Moving The Movement

Intergenerational Marchers for Workers Rights

One of the most inspiring aspects of attending the social forum was seeing the composition of the participants: probably about half were young - under 35 years old, and at least half were people of color – African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans. Last year I attended a conference held by an organization with similar values, and was disappointed to see the participants were almost completely white and only about 5% were under 30. The social forum felt authentically grassroots, young, vibrant, and committed.

In a Thursday morning session entitled, “Moving The Movement in The US”, members of the planning committee for the USSF discussed the history of social movements in the last 40 years and the state of current movements. Ruben Solis of the Southwest Workers Union explained that in the old paradigm, people of color needed white, progressive liberals, and their connections and resources before any real change happened. In the new paradigm, people of color are organizing, leading, and making change happen on their own, as the planning and success of the USSF aptly indicated.

After the session, I began to wonder, what are the conversations that need to happen between white communities and communities of color to develop healthier, more collaborative and mutual relationships? I posed this question to KC, an African-American social activist from Texas. He said that what would be most helpful is if white organizations simply ask organizations of color what they need, and provide solicited assistance, not unsolicited leadership or control. I also think the vice-versa is true as well – white organizations should begin asking communities of color for help, not simply grasping to fulfill diversity quotas.

Living in Seattle, I notice that there is still largely a divide between the environmental justice/climate change movement, which is largely white and middle/upper class, and the social/economic justice movements led by or involving people of color. The divisions are also apparent geographically in the neighborhoods of Seattle. I believe these movements are fundamentally connected and would love to see more collaboration between the two. I have to claim ignorance about what indigenous communities are doing, but I believe that they could be or already are a keystone in this collaboration, since environmental and social justice have never been separate for them.

The US Social Forum was a phenomenal space for these questions and issues to be looked at, and inspired by the diversity and youth of the participants, I believe that these movements will indeed continue to move forward in a positive direction.

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.

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!!!