Stand with Rumeysa Ozturk
2025-03-26 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Powder House Square, 850 Broadway, Somerville, MA, 02144
On March 25th PhD Tufts grad worker Rumeysa Ozturk, a Fulbright scholar, was ambushed by ICE agents on her way to an Iftar dinner with friends after leaving her apartment. Rumeysa was likely targeted after being recently doxxed by Canary Mission. Neighbors report that unmarked cars were surveilling the location for two days before grabbing her on the street. We do not yet know where she is detained.
This marks the first known abduction and disappearance of student activist in Boston and Massachusetts, but ICE has been abducting our community members increasingly over the last 2 months. We must stand together against the deportation machine.
As the Zionist regime continues its genocide on Gaza, murdering nearly 1,000 people in the last week and disappearing nearly 10,000 Palestinians, the Trump administration has shown that it will keep following suit by detaining students without cause.
We must show that our communities will not back down to the Trump administration abducting our students, deporting our neighbors and eroding our constitutional rights to resist the genocide in Gaza, in which the Trump administration itself bears direct complicity.
JOIN US IN THE STREETS: STAND UP FIGHT BACK!

A New Generation of Nuclear Lies: Small Modular Reactors and Nuclear Plant Reopenings/ Relicensing
2025-03-24 19:30 - 20:45 | Online Event
Register to attend.

Bring your questions to Professor M.V. Ramana, author of Nuclear is not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change (2024) and Paul Gunter, spokesman on nuclear reactor hazards and security concerns for Beyond Nuclear. They will explore the industry and government’s arguments for nuclear power as reliable “green” energy while heavily subsidizing a nuclear power comeback at the taxpayers’ expense. Would the rebound of nuclear power be an environmental disaster at the expense of truly renewable sources of energy that are available to us today? Linda Pentz Gunter of Beyond Nuclear will moderate.
M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security and Professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Ramana is the author of “The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India” (Penguin Books, 2012), co?editor of “Prisoners of the Nuclear Dream” (Orient Longman, 2003) and the author of “Nuclear is not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change” (Verso books, 2024). He is a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM), the International Nuclear Risk Assessment Group (INRAG), the Canadian Pugwash Group, and the team that produces the annual World Nuclear Industry Status Report. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Leo Szilard Award from the American Physical Society.
Paul Gunter is a longtime environmental activist, energy policy analyst and spokesperson with Beyond Nuclear on nuclear reactor hazards and security. He serves as Beyond Nuclear’s regulatory watchdog on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the commercial nuclear power industry. He is a 2008 recipient of the Jane Bagley Lehman Award from the Tides Foundation for environmental activism on the nuclear power and climate change issue. He has widely appeared in print and electronic media including Amy Goodman’s “Democracy Now.” He was a cofounder of the antinuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 to oppose the construction of the Seabrook (NH) nuclear power plant through public education, mobilization and non violent direct action that helped launch the U.S. antinuclear movement. Prior to joining Beyond Nuclear he served for 16 years as the Director of the Reactor Watchdog Project for Nuclear Information and Resource Service in Washington, DC.

Sponsored by MAPA and Peace Action Maine. Cosponsored by Beyond Nuclear, Clamshell Alliance, Veterans for Peace national, VFP Golden Rule project, Nuclear Energy Information Service, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Citizens Awareness Network, Cape Downwinders, Pax Christi MA, United American Indians of New England, North American Indian Center of Boston, Winona LaDuke, Tara Houska, Diné No Nukes, Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safely, No TMI Restart, Dorchester People for Peace, New Hampshire Peace Action, New Jersey Peace Action, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Massachusetts State Warheads to Windmills, MA Catholics for Indigenous Rights.

