51st Annual Debs - Thomas - Harrington Dinner

Working Together for Justice!

You are invited to participate in the 51st Annual Debs - Thomas - Harrington Dinner. It will be held on Friday evening, May 1st, at the Crowne Plaza Metro Chicago hotel, 733 W. Madison in Chicago. As always, it is a union hotel.

Wealthy conservatives think too much of themselves when they cry "class envy!" We do not envy them. We do not want their toys. We want justice. This year's Dinner will be a celebration: not of victory, but of conservatism's defeat; not of victory, but of the opportunity for justice. It will be a celebration of how we can achieve victory: by working together for justice. Our honorees exemplify this principle.

This year we are honoring Timuel D. Black, Jr. If you are at all familiar with Chicago politics, I'm sure your reaction will be, "It's about time!" Indeed: Professor Emeritus of Social Sciences at the City Colleges of Chicago; an activist in civil rights, electoral politics, peace, education, and community affairs; an educator; an historian; the author of Bridges of Memory (Volume 1 and Volume 2)- if you examine any of the major struggles for justice in Chicago over the past century, you're likely to find that Timuel Black had a hand in it. While it is true that the primary focus of his work has been the African-American community, his work has been done with the need for allies in mind; what was called, in the 1960s and 1970s, "coalition politics".

This year we are honoring Jane Ramsey, the Executive Director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Justice has been the goal of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and "coalition politics" has been the means since its founding over three decades ago. Whether it's civil rights or civil liberties or affordable housing or immigrant rights or labor rights, Jane Ramsey and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs have been there as an ally or as a leader.

Our featured speaker is Kim Bobo, Executive Director of Interfaith Workers Justice, another organization deeply involved in building coalitions. Kim Bobo is one of the best public speakers on the left in Chicago. She's also an author, having written two books on organizing. We expect to have copies of her latest book, Wage Theft in America, available for purchase at the Dinner.

Please accept our invitation to participate in the 51st Annual Debs - Thomas - Harrington Dinner. For information regarding individual tickets or reserved tables click here.

If you cannot attend, or even if you can, please consider participating in the Dinner Program Book with a message from you or your organization (congratulating the honorees, for example). For information about the Program Book click here.

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us at chiildsa /at/ chicagodsa.org.