ALBA News

Nora Guthrie Featured in Susman Lecture on December 4

Join us on Sunday, December 4, at 3PM EST/12PM PST, for a live Zoom presentation with Nora Guthrie, daughter of singer and activist Woody Guthrie (1912-67), whose recording of Jarama Valley is legendary, and who in 1952 wrote a series of songs against Franco. Ms. Guthrie began her career as a modern dancer, founded the Woody Guthrie Archives in 1992, and is president of Woody Guthrie Publications. The event will be a conversation between Guthrie and ALBA Board Member Peter Glazer, followed by a Q&A with the audience. A recording of the event will be available on ALBA’s YouTube channel.

Stay Tuned for ALBA Workshops and Screenings in the Spring

As this issue goes to press, the ALBA office is busy finalizing the event calendar for January, February and March, which will include online workshops and film screenings as part of the ongoing Perry Rosenstein Cultural Series. To stay informed, keep an eye out for our email newsletters (sign up through info@ alba-valb.org) or connect with us through social media (Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram).

San Francisco Bay Area Gala Inspires

Drawing close to 1,000 viewers, ALBA’s Bay Area gala on October 15 offered an inspiring mix of history, music, and activism. Richard Bermack moderated the online event. Activist Jeff Chang presented a powerful keynote address (available at albavolunteer.org), linking the struggle against racism and fascism today with the values and commitments of the men and women who confronted fascism some 80 years ago. Pat Riccards, Executive Director of Life After Hate (LAH), explained how the organization works to move potentially violent people into more peaceful lives. LAH received this year’s ALBA/Puffin Human Rights Activism award. The $100,000 award is among the world’s largest annual prizes and aims to keep alive the spirit of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade who fought in Spain to defend democracy. ALBA associate Nancy Tsou presented a slideshow about the various Asian volunteers who joined the International Brigades, part of her deep research project with her husband Len. Last year, ALBA’s Board issued a statement condemning the rise of anti-Asian violence in the US. The highlight of the day was the musical program led by Bruce Barthol, Peter Glazer, and Richard Bermack, ending with Salud! Salud! Salud! The entire event is available for view on ALBA’s YouTube channel.

Holocaust Round Table Highlights Spanish and IB Role in World War II

On October 20, a panel of ALBA scholars treated an online audience of 250 to a fascinating conversation about the connections between the Spanish Civil War and the Holocaust, including the role of Spanish and IB veterans in the anti-Nazi resistance, their deportation to Nazi camps such as Mauthausen, and Franco’s close relations with the Axis powers. After presentations by ALBA board members Gina Herrmann and Robert Coale, as well as scholars Sara Brenneis and Joshua Goode (our book review editor), a lively Q&A with the audience followed. The entire event is available for view on ALBA’s YouTube channel.

ALBA Offers Teaching Workshops in Pittsburgh and New York

On November 2 and November 8, ALBA offered two teaching workshops at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh) and New York City to a combined audience of around 100 teachers and students. Focusing on the relationship among fascism, antifascism, and human rights, the participants—including both K-12 and college teachers—worked with primary courses ranging from the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Cold War, and the contemporary period in order to develop lesson plans for History, Spanish, English, and other subjects.

New Online Teaching Workshop March 2-April 15

Continuing its successful model, ALBA is once again joining with the Massachusetts-based Collaborative for Educational Services to offer a five-week online teaching workshop on “The United States and World Fascism from the Spanish Civil War to Nuremberg and Beyond—Teaching Human Rights Today.” To sign up, go to alba-valb.org/education/teaching-institutes Optional graduate credit is available.

Photography and War: An Online Conversation

As part of the Perry Rosenstein Cultural Series, on November 16 ALBA Chair Sebastiaan Faber held an online conversation with Carole Naggar, whose biography of the Polish-American photographer David “Chim” Seymour appeared earlier this year. The conversation focused on Chim’s work in the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the postwar years, as well as the way his work reflects a deep commitment to humanism.

ALBA Joins Three Conferences

On November 2, ALBA Board Member Nancy Wallach and Executive Assistant Dennis Meaney gave a presentation about ALBA’s teaching workshops and Watt Essay Contest at “Antifascism in the 21st Century,” a two-day conference organized by Fraser Ottanelli and Mary Anne Trasciatti at Hofstra University in Long Island. In early September, Meaney also attended the Socialism 2022 Conference in Chicago on ALBA’s behalf. On September 14, Wallach presented at a Symposium on the Visionary Art of Ralph Fasanella at Michigan State University.