Book by Chris Williams

The WNSG is glad to announce a new discussion group, “Ecological Crisis, Capitalism, and Colonialism–What Solutions?”.

Join us for a series of discussions on the ecological crisis, its causes and what can be done about it. One of the things we’ll be looking at is the connection between the struggle of indigenous peoples in Canada for self-determination and the struggle against ecological destruction.

We’ll be having our first meeting on Tuesday, May 21st, 7pm at the Mezzanine level at the University of Winnipeg.

We plan on reading Chris Williams’ book, “Ecology and Socialism” and supplementing this reading with some other short pieces.   You can order the book through us or directly from the folks at http://www.haymarketbooks.org/pb/Ecology-and-Socialism.

(***UPDATE: You can access the book electronically! You can do so for free with your University of Manitoba or University of Winnipeg library account.  Check out your own library database for more details.  You can also purchase the ebook through google books for $10.00)

Please have the first 3 chapters completed for the first meeting (up to page 104!).

For more details, check out our facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/179605778863837/
Feel free to email us for more info at wpg[dot]nsg[at]gmail.com

We hope to have a spirited discussion with people who are interested in the topic. We hope to foster an positive environment that is respectful, safe, and intellectually stimulating.  If you feel like you can encourage a discussion group like this, we hope you can join us!

Black Mask-Frequency of Resistance

Here’s the link

http://ckuw.ca/128/20130501.16.00-17.00.mp3

CFS poster against Date Rape

The suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons in Nova Scotia, the Steubenville rape case and other high-profile cases around the world have put a spotlight on sexual assault. 

Please join us for presentations followed by a discussion about sexual assault and what can be done to combat this dimension of patriarchy.

• Date: Monday, April 29th.
• Time: 7pm.
• Location: 280 Smith St- Workers’ Organizing Resource Centre (Mezzanine Level)
  
• Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/455426894534933/459595567451399/

The presenters will be Krystal Payne and Amber Berg

Questions? winnipeg [at] newsocialist.org
Childcare subsidy available on request

What’s going on: Round dance!
Date: Tues. March 19, 2013.
Time: 12:15pm
Location: University of Winnipeg, Bottom of Escalators
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/360068084101544/?ref=2

Written by yours truly on the F(un) Class Website:

As students in Quebec and around the world continue to fight for a new post secondary educational system, that frees students from the burden of huge debts, that frees students from having to study subjects based on market-demand, and that frees students from undemocratic, ruling-class-centred, distortions of ‘democracy,’ we too must continue the struggle to achieve a better society.  In doing this, however, we cannot lose sight of the way our current system unequally oppresses people since we must ensure that these oppressions of today are not recreated in the ‘solutions’ of tomorrow.

Teddy Zegeye-Gebrehiwot

Idle No More Teach In
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013
6-9pm
782 Main St.

It is important for everyone who is a socialist, everyone who is an anti-capitalist, everyone on the left, and everyone in general to deconstruct and replace their beliefs and behaviours that have been tarnished by the colonial framework here in Canada, and the world.  So, it is with great pleasure that we at the WNSG can promote this educational event organized by a group of concerned settlers and Idle No More supporters:

Know More about Idle No More, A Teach-In

Date: Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Time: 6-9pm (Doors close at 7:30pm)

Location: 782 Main Street- 3rd Floor (The building looks like a big warehouse)

Wheelchair Accessible

Speakers: 

• Chickadee Richard (local Idle No More Organizer)
• Tasha Hubbard (Member of the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba’s Speaker’s Bureau and University of Manitoba Faculty)
• Peter Kulchyski (Winnipeg Indigenous People Solidarity Movement, Native Studies Professor at University of Manitoba)

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/588870671141155/

It seems that Idle No More is ideal for socialists, and other radicals to contribute to.  But we non-indigenous radicals must be cautious of our ideas and approach, not because of errors inherent to our theories, but because of the pervasive colonial contexts we are a part of, where indigenous people and knowledge have been devalued by the dominant culture.  In the words of Deborah Simmons,

the challenge now for socialists is to build strong bonds of solidarity with this movement which is now at the cutting edge of radical organising in Canada. This requires that we critically reconstruct our own traditions of socialism from below, whose heart and soul is the belief that a revolutionary and democratic transformation of society can only be achieved by the self-organized mass struggles of workers and oppressed peoples. In our work with indigenous peoples, we bear responsibility for demolishing in theory and practice the corruption of socialist ideas that followed the defeat of the Russian revolution by Stalinism.

(Source: New socialist. Issue 58. Socialism from Below and Indigenous Resurgence: Reclaiming Traditions. pages 13-15)

Simmons is right to use the word “challenge.”  The necessary task of destroying oppressive elements that are folded into our belief system is not an easy one.   But we must persist in “demolishing” the oppressive aspects of our own ideas and approaches if we are to champion for the struggle of indigenous peoples to determine their own futures and the democratic emancipation of the working class. It requires much critical introspection and commitment to change.  This is a complex and ongoing process, so keep on it and check out the Idle No More Teach-In this Tuesday at 6pm.

