Alice Lovelace at YES! reception

Alice Lovelace at YES! reception
Originally uploaded by Fran on island

Alice Lovelace, the coordinator of the first-ever US Social Forum. arrived at our YES! reception on Thursday evening as relaxed as if she’d just come in from a swim. Yet Alice has been coordinating thousands of volunteers to pull off one of the best-organized large-scale meetings I have ever experienced anywhere!

The scale of the U.S. Social Forum is hard to comprehend, even if you’re here. Imagine over 700 workshops squeezed into just three days spread out across Atlanta’s downtown; evening plenary sessions; tents organized for issues such as Democracy, the Solidarity Economy, Indigenous People and Africa; plenty of food stalls, hundreds of exhibitors, music, ceremony – and everything unfolding just as planned without a major hitch. Incredible.

I asked Alice if the Forum had hired an event organizing company to tack down the details and make sure everything came together so well. Heavens no, she replied. She never knew for sure whether they’d get money, so she always had to operate on the assumption that there would be no money. So she, with one assistant, and lots and lots of volunteers and capable organizations simply worked it all out themselves. Alice shared with me that she had long ago learned to organize on the cheap. The first conference she had organized brought together 200 representatives from nine states – for a total cost of $125.

Alice is far more than an organizer. She’s a passionate poet of cosmic vision and grounded wisdom. At our YES! reception, Alice read some of her poetry with a fiery delivery that helped us understand the power within this remarkable woman who has put such an indelible stamp on history of U.S. movements for social justice.

Social in every sense of the word

Puanani Burgess speaks to a captive audience
Originally uploaded by lind.diamond

Friday began with the YES! workshop on the Great Turning. Dave Korten and Puanani Burgess captivated the audience--the energy in the room after the two-hour talk/discussion was so powerful, and nearly everyone stayed around to swap stories, ask questions, and snap up the Empire issue of YES!.

Then I headed out for lunch alone as a chance to re-center. I find the networking with thousands of zealous activists in a 50 story mega-hotel (the Westin, one of the 3 or 4 main activity hubs) to be very exhausting. Though I planned to be alone for an hour, it's impossible not to meet people here. By the time I'd finished my salad, I had met a Georgia State grad who is now working as a paralegal and occasionally gets into fist-fights with homeless men. That was after the Turkish owner of the restaurant had given me baklava as a very delicious after-lunch gift.

This social forum really is social in every sense of the word, which is exacerbated by our giant name tags. This morning I met a girl who lives in DC in an intentional community of faith called Sojourners; then I met a man fresh off the plane from Harlem who works to end racism and is also involved in an independent NY radio station where Democracy Now's Amy Goodman got her start. A community college sophomore from Olympia, WA recognized me from a previous workshop as we got off the MARTA (subway) this afternoon, and just walking down the sidewalk I met a South African working in Atlanta on AIDS research who will be off to Connecticut next week as part of his training. The USSF badge sparks lots of conversations. Because and inspite of this, I've taken to wearing it everywhere.

I learned how harmful ethanol is towards the environment and human lives in an afternoon workshop on sustainable farming and biofuels, hosted by Grassroots International. Among others, the panel included an advocate for biofuel production in Minnesota, a woman from Brazil who spoke about the hazards of ethanol-motivated sugar cane farming, a professor from Berkley, and a spokesperson for Latin American farm workers. There was a bit of conflict on the panel regarding the pros and cons of ethanol (only the Minnesotan was really in favor of it) but I left the meeting frustrated that everyone was so confrontational rather than collaborative. But it's clear to me now that even though ethanol is currently touted as a viable alternative energy solution, it's nearly as destructive as oil and would really only benefit the oil companies by maintaining the current consumer structure and further cementing corporate power while depleting essential food crops.

Resources: you use some, you share some.

