experiences. They’ll talk about their experiences and what they found in the Cuba they spent time in. Learn yourself about how you can travel through a 5 minute video and questions answered by our panel.
Can We Help Cuba Deal with the US Blockade?
Yes! Learn how we can donate medicines and medical supplies, and donate! There will be Cuba posters to buy and donation boxes for different groups sending humanitarian assistance to Cuba.
Register to attend.

GLOBAL ECO-RESTORATION AND POWER DYNAMICS: Critical Ecosystems in Brazil, Senegal and the US
2025-06-10 12:00 - 13:30 | Online Event
Climate disruption is increasing and with it so is polarization, both within the US as well as among nation states. Now more than ever it is incumbent upon us to highlight successful efforts to create a more sustainable, just, and peaceful world.
Important initiatives in regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, soil restoration, and related practices are making significant contributions to climate adaptation, often contributing to the resilience of communities and international collaboration.
This webinar, a joint project of the MAPA Peace & Climate group and of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (Bio4Climate), will focus on locations outside the US where regenerative practices largely based on local initiatives have been successful on a significant scale.
Our panelists will address a number of issues including the following:

What aspects of these projects worked well and less well?
How were local communities engaged, especially those from marginalized groups?
Were there any significant collaborations with organizations in the Global North—and if so, are these collaborations continuing during the second Trump administration?
Are there any impacts within these regions of US foreign/military policy, e.g. local US military bases?

Speakers:
Beck Mordini (moderator), Executive Director of Bio4Climate. She has worked on protecting biodiversity at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and protecting undocumented workers in Washington State.
John Leary, Founder and Executive Director of Mother Trees, is an advocate for sustainable agriculture with 20+ years experience in the field. He has dedicated his life to helping communities around the world and designing and implementing landscape restoration programs that rehabilitate farms and restore forest ecosystems.
Ousmane Aly Pame, PhD, is distinguished professor of literature at the Université of Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal and the founder and President of REDES (Réseau pour l’Emergence et le Dévelopement des Ecovillages au Sahel). A respected regional community leader and former mayor of the eco-town of Guede Chantier, Dr. Pame has been instrumental in fostering sustainable development in the Sahel region.
Rob de Laet, is a Dutch entrepreneur, climate strategist and project lead at Cooling the Climate. Together with Peter Bunyard and others, Rob is developing the Cooling Climate Chaos project aimed at rapid restoration of the earth’s water cycles and regeneration of the biosphere. Their book Cooling the Climate: How to Revive the Biosphere and Cool the Earth Within 20 Years was published in November 2024.

Register for this event.

Free David Huerta, End ICE Raids!
2025-06-09 13:30 - 15:00 | Boston City Hall Plaza, Government Center, Boston
Emergency Rally: Free David Huerta!
Monday, June 9
Boston City Hall – Circle Plaza
Gather at 1:30 PM
Rally from 2 PM-3 PM
On Friday the president of SEIU California, David Huerta, was assaulted and arrested while peacefully protesting ICE raids in downtown Los Angeles. While he has been released from the hospital after being treated for his injuries, he remains in custody.
David is an LA native, a labor leader who has fought tirelessly for immigrant communities, and he is one of thousands of people of good conscience across the country who are standing up for what’s right: an end to ICE raids that are tearing our communities apart.
SEIU locals across the country are doing everything they can to support David and call for his immediate release – just like they did for our union sister who was detained earlier this year. It’s crucial that we make our voices heard.
Along with other SEIU Massachusetts State Council locals, we’re anchoring an emergency rally tomorrow in Boston in solidarity with our union brother. Please join us if you’re able.
If you can’t make it to tomorrow’s rally, there is a solidarity request to uplift SEIU California’s statements on social media. Please share their posts here and here.
When they come for one of us all, they come for all of us. From California to Massachusetts, labor will not back down in the face of injustice.

CANCELED DUE TO LIGHTNING - Dance for World Community Festival
2025-06-07 08:00 - 17:00 | 400 Harvard St Cambridge MA, MA, United States
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO LIGHTNING!
Spread your organization’s mission with Greater Boston’s largest and most popular indoor/outdoor dance event!

