City Hall Press Conference 10/27 - Rosa Parks Nationwide Day of Absence

Rosa Parks Day Press Conference - Thurs. 1pm City Hall

The Rosa Parks Anniversary
Nationwide Day of Absence
Against Poverty Racism & War Coalition

39 West 14th St. Suite 206
NY NY 10011
Phone 212 633-6646
Fax 212 633-2889
www.troopsoutnow.org

“The only thing that bothered me was that we waited so long to make this protest ”- Rosa Parks October 25, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Larry Holmes,Dustin Langley
917-293-1138

Thursday, October 27, 1:00 p.m.

Press Conference on the Steps of City Hall to Honor Rosa Parks

Proposed Council Resolution will make Dec. 1 Anniversary of Arrest "Rosa Parks Day"

Groups Plan December 1 Anniversary Day of Absence and Wall St. March against Poverty, Racism, and War On Thursday, October 27, at 1:00 p.m., NY City Council Member Charles Barron will be joined by many of his colleagues on the Council including Yvette Clarke, Tracey Boyland, Bill Perkins, Al Vann, and Annabel Palma, as well as members of the NY State legislature and scores of community, antiwar, student, clergy and labor activists for a press conference on the steps of city hall in support of a City Council resolution to declare December 1st Rosa Parks Day in NYC.

Film maker Spike Lee and the actress Ruby Dee are also among the invited guests at the press conference that will pay homage to Rosa Parks, considered the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” who passed away on Monday night. Speakers will talk about the December 1st Rosa Parks Anniversary Nationwide Day of Absence Against Poverty, Racism and War, and plans for a march and rally on Wall Street.

Council Member Barron will announce that he is introducing a Resolution into the City Council, to declare December 1st Rosa Parks Commemoration Day in New York City.

The resolution that Council Member Barron is introducing will encourage businesses and schools to close on December 1 or to allow employees and students to take the day off or leave early in order to be able to participate in commemoration and protest events scheduled in the New York area during normal business hours. Similar resolutions are being introduced in to City Councils across the country. In New York City, the day will be marked with a march and rally on Broadway and Wall Street, where civil rights leaders, including members of the King family and veterans of the Montgomery boycott, will speak.

Larry Holmes, an organizer with the Nationwide Day of Absence, said, “The Rosa Parks nationwide day of absence has the support of over 1000 organizations, and know of protest and student walkouts being planned in over 100 cities” Holmes continued “ We are said that Rosa will not be with us on the 50th anniversary of her arrest, but we know that her fighting spirit will be with us on December 1st."

Rosa Parks Anniversary Nationwide Day of Absence
Against Poverty Racism & War Coalition

39 WEST 14TH STREET
SUITE 206
NY NY 10011
PHONE 212 633-6646
FAX 212 633-2889
http://www.troopsoutnow.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 25, 2005

Media Contact: Larry Holmes, Dustin Langley 212-633-6646, 917-293-1138

Organizers of Rosa Park’s 50th Arrest Anniversary Protest Mourn Civil Rights Legend’s Passing, and Vow to go forward with December 1 Nationwide Day of Absence Against Poverty, Racism, And War

March And Rally on Wall St. are planned with civil rights veterans

“The only thing that bothered me was that we waited so long to make this protest “ - Rosa Parks

Leaders of the Rosa Parks Anniversary Nationwide Day Of Absence Against Poverty Racism and War Announce Today that plans for the day of protest scheduled for December 1, 2005, the 50th anniversary of Rosa Park’s arrest for refusing to give her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery Alabama will go forward in the wake of the death of the civil rights legend yesterday in Detroit. More than 1000 organizations are participating in the December 1 protest marches, boycotts and student walkouts planned for more than 100 cities including a march on Wall St. in New York City that many veterans of the civil rights movement have been invited to.

