mass dissent · if you are interested in submitting an article, essay, analysis, or art work...

Guild Newspage 3

NLG Holiday Party in Picturespage 4

NLG International Committeepage 5

The Horror of Rana Plazapage 6

Class Conflict in Haitipage 7

Conversation with Anoush TerTaulian

page 9

Sailing on a Raft of my Bonespage 10

Mass DissentFebruary-March 2016 www.nlgmass.org Vol. 39, No. 1

The World Around Us & Our Work In It

February-March 2016

In This Edition

BOARD MEETING

February 16, 6:00 pm

14 Beacon St., 1st Fl.Boston

Massachusetts Chapter National Lawyers Guild 14 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108

This issue of Mass Dissenthas an international focus. Iinvited authors who have beendoing great work in support ofthose abroad engaged in fight-ing oppression. The articlesare necessarily short, and canonly give you a quick synop-sis. But I hope they sparkyour interest and contribute toyour experience of this ever-shrinking world we share withone another.

NLG members share aninformed understanding ofhow law has been used tooppress people and how it canbe used to help end oppres-sion. In our daily lives aslawyers, legal workers,activists, students, and espe-cially our prisoner members,we confront legal obstacleshead on and feel the contra-dictions full force. Butactivism comes in manyshapes and sizes. The authorsof the pieces in this issue areall involved in excellent work,“aiding and abetting” the cre-ation of a world where“human rights are more val-ued than property rights.”

As Donald Trump contin-

ues to buy seemingly endlessmedia coverage in his belli-cose campaign to “MakeAmerica Great Again,” ourneighbors to the south alsohave election worries. JudySomberg’s piece answers thequestion, “What does theNLG International CommitteeDo?” by sharing some of thehighlights of their workabroad in the past year inBolivia, Venezuela and Cuba.

Al Leisinger has beenworking in solidarity withteachers in Haiti for years andgives us his snapshot updateof conditions there.

Robert Ross shares someinsights on the secondanniversary of theBangladeshi sweatshop disas-ter at Rana Plaza.

And Anoush TerTaulianshares some of her reflectionswith me in a short interviewabout her fifty years of art andactivism. She graciously pro-vided a poem to close theissue.

With gratitude for all thegood work you all are doingand in solidarity.

- Beverly B. Chorbajian -

MassDissent 16/02_Layout 1 1/22/16 1:11 PM Page 1

February-March 2016 Mass Dissent

BOARD OF DIRECTORSCO-CHAIRPERSONS

Beverly Chorbajian, CPCSJonathan Messinger, LoveYourLawyer.com

TREASURERSJennifer Norris, Petrucelly, Nadler & NorrisJeff Petrucelly, Petrucelly, Norris & Minsch

MEMBERSMakis Antzoulatos, CPCS

Steven Buckley, Lawson & WeitzenEmily Camin, Litigation Committeekt crossman, Peoples’ Law ProjectHillary Farber, UMass Dartmouth

Jeff Feuer, Goldstein & FeuerJudith Glaubman, Freelance ResearcherStefanie Grindle, Grindle Robinson LLP

Stephen Hrones, Solo PractitionerDavid Kelston, Shapiro Weissberg & Garin

Halim Moris, Moris & O’SheaOren Nimni, Peoples’ Law Project

Leena Odeh, NortheasternJosh Raisler Cohn, CPCS

Rhonda Roselli, Solo PractitionerElaine Sharp, Solo PractitionerCarl Williams, ACLU of Mass.

LAW STUDENT REPRESENTATIVESDaniel Edelstein, Boston CollegeKatrina Myers, Boston University

Mihal Ansik & Ted Hamilton, HarvardFiza Najeeb, Northeastern

Rachel Chunnha, SuffolkTasha Marshall & Claudia Quintero,

Western New England

STAFFEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Urszula Masny-LatosLRS COORDINATOR/ADMIN. ASSIST.

Julia WedgleINTERNS

Rachel Chunnha (Suffolk) - Street Law Clinic

Mass Dissent (ISSN 0887-8536) is published sixtimes a year (February, April, June, September,October, December) by the National LawyersGuild, Mass. Chapter, 14 Beacon St., Suite 407,Boston, MA 02108. Second-class postage paidat Boston, MA. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Mass Dissent, NLG, 14 Beacon St.,Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108.

NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILDMassachusetts Chapter, Inc.

14 Beacon St., Suite 407Boston, MA 02108

tel.: 617-227-7335 • fax: [email protected] • [email protected]

www.nlgmass.org

Street Law Clinic Project: The Street Law Clinic project providesworkshops for Massachusetts organizations that address legal needs ofvarious communities. Legal education workshops on 4th AmendmentRights (Stop & Search), Landlord/Tenant Disputes, Workers’ Rights,Civil Disobedience Defense, Bankruptcy Law, Foreclosure PreventionLaw, and Immigration Law are held at community organizations, youthcenters, labor unions, shelters, and pre-release centers. If you are a Guildattorney, law student, or legal worker interested in leading a workshop,please contact the project at 617-723-4330 or [email protected].

Lawyer Referral Service Panel (LRS): Members of the panel providelegal services at reasonable rates. Referral Service Committee members:Benjamin Dowling, Sebastian Korth, Douglas Lovenberg, and JonathanMessinger. For more information, contact the LRS Coordinator at 617-227-7008 or [email protected].

Foreclosure Prevention Task Force: Created in June 2008, the TaskForce’s goal is threefold: (1) advocate for policies that address issuesfacing homeowners and tenants of foreclosed houses, (2) provide legalassistance to these homeowners and tenants, and (3) conduct legal clin-ics for them. If you are interested in working with the Task Force, pleasecall the office at 617-227-7335.

Mass Defense Committee: Consists of two sub-committees: (1) “LegalObservers” (students, lawyers, activists) who are trained to serve as legalobservers at political demonstrations and (2) “Mass Defense Team” (crim-inal defense attorneys) who represent activists arrested for politicalactivism. To get involved, please contact the office at 617-227-7335.

Litigation Committee: Established in 2010, the Committee bringscivil lawsuits against large institutions (such as government agencies,law enforcement, banks, financial institutions, and/or large corporations)that engage in repressive or predatory actions that affect large numbersof people and that serve to perpetuate social, racial and/or economicinjustice or inequality. To get involved, please contact the Guild office.

NLG National Immigration Project: Works to defend and extend thehuman and civil rights of all immigrants, both documented and undocu-mented. The Committee works in coalitions with community groups toorganize support for immigrant rights in the face of right-wing politicalattacks. For more information contact the NLG National ImmigrationProject at 617-227-9727.

NLG Military Law Task Force: Provides legal advice and assistanceto those in the military and to others, especially members of the GIRightsHotline, who are counseling military personnel on their rights. It alsoprovides legal support and helps to find local legal referrals when need-ed. For advice and information, GI’s can call 877-447-4487. To getinvolved, please contact Neil Berman ([email protected]) orMarguerite Helen ([email protected]).

Join a Guild Committee



ARTICLES FOR MASS DISSENTThe April issue of Mass Dissent will focus on women’s rights.

If you are interested in submitting an article, essay, analysis, or art work (cartoons, pictures) related to the topic,please e-mail your work to [email protected].

The deadline for articles is March 15, 2016.

GUILD NEWSYou

are invited to the “NLG Presents - Think & Drink” HappyHour - an event held quarterly on the 2nd Wednesdayof January, April, September, and November. Areport from the most recent Happy Hour is on page 4. Ifyou have ideas for a presentation or would like to be aspeaker, please call the NLG office at 617-227-7335.

NLGmembers are invited to the Annual Meeting onWednesday, March 16 (14 Beacon St., ConferenceRoom, 1st Fl., Boston). We will start at 5:30pm with awine & cheese reception, and then continue with shortreports from NLG committees and elections of ChapterOfficers and members of the Board of Directors. NLGMass Chapter members are encouraged to run in the

Board election. If you are interested in running, pleasecall the office at 617-227-7335.

