Category: SF Bay Area Events

Online Townhall (May 1st, 2021)

May Day 2021: Celebrating the Struggles of the Past — Preparing Those of the Future Join us for an international celebration of May Day. This is just a small glimpse of some of the struggles from the past year around the world.

The Far Right in the U.S. and its Potential Impact

After the January 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol, more attention has been paid to far-right groups and individuals in this country. But where do these groups come from? How serious is the threat they actual pose? And whose interests do they ultimately serve? Groups like these are not new, and some have […]

2021: What Lies Ahead (Jan. 23, 2021)

2021: What Lies Ahead – Their Plans and Ours The COVID pandemic has exposed the state of emergency this system has brought into being. The failures of this system promise more COVID surges and all the tragedies and worsening conditions that follow. The impact of this economic crash has taken a huge toll on those […]

France: Mass Protests Against a Government Crackdown (Dec. 5, 2020)

The French government recently passed a new “security law” that forbids the release of footage showing police violence. Days later French cops were caught on film viciously beating young migrant refugees and destroying their tents in Paris. And then footage was released of French cops beating a Black music producer in Paris just for exiting […]

Online Townhall (Nov. 14, 2020)

The Elections are Over – But the Problems Remain This pandemic has drawn the priorities of this society into focus, and they are neither our well-being nor the health of the planet. And with the elections over, working people still face the continued threat of this virus, a planet that continues to heat up, increasing […]

Online Townhall (Oct. 17, 2020)

For more than a century, the ruling class of the U.S. has ruthlessly exploited the people and resources of Central and South America. In response, the population has resisted or fled, often ending up in the land of their oppressor.

Online Townhall (Sep. 19, 2020)

Link to videos of this townhall Back To School? This is Not Education! The U.S. education system has been presented as a pathway of opportunity for every generation – especially those from poor and working class backgrounds. But it  has faced budget cuts, privatization, and the elimination of programs and services for decades. Now we […]

Online Townhall with Economist Jack Rasmus: Sat. Aug. 22, 2020

Link to videos of this townhall Economist Jack Rasmus Speaking About “What Lies Ahead” The response to COVID-19 by those in power has been a total disaster. They’ve focused on maximizing their profits while turning a virus into a health crisis that has killed over 140,000 people and sickened millions in the U.S. The overall […]

Online Townhall with Epidemiologist Rob Wallace: Sat. July 25, 2020

Link to videos of this townhall COVID-19: A Natural Event But a Human Made Catastrophe While viruses do occur naturally, there is very little that is natural about the COVID-19 pandemic. The global animal and agriculture industry has become one large virus producing system, increasing the likelihood of pandemics. Instead of working towards reducing the […]

Socialism 101 Series – Part 4, (June 27, 2020)

Part 4: What Will It Take to Win? Join us for a presentation and discussion for those interested in a better understanding of a revolutionary socialist perspective on our world. Activists from Speak Out Now will give a twenty minute presentation, which will be followed by a discussion in which attendees are encouraged to participate, […]

Socialism 101: Sun. June 7, 2020

Part 1: Why Capitalism Must Go Join us for a presentation and discussion for those interested in a better understanding of a revolutionary socialist perspective on our world. Activists from Speak Out Now will give a twenty minute presentation, which will be followed by a discussion in which attendees are encouraged to participate, ask questions, […]

Online Townhall: Sat. June 6, 2020

We Can’t go Back to Normal Normal is the Problem Stand together against the violence of this society! Link to videos from this townhall The racist police murder of George Floyd, the soaring death toll from the pandemic, and the explosion in unemployment and hunger all show the kind of future we can expect under […]

Online Townhall: Sat. May 30, 2020

George Floyd – Executed by Minneapolis Cops!Their Whole System is Guilty! Link to videos of this townhall There is a state of emergency for tens of millions of Black people in this country. Racism means on average one in four people killed by the police is Black. Black people are 18% of the U.S. population and […]

May Day 2020: An Online Celebration (Sat. May 2, 2020)

May Day 2020 • International Workers Day An Online Celebration link to videos of presentations from this event May Day is the celebration of the global struggles of the working class in the fight for a better world for all. Join us for: A brief presentation of the history of May Day A video of […]

Online Townhall: Sat. April 11, 2020

Link to videos of this townhall Covid-19: Workers from the Frontlines As the death toll from this virus continues to climb, it is clear that the government’s main concern is the health of the banks and corporations, not working people. Millions have lost their jobs and have been left to fend for themselves and their […]

Online Townhall: Sat. April 4, 2020

As this virus spreads, workers around the world are being coerced to work under increasingly dangerous situations. Health care workers have been forced to work without protective equipment, and are at the greatest risk for becoming infected.