In a letter to members of the Rosa Parks Anniversary Nationwide Day of Absence Anniversary, protest organizer Larry Holmes said, "We are deeply saddened by Rosa Park’s passing, and we send our heartfelt sympathy, condolences and solidarity to Rosa’s family and friends, as well as all who mourn this sad occasion. The world has lost a freedom fighter, and a symbol of equality, social justice, unity and peace at a time when such things are needed more than at any time in memory. Even though declining health had made it difficult for Ms. Parks to have much of a public life in recent years, all of us were hoping that she would be able to experience the satisfaction of the 50th anniversary of her arrest, and to know that around the country the movement was honoring that anniversary with a day of protest and absence against poverty racism and war. Know she will be with us in spirit on the anniversary, and we hope that the events around the country on December 1st will do justice to her spirit and memory."

On Thursday Oct.27, New York City Council Member Charles Barron will hold a press conference on the steps of New York City Hall to announce plans to ask the Council to declare December 1, Rosa Parks Day, and encourage businesses and schools to either close for the day, or allow workers and students to take off the day to attend protest and commemorations events.

Organizers of the 50th anniversary protest are calling on people not to work, attend school, or shop on December 1, but instead to participate in protest. Among the many organizations supporting the December 1st protest are the Troops Out Now Coalition, Teamsters National Black Caucus, Million Worker March Movement, and hundreds of antiwar, labor and civil rights groups in every region of the country. Resolutions similar to the one being introduced in to the New York City Council are being introduced in other cities from Boston, to Montgomery, Alabama.

December 1st protest organizers see this as a once in a half a century opportunity to turn a landmark civil rights anniversary into a national day of protest for racial and economic equality, justice and peace. There belief is that the time for such a day of protest couldn’t be more urgent. The Katrina Hurricane, and the continuing war and occupation of Iraq are fresh reminders that poverty, racism and war that Dr. Martin Luther King identified as the three biggest obstacles to equality and human progress are all too alive and well today. The goal of the anniversary protest is to declare in a strong and massive way that the movement will grow, and that it will finish the unfinished business of the civil rights movement

That unfinished business includes the right to live free of war, poverty and inequality; the right to jobs at a living wage, to a full education, to healthcare, affordable housing, social security and pensions.

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Rosa Parks Anniversary Nationwide Day of Absence and Protest initiators – over 1,000 groups and leaders including:

