Kevin Zeese of Popular Resistance Coming to Illinois!

For years, Popular Resistance has been an indispensable source of information for the peace movement and struggles for economic, racial and environmental justice. Now co-director and frequent contributor Kevin Zeese will be coming to Illinois to speak at several events, including our Fall Conference in Urbana on October 26th.

Zeese, a member of the Maryland Green Party, has been in the forefront of numerous struggles for peace and social justice, from the recent People’s Mobilization to Stop the US War Machine and Save the Planet outside the United Nations to his organizing of the Embassy Protection Collective in Washington. The Embassy Protection Collective is a group of peace activists who occupied the Venezuelan embassy in Washington with the permission of the sovereign government of Venezuela, after the Trump administration forced all diplomatic staff to leave the U.S. The Embassy Protection Collective successfully thwarted the Trump administration’s efforts to turn the embassy over to supporters of its puppet Juan Guaido, as part of its attempt to execute a coup in Venezuela.

Zeese is one of four Embassy Protectors now facing highly politicized federal criminal charges for his role in standing up for international law and the rights of nations to self-determination. Contributions to support the protectors’ legal defense will be welcome at his appearances.

Here is Kevin’s schedule while in Illinois

Carbondale, Wednesday, October 23rd, 6:30 p.m.

"Building the Peace Movement," Carbondale Civic Center, 200 S. Illinois Ave.

Details: In this presentation, Zeese will expose the motives underlying our misbegotten foreign policy. He will be sharing his knowledge about U.S. interventions in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ukraine, and the Middle East, in making the case that the peace movement needs to become an explicitly anti-imperialist movement. Co-sponsored by the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois and the Shawnee Green Party.

Evanston, Thursday, October 24th, 6 p.m.

Event name: Building the Peace Movement - A Talk by Kevin Zeese

Place: Morton Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Avenue, Evanston

Details: 6:00 p.m. film; 7:00 p.m. program discussion about the underlying motives of US interventions abroad, particularly in Latin America; the urgent need to curb modern-day imperialism; update on the case of Venezuela Embassy Protection Collective.

Chicago, Friday, October 25th, 8 p.m.

Event name: Building the Peace Movement - A Talk by Kevin Zeese.

Place: Cary's Lounge, 2251 W. Devon Ave., Chicago (West Rogers Park)

Details: Discussion of the underlying motives of U.S. interventions abroad and update & voluntary fundraiser for Venezuela Embassy Protectors Defense Committee. All are welcome to arrive early.

Urbana, October 26th, 4 p.m.: Illinois Green Party Fall Conference

Illini Student Union Building, 1401 W Green St., Room 314B. Kevin will be participating in an afternoon panel on "The Need For an Anti-Imperialist Peace Movement." More details below.

Champaign, October 26th, 5:30 p.m.: Fall Conference Dinner

Kohinoor Indian Restaurant and Lounge, 6 E. Columbia Ave., Champaign.

After-dinner talk on the Venezuela Embassy Protection Collective and the Embassy Protectors Defense Committee.

Social at 5:30; cash bar and dinner off the menu. Dinner at about 6; talk at about 7. Joint fundraiser for the Illinois Green Party and the Defense Committee. Suggested door donation of $20 but open to all. You can purchase tickets and donate in advance on our information page here. Please consider bringing an item to donate for our silent auction.

Join us at our Fall Conference in Urbana!

When: October 26, 2019, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Where: Illini Student Union Building, 1401 W Green St., Room 314B.

What's happening: The membership is the highest decision-making body in the Illinois Green Party, and if you are a dues-paying member, you can participate in its deliberations. At this conference, the morning and early afternoon sessions will be devoted mostly to party business, including possible future by-laws amendments, planning for the upcoming 2020 campaigns and statewide petition drive, including potential U.S. Senate campaign, election of a new membership steward and seats on the Green National Committee.

The balance of the afternoon will be devoted to panel presentations and discussions on Eco-Socialism and building the peace movement in the U.S. Then please join us for our fundraising dinner at Kohinoor Indian Restaurant and Lounge! (See above announcement.)

Afternoon program:

2:15 – 2:30: Ben Chapman Illinois Organizer for FairVote

2:30 – 3:50: Panel: What is Eco-socialism?

Illinois Green Party Co-Chair Rich Whitney, Illinois Green Party Secretary Chris Blankenhorn (Young Ecosocialists), Peter Sentz (computer science PhD student at UIUC and an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Peter is also a member of the coordinating committee of the UIUC graduate employees' labor union, GEO, and organizes with the anti-imperialist ANSWER coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism).)

3:50 – 4:00: Break

4:00 – 5:15: Panel: The Need for an Anti-Imperialist Peace Movement: Kevin Zeese, Karen Aram (AWARE, Prairie Greens), Dave Johnson (IWW, Prairie Greens)

Watch our website, Facebook page for further details.

Illinois Green Party Outreach

http://www.ilgp.org/