Laborfest: Danny Cassidy Healthcare Benefit

Danny Cassidy Healthcare Benefit
Our friend Danny Cassidy is facing a challenging fight with cancer. As you know, Danny has been a tireless advocate for Irish culture, social justice and learning. In an effort to provide financial assistance during this difficult time, Danny and Clare’s friends are coming together to organize a testimonial and fundraiser event and appeal to the Irish and Irish-American community for help. Please join us.
The day will feature speakers, musicians, a raffle, an auction and door prizes.
Daniel Cassidy was born in Brooklyn, New York. He has been a merchant seaman, union organizer, professional musician, and award-winning filmmaker. His film “Civil Rights and Civil Wrongs”, about the Struggles of the North of Ireland, was nominated for an Emmy. He is a co-founder of the Crossroads Irish-American Festival and the Irish Studies Program at New College of California, where he taught Irish Studies and Media Studies until the school recently closed.

His new book How The Irish Invented Slang: The Secret Language of the Crossroads, was published by CounterPunch Books in July, 2007. He won the American Book Award for
non-fiction in November 2007.

Danny recently received several job offers from local colleges, but was unable to accept them due to his illness. He also was forced to cancel scheduled readings across the country while he undergoes treatment. Hopefully, if his health improves, he may be able to resume his life’s work of promoting Irish and Irish-American Studies. He is still managing to write a bi-monthly column for the Irish Echo newspaper in NYC called, Slanguage. Log on to:http://www.irishecho.com/index.cfm.

Unfortunately, due to the closing of New College, Danny’s insurance coverage was terminated and Danny will now require ongoing and costly medical care. Danny and his wife, Clare find themselves in a very difficult financial situation. And after you help Danny, please help build a labor movement that can win a national healthcare system in this country as exists in the rest of the industrialized world, paid for with our tax dollars, so that when we need medical care, dental care, or any other healthcare, it is free of charge.
For more information, see:
http://www.laborfest.net/2008/Cassidy.htm
and
http://www.laborfest.net/2008schedule.htm