Online Townhall: Sat. March 28, 2020

The Coronavirus Pandemic Their System Can’t Protect Us The coronavirus (COVID-19) has already led to a global catastrophe with 353,692 infected and 15,430 dead (3/23/2020), with the rest of the world’s population still threatened with infection. The response of most governments has been to wait, watch and respond too late as they rush to protect […]

The 2020 Elections: What’s at Stake? What Are Our Choices? (SF Bay Area)

The Trump presidency has helped create a climate of disorientation and crisis here and around the world. The Democrats promise to fix the broken system, or they just assume that people who are sickened by Trump will put their hopes in a Democratic candidate — no matter who it is. Can the elections bring about […]

Climate Disruption, Migration, and the Rise of Walls (Sat. Feb. 1, Berkeley)

As global warming accelerates, tens of millions of people are displaced all over the world every year. In response, governments have intensified their construction and expansion of border walls along with their criminalization of immigrants. And the U.S. only leads the charge in these dehumanizing policies. Join us to discuss these important issues with Todd […]

US Economic Policy: What’s in Store for the 99% (Saturday Nov. 9th)

How are the billionaires multiplying and making profits world-wide, and on whose backs? What’s behind this so-called “recovery”? What can we expect in the near future – is the economy rushing toward a deeper crisis? To change the world we first have to understand it. Come hear Jack Rasmus tell it like it is. There […]

The French Yellow Vests Movement (July 25, 7 PM)

Thursday, July 25th, 7pmBerkeley City College (Auditorium) 2050 Center St, Berkeley Since November of 2018 there have been weekly protests, sometimes involving hundreds of thousands of people, from students to housewives to workers to retirees, angry at the high cost of living and the government’s policies. Come and hear a presentation by Camille Chauchat, a […]

Can We Feed the World Without Destroying It? (April 13, 7PM)

Saturday April 13th, 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm) South Berkeley Senior Center 2939 Ellis St, Berkeley Eric Holt-Gimenez is an educator, author, researcher, activist and Executive Director of Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy. His talk will focus on the global system that causes injustice, hunger, poverty and environmental degradation. He will also describe […]

Tolerance?! (March 16, 7PM)

Flyer as PDF Facebook Event Page Tolerance?! Saturday, March 16th, 7PM(Doors open at 6:30PM)South Berkeley Senior Center2939 Ellis St, Berkeley What happens when Rosie the Riveter meets #MeToo? Tolerance?! is a one-woman show written and performed by Kathleen Denny. It is a true and funny account of her years as a machinist and mechanic in […]

The Fight For Quality Education (Feb. 9, 7pm)

The Fight For Quality Education Saturday, February 9, 7PM (Doors open at 6:30PM) South Berkeley Senior Center 2939 Ellis St, Berkeley Public education has been under attack for decades. But last year some things began to change. Teachers in West Virginia went on strike and were joined by school cooks, secretaries, janitors, and bus drivers. […]

The Yellow Vest Movement: A Report Back From France (Jan. 25, 6:30pm)

The Yellow Vest Movement A Report Back From France Friday, January 25, 6:30PM Berkeley City College, room 55 (basement level) 2050 Center St, Berkeley Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets all over France in what began as a protest against a fuel-tax increase but has spread into a movement against the […]

Peter Phillips: Giants – The Global Power Elite (November 11)

link to video of presentation Inside the 1% Transnational Ruling Class Sunday, November 11, 7PM(Doors open at 6:30PM)South Berkeley Senior Center2939 Ellis St., Berkeley Eight men have as much wealth as half of the world’s population (more that 3.5 billion people). The personal wealth of Jeff Bezos, the head of Amazon, is $165 billion. The […]

Lessons from the 1960’s (Friday, Oct. 19, 6:30pm, Berkeley)

Be Realistic, Demand the Impossible! Lessons from the 1960s Friday, October 19th at 6:30pm Berkeley City College, Room 51 2050 Center St., Berkeley (near Downtown Berkeley BART) A panel of international activists discussing lessons from the 1960s: George Katsiaficas: A student of Herbert Marcuse, he is the author of The Global Imagination of 1968: Revolution […]

Revolutionary University Fall 2018 (Oct 12-14)

Tools for Changing Society Welcome to three days of presentations and discussions aimed at helping us understand our current conditions and the problems that are created by this system of capitalism. Our goal is to not only examine the challenges we face, but to go beyond that by discussing the kind of organizing that’s necessary […]

Social Movements in France (Saturday, July 21, 11am, Oakland, CA)

