The protests in Wisconsin are reaching a fever pitch in the wake of Senate Republicans rushing through a bill to ban collective bargaining for public unions. Wisconsin, Madison student groups like the TAA are helping to plan what they say will be the biggest day of action yet this Saturday, and 150,000 people are expected to darken the Capitol’s doorsteps and express their disapproval of Scott Walker’s actions.

In other events, artistic activism holds a prominent place in this week’s round-up, with a theatrical interpretation of sexism, a gallery show on the immigrant experience and a New Hampshire professor’s wealth of stories from the Buddhist heartland in Tibet. All of these events are open to the general public.

WE ARE WISCONSIN

WHAT: We Are Wisconsin Statewide Day of Action

WHEN: Saturday March 12, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

WHERE: Statewide, Culminating at the Capitol, Wisconsin

This Saturday marks the kick-off day of action of the We Are Wisconsin coalition, which represents the combined efforts of the Wisconsin labor and advocacy communities towards a common goal: taking action to defend workers’ fundamental right to collectively bargain, and to stand up to the most egregious, short-sighted and ideology-driven power-grabs in the proposed budget. Saturday morning and early afternoon will be another full-court press on mobilization in every community in Wisconsin, then at 3:00, come to the State Street side of the Capitol for a major rally.

IMMERSED IN THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE IN OHIO

WHAT: Crossing the BLVD: Strangers, Neighbors, Aliens in a New America

WHEN: Tuesdays to Saturdays through March 26, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm

WHERE: Ohio State University, OSU Urban Art Space, 50 W. Town St., Columbus OH

The artists started the project in 1999 when they began conducting workshops for new immigrants to recount their experiences. Eleven years later, Crossing the BLVD has grown into a multifaceted documentation of a peoples’ experience, consisting of an award-winning book, CD, website, performances, public radio documentaries, and traveling exhibition.

DENOUNCING DICKISH BEHAVIOR AT BOULDER

WHAT: Branch Out: ITP presents “DICKS!”

WHEN: Wednesday, March 16, 6:00 pm

WHERE: University of Colorado at Boulder, DSCC (UMC 457), Boulder, Colorado

Join the Dennis Small Cultural Center and the Interactive Theatre Project for a theatrical performance and discussion exploring sexism and the relationship betyween the genders.

PUSHBACK ON PUBLIC POLICY IN MICHIGAN

WHAT: “Science and the City: Toward Health, Justice, and Social Justice”

WHEN: MONDAY, 3/14/11, 4:00 PM

WHERE: University of Michigan, Weill Hall, Betty Ford Classroom 1110, Ann Arbor, MI

Cities shape and are shaped by science. To address urban health inequities, the science underwriting public policy must be more open. Truth is provisional; experts must be questioned; steps forward may need corrective steps back. Understanding history is the surest foundation for healthier and just cities. Speaker/Performer: Jason Corburn

TALKING ABOUT TIBBET WITH NEW HAMPSHIRE PROFESSOR

WHAT: Education in Exile – Teaching in a Tibetan Refugee Community

WHEN: Thursday, March 17, 7:00 pm

WHERE: Concord High Media Center, Concord High School, 170 Warren Street, Concord, NH

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet was forced to flee his homeland in 1959, he settled in Dharamsala, a hill station in the Himalayan foothills of northern India. Dharamsala is now the center of a vibrant Tibetan refugee community: it is the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and home to thousands of Tibetans who have escaped political and religious oppression in their homeland and followed their leader into exile. It is also a backpacker’s paradise, with tourists from around the world—drawn to the town’s mountainous landscape and promise of spiritual awakening—mixing with the Tibetan and Indian residents in a true cultural mélange. In 2007, University of New Hampshire Manchester Professor Carolyn White spent her six-month sabbatical in Dharamsala, where she taught English to Tibetan refugees and experienced firsthand the beauty of their ancient, rich, and tragically threatened culture. Join White for a discussion of her adventures in India, where she braved monsoon downpours—and roaming livestock—to get to language class; learned about the rules of cricket from sports-crazy monks; studied Buddhist philosophy with a respected lama; and discovered that ultimately her Tibetan students were the true teachers.