Exciting GARC Updates! Ashanti Alston to present Thursday Keynote! Casey Neill Band to perform at opening-night reception!

[Guest guest]

The Grassroots Animal Rights Conference, GARC, is very pleased to announce two

major additions to our program:

 

1) Ashanti Alston will present the keynote

 

Alston is a former member of the Black Panther Party and former political

prisoner (Black Liberation Army) for over 14 years. Ashanti Alston was recently

the Northeast regional coordinator for Critical Resistance, a national radical

prison abolitionist organization and is now a member of its New York City

chapter; Estacion Libre, an organization that works to strengthen ties between

people of color in the US with folks in the liberated Zapatista territories of

Chiapas Mexico; and Anarchist People of Color. He sits on the Board of the

Institute for Anarchist Studies., and has been an invited guest teacher for the

last two summers at the Institute of Social Ecology in Plainfield, Vermont.

 

Alston’s keynote will be held on Thursday, March 31, 8:15 – 9 pm. (Everyone

invited! Location and registration details below.)

 

2) Casey Neill Band will perform at opening-night reception

 

Casey Neill is a Brooklyn, NY based songwriter and band leader in the American

musical tradition. His music fuses modern roots rock with country, punk, and

Celtic styles. Living in Oregon for most of the 90's, Casey cut his teeth in the

underground music community of the region. Maintaining an international touring

and recording career, he has developed a widespread fan-base throughout the US,

Canada, and Britain. His songs have garnered praise from radio and critics, as

well as musical luminaries Jello Biafra, Pete Seeger, and Steve Earle. Casey

Neill's raspy voice, well crafted songs and devotion to the emotional center of

the material, has been the foundation of his career on the cutting edge of

American roots music and he continues to expand his musical horizons from his

current home in New York City.

 

The Casey Neill Band will perform immediately after the keynote, on Thursday,

March 31, 9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

 

GARC announced earlier this week that world-famous social justice activist

Ramona Africa will give the closing address this coming Sunday, April 3, from

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. The title of her talk will be, “Animal Rights and Total

Revolution.” GARC will be held at the Holyrood Episcopal Church, 715 W. 179th

Street, New York, N.Y. *Everyone* is invited; registration is inexpensive, or

free with waiver.

 

GARC will be held ***Thursday, March 31 - Sunday, April 3*** at the Holyrood

Episcopal Church, 715 W. 179th Street, New York, NY. ALL activists are

welcomed. Below is a confirmed list of speakers and topics. FREE housing for

out-of-town visitors and vegan meals will be provided, and low-cost or free

(with waiver) registration. (First-come, first-served for free housing and

meals.) The conference site is handicapped-accessible.

 

For more information,

http://www.grassrootsar.org

or email hillary

 

All attendees are asked to pre-register:

http://www.grassrootsar.org/conference_registration.html

 

See you at GARC!

Hillary Rettig

Organizer

FINAL LIST OF GARC WORKSHOPS

For program

<http://www.grassrootsar.org/program.html>http://www.grassrootsar.org/program.ht\

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GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM

Building Regional Coalitions for Grassroots Community Groups - Jim Van Alstine

Global Grassroots - The SHAC Campaign - Kevin Jonas

National Grassroots Campaigns- Alex Hershaft

National/Grassroots Relations - Angi Metler, Alex Hershaft

 

MOVEMENT STRATEGY / PHILOSOPHY

Animal Issues for Newcomers - Harold Brown, Erica Meier (3 hour intensive

training)

Animal Liberation Philosophy - Dale Jamieson

Commonality of Human and Non-Human Animal Oppression - Dr. Charles Patterson,

Marjorie Spiegel, pattrice jones

Defending Wildlife - Bob Leonard, Stu Chaifetz, Anne Muller, Johanna Clearfield

How Societal Change Happens - Alex Hershaft

Population, Consumption and the State of Animals - David Hayden, Adam Weissman

Socialism and Anarchism and Animal Liberation - Greg Pason, Sachio Ko Yin,

pattrice jones

Speciesism in the Animal Rights Movement - Karen Davis, Adam Weissman

Strategic Action for Farmed Animals - Nathan Runkle, Dr. Anteneh Roba, David

Cantor,

Strategic Visions for the Movement - pattrice jones, Richard Schwartz, Adam

Weissman

Using Law As A Tool to Protect Animals & Empower Advocates - Christine

Morrissey, Garo Alexanian

Yes, But ...What'll We Do With All the Cows? - Lawrence Carter-Long

 