Thisyear’s NLG Dinner will be on Friday, May 13, at theDante Alighieri Cultural Center in Cambridge. Weare thrilled to announce the 2016 NLG Honorees:Miriam Conrad and Judge Raymond Dougan(Lawyer Award), Jeff Petrucelly (LifetimeAchievement), Andrea James and Youth AgainstMass Incarceration (Legal Worker), and TashaMarshall and Trevor Maloney (Law Student). Thisyear’s honorees are an inspiration for all of us, and wehope you will join us on May 13th to celebrate theirachievements. Dinner invitations will be mailed in amonth. Please contact the NLG office if you have anyquestions (617-227-7335).

Street Law Clinic ReportSince the last issue of Mass Dissent, the following clinicsand trainings have been conducted for community organ-izations and agencies in our area:October 27, 2015: Legal Observing at the re-instal-ment of a Black Lives Matter banner at Arlington’sFirst Parish Church, by Barb Dougan.

November 18: Legal Observing at a protest organ-ized by Black Lives Matter students at Tufts andHarvard, by Emma Brenner-Bryant, HannahFreedman, James Gordon, Molly Schulman, andAlison Sikowitz.November 24: Legal Observing at an action organ-ized by Black Lives Matter at Harvard, by GabrielArkles, Genevieve Butler, Trevor Maloney(Northeastern), Eric Martin, and CourtneyPaterson (Harvard).

December 2: Legal Observing at a protest against

police brutality organized by Mass Action AgainstPolice Brutality, by Nadia Ben-Youssef and BenBrooks (Northeastern), Genevieve Butler, andMargaret Laffan.

December 11: Direct Action training for MassSenior Action Council in Dorchester, by kt cross-man and Jeff Feuer.December 12: Legal Observing at a protest againstthe Roxbury pipeline, by Alexis Erkert and MarielHooper.

December 14: Legal Observing at a protest againstMBTA cutbacks organized by Mass Senior ActionCouncil, by Trevor Maloney.

January 3, 2016: Direct Action training for BlackLives Matter in Cambridge, by Oren Nimni.

January 4: Legal Observing at a protest againstDonald Trump in Lowell, by Makis Antzoulatos.

NLG HAPPY HOUR

NLG ANNUAL MEETING

NLG ANNUAL DINNER



NLG 2015 Holiday Party in Pictures

Rhonda Roselli (left) and David Kelston (above) proudlyshow their raffle prizes they won. Josh Raisler Cohn (aboveleft) skillfully delivers prizes to the raffle winners.

NLG members and friends enjoyed a lovely evening with comrades, amazingfood, and great cheap wine.

Little Raffle Helpers, Arie & Lucy (left) worked diligently to make sure that manyattendees won great raffle prizes.

We congratulated Jeff Petrucelly (above left) on his recent retirement andthanked him for over 20 years of his service to the NLG as a co-treasurer of ourChapter. (Photos by Trevor Meloney)


or a virtually all-volunteercommittee, the NLG

International Committee does aphenomenal amount of workeach year. We organize delega-tions; write reports, fact sheetsand articles; hold seminars andwebinars; make films; participatein international conferences; andparticipate in and promote advo-cacy campaigns; all with the aimof educating our members, othersin the Guild, and the general pub-lic, and ultimately influencing U.S.foreign policy.

We seek to change U.S. for-eign policy that threatens, ratherthan engages, or is based on amodel of domination rather thanrespect. The Guild providesassistance and solidarity tomovements in the United Statesand abroad that work for socialjustice in this increasingly inter-connected world. In formulatingour positions and in carrying outour work, we look to partner withpeople and organizations in theirown countries who share our

non-interventionist perspectives. Here are some of the highlights ofour work from the past year:

Haiti: Through the Institute forJustice and Democracy in Haiti,we sent observers to the elec-tions in Haiti and wrote a report(available online) detailing theirregularities in the process. Thereport was cited in major newsmedia in the U.S.

Venezuela: We sent observersto the legislative elections inDecember and played a majorrole in the very small movementin the U.S. to support the gains ofthe Bolivarian Project and to callout constant U.S. interference inthe political process inVenezuela.

Honduras: A delegation trav-eled to Honduras to produce thefilm “ZEDEs: Neocolonialism andLand Grabbing in Honduras,”which documents the loomingthreat of the first semi-autonomous zones, known asZones for EconomicDevelopment and Employment

(ZEDEs), where control is cededto foreign investors.