Pro-Palestinian Activism: The Road Ahead Amid Political Upheaval
2025-03-23 13:30 - 15:00 | Online Event
You are invited to register for this powerful and timely webinar with co-presenters Rabbi Alissa Wise and Huwaida Arraf.
Rabbi Alissa Wise is a community organizer, educator, organizational consultant, and ritual leader with over two decades of movement-building experience. She is the Lead Organizer of Rabbis for Ceasefire which she founded in October 2023. She is co-author of Solidarity is the Political Version of Love: Lessons from Jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing (Haymarket, 2024). You may read more about her here: https://rabbiwise.org/about-me/
Huwaida Arraf is a Palestinian American activist and lawyer who co-founded the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a Palestinian-led organization using non-violent protests and international pressure to support Palestinians. You may read more about her here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huwaida_Arraf
Register to attend.

Cosponsored by Center for Nonviolent Solutions and Massachusetts Peace Action.

Religious Leaders Respond to Injustices in Palestine
2025-03-22 14:30 - 16:00 | Church of the Good Shepherd, 9 Russell Ave., Watertown, MA, United States

World Water Day: Protest Israel's Attacks on Palestine's Resources
2025-03-22 13:00 - 14:00 | Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA, United States

Let This Radicalize You: MAPA Winter Common Read
2025-03-20 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-03-06 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-02-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Online Meeting
The Common Read is a great fit for MAPA members and our interns, past and present. It is especially valuable to young organizers and instructive for all of us.
Authors Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba each have decades of organizing experience and they maintain that ORGANIZING IS THE ANTIDOTE TO DESPAIR. Historian Robin D. G. Kelley says about the book- “Hayes and Kaba have turned decades of collective wisdom and experience into the text we desperately need right now.”
Each of the book’s ten chapters shares examples of the nuts and bolts of grassroots organizing, where “finding common ground with a broad spectrum of people” is the goal. Chapter eight is titled “Hope and Grief can Co-exist”. The authors’ discussion of the importance of listening skills and patience (along with Paulo Freire’s approach to political education) will resonate with many of us who have been in meetings where we find ourselves working hard to maintain relationships while navigating differences. Here are Hayes and Kaba on BUILDING A MOVEMENT THE SIZE OF THE ONE WE NEED: “it’s not as simple as handing newcomers a new set of politics and telling them, “Yours are bad, use these instead.”
The first of five 90 minute sessions will be held on Thursday, January 23, 7 to 8:30 PM, covering the book through chapter two Remaining meetings will continue on Thursday evenings- February 6 and 20 and March 6 and 20, and all will be on Zoom. Completing the book on the first day of Spring, we’ll move forward with new knowledge and tools to resist the abandonment of our communities by corporations and government and to oppose the U.S. war machine at every turn.
You can get the book in paperback, ebook or hardcover for 40% off from Haymarket Books – copy this link in your browser to see the options: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1922-let-this-radicalize-you . FYI, there’s a workbook which we have saved as a PDF to be printed or viewed digitally, and other resources to access.
Sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund. Register to attend.

The Racket, with Matt Kennard (a WIRN webinar)
2025-03-19 16:00 - 17:00 | Online Event
Unfortunately, Matt Kennard has told us he must reschedule his webinar with us. We’ll make arrangements with him asap and let you know when he’ll be with us.
But, in the meantime… We have an alternative webinar for you tomorrow. WIRN activists Ken Jones and Melody Shank recently returned from a 2-week trip to Hebron in the West Bank of Palestine, part of a Community Peacemaker Team (CPT) delegation. They recorded a conversation with CPT member Mona El-Zuhairi about the trip and the realities in Hebron. So, instead of having Matt, they’ll do a webinar showing that recorded conversation, followed by a Q&A with Melody and Ken about their trip to Palestine. The program will be held at 8pm!
If you’ve already registered for the Kennard webinar, you needn’t do anything. An updated link has been sent your way! If you’d like to register for the program on the West Bank, click here!

Women in Conflict Zones
2025-03-19 12:00 | Online Event
Register to attend.