David Korten at the YES! reception

Originally uploaded by lind.diamond

Thursday heralded the beginning of the workshops, and it felt good to dive in to the meat of the forum. After a nice breakfast with most of the Yes! crew at a little hole-in-the-wall (great, cheap, HOT food, even if the service was slowed down to a Georgian pace) I hopped across the street for a workshop with Share The World's Resources (STWR). A small group based in the UK, STWR have set out to change the structure of the global economy from a neoliberal system that champions raw monetary gain to one that ensures efficient distribution of the most basic goods worldwide. What impressed me most was their holistic vision: they're working to build a coalition of national grassroots offshoots who work as a combination think-tank/lobby group/organizer who will build popular support while simultaneously working with politicians, economists, and world leaders to re-design the system. The presentation was intriguing if a little futuristic and abstract; they're a young organization looking for people to jump on board; my impression was that the success or failure of this very ambitious project depends very much upon how well the people they recruit can organize. They could go far or nowhere at all. I hope it's the former!

We dedicated the afternoon to preparations for the Yes! reception that evening. It was a wild success with about 100 members in attendance, great food, beverages, and people. The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History was a beautiful venue (we had a room with large windows and enough space for standing and seated socializing.) A half an hour of short speeches by Yes! staff (Fran and Sarah), board members (Tanya, Puanani and Dave), library manager Sharon Robinson and USSF organizer Alice Lovelace (who read some of her own poetry) was really quite inspiring.

We ended on a very positive note (surprise!), with Fran leading the whole reception in song. The Library staff had to kick us all out at the end, because we were loathe to break off the myriad of conversations buzzing about the room.

All in all, a great success. Andy, who organized a lot of the logistics, might consider a future as a party planner.

Replacing Hatred With Justice

Fransisco Espericueta - Youth Organizer

The youth in Salem, Oregon have a friend in Fransisco Espericueta. Fransisco works for Latinos Unidos Siempre (LUS), whose mission is the self-empowerment of oppressed youth and the molding of a new generation of activists. LUS works with youth in middle school through college age, giving them resources, organizational skills, but most importantly creates a family-like environment where they feel supported and safe. Recently, in Salem, a contingent of Ku Klux Klan members were petitioning the city to name a street "KKK" street. Outraged by the overt racism of this proposal, high school students from LUS organized a sit in on the streets of Salem, camping out and blocking traffic for three days, until city officials agreed to throw out the petition.

Faces from The Forum

Rashad, Troy, Conscious, and
Roosevelt from Urban Youth Movement.

Conscious is a strong, gentle hulk of a man. He cajolingly shepherds his small cadre of young African American men who are greeting people outside the Africa tent. All are part of the Urban Youth Movement - Saving At Risk Youth: Stop the Violence. Conscious explained to me that he was completely illiterate until the age of 23, when he taught himself to read, started a small business, and began helping other neglected and troubled youth.

Hurricane Katrina relocated Conscious' crew from New Orleans to Atlanta, where they continue their work with youth involved in gangs and drugs. Conscious' philosophy is to meet these youth where they are at, and ask them where they want to go - then help them get there if they are committed and disciplined. He's a strong believer in practical education, helping young men with families receive vocational training to get good jobs rather than selling drugs or languishing in a strictly academic environment. Power to the people!

Collaborating on an empty stomach

Day one at the first U.S. Social Forum began when I left the hotel at 7:30 am to help set up the Yes! table at the Civic Center. After running back to print out fliers and grab some lunch, it was off to the opening march, which started at the State Capitol. Even in the thick heat of midday in downtown Atlanta, the streets clamored and jostled with energy as bands, students, and organizers from all across the nation (and some from abroad) formed a steady and enthusiastic human river winding around corners and blocking intersections until they reached their final destination at the Civic Center.

The theme of the day was unity, gathering a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual crowd, which in turn represented a diverse array of causes. From water to women, immigrants to local economies, fair trade to anti-war, all sorts of people defended all sorts of rights on Atlanta’s streets today. Thousands of people had come together not for one cause, but in recognition that all of these causes are interconnected and worth working for.

It was in line at a falafel stand outside of the Civic Center that I discovered the true meaning of the collaboration implicit in this coming together. Over the grumbling noises of my empty stomach, I met two Guatemalan women who didn’t speak a word of English, but had come here because they wanted to change something. I never found out what it was they were hoping to change, but I learned a little too late that they would change my plans for a falafel dinner. As I offered to translate between them and the girl selling falafels, I unwittingly assisted them in ordering the last two sandwiches, relinquishing my own dinner. This fact was blissfully lost in translation for the two Guatemaltecas, but for this hungry native English speaker, it sank in pretty quickly.