Teddy Zegeye-Gebrehiwot

Protest in the News

There are two dominant themes in the media coverage of the Idle No More protest movement. First, protest is ineffective. It accomplishes nothing. Second, Idle No More has already accomplished everything it can reasonably hope to accomplish. The demands of the movement have already been met.

These two obviously contradictory ideas often appear in the same editorial.

If protest accomplishes nothing, then how has Idle No More accomplished its goals? If Idle No More has accomplished its goals, then how does protest accomplish nothing?

 The message from the media is clear: Go home. Let the politicians sort things out. The business of Canada is no business of the people.

 We can learn something from looking at the past. Today, Occupy is held up by the media as definitive proof that popular protest accomplishes nothing, but last year, the message was the same. Go home. Let the politicians sort things out. The business of Bay Street is no business of the people. Occupy was told it had already achieved its goals. The anti-war movement of the last decade was held up as proof that protest accomplishes nothing.

 During the Arab Spring, the message was the same. During the Quebec student strikes, the message was the same. Even during the Russian Revolution of 1917, the newspapers declared that protest would accomplish nothing and the demands of the workers had already been met.

 Whatever the strength of your movement, the message from the media will be the same. They will always tell you to go home. Because protest is a threat. Because protest does work. Protest turns to direct action and together they say, in the clearest language, that ours are not polite requests but demands. Our voices will be heard.

Christopher Thomas

WNSG

A three part discussion series organized by the Winnipeg New Socialist Group.

The University of Winnipeg student newspaper, The Uniter, recently chose not to publish this letter. Enjoy!

In her Sept 13, 2012 article from The Uniter Blog, “Whatever happened to radicalism?” Katerina Tefft’s writes about finding some of her mother’s issues of The Uniter from the 1970’s.  Comparing them to The Uniter of today she writes

I was struck by a couple of things: first, the amount of content devoted to covering radical social issues in depth; and second, based on the content, I got the sense that the student movement and student groups at the U of W were far more radical and active back then than they are today. It made me wish I could somehow take the Uniter back in time to when social justice dialogue and discourse were part of the mainstream on campus and not merely on the fringes.

My interpretation of her feelings are that she wishes that the mainstream, the popular consciousness, once again engaged in active discussions, analyses and actions pertaining to social justice issues.  “Whatever happened to radicalism?” -the title question pierces the eyes of the reader: Where did our radicalism go? Where did you put it? Where can we find it again?

Well, to Tefft and all, I too am on board with the quest for a transformative radicalism that pushes for a better world!  If we are serious in this regards, then we must proceed with the utmost respect for ideas, after all, ideas are the things which are radical.

The Winnipeg New Socialist Group (WNSG) is a collective of Winnipeg folks that are keen on exploring radical ideas, criticizing the oppressive status quo, and organizing events that move the struggle aiming for a better world forward.  In the past we’ve brought in speakers, authors,  organized film screenings, but, common to all of these has been the goal to explore radical ideas that the mainstream has wholly written off, such as eventually getting rid of capitalism.  Furthermore, we want to bring people together because we need to have this discussions openly and inclusively. We need to work together.  And so,  in the new year, we are hosting a discussion series to bring people together to talk about radical social issues and to build unity amongst people who want to work towards building a better world– including discussions of what we believe a better world to be!

We invite everyone interested to these discussions:

7-8:30pm-Wed. Jan. 16, 2013.  Idle No More and Confronting Colonialism in Canada.

7-8:30pm-Wed. Jan. 30, 2013. Is an alternative to Capitalism possible?

7-8:30pm-Wed. Feb. 13, 2013. Anarchism, Marxism, and the future of Socialism.

Each of these discussions will be held at Workers Organizing Resource Centre (W.O.R.C.) on 280 Smith St. Mezzanine.

The building is accessible.

Hope to see you there!

Teddy Zegeye-Gebrehiwot

Teddy is both a member of the Winnipeg New Socialist Group and also F(un) Class, a radical student group at the University of Winnipeg (which is open to non students as well), that also aims to build a stronger left at the University of Winnipeg.  Feel free to drop in. We meet in Room 2M74 every Thursday from 1pm-2:15pm.  To check out F(un) Class’s website, click here.

A three part discussion series organized by the Winnipeg New Socialist Group.

Three upcoming events hosted by the Winnipeg New Socialist Group.

People on the left unite!

We’re excited to let you know that we’re teaming up with The Winnipeg Industrial Workers of the World for our “Holidarity” holiday party.

We’d like you to come too!

Bring your friends, family, and others who want to come together in solidarity for the holidays, because it will be fun!

WHERE: Harman’s Cafe (570 Sargent Ave)
WHEN: 6-9pm. Thursday, December 13th, 2012
ACCESSIBILE? Yes!
KID FRIENDLY? Yes!

Let the struggle for a better world continue in the years to come.

For more details, check out the facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/378784635541744