Feature your organization in front of 20,000 festival attendees in the heart of Harvard Square! As a DWC Advocacy Partner, your organization will have the opportunity to showcase the great work it does and gain greater visibility at our annual festival through the many partnership benefits below!

Share your message on stage
DWC Advocacy Partners will directly address festival attendees at one of our performance stages during the day. This is a great opportunity to tell attendees all about the important work your organization does and offer ways they can become involved.

Man your table along Advocacy Way
Join other advocacy partners by securing a table along “Advocacy Way” – the main strip of the festival along Mass Ave – where you can share information with attendees all day that pass by. Have face-to-face interactions, recruit volunteers, collect donations, and even sell retail.

Increase visibility
As a DWC Advocacy Partner, your organization will appear on all printed and digital promotional materials to be seen by thousands of festival attendees, including being featured on our website, social media, festival program, and large banners to be posted at each stage and studio!
A stop on DWC’s Passport to Change
The Passport to Change booklet handed out to all festival attendees along with the festival program encourages attendees to visit tables along Advocacy Way, where they collect stamps of partners to win a prize. Advocacy Partners will have their name and mission included in the Passport to Change.
Feature in the community
In addition to making your organization’s informational materials available at your table on the day of the festival, Advocacy Partners are free to post their materials on our DWC bulletin board located in JMBT Studios in Harvard Square to be seen by hundreds of community members every week.

Dance for World Community Conference
2025-06-05 - 2025-06-08
Conference Registration is now open!
June 5-8, 2025
Harvard Square, Cambridge MA

Concern about climate change and its disproportionate impact on under-resourced or otherwise disadvantaged communities continues to grow. After decades of persistent advocacy and activism to advance social and environmental justice, recent destabilizing orders from top US government officials are brazenly countermanding advances in climate science, public health, education, diversity, inclusion, equity and other areas. It is no wonder why, in today’s environment, independent artists and arts organizations are looking to expand their role as advocates and activists, to support creative and rational solutions to the critical global issues that ultimately affect us all.
From the muralist who mobilizes an entire community to paint uplifting images in a depressed urban space, to the composer who writes a symphony to evince the destruction that humanity is inflicting on the planet’s ecological systems, artists of all media and forms continue to respond to the urgencies of our age.

Dance for World Community, initiated in 2009 by a ballet organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts, proposes that dance is particularly well suited to effective advocacy and activism. Inherently social, dance is universally understandable, has great potential to bring diverse people together across cultural divides and can quickly build trust and community cohesion.
Powerful as it is, dance is one of the most under-resourced sectors in America and is underrepresented in many institutional settings. In spite of the steady increases in the number of training and performance centers, established schools and companies are notoriously insular and inward-looking. The sector lacks the inclusive, unified voice it needs to respond to the challenges that now all the arts and other industries are facing in 2025.

How will we as dancers — performers, instructors, choreographers, administrators, scholars, independent dance artists and aficionados — respond to the critical social and environmental crises that can no longer be ignored by any of us?
In this conference, we will examine different initiatives and models, exchange ideas and begin to build the necessary networks to strengthen our efforts to make a difference. Through this shared process, we will rouse the advocate and activist in each of us.

Ukrainian Professor: Will Ukraine's Far-Right Accept or Derail a Negotiated Peace with Russia?
2025-06-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Online Event
Professor Marta Havryshko, a Ukrainian History Professor specializing in Holocaust Studies and gender and sexual violence toward women during and after WWII in Ukraine, now teaches at Clark University in Massachusetts. She will speak about the origins of the Ukraine War prior to the Russian invasion of 2022, including the influence of ultra-nationalist factions; the current military and political situation in Ukraine; and the prospects for a negotiated settlement of the war.
Register to attend.

Of special interest may be her views on:
1. The long history of Ukrainian ultra-nationalists: their founding by Stepan Bandera and support for the Nazis during WWII, including the murder of an estimated 100,000 Jews, Poles, and others; fighting the Soviets after the war and receiving major support from the U.S. CIA to undermine Soviet control of Ukraine; and their being welcomed as exiles in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere. In 2024 in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, neo-Nazi Ukrainians openly hosted an international conference of far-right proponents of racism and anti-semitism.
2. The longstanding division in Ukraine between those who want to align with the West and those who want to remain close with Russia for linguistic, cultural, religious, economic, and political reasons. This division came to a head during the Maidan protests of 2014, the unconstitutional ouster of the elected government, and the war in Eastern Ukraine for the last 11 years that led in part to the Russian invasion of 2022.
Register to attend.

