AltWeeklies Wire
Dreams of Obamanew

Barack Obama, it is true, is a transformational leader. But he needs a transformational movement to become a transformational president.
Sacramento News & Review |
Tom Hayden |
08-21-2008 |
Commentary
Gay Activists Fight James Dobson's Induction into National Radio Hall of Famenew
Truth Wins Out founder Wayne Besen states that while his group could have lived with a win by, say, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Dobson's agenda -- which includes curing homosexuality and lobbying against same-sex marriage -- makes Focus on the Family's election intolerable.
Chicago Reader |
Deanna Isaacs |
08-04-2008 |
Media
Pa. Gov. Ed Rendell is Urging a Stronger Effort to Enforce Anti-Sweatshop Policiesnew
Pennsylvania is the first state to pledge its support for a proposed anti-sweatshop consortium, made up of states, counties and municipalities from across the country. "Rendell has taken the leadership of states nationally," says Kenneth Miller, who has long been active in local anti-sweatshop campaigns.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Adam Fleming |
07-28-2008 |
Business & Labor
Wearing the Message: Politics + Culture + Art = A T-Shirt Revolutionnew
The new generation of the T-shirt is increasingly defined by message, meaning and personal propaganda. In this presidential election year, such content is reaching a fever pitch.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Zane Fischer |
07-03-2008 |
Fashion
Obama Would Bring a Community Organizer's Unique Perspective to the White Housenew
We've had bandleaders, haberdashers, generals, diplomats, farmers and professors in the White House, but as far as I can tell, we've never had an organizer. What would it be like? Very different, I think.
Syracuse New Times |
Ed Griffin-Nolan |
05-29-2008 |
Commentary
Environmental Icon to Plead Guilty to Arson and Conspiracynew

Tre Arrow's decision last week to plead guilty to the longstanding federal charges comes as a blow to his fellow activists, some of whom have spent years fighting for his release while Arrow proclaimed his innocence.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
05-28-2008 |
Crime & Justice
The Catonsville Nine and Baltimore Four Revisitednew

Forty years ago, nine Catholic peace activists took a draft office in Maryland -- and the nation -- by surprise. Together they took the draft files to a grassy patch behind the building where tipped-off reporters were waiting for them. They then set the files ablaze with homemade napalm, recited a prayer, made statements to the press, and waited peacefully to be arrested.
Baltimore City Paper |
Joe Tropea |
05-20-2008 |
History
Tags: protest, military, activism, peace, FBI, history, 1960s, Vietnam War, The Baltimore Four, The Catonsville Nine
Activism is Just Another Marketing Schemenew
Let us bow in praise to activist celebrities -- those all-knowing martyrs of the American melodrama, forever guiding the aimless masses with their acute political observations and personal reflections.
Boulder Weekly |
Ben Corbett |
05-19-2008 |
Commentary
Retired Army Col. Ann Wright on War, Peace and Dissentnew
Wright joined the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State in 1987, and left in protest the day before the invasion of Iraq. Since then, Wright has been a leading antiwar activist and has now co-authored Dissent: Voices of Conscience.
INDY Week |
Bob Geary |
05-15-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Are Immigrant-Rights Activists Back in the Crosshairs of Federal Agents?new
A volunteer with the Samaritans immigrant-aid group, Kathryn Ferguson, finds herself in federal court after being handcuffed and cited by a Bureau of Land Management agent in the tough hills along the border. That January encounter was followed by at least two more run-ins with BLM and Fish and Wildlife Service agents a few weeks later.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
04-24-2008 |
Immigration
Talking Politics & Prose with Elizabeth Haileynew
"Like a lot of women my age, I missed the '60s because I was at home raising my daughters," says the silver-haired, silver-tongued author of the trailblazing A Woman of Independent Means. "But now that I'm in my 60s, I'm ready to march. In the third act of my life, I'm ready for the front lines."
The Texas Observer |
Robert Leleux |
04-23-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Tags: activism, Elizabeth Hailey
Farmworkers Draw Student Supportnew
This spring, North Carolina college students have delved into the world of undocumented workers, bringing back stories about the complex culture and economic realities, staging local protests at a national restaurant chain and hosting educational events on campus.
INDY Week |
Juliana Hanson |
04-17-2008 |
Business & Labor
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Takes on Everything from GMOs to Greenhouse Gasesnew
The group was born out of Apartheid South Africa and a group of Protestant shareholders who asked General Motors to reconsider its extensive investment in the country. Executive director Laura Berry talks to us about the ensuing 37 years, and how they group uses shareholder power to influence a host of issues.
San Antonio Current |
Elaine Wolff |
04-16-2008 |
Business & Labor
Two Young Filmmakers Document Philly's Crime Epidemicnew
"By the Numbers," a new public service announcement by filmmakers Alec Sutherland and Todd DosSantos and a local organization called the Anti-Violence Partnership, is just a minute long, but it's well worth watching.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tasneem Paghdiwala |
04-14-2008 |
Crime & Justice
New Mexico Prison Activist Plans New Group for Familiesnew
Tilda Sosaya's new group, Prisoners and Families United, is the successor to the Committee on Prison Accountability, which eventually went under in 2002 amid internal divisions. "I feel that prisoners and their families still need a voice," she says, adding that the "fundamental purpose" of the group will be to organize released prisoners and their families.
Santa Fe Reporter |
David Alire Garcia |
04-11-2008 |
Crime & Justice