Speakers and workshops at Los Angeles Socialism Conference

On Saturday, May 21, the Party for Socialism and Liberation will hold a day-long, regional conference on socialism in Los Angeles. Discussion and presentations will focus on the alternative to capitalist exploitation—and what we can do to get there. Topics will range from the movements against war and occupation to the attacks on working people at home.

Whether you just want to learn more about socialism or find out how you can get involved in the struggle against the criminal capitalist system, this conference has something for you! Don’t miss this opportunity to take part in workshop discussions and enjoy great political speakers and organizers!

Speakers Include:

	Featured Speaker Richard Becker Richard Becker is a national leader of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the West Coast Coordinator of the anti-imperialist ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). He lives in San Francisco. Richard’s highly insightful articles analyzing the political landscape of the Middle East and U.S. imperialist intervention there appear regularly in Liberation Newspaper and on PSLweb.org. Richard also is the author of “Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire.”
	Special Guest Speaker Juan Jose Gutierrez Juan Jose Gutierrez is the director of the immigrant rights organization, Vamos Unidos USA, and the coordinator of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition. He is a leading organizer in the movement for immigrant rights in the United States. Juan Jose was a principle leader and organizer of the March 25 massive march in Los Angeles in 2006, and countless others since then, including this year’s May 1 march that drew tens of thousands to the streets.
	Peta Lindsay Peta Lindsay is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is currently working toward a Masters degree in Education. Peta is a founding member of the PSL and an organizer in Los Angeles.
	Mike Prysner Michael is an Iraq war veteran and a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. He is a founding member of March Forward!, an organization of veterans and active-duty troops. Since its launch in 2009, March Forward! has been widely covered in the mainstream and alternative press for its work building the anti-war and social justice movement within the military and among veterans. Mike is a noted commentator on the wars and U.S. foreign policy, speaking around the country and internationally, and appears regularly on a variety of media outlets.
	Special Guest Speaker Angela Bartolome Angela Bartolome is the Los Angeles Coordinator of AF3IRM (Association of Filipinas, Feminists Fighting Imperialism, Re-feudalization, & Marginalization). She is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach and a graduate student at the USC School of Social Work.
	Muna Coobtee Muna Coobtee is a founding member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and a member of the ANSWER Coalition Steering Committee in Los Angeles, representing the Free Palestine Alliance. Muna is also a member of the Palestinian American Women’s Association and a 2011 graduate from the USC School of Social Work.
	Stevie Merino Stevie Merino is a student at Cerritos College where she co-founded Students Fight Back. Stevie ran for Mayor of Long Beach as an open socialist and member of the PSL in 2010, garnering over 15 percent of the vote.

Workshops Include:

Myths and facts about socialism and revolution

We’ve been told our whole lives that socialism is impossible—that it doesn’t work, or that it isn’t even possible in the United States. We beg to differ and offer a bold, optimistic look ahead to a better future for all workers.

Students and workers fight against budget cuts

This workshop will focus on the recently intensified attacks on students, teachers and all working people in California and how organized and unorganized workers are fighting back. Speakers include union representatives and public school teachers, students and organizers for women’s equality.

Socialism and the Latin American rebellion

The struggle for socialism and true independence in Latin America is a reality. With Cuba leading the way and new alliances stemming from Venezuela’s Boliviarian revolution, workers and the poor are standing up to U.S. imperialist domination. Find out about new developments in Cuba, what’s happening in Venezuela and discuss the leftward shift in the region. (This workshop will be conducted in Spanish.)

Stop the cops: Bad apples or a rotten tree?

Police brutality is an epidemic. Black and Latino youth suffer the most repression in cities like Los Angeles. But why does this happen? Is it just a handful of “bad cops” or is it a systemic problem? Hear from anti-police brutality organizers about the role of law enforcement under capitalism and how we can organize to stop racist repression facing working-class communities.

Cultural revolution: Creating people’s art and media

Art and media help shape the way people think. But under capitalism art is a commodity for sale. And the corporate media gives an anti-worker line. Hear from artisits, filmmakers and organizers who work to promote art as an essential component to the revolutionary struggle in the United States. There will be presentations, photos and brief video shown as well.

A Marxist perspective of the Arab revolts

2011 brought a new wave of revolt to the Arab world. The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt shook the world and dislodged entrenched U.S. puppet leaders. But a working-class analysis of the revolts is key. The U.S. government and its NATO allies launched a brutal war on the people of Libya under the guise of supporting “democracy.” They are threatening Iran and Syria, while sanctioning massacres in Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen. Discuss the uprisings in the Arab world and the main tasks of activists and organizers in the United States. 
 

*Suggested donation: $7-10. No one turned away for lack of funds. Lunch will be served.

Sponsored by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. For more info: 323-810-3380 or [email protected].