Stop Starving Gaza! Rally and Silent Procession
2025-06-03 17:30 - 19:00 | Park Street Station, Tremont St and Park Street, Boston, MA, 02108, United States
Join us for a rally and silent procession on Tuesday, June 3. We will meet outside Park Street Station at 5:30pm.
RSVP to attend

Israel is starving 2.1 million people in Gaza.The small volume of aid that started to trickle in after an 11-week full blockade is a drop in the ocean. Israel is blocking thousands of trucks carrying food, medicine, and clean water from entering Gaza and continues to bomb bakeries, farmland, water facilities, aid distribution centers, and aid guards. Children and the elderly are dying. Israel’s goal is to prevent Palestinians from being able to return to their land. This is all being facilitated by our tax dollars.
We will gather at the Park Street Station to hear speakers testify on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and demand an end to our complicity. We will then continue with a silent procession to mourn those already lost to bombings and starvation, and to protest the continued funding and enablement of this genocide by our government. Please wear black, bring empty pots and pans, and carry signs with consistent imagery and messaging focused on the effects of bombing and starvation on children.
RSVP welcome but not required.

The Militarization of Europe and The Workers' Fightback: Lessons and Connections for the US
2025-06-02 12:00 - 14:00 | Online Event
As Europe is increasingly drawn into the expansion of NATO and into the Ukraine war, workers are increasingly rebelling, seeing evaporate not just the peace they’ve experienced since the end of WWII begin but also the Cold War creep back, while their economies increasingly falter. Organized and unorganized they are beginning to fight back, while at the same time right wing forces are gaining some foothold in Europe as in the US.
Workers in the US have not known peace now for many decades, with the US involved in endless wars all over the globe, endless billions of tax dollars flowing into production and export of weapons, and real wealth continuing to flowing into fewer and fewer hands. US workers rage against the government, the true nature of their wealth decline obscured by rightwing rhetoric and misinformation.
Are there lessons we can learn from the workers’ fightback in Europe? Are there experience to he shared from our own increasing fight back? Can workers’ rage be channeled more constructively? How? Working together, can the workers in Europe and in the US create an effective front against the militarization of their economies and the ongoing march forward of NATO and the Right?”

Register to Attend
Peter Mertens is a Belgian statesman and activist who led the Workers’ Party of Belgium from 2008 to 2021 and continues to lead the party as General Secretary. He has served as a member of the Chamber of Representatives since 2019, and as a municipal councilor in Antwerp since 2013. He is the author of a number of articles and books, the most recent of which, available in English, are: They Have Forgotten Us (2021) and Mutiny: How Our World is Tilting (2024) as well as numerous articles.
Carlos Aramayo is the President of UNITE HERE Local 26, the Union for hospitality workers in the greater Boston area and Rhode Island. He is also a Vice President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, an International Vice President of UNITE HERE and a trustee of UNITE HERE Health and the Greater Boston Hospitality Employers Trust. In addition to his work in the Union, he is a member of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Board of Directors and a member of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy’s Advisory Council on Latino Empowerment. During his eighteen years with UNITE HERE, he has organized casino gaming, hotel, and industrial food service workers in Connecticut, Nevada, Florida, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
Harris Gruman (moderator) is Executive Director of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) State Council. He is co-founder and co-chair of Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of 150 organizations which successfully campaigned to raise the minimum wage to $15, enact paid family and medical leave, and pass the Fair Share Amendment, aka millionaire’s tax. A veteran of decades of successful issue and electoral work in community and labor organizing, he is an astute political strategist. A former executive director of the Neighbor to Neighbor Education Fund, he studied at Johns Hopkins University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Massachusetts Peace Action, the Ukraine Committee, and of the Peace and the Working Class Working Group sponsoring this webinar.