On March 19 at 12pm ET, an important event will take place to amplify the voices of women who have been affected by conflict in various parts of the world. The Women in Conflict Zones webinar aims to shed light on the profound impacts of war on women and children and to discuss measures being taken to mitigate these effects.
The webinar will feature speakers from a diverse array of countries, including Belarus, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Korea, Sudan, and Syria. Each speaker will have five minutes to share their experiences and insights regarding the unique challenges faced by women and children in their respective regions due to ongoing conflict. This platform not only serves as a means to share stories but also as a call to action for global solidarity and support in ending violence and fostering peace.
Women from various conflict zones will provide firsthand accounts of the struggles and resilience of those living amidst war. Their testimonies will highlight the physical, emotional, and social tolls that armed conflicts impose on women and children, who are often among the most vulnerable populations during such crises. The speakers will also discuss initiatives and efforts being undertaken within their communities to promote safety, healing, and long-term peace.
This webinar takes place during the second UN Decade for People of African Descent (2025-2034), which focuses on “Recognition, Justice, Development.” The over-representation of African countries in the list of conflict zones underscores the critical need for targeted efforts and interventions to address the systemic issues that perpetuate violence and instability in these regions. The webinar aims to bring attention to these issues and to mobilize support for African women and children who bear the brunt of wars and conflicts.
Register to attend.

Speakers
Olga Karatch (Belarus); Cyrille Rolande Bechon (Cameroon); Raissa Kasongo and Yvette Mushigo (Democratic Republic of the Congo); Hanan Awwad (Gaza/Palestine); Hala Kilani Hala and Shirine Jurdi (Lebanon); Namatama Sakabilo (Mozambique); Zullaihat Muhammad Ohiare (Nigeria); Cho Young-mi (South Korea); Reem Abbas (Sudan); Oula Ahmad (Syria)
Sponsored by World BEYOND War, Southern Anti-Racism Network, International Peace Bureau, Convention for Pan-Africanism and Progress (CPP), and CODEPINK
Co-sponsored by MAPA

FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE IMMIGRANTS… Understanding & Responding to Mass Deportations
2025-03-18 19:00 - 20:30
A CPDCS Webinar, March 18, 7pm-8:30pm EDT
At the forefront of the Trump/MAGA white supremacy campaign is the mass deportation of millions of immigrants, most of whom are guilty of no more of fleeing for their lives from war zones and communities consumed in violence, or in pursuit of work and economic security. Families are being shattered, lives put at risk. And like Trump’s protectionist tariffs, the deportations undermine our communities’ and national economic vitality.
Join three immigrant rights experts and activists to learn what is happening and how we can respond.
Araceli Argueta is the Organizing and Advocacy Director for the American Friends Service Committee’s New Jersey Immigrant Rights Program. She is an organizer, anthropologist and campaigner from El Salvador. She has organized for more than 10 years across Latin America with women, youth and indigenous people, creating tools and tactics to mobilize people from different backgrounds. She has worked on gender rights, migration, environmental and biocultural protection.
Itzel Hernandez is an immigrant rights organizer with the American Friends Service Committee in Red Bank, New Jersey. She is also a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient.
Dr. Alexandra Piñeros Shields is Associate Professor and directs the Master of Public Policy Program at the Heller School, Brandeis University where she teaches courses on immigration policy, economic justice, and participatory action research. She serves on the Boards of the ACLU and the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center.
Cosponsored by MAPA

Stop the Genocide Emergency Protest
2025-03-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Park Street Station, Boston
Join the Boston Coalition for Palestine for an emergency protest at Park St. Station tonight at 5pm!
ISRAEL HAS RESUMED ALL OUT WAR ON GAZA: EMERGENCY PROTEST STOP THE GENOCIDE
Tue March 18
5PM
Park Street MBTA Station, Boston, MA
Last night, heavy Israeli airstrikes targeted homes, schools, tents and shelters across Gaza, killing over 400 Palestinians and injuring hundreds more.
The US-Israeli genocide in Gaza, having never ended, is now returning to a state of all-out war. Trump and Netanyahu repeatedly refused to abide by the terms of the ceasefire and have refused to engage in negotiations in good faith. US bombs are falling on the people of Gaza once again, who have been under total seige for over 2 weeks.
We must unite to stand up for Palestine and against genocide. The Palestinian people have remained strong and steadfast throughout the past 18 months of genocide. Now is the time to organize, grow the movement, take to the streets, and to continue to stand on the right side of history.
Join us for an emergency mobilization to stop the genocide today, Tuesday, 5 PM at Park Street.
Additional rallies today:
Worcester, 4:00 – 5:30 pm, Lincoln Square. Sponsored by: Saints Francis & Thérèse Catholic Worker
For more info, contact Claire Schaeffer-Duffy 774 239-4022

Lawrence, 5:00 pm, Lawrence City Hall, 200 Common St. Sponsored by Merrimack Valley for Palestine

Babies, Children and Health Care Workers: The Impact of the Occupation and Assault on Gaza
2025-03-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Online Event
Register to attend.