Philippines: The NLG was aco-convener of the InternationalPeoples’ Tribunal on CrimesAgainst the Filipino People byPresident Benigno S. Aquino andthe U.S. Government, held inWashington, DC, in July.

Cuba: After many years of hardwork, we celebrated the releaseof the Cuban Five and the open-ing up of relations between theU.S. and Cuba.

Mexico: We co-sponsored theInternational Tribunal ofConscience on the Human RightsCrisis in Mexico, held in New YorkCity in September.

Beyond the work describedabove, our currently active sub-committees are: InternationalLabor Justice Working Group,Indigenous Rights Subcommit-tee, Palestine Subcommittee,Africa Subcommittee, IranSubcommittee, Human Rights


What Does the NLG International Committee Do?by Judy Somberg

F

Continued on page 8

Members of the joint NLG and Marin Interfaith Task Force delegation in front of the National Assembly in Venezuela in July 2015.


The Horror of Rana Plaza: What Happens WhenGovernment Doesn’t Enforce Labor & Health Laws


Backdrop of the Rana PlazaDisaster

On April 24, 2013 an eight-storybuilding housing five garment fac-tories collapsed in Savar,Bangladesh killing at least 1,138workers – perhaps the worstmanufacturing disaster in history. In its aftermath Bangladeshi laborunions, international union feder-ations and allied NGOs fromEurope and the U.S. pressed themajor Brands and Retailers toaddress the impunity with whichlocal garment factory owners andthe government had ignoredsafety issues and general work-ing conditions.

The Rana Plaza building wasdesigned as commercial spacefor four stories. The "permit" wasgiven only after the local mayor,impatient with the review of whatwas, after all, a wetland buildingsite, cut off the process and gavethe go ahead. The owner,described by Dhaka newspapersas a thug who did enforcererrands for a local political boss,then built the structure to eightstories and made only two com-mercial and the rest industrial --beyond the design loads.

The Bangladeshi Governmenthas not enforced either its build-ing code or its labor laws. ThirtyBangladeshi parliamentariansown garment factories (10% ofthe members) and many morehave family members who do.And a new report by the ILRFpresents testimony by scores ofworkers who are trapped in whatthe report calls “the social rela-tions of intimidation” whichinclude beatings by thugs andconnivance by police in sup-

pressing any attempts to formunions.

In the last two decades, aboom in Bangladesh garment mak-ing has spawned over 4,000 facto-ries, employing up to four millionworkers; over 80% of the nation’sexport earnings, and almost nonehave proper building permits.Workers report they are forced(contrary to local law) to work over-time without pay if they fall belowquota and that quotas get arbitrari-ly increased either as punishmentfor union activity or when minimumwages are increased.

Parallel Responses byGovernment and Private

SectorTwo years after the Rana Plazadisaster, in April 2015, I traveledto Bangladesh as part of anInternational Labor Rights Forum(ILRF) delegation to honor thedead and to investigate thereforms that followed. The pass-ing of the second anniversary ofthe collapse of Rana Plaza hadwitnessed incremental improve-ments in factory and worker safe-ty and the realistic promise ofmore accomplishments in thenext two years. These improve-ments have been obtainedthrough three separate but over-lapping initiatives: the buyermembership Accord on Fire andBuilding Safety in Bangladesh[“the Accord”], the Alliance forBangladesh Worker Safety [“theAlliance”] and the government’sNational Tripartite Plan of Action[“Tripartite Plan”].

The Accord is a legally bind-ing agreement between theWestern Brands and Retailers(“Buyers”), local labor unions, theIndustriALL Global Union, andU.S. and European NGO witness-

es. It requires disclosure of facto-ry utilization, detailed inspectionand publication of results, and aprotocol for Corrective ActionPlans. Led by over 200European brand signatories, inparticular H&M, it contains only ahandful of U.S. companies signedon. Because of its legally bindingnature and provision for workervoice in its governance, theAccord is both the main project ofthe labor movement and may bea template for progressive work inother countries.

