Che-Che-Che-Changes

The legacy of a political revolutionary

I often wonder how many of the people who don that iconic, two-tone Che Guevara t-shirt are actually trying to make a statement via the notorious Marxist revolutionary, and how many just like graphic tees that go with bike messenger pants. But if your awareness of the life and actions of Ernesto “Che” Guevara runs passionately deeper than having seen The Motorcycle Diaries, then perhaps you would be interested in the Freedom Socialist Party’s “Che Guevara: Irrepressible Revolutionary.” This public forum, intended to honor Che’s life on the 40th anniversary of his death at the hands of the Bolivian Army, will feature speaker Eduardo Martinez Zapata, the Director of Educational Talent Search at Portland Community College. Now that Che’s former compatriot, Cuban President Fidel Castro, is on his way out (politically and physically), conversations regarding the place of communism and socialism in today’s world hold a new relevance. So perhaps leave the beret at home and bring your thinking cap to the table instead. A Cuban cuisine dinner will be offered at 6 p.m.; Zapata speaks at 7:30.

Sat., Sept. 29, 6 p.m., 2007