First Encounter Flashback
2025-06-01 13:00 - 15:30 | Friends Meeting at Cambridge, 5 Longfellow Park, Cambridge
Join the Friends Meeting at Cambridge at 1:00pm on Sunday, June 1 for a performance of “First Encounter Flashback” (Meetinghouse).“Come travel through time with actor, activist, dancer, and Tribal mentor Annawon Weeden to understand some of the Native history of Southern New England. Drawing on his Mashpee Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Pequot lineage, Weeden will explore the Tribal history of The People of the Dawn from before European contact until today.” Experience Massachuset history come alive! Free. RSVP appreciated but not necessary.
2:00-3:30pm – Indigenous Games/Crafts. This intergenerational event will take place on FMC’s front lawn (if weather permits). We plan to have lemonade, provide supplies and instructions about how to make corn husk action figures, and play a game dubbed “Hub-bub” for ages 5 and up. (All children must have a parent/guardian present.)
This event is a collaboration between Friends for Racial Justice (FORJ) & First Day School (FDS).
Cosponsored by MAPA’s Indigenous Solidarity Working Group.

Center for Arabic Culture Festival & Bookfair
2025-05-31 15:00 - 20:30 | Somerville Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA, United States
Visit the MAPA information table at the CAC 11th Annual Festival and Bookfair on Saturday, May 31st at Arts At the Armory in Somerville!
Festival Schedule
Armory Big Hall:
3:00 pm: Festival Starts- Opening Remarks
3:45 pm: Dabke Performance by Boston Dabke Troupe
4:00 – 4:10 pm: Where do you Live- Poetry by Jennifer Jean
4:10 pm Remarks by Maria Teresa Nagel, Director of Immigrant Affairs- City of Somerville
4:20 pm: CAC Children Choir and CAC Youth Orchestra Performance
5:00 pm: Reading by Authors Safa Sulaiman & Hannah Moushabeck
5:20 Poetry & Music by Susana Hajjar Azkul
5:50 pm: Arab American Museum Presentation
6 pm: Poetry by Salwa Gardaf & Paco Tahiri Dance Performance by Soumaya MaRose
6:30 pm: Fashion show by Salwa Gardaf
7:00 pm: Music Performance by the Boston Arabic Music Ensemble (BAME)
Armory Café:
5:30 pm: The Story Behind the Lost Paintings Project & Artistic Talk Organized by Joelle Tomb
6:20 pm: Halal Investing and Children Financial
Planning Presentation by Fateh Sukkar
Raffle:
Exciting Raffle Gifts Presented by Our Generous Donors! To participate in the raffle, you can pay by Cash, Venmo, Check or Card.
Parking:
Parking is free but limited in the lot behind the Armory Building. Ulternative Parking lot are available near Davis Square. Please make sure to plan for parking ahead of time. You can use Spot Hero here SpotHero | Get Everywhere Easier | Reserve Parking and Save

Book Tour: You Only Get What You're Organized to Take
2025-05-29 17:00 - 18:30 | Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont St., Boston, MA, 02111, United States
You’re invited to a book talk on May 29th! You Only Get What You’re Organized to Take: Lessons From the Movement to End Poverty, by Liz Theoharis and Noam Sandweiss-Back, weaves together the struggles and victories of our movement’s history, offering a roadmap for navigating today’s urgent crises.
Sponsored by Kairos Center, coordinated in partnership with MA Poor People’s Campaign.
Co-sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action.

Solemn Vigil at the Harvard Commencement
2025-05-29 07:00 - 09:00 | Harvard Square T Entrance, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, 02138
Sponsored by the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, Massachusetts Peace Action, and Jewish Voice for Peace Boston. Info: 617-354-2169 or info@masspeaceaction.org.