The Alliance is led by theAmerican giants Wal-Mart andGAP. These buyers were not will-ing to be legally bound and do notinclude worker voice in their gov-ernance. They follow the sameinspection protocol as the Accordand have inspected many facto-ries and imposed CorrectiveAction Plans on the owners.Together, these two private planshave inspected about two-thirdsof the factories engaged in exportfor Western Brands.

Notably, the remaining one-third of the Bangladeshi garmentfactories have been inspected bythe Bangladeshi government’sTri-Partite National Action Planinspectors, newly energized afterthe Rana Plaza disaster. In otherwords, two-thirds of the inspec-tions are accomplished by the pri-vate corporations and one-thirdby the government. Bangladesh(with multinational corporate com-plicity) has condoned a regime offactory impunity where labor andsafety laws are enforced with thesame frequency as traffic laws inDhaka’s notorious monster jams –that is: never.

One context these workersexist in is the cruel constraints

by Robert J.S. Ross

Continued on page 8


he main conflict in Haiti todayis between the impoverished

working class, on the one hand,and the local bourgeoisie, sup-ported fully by the US govern-ment. The USA invaded Haiti 13times in the last 100 years, androutinely interferes with Haitianelections: promoting the removalof Aristide, placing current presi-dent Martely into power, and now,announcing that this month’selectoral farce is actually a “freeand fair” election. Martely, anadmitted former drug dealer, is aclose friend to former members ofthe Duvallier government’s hatedkillers, the Tontons Macoutes.

Haiti has 85% unemploy-ment, a minimum wage ofUS$2.00 per day, hundreds ofthousands still homeless after theJanuary 10, 2010 earthquake, nogood source of potable water,and an occupation army of UN“peacekeepers” called “MINUS-TAH”, who have committedwholesale rape, terror, robberyand theft, attacks on peacefuldemonstrations with live ammuni-tion, and many cases of outrightmurder. Still the Haitian popula-tion struggles to survive.

Cholera epidemic, caused bythe UN occupying force

Cholera, absent from Haiti for thelast 100 years, was brought to Haitiby Nepalese soldiers in the UN“peacekeeping” force when theirleaky toilets put cholera into theArtibonite river, Haiti’s main watersupply. A tenth of the populationhas been infected, and 10,000have died from this epidemic.

The legal responseLegal claims filed in November

2011 demanded that the UN:• Install a national water andsanitation system that will con-trol the epidemic;[Estimatedcost: US$2 billion]• Compensate individual vic-tims of cholera for their losses;and• Issue a public apology for itswrongful acts.

But 14 months later, the UN, andBan Ki-Moon himself, deniedthese claims as “not receivable.”

Next, a lawsuit (see http://www.ijdh.org/cholera/cholera-liti-gation/) was filed by the Boston-based Institute for Justice andDemocracy in Haiti in US FederalDistrict Court contending:

(a) Evidence for UN respon-sibility for cholera in Haiti isoverwhelming.(b) “MINUSTAH’s operationsin Haiti are governed by aStatus of Forces Agreement(SOFA), which (protects)MINUSTAH from actions inHaitian courts. To balance thisimmunity, the SOFA requiresthe establishment of an inde-pendent Standing ClaimsCommission to hear claims andcompensate victims … injuredby UN activities. Despite thisrequirement, no commissionhas been established duringMINUSTAH’s mandate in Haiti.In fact, no Standing ClaimsCommission has been estab-lished in over 60 years of UNpeacekeeping anywhere, eventhough most SOFAs requireone.” (from the above website).(c) Therefore the UN standsresponsible for these claims.The US Government (andObama administration) oppos-es this lawsuit and filed aStatement of Interest opposingthe lawsuit.

Dominican Republic engagesin grievous deportations of its

own citizensIn 2015, the Dominican Republicpromulgated a viciously racistpolicy of deporting people born inthe DR but who are of Haitianancestry. This is being carried outnow (based on September 2013legislation in DR). A recent articledescribes conditions for depor-tees including pregnant women,unaccompanied children underthe age of 4, with no change ofclothes or food, children whoseparents were left behind(http: / / lagosehait i .com/a- la-une/la-fondation-zanmi-timoun-denonce-laugmentation-des-enfants-rapatries/). The Haitianand U.S. governments minimizesuch conditions.

