[Prairiegreens-action] Don't forget! S26 is tomorrow!

[chyn at onthejob.net]

****************************
"a cARNIVAL aGAINST cAPITAL"
Tues. Sept 26, Near the Quad and Alma Mater at Noonish

*********************************************
"What Does the IMF have to Do With my Stuff?"
A Teach-in about the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund  
Tues. Sept 26,  5 - 6:30pm in the McKinley Church Basement (John and 5th)

********************************************************************
"Community Forum about the 2000 Elections: A Look at the Candidates"
Tues. Sept 26,  7 - 9pm in the McKinley Church Basement (John and 5th)



Details follow:

------------
THE CARNIVAL
------------
Activists will take to the University of Illinois quad on Tuesday to
highlight the failings of the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank.  About twenty-five performers will carry ten-foot tall puppets and
wear specially-designed protest costumes as they provoke passers-by to
pause and consider the role of global financial institutions in their
lives and in the lives of people around the world.  Actions will take
place from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m and will move between the Illini
Union, Follinger Auditorium, and the Alma Mater.

Carnival organizer Danielle Chynoweth said that the street theatre
is intended to "educate the public about global financial institutions
while presenting a world turned on its head.; cheerleaders will protest
patriarchy, bankers will become window washers, and clowns will show off
their military supplies.  It's clear that globalization by and for the
corporations isn't working.  Corporate led globalization has led to the
destruction of cultures, the environment, and democracy in the name of
free trade and economic efficiency.  Well be performing our hearts out in
support of fair trade policies, humane and inclusive economic development
strategies, and the prioritization of life over profit."

The "Carnival against Capital" is one of numerous events in over
55 U.S. cities during the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
meetings in Prague, Czech Republic.  (A more complete list of events is
available at the Jobs with Justice website, www.jwj.org)

-------------
THE TEACH-IN
-------------
Citizen scholars from Champaign-Urbana will hold a free teach-in about the
World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday evening.  The
event will take place from 5 until 6:30 p.m. on September 26 in the
basement of the McKinley Presbyterian Church on the Southwest corner of
John and Fifth streets in Champaign.  Free pizza will be provided.

The teach-in is coordinated with nationwide actions against the
World Bank and IMF.  "We think people will be very disappointed when they
learn what the Bank and IMF do, and how their policies have failed," said
Peter Miller, an organizer of the event.  "We hope to give people a side
of the story that doesn't normally make it into the press."

Presenters will cover a variety of topics, ranging from basic
questions to the role of the World Bank and IMF in sweatshop
proliferation, their impacts on indigenous peoples and women, and the
Jubliee 2000 campaign to forgive developing countries' debts.  Presenters
include:

-Maiko Covington, Community member. "What are the IMF and World Bank, and
How do they Work?"
-Michael Brun, Department of Economics, Illinois State University.  "The
Clash between Markets and Rights."
-Rev. Doug Baer, McKinley Presbyterian Church. "The Jubilee 2000 Campaign
for Debt Forgiveness."
-Meadow Jones, Parkland College Student.  "How Corporate Globalization
Hurts Women."
-Debbie Hixson, "Intercambio" cultural exchange program.  "Indigenous
Peoples' Rights and Global Financial Institutions."
-Keith Taylor, Lakeland College Student.  "Sweatshops, Global Finance, and
YOUR clothes."

------------------
THE ELECTION FORUM
------------------
On Tuesday, September 26, progressive community leaders will discuss the
pressing issues in their communities and their perceptions of candidates
in the November elections.  The forum, "Progressives Look at the November
Elections" will take place from 7 - 9 p.m. in the basement of the McKinley
Presbyterian Church, at the Southwest corner of John and Fifth streets in
Champaign.

The forum coincides with a nationwide day of action against the
World Bank and International Monetary Fund. "Many of the cancers that the
IMF and World Bank inflict on people in developing countries are growing
here in our back yard." said Peter Miller an organizer of the forum. "For
example, workers at Supervalu were fired for organizing a union.
Factories in Champaign emit pollution that destroys property and threatens
peoples' health.  Public employers privatize low-wage jobs, taking away
health insurance and retirement benefits.  The global south exists here in
Champaign County, and we need to discuss whether the candidates are
willing to address real issues."

Presenters will address such issues as the environment, education,
civil rights, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender rights, health care, and
labor rights, and they will evaluate candidates for the 103rd and 104th
state legislative districts, the 15th U.S. congressional district, and the
U.S. presidency.  Panelists are urged to address third-party candidates as
well as candidates from the two parties.  

Panelists include:
-Gene Vanderport, Illinois Education Association
-Mary Lee Sargent, Director of Women's Studies and Programs at Parkland
College
-Lindsay Robinson, Illinois Student Environmental Network and Students for
Environmental Concerns
-Anne Robin, Physicians for a National Health Program
-Cleveland Jefferson, Director of the Illinois NAACP
-David Johnson, Vice President of the Champaign County AFL-CIO