"Conversations in Nonviolence" with Bob Fitch

Conversations in Nonviolence

Thursday June 5 at 7:30 pm
Resource Center for Nonviolence
515 Broadway, Santa Cruz

The Resource Center for Nonviolence is hosting a series of "Conversations in Nonviolence," a series of informal conversations with local activists who have chosen nonviolence as a strategy for social change.

This Thursday's Conversation features Bob Fitch speaking on "Doing Non Violence in My Back Yard"

Bob Fitch's 48 years or peace and justice work started during his teen years growing up in Berkeley, CA around Socialist and CP organizer families. Youthful apprenticeships included working with the southern Black Civil Right Movement (Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC) and the United Farmworker Union (AFL-CIO).

Less known experiences are active labor movement membership (United Food and Commercial Workers, The Operating Engineers 3E, SEIU 1000), community activities (environment, schools) and a lifetime of draft resistance and GI Rights organizing.

Bob organized the Viet Nam era west coast Sanctuary church movement (foundation for the Sanctuary movement serving the Central and Latin American underground) and was a founder (with April Burns, Carl Stancil, and Joe Williams) of the model CA Central Coast GI Rights counselling team which is currently associated with RCNV.

Bob Lives in Watsonville, CA where he manages photo archives he produced during his various adventures and where he remains active in community empowerment programs.

Recommended reading: THE LONG HAUL, Myles Horton; WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE, Martin Luther King Jr.; RULES FOR RADICALS, Saul Alinsky; TO THE MOUNTAINTOP, Stewart Burns; LABORS UNTOLD STORY, Richard Goyer & Herbert Morais; AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOMX, Alex Haley; WRETCHED OF THE EARTH, Franz Fanon; A FORCE MORE POWERFUL, Peter Ackerman & Jack Duvall.

Watch for others in this series:

Thursday, June 12, Luis Alejo, a lawyer, one of the founders of the Brown Berets, formerly with California Rural Legal Assistance, now serving on the Monterey Superior Court and a long-time Watsonville activist.

Thursday, June 19, Louise and Joel Wallock, talking about their experiences teaching conflict resolution in India.