Haitian working class fightsback

The militant teachers’ unionUNNOH has called for a nationalteachers’ strike vs. unfulfilled gov-ernmental promises to improveteachers’ working conditions andstudent learning. The groupBataye Ouvriye (“workers’ strug-gle”) is organizing factory workersin the “free trade zones” whereeven the minimal labor rightsguaranteed by Haitian labor lawhave no force. School headmas-ters protested at year endbecause Haitian governmentfailed to pay them, thus theyhaven’t been able to pay teachersfor many months. Even 300employees of MINUSTAH protest-ed because they are cheated ontheir pension payments.

by Al Leisinger

Al Leisinger is a Boston-areaactivist and friend of Haiti. Heworks at the Department ofMathematics at UMass Boston.

The Current Crisis of Class Conflict in Haiti


T


posed by the Race to the Bottomand what has been called South-South competition. Low-incomecountries – their employers andtheir governments – competewith each other to keep labor andregulatory costs low. Accordadministrators’ demands that fac-tories producing for the Accord’sBuyers (i.e., all the big EuropeanBrands and retailers) meethumane standards have beenmet with faux nationalist com-plaints about “violation of sover-eignty”.

These conditions and thiscontext provide very narrowchannels through whichBangladeshi workers or workersin many of the competing jurisdic-tions (Pakistan, India, Vietnam,Myanmar /Burma, Cambodia)can succeed in protecting them-selves.

The Accord required hiringscores of inspectors, inspecting1600 (out of about 4000) facto-ries, creating Corrective Plans forabout 1400 factories. It requiresorganizing mandatory electedworker safety committees in eachof the 1660 covered factories, ineffect, a shadow Labor/OSHAMinistry. But Private. Notresponsible to the elected gov-

ernment (thankfully?). As of 2015, the Accord

appears to be the more signifi-cant of these initiatives, and cer-tainly the one most influenced bythe local labour movement, itsinternational labour movementallies, and the international NGOsassociated with the anti-sweat-shop campaigns of the last twodecades.

American labor history teach-es us that decent conditions forworkers rest on three pillars: (1)worker self-defense and organi-zation; (2) alliance with alliesacross industries and class; and(3) together with allies, achievingpublic policies that protect bothprocedural rights (to join unionsand bargain collectively) and sub-stantive ones (minimum wageand maximum hours; health andsafety). If government cannot orwill not enforce the labor laws,the first two pillars can still sup-port some change. But not allthat is needed, and not in the faceof state-inspired violence.

With Bangladeshi govern-ment inaction, but fearful of theirreputational risk in an environ-ment where repeated disastershave been laid at their doors, theBrands have become StrangeAllies in a wrestling match withlocal factory owners. The

Brands don’t want to pay more forthe clothes from safe factories.But they don’t want scores ofworkers dying in places fromwhich they can be found to havehad their clothes made. And theydon’t want to pay more to capital-ize the necessary changes.

In 1942 Dooley Wilson unfor-gettably sang As Time Goes By inCasablanca. But the film versionleaves out two stanzas from the1931 original composition, whichincludes a reference to Einstein,and these lines:

And no matter what the progress

Or what may yet be proved The simple facts of life are

such They cannot be removed.

Removing the simple facts ofimpunity and danger remains thetask of Bangladeshi workers andtheir real allies.

Continued from page 6

The Horror of Rana Plaza

Robert Ross, the ResearchProfessor of Sociology at TheMosakowski Institute for PublicEnterprise at Clark University, isthe author of “Slaves to Fashion”about sweatshops. He can bereached at [email protected].


Framework Project, Environ-mental Human RightsSubcommittee, Puerto RicoSubcommittee, MENA ActionCommittee, and the Task Forceon the Americas.

It’s a great bunch of peoplewho work with the International

Committee, but like most volun-teer organizations with membersspread out across the country, itcan be a little hard for someonenew to figure out how to getinvolved. But don’t be shy! Wewelcome lawyers, students, andlegal workers. First, take a lookat our website (http://www.nlgin-ternational.org/), then considerjoining -- instructions are on thewebsite. In any event, considercoming to our upcoming National

Lawyers Guild InternationalWeekend (url upcoming once it’sposted on the website) inWashington, DC, from February19 to 21. There is no charge!And feel free to contact me if youwant more information:[email protected].