Troops Out Now Coalition; Million Worker March Movement,: Black Workers for Justice; Teamsters National Black Caucus; Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice; New York Labor Against The War; Baltimore NAACP; Ramsey Clark; Rev. Herbert Daughtry, Presiding Minister House of Lords Church; Rev. Dr. Kwame O. Abayomi; Trent Willis, Pres. ILWU Local 10; Charles Barron, New York City Council; Guyanese-American Workers United; Chuck Turner, Boston City Council District 7; Minister Don Muhammad, NOI Mosque No 11; Consuela Lee, Montgomery Bus Boycott Participant & Jazz Musician & Composer; Harlem Tenants Union; East Bay Homeless Union, Oakland; Code Pink, Bremerton, WA; Artists and Activists United for Peace; Louisiana Peace Action Community; Richmond Action Center; Virginia Anti-War Network; Olean Area Coalition for Peace & Justice; SBA Farms Anti War Collective, Winnie, TX; South Jersey Coalition for Peace and Justice; NE Ohio Antiwar Coalition; Minneapolis Anti-war Committee; Peace & Justice Advocate, Methodist Federation For Social Action, Des Moines; Latinos For Peace, Concord, CA; South Mississippi United for Peace; Stonewall Warriors; St. Pete For Peace, St. Petersburg, FL; Queers for Peace & Justice; High County Peace and Justice; United Actors For Peace, Great Barrington; Vietnam Veterans Against The War, Denver; Voices Of Peace, Battle Creek, MI; We Are Michigan, Traverse City, MI; New College Alliance for Peace; Topanga Peace Alliance And Progressive Democrats Of The Santa Monica; Fight Imperialism Stand Together; Steven Funk, GI resister; Elena Everett, Chair NC Green Party; Colorado Communities For Peace And Justice; Episcopal Peace Fellowship; Steve Gillis, Pres., USWA Lo. 8751 Boston School Bus Drivers; Father Luis Barrios, Pastors For Peace; MLK Jr. Bolivarian Circle; Mumia Abu Jamal; Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor Pan-African News Wire; Al-Awda; BAYAN; Puerto Rican Alliance of Los Angeles; Arab American Civic Organization; Asia Pacific Action; Philippine U.S. Solidarity Organization, Seattle; Action Center For Justice, Charlotte, NC; Arise For Social Justice, Springfield, MA; NY Committee to Free the Cuban 5; United American Indians of New England; Haiti Support Network; Andre Powell, AFSCME 112 Dele. Central Labor Council Baltimore; Puerto Rican Alliance of Los Angeles; Fanmi Lavalas; Crockett Peace And Justice Coalition, Crockett, TX; Jane Franklin, Historian, Montclair, NJ; Susan E. Davis, Delegate, Book Div. Co-chair NWU Local 1981; Dave Sole, President, UAW Local 2334, Detroit, MI; Michaelann Bewseeq, President, Arise For Social Justice, Springfield; Jerome Bibuld, Hat City Independent Media Center, Danbury, CT; Eugene Craig, Steward SEIU Lo. 715 San Jose; Capricorn Rising, Los Angeles, CA; Comm. To Defend The Somerville 5, MA; East Bay Coalition To Support Self-Rule For Iraqis; Center For Alternative & Responsible Education, Lafayette, CO; Blauvelt Dominican Sisters Ministry Of Social Justice, New Rochelle, NY; Center For A Livable World, Darien, NY; Lost Colony, Mocksville, NC; Minjok-Tongshin (Korean-American Internet Daily), Los Angeles, CA; Power Speaks, Better America (LBA), Philadelphia, PA; North Fork People Of Conscience, Southold, NY; North Shore No To Draft, Stoneham, MA; Pattern Interrupt, Mission Hills, CA; Pax Christi, St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ; Peace Presence, Grand Rapids, MI ; Radio Free Maine, Augusta, ME; Religious Of The Sacred Heart Of Mary, Monterey Park, CA; Freedom Socialist Party; Full Circle Studios, Chapel Hill, NC; The Garden Of Radical Presence, Santa Fe, NM; IndyIraqAction, Concord, CA; IWLU 465, Bonfield, IL; Politicin' With The Sisters, Boston, MA; Atlantic Institute Of Applied Psychophysiology, St Simons Island, GA; Wolf Enterprises Human Rights Advocacy, Whitefish, MT; Judy Greenspan, Board Member, California Prison Focus, San Francisco, CA; Michael Letwin, Former President, UAW Local 2325 , Co-convener, NYC Labor Against the War; All Peoples Congress, Baltimore, MD; Aztlan Media Kollective, East Los Angeles, CA; Buffalo/WNY International Action Center, Buffalo, NY; Christians Against Murder And Exploitation, Lacey, WA; Citizens Initiative Omega, Marxzell, Germany Deist Gamse, San Diego, CA; Denver IAC, Denver, CO; DestroyIndustry, Raleigh, NC; Disabled Rights Alliance, Victoria, BC, Canada; The Great Peace March For Global Nuclear Disarmament 1986, Fredonia, NY; Hitec Aztec, Concord, CA; The Humanistic Party, Bronx, NY; Independent Consulting Services, Glendora, CA; Multicellular Organism, Kent, OH; NPLA - New Patriot Liberation Association, Whitestone, NY; Old Hippies Sharing Higher Intellect And Thought, Norfork, AR; Peoples Video Network; Planetary Crisis Action Group (reforming), Taos, NM; Public Intellectuals For Social And Spare Change, New York, NY; Queertoday.com, Boston, MA; Russian River Times, Monte Rio, CA; Spiritbody Resources Healing Center, Kennett Square, PA; Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, Houston, TX; Mountains, Woodland Hills, CA TPA / PDSMM, Woodland Hills, CA; Troops Out Now, Gainesville, FL; Two-edged Sword Incorporated, Newnan, GA; United American Indians Of New England; UP (United Progressives) For Democracy, Bearsville, NY; Western Mass. Troops Out Now; Windy Hill Apple Farm, Newark, OH; Women's Fightback Network, Boston, MA; YCL Stanislaus USA, Turlock, CA; Yes You Can Cable Show, Los Angeles, CA; Fatemeh Abdollahzadeh, Professor, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT; Scott Ainslie, CEO, Cattail Music, Ltd., Brattleboro, VT; Sydney Akerstein, Arroyo Grande, CA; Melissa Alexander, High Point, NC; Sean Alexandre, Bishop, CA; Ellen Allen, Melrose, FL; Mazen Almoukdad, President, Arab American Of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA; Sydney Alonso, Norwich, VT; Patricia Altomare, Pelham, NH; Jon Anderholm, Retired Teacher, United Educators Of San Francisco; Sue Anderson, Pagosa Springs, CO; Franki Andrews, Media Workers, MITF , Santa Rosa, CA; Erica Anthony-Benavides, San Antonio, TX ; Blair Anundson, Campus Organizer, Washpirg, October 22nd Coalition To Stop Police Brutality, Los Angeles, CA; Lesbians For A Metrovoice Youth Entrepreneurs Program, Inc., Washington, DC; Baltimore; Free People's Movement, New York, NY

