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Support Libraries / Stop War: 24-Hour Salinas Read-In Stage

by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
Hundreds joined and propelled a 24-hour festival to save the Salinas libraries this weekend, 1 pm April 2 to 2pm April 3, 2005. First photo: Poet Jose Montoya.
1-jose-montoya.jpg
Hundreds joined and propelled a 24-hour festival to save the Salinas libraries this weekend, 1 pm April 2 to 2pm April 3, 2005*.

Gathered around the Cesar Chavez Public Library, slated for closure along with the entire Salinas library system due to budget shortfalls, local and regional authors, poets, activists, artists, and other library supporters brought the “Emergency 24-hour “Read-In”” to life. With a small tent city erected on the back lawn, and pro-library/anti-war banners hanging from the fences, the non-stop rally and read-in featured a non-stop “reading throne” by the library’s front door, a main 24-hour stage on the other side, along with organization booths and information tables.

Many in attendance repeatedly made reference to the fact that hundreds of billions have now been spent on the unjust Iraq War, and yet five million dollars cannot be found to keep the Salinas libraries open. For one speaker, Fernando Suarez, this issue went beyond simple economics when he told of how his son joined the U.S. Army and was later killed fighting in Iraq. Fernando is now a member of Gold Star Families for Peace.

Sponsors of the Emergency 24-Hour Read-In were CODEPINK, Salinas Action League, United Farmworkers of America, AFL-CIO, La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), Global Exchange, and The Citizen Project. Not in Our Name Bay Area was one of co-sponsors. *Day light savings change.
§Author Maxine Hong Kingston
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
2-maxine-hong-kingston.jpg
§UFW Supporter being interviewed
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
3-intv.jpg
§Author Alicia Rodriguez Valdez
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
4-alicia-rodriguez-valdez.jpg
§Drummers
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
5-drums.jpglph0bb.jpg
§Author Anne Lamot
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
7-anne-lamot.jpg
§Poet Gary Soto
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
8-gary-soto.jpg
§Local Band
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
9-local-band.jpg
§Author Lynn Correa
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
10-lynn-correa.jpg
§Author Norman Solomon
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
11-norman-solomon.jpg
§Youth reader, main stage, 3 AM
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
12-chicken-soup.jpg
§Political Events Commentator Skoop Nisker
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
13-skoop-nisker.jpg
§Sing-a-long
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
14-song.jpg
§Sing-a-long
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
15-sing-a-long.jpg
§Speaker
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
16-speaker.jpg
§One-man rendition of Homer's 'The Illiad'
by Jeff Paterson, Not in Our Name (jeff [at] paterson.net)
17-play.jpg
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me again
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