Dr. Ali travelled to Gaza, Palestine in February 2024 to provide humanitarian aid where he primarily worked in the largest functioning Neonatal intensive care unit at the time. He will talk about his experience working in the NICU, about the hostages and unlawful imprisonment including Palestinian children in Israeli prisons, and the torture and abuse of healthcare staff.
Dr. Arham Ali is an Assistant Professor and a Pediatric Intensivist at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. He attended medical school internationally in Karachi, Pakistan. Thereafter, he completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in Pediatric Burns at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Hospital in Galveston, TX. Ali then went on to complete his intern year of residency at Crozer Chester Medical Center, in Philadelphia. The remainder of this Pediatrics residency was completed at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Chicago. Finally, his fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care was completed in 2021 at UCLA/Mattel Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Ali was honored with an opportunity to travel to Gaza, Palestine in February 2024 to provide humanitarian aid where he primarily worked in the largest functioning Neonatal intensive care unit at the time.

Investigating War Crimes in Gaza - Al Jazeera Investigations
2025-03-17 18:00 - 20:00 | First Unitarian Church in New Bedford, 71 8th St, New Bedford, MA, 02740
Please join us for Investigating War Crimes in Gaza, the second film SE Mass Coalition for a Free Palestine’s Spring 2025 Film Series. Filmed and produced by Al Jazeera.

Oct 3, 2024 – This feature length investigation by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit exposes Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip through the medium of photos and videos posted online by Israeli soldiers themselves during the year long conflict. The I-Unit has built up a database of thousands of videos, photos and social media posts. Where possible it has identified the posters and those who appear. The material reveals a range of illegal activities, from wanton destruction and looting to the demolition of entire neighbourhoods and murder. The film also tells the story of the war through the eyes of Palestinian journalists, human rights workers and ordinary residents of the Gaza Strip. And it exposes the complicity of Western governments – in particular the use of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as a base for British surveillance flights over Gaza.

Back From The Brink
2025-03-16 14:00 - 16:00 | St. James Episcopal Church, 1991 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02140
In partnership with Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Boston-hub of Back from the Brink will be hosting an organizing meeting on Sunday, March 16th from 2-4pm at the Saint James’ Episcopal Church in Cambridge (a 5 minute walk from the Porter Square T-station).
Join us for inspiration, food and refreshments, and a strategy session to create the future we deserve. All are welcome; no experience is necessary.

Arise & Resist: Our Time to Act is Now
2025-03-15 13:00 - 17:00 | St James Episcopal Church, 1991 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA, 02140
Saturday, March 15, 2025
1:00pm-5:00pm
St James Parish, 1991 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge MA 02140
Enter on Beech St.
masspeace.us/arise-resist-act
As the new regime rampages against us, we will forge new connections to empower ourselves to fight back with clarity and strength. It’s time to strategize – together.
From our January 19 conference, four different plans of action have emerged so far: Fight Budget and Tax Cuts, Palestine Solidarity, Concord 250 Protest/ Direct Action, and a Rapid Response Network. Join us on March 15 to strengthen these projects collectively. We intend to put our plans into action. Now, more than ever, we need to work better together!
The meeting will begin in the Sanctuary, then move to breakout spaces, and conclude with a final session in the Parish Hall. Enter on Beech St which is closest to the Sanctuary.
Agenda
Opening Session – Sanctuary
Overview – political framing – 10-15 min

4 project reports 5-10 min each – total 45 min

Rapid response network
Budget and Taxes
Concord 250 Protest / Direct Action
Palestine Solidarity

