First Venezuela Film Presentation at the Waite House in Minneapolis a Success

On Friday, February 24, over 20 people gathered at the Waite House community center in South Minneapolis for a viewing and discussion of "Venezuela Bolivariana", a film by Marcelo Andrade of the "Calle y Media" collective.  Minneapolis area residents from all walks of life participated in a warm and open discussion on Venezuela before and after the film.  There was much interest in the history and current situation in Venezuela, as well as in the activities of Hands Off Venezuela (HOV).

The Twin Cities' alternative paper "Pulse" featured an article on Venezuela and the HOV Campaign this week, several people in attendance found out about the event through that article, which can be viewed here:  http://pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2327.

This was the first in what will be an ongoing series of Venezuela film presentations at the Waite House, in an effort to reach out to educate and inform wider layers of the community as to what is truly happening in Venezuela. We thank the Waite House for having us, for their gracious hospitality, and for the refreshments!

We have a number of upcoming events planned, including a week of events and activities in mid April.  We hope to bring a young Venezuelan community activist up for this week of activities, as there is much we can learn from what is happening at the grass roots level in Venezuela.  We will also be reporting on Venezuela Solidarity Conferences being held in NY and Washington, DC. Stay tuned for details.

If you would like to learn more about Venezuela and the HOV campaign, and especially if you or your organization would like to work with us put on future events, please feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 651 373 7609.  www.ushov.org   |  www.handsoffvenezuela.org

"Venezuela Bolivariana", "The Old Man and Jesus", and other films are available at: http://www.ushov.org/content/view/17/30/

We encourage you to attend the following event:

World Social Forum Report Back at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2006
KAGIN BALLROOM
MACALESTER COLLEGE
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

"Uncovering Activism in an Upside-Down World" - A Conversation with Professor Rose Brewer

What is the World Social Forum?

How do we address gender, race and class in this context?

Can we connect Caracas, New Orleans and the Twin Cities?

What is the local / global significance of recent changes in Venezuela?

Dr. Rose Brewer, a scholar-activist and faculty member in the African and African-American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, will speak about her trip to Venezuela and participation at the WSF. She will discuss these and other questions with students from Macalester, U of M, and other local schools. Over the years, she has worked with a number of local political struggles. She has published widely in areas of Black feminism, race and class, political change and social transformations. Her forthcoming book is titled "The Color of Wealth" (The New Press, 2006).

This event is free and open to the public.

Join us for an evening of stimulating conversation, music, and spoken word sponsored by B.L.A.C., Adelante!, American Studies, THE WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES DEPARTMENT and others.

For more information, please contact Shari Geistfeld, History Department at 651-696-6772 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Sarita McCoy Gregory, Political Science Department at 651-696-6890 or email gregorys@macalester.edu.