International

Judy Somberg, a member of theMass Chapter of the Guild, is asolo practitioner in Cambridge.



Anoush TerTaulian is an activistand political artist. She lives inNew York City.

Beverly Chorbajian: Tell meabout how you got started?When did it start for you?Anoush TerTaulian: I wasraised in an assimilated house-hold. My mother was an Armenianfrom India and she never talkedabout who we were. I onlylearned about the genocide when Iwent to college at UCLA. But ithappened fast. I discovered bookswith pictures of the genocide and Irealized what had happened andhow it had been kept quiet – hownobody knew about it or talkedabout it. My first action was at anArmenian Students Associationevent. We built an exhibit, put upall these pictures about the geno-cide. Immediately, the TurkishConsulate contacted theUniversity and threatened to suethem. The University officialswere scared – they forced us totake the exhibit down. That wasthe beginning for me. I decided Ineeded to keep doing this. Next Iprinted a thousand flyers and wasposting them all over town. BC: So was it a genocide recog-nition thing?AT: No, it was bigger. It wasalways bigger for me. It was awomen thing and a people of colorthing. This was the 70’s inBerkeley. There was a lot of dis-cussion about people of color. Iwas doing all kinds of work in sol-idarity with people of color, espe-cially women of color. They weresaying there were Africans,Asians, Latinas and NativeAmericans. That’s it. And I said

no, there are also Near Easternwomen – Middle Eastern women.I knew my people did not engagein slavery or genocide or imperial-ism like Europeans. I knew I was-n’t European. They said no you’reEuropean. It was crazy. Nobodyknew their geography. Theythought Armenia was in Europe. BC: Has your art always beenpolitical?AT: I did a lot of differentthings. I sold my car and went toNairobi for the InternationalConference on the Status ofWomen. When I started puttingout information on the genocide,the Turks tried to shut me downagain. The women from PapuaNew Guinea actually protectedme and allowed me to work intheir area. From there I went toKenya and taught there for awhile. Everywhere I go, I aminterested in making connections.Cultural connections. I got veryinvolved with all these other cul-tures and learning their music anddance. I put together a proposalto teach art to women prisoners ata federal penitentiary in northernCalifornia. The warden was veryprogressive. They let me comein with goat skins and we madedrums. We had mock trials, fash-ion shows, expressive dancing,painting, poetry. Every week Iwould show up with six dufflebags of equipment. They nevereven looked at it. BC: You couldn’t do that today.AT: Yes it was the 70’s. I didthat for eight years. BarryGoldwater was forcing theNavajo off their land and arrest-ing grandmothers. We took upthe slack and watched their sheep

for them in solidarity. It wasaround that time, spending a lotof time on issues of indigenouspeople that I realized Armenianswere indigenous people. I startedattending indigenous peoples’conferences, and meetings at theUN, arguing for the recognitionof Artsakh (a.ka. Nagorno-Karabagh). BC: How did you become a sol-dier?AT: In 1988, I was attending thehearings of indigenous people atthe UN. Then the Armenianearthquake happened. I realized Ineeded to go and try to help. WhenI got there I met Monte Melkonian(U.S. born commander of inde-pendence army) at a hostel. Hetold me the soldiers needed bootsand supplies. He told me I shouldgo and make videos to bring backto show people who might donateto help the freedom fighters. So Iwent. I had never been in a warzone and suddenly I was seeingheadless bodies every day. Iended up staying with the libera-tion forces for eight years doingall kinds of things helping thefighters – men and women. I wentback later and filmed the womenand children of Artsakh.BC: Did you suffer any injuriesthere?AT: I didn’t really know it at thetime, but because I was in thefront lines, in 1992 they werebombing constantly. I wasexposed to grad missiles everyday. Now they have found cad-mium, arsenic, mercury, all theseheavy metals in me. I ingested it– the air and the water. I havetrouble walking now. I have metal

Continued on page 11


Conversation with Anoush TerTaulian



I read this poem at The Tribute To Our Ancestors Of The Middle Passage which annuallytakes place in Coney Island as a memorial to all the Africans that died during the slave tradein the Atlantic, which is the largest graveyard in the world.