Breakouts – 90 min
Rapid response network – Classroom 113
As the extremist right wing billionaire’s administration strips our government for parts, as I.C.E. hunts down our immigrant neighbors, as Israel keeps up its attacks on Palestine, we are seeing federally funded community support programs disappear. We know the suffering in our communities is just beginning. In response, Arise and Resist has been developing a Rapid Response network to protect our neighbors and mobilize opposition. We will share what we have accomplished so far and
strategize together on how to strengthen and broaden the network to reach across our state and involve more activist and community groups.
Fight Tax and Budget Cuts – Lounge
We know that there is a rising discontent with federal policies being inflicted by Elon Musk and other Trump appointees. People on the front lines in our struggles for affordable housing, decent health care, and food security need to advocate for a Budget for All to serve our needs. Arise and Resist has begun to develop such a peoples’ budget campaign. Join us to strategize how best to launch that campaign.
Concord 250 Protest / Direct Action – MAPA office (room 115)
On April 19th the town of Concord, MA will celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution. (President Trump may – or may not – attend) Many voters are now alarmed by the Republicans’ billionaire enabling and anti-democratic acts. We plan to be in Concord to connect with their “Tax the Rich” sentiments and encourage individuals to sign on with local groups and organizations that are actively opposing Trump’s policies. We need support to make our presence large, mobile, and effective.
Palestine Solidarity – Parish Hall
We have a large and very diverse local Palestinian solidarity movement. If we could find ways to collaborate, we would become much more effective. Let’s focus on campaigns that would spark the most engagement. Join us to discuss what those campaigns would be.
Reportbacks – 30-45 min – Parish Hall
Directions and Parking: We are meeting at St James Church, 1991 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge 02140. Enter from Beech St as shown on the floor plan.
The church is three blocks north of Porter Square.
By car, there are parking meters on Mass. Ave., which must be fed from 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday. Maximum time is 2 hours which costs you $2.50 in quarters or by app. To park for 4 hours, put in 10 quarters, note the zone number and time, and pay by app after 2 hours.
Arise & Resist Coalition: Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, CD8 for Palestine, Communist Party of Massachusetts, Green Rainbow Party, Jewish Voice for Peace Boston, Massachusetts Alliance of HUD Tenants, Massachusetts Peace Action, Northshore for Palestine. All progressive groups invited to join!
Contact: arise-resist@masspeaceaction.org

Political Repression, Then and Now
2025-03-10 15:00 - 16:00 | Online Event
Register to attend.

Historians for Peace and Democracy and Convergence Magazine are pleased to present “Political Repression, Then and Now,” live on YouTube at 3 pm Eastern on Monday, March 10, 2025.
The webinar will discuss the history of political repression in the United States. The speakers will draw on their research and experiences to explore topics such as Jim Crow’s repression against Black people, attacks on civil liberties, FBI surveillance, and the various Red Scares, linking these past examples to current attacks on social movements and civil rights.
Featuring:

Robin D.G. Kelley, Chair in US History, UCLA
Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History, Yeshiva University
Beverly Gage, Professor of History, Yale University
David Cole, Professor of Law & Public Policy, Georgetown Law Center

Moderated by Margaret Power, co-chair of Historians for Peace & Democracy
We hope you will attend this important event so please click HERE to RSVP to ensure you will receive the link to view the teach-in.
Brought to you by: Historians for Peace & Democracy, Convergence Magazine, Scholars for a New Deal for Higher Education, Massachusetts Peace Action, Coalition for Action in Higher Education, and Brooklyn for Peace

Israelism
2025-03-08 14:00 - 16:00 | Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St, Watertown, MA, 02472
This documentary film focuses on the portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in American Jewish institutions.
Cosponsored by MAPA

Needham for Palestine Standout
2025-03-08 12:00 - 13:00 | Needham Town Hall, 1471 Highland Ave, Needham, 02492, United States
Join Needham for Palestine at noon on Saturday, March 8, for a standout outside of Needham Town Hall.