Now, writing in my hotel room with a full stomach, it’s tempting to tell the story as a metaphor for two countries in search of a desirable, oil-laden product from the Middle East, or of an exciting role reversal between first and third-world countries. But in the moment we were just three hungry women, and despite our different backgrounds and perspectives, all shared similarly salivating taste buds as the smells of frying chickpeas wafted by.

Don't be mistaken: I'm not the romantic idealist you might think. I only think back on the interaction fondly because when I found myself with a disappointingly empty plate, a fourth woman came to my rescue, and the hummus was almost as good as a warm falafel translated into Spanish.

Gang Member Becomes Mom and Activist

Marching Youngsters

Everyone has a story - and everyone at the USSF has story about social justice. While standing at the YES! Magazine booth today, a tired woman plopped down in one of the cushioned chairs next to me, asking with a smile if she could sit down for awhile. She was five months pregnant and her feet were starting to hurt. Her name was Vanessa Corea and she worked for the Avenidas Program and the Community Response
Network in San Fransisco.

Her work involves engaging youth who are part of gangs or have been involved with the juvenile criminal justice system. Vanessa was jumped into a gang when she was 11 years old and lived the destructive gang life until she became pregnant with her first child at 19. Faced with the prospect of her daughter being shot in the streets, she decided not only to transform her own life, but begin to transform the lives of others. Many of the youth Vanessa works with are people of color, and many migrated from Mexico or Central America by themeselves as young as 12 years old. They left the poor campos or city slums where they begged for food to try and make money in the US. However, faced with language barriers, discrimination, and legal difficulties, they soon find themselves selling drugs, joining gangs, and getting arrested. Vanessa's and her organizations' mission is to give these kids alternatives - they drive 15 passenger vans into the heart of gang territory, pick up a bunch of gang members and take them out to a movie, or a park, or ice skating. Many of these kids then come to them looking for legitimate work, legal advice, help with education, or assistance paying for the funeral of a friend gunned down by violence. They are slowly empowered to change their lives just as Vanessa did.

Vanessa is now the first person in her family to attend college. She hopes to get feedback from other organizations at the forum working with youth and gang members, and share knowledge and ideas. One of thousands at the forum, Vanessa is a proud and vibrant light, bringing life to the dark world of gangs, and soon to bring another beautiful human life into the world as well.

Activist Arts at the Social Forum

I am writing from the court yard of the Atlanta Arts Center… silent with a set of tables under four perfectly pruned trees that look like little works of art themselves. It’s a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle at the Atlanta Civic Center where we are getting ready for this historic event drawing activists from all over the US and the Americas.

And yet, what the two places inspire in me, are surprisingly similar feelings: butterflies in my stomach, a heightened sensibility to my surroundings, curiosity and open eyes and the excitement of participating in something meaningful, beautiful, hopeful and honest.

Look, there is a small child across the space learning to open the museum’s revolving doors. That is what I am hoping to do in these coming days. Learning how to open new doors to this other world that we know is possible and necessary.

There is a large array of activist art sessions at the Social Forum. From Hip Hop to theater of the oppressed to visual art collectives, activists will explore the artistic aspect of social change.

This is one thing I love about the forum: it acknowledges the many facets of social change, so that all of us, no matter what our passion, do find our place in the movement.

Interested in arts and activism? Read the YES! take on art or check out the list of art activism sessions at the USSF.

Not in Atlanta? Find information and contacts for the organizations that offer sessions at the forum by clicking on the workshop titles.

Youth Perspectives

I arrived in hot, humid Atlanta yesterday evening, with a warm welcome from the people and the weather. As one of two interns attending the forum, I'll be representing the young people of YES! Magazine. In addition to supporting YES! sponsored events, I plan on spending some time at the Youth Tent, attending some sessions on music and activism, and hopefully some sessions on the movement as a whole. So, stay tuned for the voices of young activists, politically conscious hip hop, and reflections on the forum through the eyes of a 20-something!!!

People's Freedom Caravan

I'm posting a diary from the People's Freedom Caravan traveling from Albuquerque to Atlanta for the first USSF on my regular blog, www.yesmagazine.org/svgblog . Check back here for updates once the forum begins!

Sarah van Gelder
currently in New Orleans