Social justice calendar

NUVO Staff

The Annual Steinberger Lecture in History
Featuring Greg Grandin
Wednesday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.
Butler University Robertson Hall, Johnson Room
Free

Greg Grandin, associate professor of history at New York University, will discuss how the ideas that coalesced after Sept. 11 behind Bush and his doctrine of preemptive warfare originated in an aggressive Latin American policy during the ’70s and ’80s.

Grandin is the author of The Blood of Guatemala: A History of Race and Nation, which won the Latin American Studies Association Bryce Wood Prize, and of The Last Colonial Massacre: Latin America and the Cold War. An academic, activist and journalist, he has written on human rights, political violence, social movements and U.S.-Latin American relations. He is currently working on a book tentatively titled Empire’s Workshop: The Latin American Roots of the Bush Doctrine.

Paws for a cause

Mardi Paws
Thursday, March 2, 5:30 p.m.
The Bourbon Street Distillery, 361 Indiana Ave.
$25 or $50 tax-deductible donation

This fun, after-work fund-raiser benefits the Friends of Indianapolis Animal Care & Control Foundation, which supports the city animal shelter. The event will feature raffle prizes and the groovy sounds of the Leisure Kings. The music, humor, special effects and other elements of the Leisure Kings combine to create a show unlike any other.

The Mardi Gras theme is especially apropos this year. In the devastating wake of Hurricane Katrina, Indianapolis Animal Care & Control sent staff and volunteers, who utilized a pull-behind recreational vehicle purchased by the foundation, to recover lost pets in Louisiana and Mississippi.

In the coming months, the foundation’s RV will travel to Indianapolis neighborhoods and provide low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and microchipping, as well as attend adoption fairs with plenty of loving, wonderful pets available for adoption. Among other animal welfare needs, the proceeds from the fund-raiser will be used to support operations of the RV.

For additional information visit www.friendsofindyacc.org.

First Tuesdays continues

First Tuesdays
ACLU of Indiana
Tuesday, March 7 at noon
Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington St.
Free

The ACLU of Indiana continues its “First Tuesdays” series, a monthly program of free public discussions about vital issues of the day, with a March 7 discussion “Spying on Americans: Where Do We Draw the Line?” Guests include Pierre Atlas, professor of political science at Marian College and director of the Franciscan Center for Global Studies, and an agent from the Indianapolis division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). All are invited to bring their lunches and listen while experts from various perspectives present their views and respond to audience questioning.

Looking ahead

Peace Rally
March 18, 1 p.m.
Monument Circle
Indiana Event Cost: free with an opportunity to make a donation
Web site: www.hoosiersforpeace.org

Hoosiers for Peace Rally will mark the third year of an unjust war. Hoosiers will have an opportunity to contact their representatives, listen to distinguished speakers, hear inspirational music and network with others who are against the war and interested in promoting peace. The rally will be family-friendly and the focus will be on how families are affected by war, i.e. losing their loved ones, and a plea to representatives to reset budget priorities with the needs of the family in mind. The theme is “Honor the Dead, Heal the Wounded, End the War.”

NUVO’s annual Cultural Vision Award winners announced

Over 75 nominees were considered for recognition for exceptional contribution to the arts, social justice and culture of Indianapolis. The 2006 award recipients include:

The Hampton Sisters Jazz Ensemble (Lifetime Achievement)

ACLU of Indiana 
Liz Barden, Big Hat Books
Lisa Freiman, Indianapolis Museum of Art, contemporary art curator
Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission
Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association
Justice for Janitors
Todd Robinson, Luna Music
Planned Parenthood
Regina Marsh, Forest Manor Multi-Service Center