Protest Israeli former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
2025-03-06 16:15 - 17:30 | John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, John F. Kennedy St. and Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States

Seeking Women's Health Justice: Activating Our Resources in Challenging Times
2025-03-05 19:00 - 20:30
The series, Seeking Women’s Health Justice, examines women’s health from the perspective of justice – with the awareness that peace is a fundamental component of health.
“Accelerated Action” is the theme of International Women’s Day 2025 – gender equity, reproductive rights and the reduction of violence against women and girls are highlighted.
In the spirit of supporting these aims, Massachusetts Peace Action features the webinar, Seeking Women’s Health Justice: Activating our Resources in Challenging Times.

Panelists will discuss a broad perspective of ways to address the anti-woman, anti-minority, anti-immigrant, and anti-LGBTQ policy regulations.
This will include a national appraisal of efforts to combat restrictive laws and executive orders; analyses and viewpoints to counter economic challenges; and the public health response to inhumane dictates.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) is an activist, a legislator, a survivor, and the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Throughout her career as a public servant, Congresswoman Pressley has been a champion for justice and healing: reproductive justice, justice for immigrants, consumer justice, justice for seniors, justice for workers, justice for survivors of sexual violence, justice for the formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, and healing for those who have experienced trauma.
Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., MPH is currently a Distinguished Professor at Hunter College, after serving as a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. In addition to her duties at Hunter she continues to collaborate with research colleagues at Harvard, where she is a Lecturer in Medicine. She is a leading advocate for health care justice and national health insurance for the United States.
Chris Chanyasulkit, PhD, MPH is a public health practitioner, advocate, keynote speaker, and master connector who speaks both nationally and internationally about public health; literacy; civic engagement; and racial, gender, and health equity. She is the Past President of the American Public Health Association (APHA), a mom of three, a dog mom of two pups, and an avid reader.
Register to Attend:

Co-sponsors:

Peace Caucus in affiliation with APHA, Women’s Health Institute, Women’s Caucus in affiliation with APHA, Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People, National Nurses United, CodePink, UMass Amherst School of Public Health & Health Sciences, MA Public Health Association, MassCare, Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights, Suffolk University Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights

Courage and Resistance – Day of Action in Solidarity with Immigrant Communities
2025-03-05 11:00 - 13:00 | Boston City Hall Plaza, Government Center, Boston
There’s been a lot of “bad news” since January 20th.
In better news this week: Chelsea and Somerville filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to coerce them into participating in mass deportation efforts. Represented by Lawyers for Civil Rights, the Cities assert that the Administration’s heavy-handed tactics—threatening to strip sanctuary cities of federal funding and prosecute them for failing to bend to the President’s will—violate their Constitutional rights. Read more
Also in better news, a federal judge blocked immigration enforcement at some houses of worship. The preliminary injunction only applies to the plaintiffs’ houses of worship: Quaker, Baptist, and Sikh.
These examples highlight how important it is right now for faith-based organizations, non-profits, local government and individuals to remain steadfast and not hesitate to challenge the attacks on our communities and our rights that just keep on coming from the new administration. Rather than allowing ourselves to feel overwhelmed, or letting the absolutely ridiculous and obviously unconstitutional nature of these attacks lull us into a false sense of security (“they can’t really do that, can they?”) we must ALL rise to the occasion. RIGHT NOW.
They also demonstrate that not only do we have the power to fight – WE CAN WIN. Bravo to these municipalities and faith groups, for recognizing their responsibility to the people they represent, for refusing to capitulate the way so many corporations have been doing, seemingly at the slightest encouragement.
Another example of bravery and commitment to the values we hold dear is Boston’s own Mayor Wu. As a result of her progressive track record and public refusal to sacrifice her responsibility as a steward of the city of Boston and a representative of the people of Boston, Mayor Wu has been targeted, insulted and threatened by the Trump administration, most notably by the “border czar” Tom Homan.
Mayor Wu has been called before Congress to testify on Boston’s Trust Act and the moves the city has made to separate itself from the enforcement of federal civil laws. The Mayor has agreed to testify and she has responded publicly by saying in part, “From the beginning, it’s clear that Boston’s progress may seem threatening to some. We are a community here that prioritizes investing in every generation, being welcoming, inclusive, and then having the receipts and the results to show that that is a way of serving everyone even better.”
As Mayor Wu gets prepared to testify and provide a strong defense of the way we do things here in Boston, MIRA is asking members of our community to thank Mayor Wu for standing up for our shared values.
Join us March 5 11am to 1pm in front of City Hall to demonstrate our support for Mayor Wu, and to show that Boston and all of MA is indeed a community of people who have the courage to welcome.

