Casey Given and UC Berkeley's Students for Liberty have been sympatico enough to indulge my slightly unorthodox requests for this event:
• This talk will be given by candlelight, so bring your candles! I recommend the ones that come in tall cylindrical thick glass, usually with labels of saints or religious iconography on the outside, because they are easy to carry and keep lit outside, and difficult to break, so very low fire hazard. Walgreens calls them "religious candles", and the store on Haight & Fillmore has them for $1.69 each or two for $3. You will need a "long lighter" ($1.79 each or two for $3 at the same Walgreens) to re-light them after the wax has burned down.
• If the weather is not inclement, we will be vacating 220 Wheeler Hall and proceeding to an outdoor location. No specific outdoor location has been planned, so if you arrive late and the room is empty, check the door for a note with directions if a location has not already been pre-announced.
• This is a "snack potluck" evening, so please bring a snack and/or intoxicant to share! Healthy snacks are especially welcome (we want our fellow freedom activists to enjoy good health and long lives so that they will be able to actively support the struggle and enjoy the blessings of liberty for many years to come!)
Red umbrellas have become a symbol of sex work rights (see historical note below). If you have a *red umbrella*, please bring it! Get further into the spirit of things by dressing in red/black. The presence of musical instruments such as drums, flutes, rattles, and other such can also greatly enhance atmosphere and draw more attention to a candlight procession and gathering, so bring your musical accompaniment of choice if the spirt moves you.
Don't just think of yourself as attending a talk -- think of yourself as an activist. The activist asks the question, "How can I use the synergy of this occasion to best promote freedom?" Here are a few ideas for synergistic action, or use your imagination to come up with others!
• bring your videocamera, still camera, or audio recorder and document the proceedings; afterward, upload what you've captured to YouTube, Facebook, etc.
• bring pro-freedom fliers and outreach materials to hand out to passers-by or put up around campus before, during, and/or after the talk. If you don't have any handy at home, there's lots of great stuff online that can be printed out (many ready-made fliers will be found in the form of PDF files). Don't forget your tape gun, staple gun, thumbtacks, or other means of affixing them to bulletin boards and the like
• bring a large, high-visibility item like a banner, flag, oversize puppet, or other art object
• bring materials to promote your student group! Information on upcoming events and how to get involved, promotional items, etc.
• bring chalk to scrawl messages on the pavement
• bring condoms to give away (available at places like the GLBT Community Center at 1800 Market Street, or probably from places like a student health center on campus)
• call and/or write to members of the media and invite them to come to this event and/or contact the speaker for an interview (feel free to distribute my phone number and email)
• create a homemade flier for the event to distribute in advance and hand out to passers-by at the event
• create a special item commemorating the event to give to participants, either gratis or for a donation (e.g. a homemade sticker, button, t-shirt, etc.)
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
History of the Red Umbrella (from http://swannet.org/node/1650)