Jewish Faculty Speak Out
2025-05-28 19:00 - 20:30 | First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St, Watertown, MA, 02472, United States
Please join us as members of Concerned Jewish Faculty discuss Jewish resistance to Israel’s policies, Jewish support for Palestinian rights, and Jewish support for protest over Palestine in the US.
PROFESSOR MARJORIE N. FELD
Professor of History, Babson College
Author of The Threshold of Dissent (2024) which chronicles the long history of American Jewish dissent over Israel and Zionism & argues for the value of open and safe conversations and criticism to a healthy American Jewish communal life.
PROFESSOR JONATHAN FEINGOLD
Associate Professor of Law, Boston University
Expert in antidiscrimination law, affirmative action, and education law. He has analyzed the spread of discriminatory censorship laws designed to demean inclusionary values. Host of #RaceClass Podcast.
PROFESSOR MNEESHA GELLMAN
Associate Professor of Political Science, Emerson College
Author of Misrepresentation and Silence in United States History Textbook: The Politics of Historical Oblivion.
Founder & Director of the Emerson Prison Initiative and expert witness in US immigration courts.
Sponsored by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment (watertowncitizens.org) and Concerned Jewish Faculty (concernedjewishfaculty.org).
Wednesday, May 28 at 7 PM at First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St.
Parking is available in Church lot accessed off of Summer Street, and in CVS lot off of Church Street. Use front entrance facing Church Street.

Gaza Memorial Service: Honor our Gazan Babies
2025-05-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Slave Traders’ (aka Faneuil) Hall – Sam Adams Statue, Congress St at South Market St, Boston, MA, 02109, United States
On Memorial Day, Monday May 26, 2025, with flags furling and banners signaling Gazan Children’s voices on the world stage, Veterans For Peace Boston will launch a Guerilla Theatre event at 1:00 pm, Samuel Adams Statue, Faneuil Hall, Boston.
The Guerilla Theatre event will feature Arabic music leading into the display of three Palestinian children in shrouds, killed by Israeli airstrikes. It should be noted that the shrouds do not contain real bodies, but the names and faces on the shrouds are from live victims in Gaza.
The main feature of the program is a video recording of public responses to the shrouded babies and their responses to the question, “What do you think of children of Gaza having a voice on the World Stage?”* the recorded interviews will be as they happen. They will not be broadcast to the public. Final versions will be available on Youtube and social media worldwide.
Following the interviews, taps will be played publicly by VFP members.
A public announcement will be broadcast over loudspeakers at the conclusion of taps.

Protecting Federal Investment in Public Education - Books Not Bombs
2025-05-24 14:00 - 17:00 | Online Event
Register to attend.

Protecting Federal Investment in Public Education – Books Not Bombs
The threats to federal education programs have become acute. Funds for PELL grants, title I and disability programs are at risk in the Trump/Musk Administration. The proposed termination of the Dept of Education will weaken other school programs. Though organizations representing teachers and educators, including NEA, AFT and AAUP, have come together to resist the proposed cuts, it remains difficult to reach parents, who generally lack statewide organizations. Their local school district organizations rarely address the federal budget. Following up on our earlier Oct 26, 2024 Conference we will be gathering on Saturday May 24th, 2:00 – 5:00 pm to explore paths to protect the federal budget supporting public schools, and continuing to try to reach out to parents and grandparents among our Peace Action affiliates and their local allies.

2:05: Panel 1 – The Emerging Federal Public Education Budget
Chair – Prof. Jonathan King (MIT & Mass Peace Action Education Fund);
Civilian versus Pentagon Budget Allocations – Deborah Weinstein (Coalition for Human Needs);
Impacts on the Young – Denisha Jones (Defending the Early Years);
Impacts on Graduate Students – Evan MacKay (Harvard UAW Local).
2:45: Panel 2 – Choices in Federal and State Budgets:
Chair- Deb McCarthy (V-P of Mass Teachers Association)
Tax Cuts and Related Fallacies – Karen Dolan (Institute for Policy Studies);
Roles for State Legislatures – Rep. Mike Connolly (Mass State Legislature);
Minds Not Missiles – Defunding the Sentinel ICBM Program – David Borris (Chicago Area Peace Action);
Cutting Funds for Foreign Wars – Merrie Najimy (Past MTA President, MTA Rank & File for Palestine).
3:45 Break
4:00 – Closing Panel – Fighting Back
Chair: Vatsady Sivongxay (Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance);
Pressing State Legislatures – Max Page – (Mass Teachers Association);
Organizing Low Wealth Constituencies – Shailly Barnes (Kairos Institute & Poor People’s Campaign);
Leading Role of Union Educators – Jessica Tang (Pres. of AFT Mass)
Actions Today – Cole Harrison (Mass Peace Action).