For the past few months, there have been ongoing strikes of workers from rail and other industries, major demonstrations and university occupations protesting the attacks of President Macron’s government. Come to a presentation and discussion over Skype with activists from the Fraction L’Etincelle of the NPA (New Anti- Capitalist Party). Saturday, July 21, 11am Niebyl […]

Saturday, May 12, 7pm, Berkeley

Join us at our next Speak Out Now Forum: The Bay Area: For The 1% or for Us? For decades the San Francisco Bay Area was a home for working class families, radicals, musicians, poets and artists of all sorts. Now, it’s the tech capital of the world, boasting of millionaires and billionaires and the […]

Friday, May 4, 7pm Berkeley, CA

Archive That, Comrade! The Legacy of 1968 and the Politics of Remembrance A Talk by Phil Cohen How is the past remembered? How do archives and commemorations of historical events rewrite history? How is historical revisionism and false memory used today? And what could be a model for archiving history that can build on people’s […]

Sunday, April 15, Oakland, Lake Merritt Amphitheater

Join us for a March and Rally to Say: NO! To U.S. Wars at Home and Abroad! Sunday, April 15th 11AM-12:30PM RALLY Lake Merritt Amphitheater – 12th st. & 4th Ave (at 12:30pm there is a march to Oscar Grant Plaza – near 14th & Broadway for a 1:30pm main rally) Look for the Speak […]

The Watsonville Canning Strike – Peter Shapiro (March 17th, 7pm, Berkeley)

Presentation by Peter Shapiro Labor activist and author of the book “Song of the Stubborn One Thousand” Followed by discussion Thirty years ago, Watsonville, California was the “frozen food capital of the world.” In September 1985, 1000 mostly Mexican women workers at the town’s largest plant were forced out on strike when the owner tried […]

Speak Out Now at Howard Zinn Bookfair

Self-Management and Revolution: A Dialogue Between Revolutionary Perspectives Self-activity and self-organization of the working class are values that are shared by revolutionaries who may have different reference points from Marxism to Anarchism. Sometimes these differences hide the potential for multiple currents to collaborate in revolutionary action even though they may be guided by the shared […]

Speak Out Now MEET UP (10/22/17)

Want to know more about socialism? Curious about Speak Out Now and the work we do? Wondering how to organize with people around you? THIS IS YOUR CHANCE! We’ll have a short presentation, followed by discussion and time to answer any questions. Refreshments and light snacks will be provided. Sunday, October 22nd at 6:00pm At […]

Revolutionary University Fall 2017 (10/13-15/2017)

October 13-15 South Berkeley Senior Center 2939 Ellis St, Berkeley   Friday 10/13 6:30pm-9:00pm Whose Streets? A showing of the documentary film capturing the movement in Ferguson, Missouri in response to police repression and how the experience transformed the activists involved in the movement (103 min) Followed by a discussion. Saturday 10/14 10:30am-12:30pm A History […]

We Are The Majority! We Must Defend Ourselves! (9/23/17)

A Speak Out Now Forum: Far right fascist groups have been growing amidst an increase in attacks on Muslims, mosques and immigrants. But we can’t afford to be scared into silence. These groups present a threat but they are small and can be stopped. We can stop these fascists by organizing in the tens of […]

Speak Out Now MEET UP (9/8/17)

Want to know more about socialism? Curious about Speak Out Now and the work we do? Wondering how to organize with people around you? THIS IS YOUR CHANCE! We’ll have a short presentation, followed by discussion and time to answer any questions. Refreshments and light snacks will be provided. Friday, September 8th at 6:00pm At […]

July 13: Laborfest film screening – “Like Lions”

Thursday, July 13th, 6pm Berkeley City College auditorium, 2050 Center St. Berkeley Comme des Lions (Like Lions) is a 2016 French documentary by Françoise Davisse. It traces the struggle of auto workers in a factory in a poor suburb of Paris against PSA (Peugeot Citroën) management’s threat to close their plant. The title comes from the […]

May 24th: Revolution in the Summer of Love (Mat Callahan)

PM Press along with Revolutionary Workers Group presents Revolution in the Summer of Love, a talk with Mat Callahan in Berkeley, CA 50 years after the “Summer of Love,” join Mat Callahan on the California Book Tour for his new book The Explosion of Deferred Dreams: Musical Renaissance and Social Revolution in San Francisco, 1965–1975, […]

April 29, 2017: People’s Climate March (Oakland, CA)

This climate march is more important than in many previous years. The Earth is at stake due to climate change and the attacks of the Trump administration. We need to oppose those who threaten it for their own profit and greed. Saturday, April 29, 11am-5pm @ Lake Merritt Amphitheater in Oakland for more information about […]