DIRECT ACTION / NONVIOLENCE

Direct Action Skills - Cindy Rosin (3 hour intensive training)

How to Run a Successful Investigation - Lance Morosini, Garo Alexanian,

SarahJane Blum, Ryan Shapiro (3 hour intensive training)

Humane Trapping of Wildlife and Feral Animals - Shawn DeLeo, Karen Davis

Fomer Political Prisoners: Personal Reflections - Jen Greenberg, Andy Stepanian,

Benjamin Persky, Sachio Ko Yin

Strategic Nonviolence - Marjorie Spiegel and Pete Cohen

 

ALLIANCES AND COALITION BUILDING

Animal Activism from the 'Burbs to the Bible Belt - Angi Metler, Doll Stanley,

Patrick Tyrrell

Beyond the Environmentalism - Animal Rights Divide: Making Alliances -

David Cantor, Marti Kheel, Karen Davis

Coming Out for Animals: Queer and Animal Liberation -- Marti Kheel, pattrice

jones

Cross - Movement Alliances That WORK - pattrice jones, Andrea Lindsey,

Sachio Ko Yin

Why Do They Hate US? Social Justice and Environmental Activists' Antipathy

for the AR Movement – Andy Stepanian, Homefries, pattrice jones, Adam Weissman

 

FIGHTING THE POWER

Fighting Corporate Rule: Understanding and Undermining Their Power - Mary

Zepernick, Pernilla Dixit

Fighting Fire with Fire: Using Business Skills to Beat the Enemy at its Own

Game - Hillary Rettig (3 hour intensive training)

Legislative Activism-Practical Models--Julie Lewin, John Phillips, Peter Muller

(3 hour intensive training)

Resisting State Repression: Knowing the Legal System and Importance of Prisoner

Support - Christine Garcia, Jamie Moran, Melissa Jameson, David Hayden (3 hour

intensive training)

 

REACHING OUT TO SPECIFIC AUDIENCES

Animal Advocacy to Targeted Audiences - Erica Meier

Cultural Evolution Toward No-Kill: Memetherapy; Changing Minds About Animals in

NYC Susan Brandt, Jane Hoffman

Humane Education for a Humane World- Carol Moon, Matt Wildman (3 hour intensive

training)

Outreaching to Students and Youth - Andy Stepanian, Tracy Basile, Jon Camp

Race and the Movement - Sheila Hamanaka

Reaching out to Faith Communities - Jan Fredrichs, Richard Schwartz, Saurabh

Dalal, Lawrence Carter-Long

 

MESSAGING AND MEDIA

Delivering an Uncompromised Message to the Mainstream: Using Peaceable Kingdom

-- Jenny Stein, James LaVeck

Designing Your Message, Powering your Message - Josephine Bellaccomo

Effective Vegetarian Advocacy and the Psychology of Meat - Dr. Melanie Joy

Images of Liberation: Comics, Cartoons, and Graphics - Richard De Angelis

Making Attractive Activist Visuals: Fliers, Banners, and Costumes – Mike Everson

Maximizing the Media System- Nathan Runkle, Lawrence Carter-Long (3 hour

intensive training)

TV: Innovative Ways to Use the Boob Tube for Animals - Nathan Runkle, Garo

Alexanian

 

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Avoiding Activist Burnout - Hillary Rettig, Michael Greger, Lawrence Carter-Long

(3 hour intensive training)

Fundraising & Membership Development – Lorri Bauston (3 hour intensive

training)

Planning Your Organizations Mission, Vision, and Campaigns - John Phillips, Adam

Weissman, Tim Keating (3 hour intensive training)

Organizing a Vegetarian Festival - Caryn Hartglass

Recruiting, Managing and Motivating Interns and Volunteers– Elizabeth McNulty,

Adam Weissman

Running Effective Meetings – Speakers TBA

 

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