Co-Sponsors: Mass Peace Action Education Fund; American Federation of Teachers Mass; Defending the Early Years; Massachusetts Teachers Association; UAW Region 9A.
Registration: options are – Registration free, small donation/ $12, or large donation/$75)

Register to attend.

The Russo-Ukrainian War, Diplomacy, and the Peace Movement
2025-05-20 13:00 - 14:30 | Online Event
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So much for President Trump’s boast that he would end the Ukraine War in a day! Despite what passes for diplomacy in Riyadh, Moscow, and Kyiv to end the war and create a new European security order in Europe, the war, its killing, and destruction go on. Join Professor Richard Sakwa, among the leading authorities on Ukraine and Russia to delve deeper into understanding the war, diplomacy, and peace movement priorities in this continuing dangerous time.
Professor Richard Sakwa of Kent University in Britain was an Associate Fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House (2002-20), a Senior Research Fellow at the National Research University-Higher School of Economics in Moscow (2014-2024), and a member of Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences (2002-2022). His books include Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands.
Cosponsored by MAPA Education Fund.

Day of Action for Weapons and Fossil Fuel Divestment
2025-05-20 12:00 - 15:30 | Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St, Boston
Join us on Tuesday, May 20th, from 12pm to 3:30pm for a day of action at the Massachusetts State House!
Register to attend.

The Massachusetts Public Fund is invested in entities involved with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and climate risks. The focus of the day will be on two bills, one divesting pension funds from entities involved with the manufacturing, producing, or selling of WMD, and the other assessing the public fund investments for any climate risks and divesting the fund from those risks. We want the state to move our money away from unethical systems and reinvest in sustainable, socially-responsible alternatives.
No experience is necessary! Trainings and briefings on the priority legislation, an Act Promoting Responsible Investment (S.767/H.1264), and an act to Eliminate Climate Risk Investments (H.2811), will be provided.
Training sessions will be offered on Thursday, May 15th at 7pm ET and Monday May 19th at 7pm ET. Please join us for ONE of the two sessions if you plan to attend lobby day.
Schedule:
12PM – Gather in room 167 at the State House
12:30PM – Briefing
1PM – 3:30PM – Lobby meetings
3PM – Those not lobbying gather for rally outside State House (those lobbying stay in State House until final meeting is over)
3:30PM – Rally begins
Register to attend.

For more information on the Responsible Investment Bill visit MAPA’s page.
For more information on the Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill visit the Warheads to Windmills page.
Organized by the Coalition for Responsible Investment, Warheads to Windmills, MAPA, and Jewish Voice for Peace Boston

Starvation is a War Crime: Standout
2025-05-18 12:30 - 13:30 | Davis Square, Davis Square, Somerville, MA, 02144, United States
Silent vigil on Sunday, May 18, at 12pm across from the theatre in Davis Square.
Bring an empty pot or a bottle of dirty water to hold. Dress in black.
Sponsored by Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, cosponsored by MAPA.

The Destruction of Healthcare Systems in Gaza: Realities, Ramifications, Actions: Part 2
2025-05-17 13:00 - 16:00 | Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, 220 Main St, Northampton, MA, 01060
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Join us for a panelist event to discuss on-the-ground realities in Gaza and the West Bank and the short & long-term ramifications of the destruction of the healthcare systems. Get immediate & impactful action steps to help the people of Palestine!
This event will be at the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, 220 Main St., Northampton, MA 01060, and will also be available online.
Dr. Karameh Kuemmerle is a pediatric neurologist & epileptologist in Boston. Her clinical work focuses on epilepsy, brain injury and neurodevelopmental care for children in complex settings. She is the co-founder of Doctors Against Genocide and a leader in Health for Palestine, where she works to advance health equity, community-based care and justice-driven medicine in refugee camps and conflict-affected areas. Dr. Kuemmerle is a committed advocate for the rights of marginalized patients and healthcare workers and her work bridges medicine, human rights and global solidarity.
Dr. Deborah Weidner is a general and child/adolescent psychiatrist who transitioned from a hospital executive role to humanitarian work with her first mission to Gaza in August 2024. With over 25 years of clinical and leadership experience, she has lead initiatives to reduce suicide deaths, eliminate physical restraints and integrate behavioral health and primary care treatment. Dr. Weidner completed her residency at the University of Pennsylvania, her fellowship at Harvard Children’s Hospital and her MBA at MIT.
Heba Eljafarawi, PA is a physician assistant and a founding member of the non-profit We Will Return (WWR). She graduated from the University of Saint Joseph with a Masters degree in Physician Assistant studies and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Hartford with a BS in Health Sciences. She has 3 years experience in Urgent care and 1.5 years experience in pulmonary and critical care in Connecticut. Medical mission experience: 2023 Turkey through International Medical Relief, providing medical assistance to those affected by the earthquake. Recently returned from Egypt with WWR to assist Gazans who were injured and affected by the ongoing genocide. With family members in Gaza, she aims to help those affected by recent events and work towards providing humanitarian aid and medical assistance.
Register to attend.