________________________________________

by Anoush TerTaulian

Quivering fingers are a signQuivering fingers are a sign of lifeStretching up through the concrete coffins Pressing on my breastsCome closerBreathe your caring into meSo that I can inhale the sunrise

It is so hard for us to breatheMother Earth is also suffocating undermillions of tons of real estate developers rape concreteWe are cracking, exploding, tumblingReleasing into each other becomingScattered parts of an infinite universe

Inside my eyelids oceans roarI am sailing on a raft of my bonesIn the choppy sea I can see 250,000 Haitian bone raftsGuided by the luminous skeleton partsSunk deep in the Atlantic, of the 100 millionAfricans killed in the Middle PassageOur bones fuse together, the yearning, returningCrashing on the shores of the motherlandWhile the daily unnatural disasters Caused by Conquerors - Genocide, Slavery, Poverty continue

In an instant your life can change for the worseIn an instant your life can change for the betterAyibobo Ayiti, Hail to the SpiritsSuccessful slave rebellion, Voodoo Queen, 1st Black RepublicAyibobo Ayiti shackled to corrupt governmentsBacked by US imperialism, but Ayiti you are still fragrant With the spirit of justice and resistanceAyibobo Ayiti Hail to the SpiritsHail to the Spirits

I Am Sailing On A Raft Of My Bones



NLG Massachusetts Chapter Sustainers YES, INCLUDE MY NAME AMONG NLG MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER

SUSTAINERS!

I, _____________________________________, ammaking a commitment to support the MassachusettsChapter of the Guild with an annual contribution of:

_____ $500 (not including my membership dues)

$ ________ (other amount above $500)

As a sustainer I will receive:• special listing in the Dinner Program;• 1/8 page ad in the Dinner Program;• acknowledgement in every issue of Mass Dissent;• two (2) free raffle tickets for a Holiday Party raffle;• invitation to special events.

Three ways to become a sustainer:• contribute $500 or more a year (in addition to dues)• pair up with another person and pay $250 each, or• join the “Guild Circle” and pay $50/month minimum.

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poisoning. But nobody knew thenit was happening all around us. Iwanted to take those pictures. Iwanted to document these coura-geous people defending theirhomeland. My homeland. But Iam very independent and outspo-ken. It was time to move on…BC: How did you get involvedwith Occupy?AT: How could you not?Occupy Wall Street -- It wasactivist heaven. I set up a tableand every day there werereporters listening to what every-body was saying. It was so great.Then I was there when a thousandcops came and tore it all down. BC: How old are you now?AT: I’m 66. It’s hard. But it’s

my destiny to put this informa-tion out there. If it saves oneArmenian who doesn’t knowwho they are its worth it. Youknow when I got back fromArtsakh, I saw a U.S. soldier onthe street here. He had anArmenian name tag. I asked himwhy is going off killing innocentpeople, he should be fighting inArtsakh for Armenians. He did-n’t know where Armenia was.Never heard of it. Schools don’tteach it. BC: Why do you do it?AT: For me, as an activist andan artist, my paintings, poetry,speeches, any way I can get themessage out I will. People needto learn about each others strug-gles to overcome imperialism andracism, all this shit we live with.We are all one. We need torespect one another and learn

about eachother. I’ll keep at it. Iwas invited to speak again thisyear at the New Left Forum. Youshould go.BC: How did the “Raft ofBones” poem come about?AT: After the 2010 Haitianearthquake, I thought of a friendwho was under the rubble forthree days before she was rescuedduring the 1988 ArmenianEarthquake in Spitak. In solidar-ity with the Haitian earthquakevictims, I wrote this poem "I AmSailing On A Raft Of My Bones".I have read it on Haitian radioand at Haitian events, and at TheTribute To Our Ancestors Of TheMiddle Passage which annuallytakes place in Coney Island as amemorial to all the Africans thatdied during the slave trade in theAtlantic, which is the largestgraveyard in the world.


Anoush TerTaulian


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