http://www.troopsoutnow.org

City Hall Press Conference 10/27 - Rosa Parks Nationwide Day of Absence

Press Conference on the steps of City Hall
Thursday, October 27, 2005, 1:00 p.m.
to announce

Rosa Parks Anniversary National Day of Absence

On Thursday, October 27, at 1:00 p.m., NY City Council Member Charles Barron will join with other elected officials, students, educators, trade unionists, peace activists, clergy, and civil rights movement veterans in support of the Rosa Parks Anniversary Nationwide Day of Absence Against Poverty Racism and War.

Barron will announce that he is introducing a Resolution into the City Council, to declare December 1st, Rosa Parks Commemoration Day “ in New York City. Similar resolutions are being introduced in to city councils across the country including Montgomery Alabama, Atlanta Georgia, Detroit, and Boston consistent with a congressional resolution introduced by the Hon. John Conyers and passed by the House on Sept.17.

Organizers will call upon the people of New York City to participate in the Rosa Parks Anniversary Day of Absence Against Racism Poverty and War. The resolution that Council Member Barron is introducing will encourage businesses and schools to close on December 1 or to allow employees and students to either take the day off or leave early in order to be able to participate in commemoration and protest events scheduled in the New York area during normal business hours.

In New York City, the day will be marked with a march and rally on Broadway and Wall St. where civil rights leaders, including members of the King family and veterans of the Montgomery boycott will speak.

Larry Holmes, an organizer with the Nationwide Day of Absence, said, “When Rosa Parks was arrested 50 years ago for refusing to give her seat to a white man on a public bus, she helped to spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the opening of the modern civil rights movement. It was the boycott against racist segregation that introduced to the world Martin Luther King Jr. who rose to become the boycott’s principal leader and spokesperson.”

“The government’s response to the Katrina Hurricane disaster, along with the war in Iraq and the growing numbers of people without healthcare, employment and educational opportunities, and housing are a poignant reminder that the movement to end poverty racism and war is as urgent now as it was 50 years ago,” Holmes said. “We have an opportunity to turn one of the most important civil rights anniversaries into a powerful reaffirmation of our commitment to fight for racial equality, social justice and peace, the lofty goals that Dr. King devoted his short brilliant life to and ultimately sacrificed it for.”

The Rosa Parks Anniversary Nationwide Day of Absence Against Poverty Racism & War Coalition
39 W. 14TH St., Suite 206
NY NY 10011
PH 212 633-6646
FAX 212 633-2889
http://www.troopsoutnow.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Larry Holmes, Dustin Langley 917-293-1138