War is Not Justified by Party Politics
2025-03-04 19:00 - 20:30 | Online Event
Register to attend.

Why have our movements for peace, justice and the environment let party politics lead us into a pro-war position? Why does party politics lead us to support wars, or at least not oppose them, purely on the basis of which party is conducting them? This growing polarization is leading us to support or oppose other critical policies as well, purely on the basis of what party those policies are identifies with — rather than a rational and moral assessment of the issue at hand.
This webinar looks at the contrast between the bi-partisan militarism of the United States, on the one hand, and the starkly different governing philosophies of the two parties, on the other. A critique of the Labor Movement’s relationship to this problem offers a long-term case-study, but one also increasingly relevant to the environmental movement, and even the peace movement. The current setback for the Democrats offers us a chance to reflect on what our core values are and how we navigate our relations with party politics going forward.
Don’t miss it.
Register to attend.

Harris Gruman is the Executive Director of the Service Employees International Union Massachusetts State Council. In that role he has helped lead campaigns to win union rights for child care providers and rideshare drivers. In 2013, he founded and has since helped lead the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition of labor, community and faith organizations, which has nearly doubled the minimum wage to $15-per-hour, created the most extensive paid family and medical leave program in the United States, and won a constitutional amendment to raise tax rates on the top One Percent. In 2024 Harris joined the board of directors of Mass. Peace Action.
This webinar is cosponsored by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509.

The Destruction of Healthcare Systems in Gaza: Realities, Ramifications & ACTIONS
2025-03-01 13:00 - 16:00 | Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St, Boston, 02116
Register to attend.

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!
Dr. Bram Wispelwey is a Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Co-Founder of Health for Palestine, recently in the West Bank.
Dr. Ahmad Thaer is a Palestinian-American emergency physician who worked at Nasser & Al-Aqsa in Gaza in 2024.
Dr. Othman Mohammad, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Gaza Mental Health Expert and a Diaspora Palestinian
The event will be at Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St., Boston 02116, and also can be viewed online.
Sponsored by MAPA and JVP Boston, cosponsored by CCB, SEMA for a Free Palestine, Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment, Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, Doctors Against Genocide, Arlington for Palestine.

Western Massachusetts Stands with Smith SJP
2025-02-27 12:00 - 13:00 | Smith College, John M. Greene Hall, 60 Elm St, Northampton, MA, 01060
This rally, organized in consultation with Smith Students for Justice in Palestine, is intended to show broad community support for the demands that Smith College:
(1) completely divest from holdings that are in any way connected with the genocide against the Palestinian people;
(2) speak out against Israel’s scholasticide against the Palestinian people;
(3) end new Smith policies aimed at suppressing free speech at Smith.

War and the Economic System with Malaika Jabali (a WIRN webinar)
2025-02-25 20:00 - 21:30 | Online Event
Register to attend.

What is our economic system? What are its defining features? What does it have to do with war? Christian Sorensen will interview author and attorney Malaika Jabali.
Malaika Jabali is the Senior News and Politics Editor at Essence Magazine. She is the 2024 New Arizona Fellow at New America. Her writings have appeared in such outlets as the Guardian, Jacobin, Teen Vogue, The Intercept, and Current Affairs Magazine. Malaika is a graduate of Columbia Law School and a licensed attorney. Her debut book — It’s Not You, It’s Capitalism: Why It’s Time to Break Up and How to Move On — centers revolutionaries of color and guides the reader through how to dump the economic system that we live under.

Eradicating Gaza: How to Remember and Forget Genocide
2025-02-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Online Event
Register to attend.

