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Support Libraries / Stop War: 24-Hour Salinas Read-In Stage
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.
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.
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.
For more information:
http://bayarea.notinourname.net
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I'm so glad someone got of picture of Carlos Castro of Salinas. He woke up at 5AM to help read for over an hour chapters of Chicken Soup for Kids. Special thanks to late night readers!
MY SON'S FIRST VISIT TO THE CESAR CHAVEZ LIBRUARY IN SALINAS WILL BE REMEMBERED ALWAYS... I WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND, BUT MY HUSBAND AND TWO SONS WERE ABLE TO DO A READING. MY SPIRIT WAS WITH EVERY ONE THERE THAT WEEKEND. "MORE POWER TO THE LIBRUARIANS AND THE PEPLE WHO MAKED THIS HAPPEN".
GOOOOOO MHK!
GOOOOOOOO MHK!!!
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