On Saturday August 18, 2007, the Minnesota Chapter of the NLG will convene its Mid-Summer Salute to Local Defenders of Freedom from 5 - 8 pm at the Minnehaha Park Bandstand. This annual gathering recognizes many important progressive struggles that Guild members have had the honor to work with in the past year.

The Invitation

All Guild members, friends, allies, community cohorts, and fellow travelers are cordially invited to this Guild tradition. The picnic even has a theme song:

There’s a picnic for freedom, we want you to know.

Everyone’s invited; it’s liberty’s show.

Plenty good people, food and music on hand.

That’s why everybody’s headed to the Old Bandstand!

CHORUS: On August 18, August 18, (Prettiest day you’ve ever seen)

Bust out your banners, bring your green tambourine; Head down to Minnehaha on August 18.

The Minnehaha Park location for this historic picnic is significant for progressive issues (come learn why!) and the Bandstand offers a beautiful setting for the vibrant grass-roots communities of hope and resistance that we support in the Twin Cities.

The Menu

Guild members will provide a basic menu for this beautiful summer’s day picnic: corn on the cob, fruits of all sorts, iced beverages, as well as cups, napkins and tableware. Anything else you’d like to add to round out the table will be very much appreciated. The picnic will officially “open” at 5:00 p.m. so please bring food to share before then.

In past years, we have been honored to receive bountiful fare from a wide range of our community allies, including Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Maria Preciado, Communities United Against Police Brutality, The Southern Project, Northwest Area Foundation, General College Truth Movement, Keith Ellison, The McDonald Sisters, Anti-War Organizing League, Marissa Riviere, The Minnesota Tenants Union, Resource Center for the Americas, ACORN, African Americans Concerned Together, ISAIAH, North Country Coop, and Unite/HERE.

The Program

This year’s program will underscore the common ground of our various local grass roots struggles for peace and justice. We begin at 6:00 p,m. with a call to awareness by the Thunder Nation Drum Group. The struggle of indigenous people and their allies for justice against high odds is emblematic of so many of the struggles we have all waged this year.

Performers include Kalpulli Ketzal Coatlicue (spiritual fighters for justice), the McDonald Sisters (exemplifying the peace community’s stick-to-it-iveness), and mariachi singer Susy. Other groups contributing music, dance, or spoken word performers this year will include: Maria Inamagua Campaign for Justice, Tackling Torture at the Top, Somali Community of Minnesota, Minnesota Immigrants Freedom Network, Anti-War Committee, Communities United Against Police Brutality, ISAIAH, Somali Women and Children for Peace, ACORN, Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Coalition, Defeat the Real ID Coalition, Ayuno Singers, and maybe even the NLG Chapter itself.

For further information, contact Peter Brown at president@nlgminnesota.org.

Peter Brown at president@nlgminnesota.org for more information.