A discussion with Prof. Omer Bartov. As we’ve been witnessing a genocide in Gaza for the past 15 months, it’s timely to reflect on the politics of the use of the word “genocide”, and the use and misuse of the memory of the Holocaust in WW2.
Prof. Bartov will also expand our thinking about the development of Zionism over time: as a settler colonization effort, as a mechanism for helping Jewish refugees and as an ideological national movement.
Omer Bartov is an Israeli-American historian. He is the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, where he has taught since 2000. Bartov is a historian of the Holocaust and is considered a leading authority on genocide.

Somehow This Madness Must Cease! Rally to Commemorate the 3rd Anniversary of the Ukraine War
2025-02-24 12:00 | Park St Station, Park & Tremont Streets, Boston
Register to attend.

3 years of war in Ukraine is enough. Enough death and destruction in Ukraine. Enough danger that any new escalation can lead to World War 3 and nuclear war. Enough threats to the existence of Ukraine and to NATO expansion to Russia’s border. Enough to the ecological devastation of air, soil and wildlife caused by this climate devastating war. Enough to tens of billions of dollars taken from the needs of our communities and sent to keep the war going.
We ask: Where has our present policy over these 3 years led us? Is the war closer to ending? Is Ukraine in better shape or worse shape than 3 years ago when we torpedoed a negotiated settlement that would have safeguarded Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence?
We don’t know what Trump will do. But we do know what is needed:Negotiations. But not negotiations for a frozen conflict that can and will erupt at any time. Rather negotiations for a lasting peace that would minimally have to be based on recognizing the security concerns of both Ukraine and Russia; on mutually recognized resolutions on the fate of the four regions of Ukraine currently claimed by Russia; on the rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine; and on a mutually satisfactory definition of long-term Ukrainian neutrality. And such negotiations must be a first step toward new security system for ALL of Europe including Russia. A security system that spans far over the NATO/Ukraine/Russia conflict to include all the stakeholders of Europe in a collective order based on cooperation and conflict resolution rather than ultimatums and saber rattling. This was the vision that inspired the whole world at the end of the first cold war until NATO bases expanded eastward to dozens of new countries. It’s the vision that is desperately needed now to end this new cold war that puts our world in jeopardy.
Join us on Monday, February 24 to commemorate this 3rd anniversary of the war and insist that there must be no more such anniversaries.
Let us know you will be coming by filling out this short form
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For background and information about the Ukraine War visit our web page at https://masspeaceaction.org/our-issues/ukraineatimeforpeace/
Sponsored by Mass. Peace Action’s Campaign: Ukraine – A Time for Peace 617-354-2169

Collective Liberation Film Series: From Palestine to Cuba
2025-02-22 13:00 - 15:30 | Great Falls Market, 109 Avenue A, Great (Turners) Falls, 01376, United States
Cuba Presentation: Returning from Cuba to share the voices of farmers, economists, entrepreneurs, artists and activists speaking to the blockade, the future of Cuba and our collective liberation.
Saturday February 15th, 1:00 pm
Great Falls Market, 109 Avenue A, Great (Turners) Falls, MA

SEMA.FreePalestine presents "Walled Off"
2025-02-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Greaer SE Mass Labor Council, 560 Pleasant St, New Bedford, United States
The SE Mass Coalition for a Free Palestine begins its second Palestine Film Series on February 20 with Walled Off, a documentary film by Vin Arfuso in collaboration with Anwar Hadid, Kweku Mandela, Roger Waters and Immortal Technique.
6pm to 8pm at the SE Mass Central Labor Council, 560 Pleasant St., New Bedford.
Walled Off Hotel is a guesthouse established by the notorious artist Banksy in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. The film takes an intimate look at the lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, and highlights the importance of creative resistance as a form of protest. In telling the stories of individual Palestinians, the documentary explores the ways in which media coverage of the conflict perpetuates an inaccurate and biased narrative. Through interviews with activists, politicians, and everyday citizens, the film offers an often unseen perspective on the Palestinian struggle for freedom. The film ultimately seeks to challenge the mainstream media narrative of the occupation, and to bring to light the realities of life under military.