Sponsored by MAPA, SEMA 4 P, and Doctors Against Genocide
Cosponsored by Community Alliance for Peace and Justice, Southeastern Mass for Palestine, River Valley for Gaza Healthcare, Codepink W MA, Pax Christi Western MA, Healthcare Workers for Palestine Connecticut, Connecticut Palestine Alliance, and Demilitarize Western MA

Concert for Gaza: Carsie Blanton
2025-05-16 20:30 - 23:59 | The Sinclair, The Atrium, 52 Church St, Cambridge, MA, 02138
Carsie Blanton is dedicating all ticket proceeds after costs from her Boston-area show to Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA). Carsie Blanton is an anti-Zionist Jew who sings songs of revolutionary optimism. This event is co-sponsored by local branches of Artists Against Apartheid, Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, Palestinian Youth Movement, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Massachusetts Peace Action.
Blanton says, “this is an opportunity to bring together organizers from throughout the local community, celebrate their dedication to the Palestinian cause, sing and laugh and cry together, and raise desperately needed funds for the people of Gaza.”
A fundraiser for the Middle East Children’s Alliance

Mayor (2020)
2025-05-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Greaer SE Mass Labor Council, 560 Pleasant St, New Bedford, United States
How do you run a city when you don’t have a country?
On Thursday, May 15, the Southeastern MA Coalition for a Free Palestine will present the documentary MAYOR, a look at a day in the life of Musa Hadid, the charismatic mayor of Palestinian city Ramallah who aspires to lead the city into the future despite occupation by the Israeli military.
Directed by David Osit with Musa Hadid, Mahmoud Abbas, and Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyeh.

Food and beverages will be available.

No New Women's Prison! Moratorium Committee Hearing
2025-05-13 13:00 - 17:00 | Massachusetts State House – Room A-2, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA, 02133
Join Families for Justice as Healing and The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls at the MA State House on Tuesday May 13 at 1pm in A2 as the Prison Moratorium bill will be heard before committee. FJAH and The National Council are encouraging as many people as possible to come whether or not you choose to testify. If you’d like to testify, you can do so in person or virtually. This is the ONLY hearing the bill will receive this legislative session, so we need to pack the hearing room!
Sign up to testify!
Everyone is also welcome to submit written testimony. Here is the toolkit for all information regarding submitting testimony, including templates: tinyurl.com/moratoriumtoolkit
Want support preparing your testimony for the hearing? Join a prep party Monday 5/12 at 6pm on Zoom!
This bill would pause the process of designing and building a $50 million women’s prison among other massive construction projects so our state will have to shift its focus on further reducing the number of people in jail and prison and implement alternatives before building anything new. Our communities need and deserve public dollars for housing, healthcare, and treatment – not jail and prison construction! Visit the Free Her Campaign for more information on the bill.
IN-PERSON/VIRTUAL TESTIMONY REGISTRATION: Legislators, public officials, and the public must register to provide oral testimony. To register to testify virtually or in-person, please provide the contact information requested in this form by 4:00 PM on Friday, May 9. Once registered, you will receive further instruction on how to participate virtually.
WRITTEN TESTIMONY: Written testimony can be submitted via email to Svetlana Yefimenko at svetlana.yefimenko@mahouse.gov or Riley Nichols at riley.nichols@masenate.gov.
