Autumn Convergence: “Nuggets” or quick reports from discussion tables
Notes by Rosalie Anders
First round (Vision)
There are areas of connection where we struggle, e.g., around consumption as a social value, Maybe instead we could have “equilibrium” as a value. We need to articulate what we mean when we say “democracy”.
Keep in mind the question of corporate power. To be united, focus in part on efforts to divide us. Remember race as a central issue. We need an electoral component.
Corporate power! Limited time to prevent runaway climate change disaster, so everyone needs to focus on that right now.
Communication is an issue.
Inequality is a fundamental question. Power issues, violence, the struggle for democracy. Are we all in this together? Are the 1% in this with us?
A vision must be inclusive, open, sustainable, democratic, and we must articulate what our values are.
Every person matters. The value of empathy. Solidarity, freedom from debt, our legacy to the world are all basic.
Rearticulate dignity, respect, equality, love, justice, nonviolence.
How do we bring more youth and people of color here? How do we make sure we’re not stepping on the toes of other organizations (ex. of people advocating for a sub-minimum wage for youth)?
At least we can talk about inequality. Be outgoing and engage with neighbors about opportunities for action. Many opportunities do exist right now.
Challenge global corporate power. Articulate new values about how to live differently.
We need to articulate what we mean by a democratic society. Get input from the grass roots.
Basic: Everyone gets the basic resources we need. Democracy vs. corporations. How important is vision as opposed to strategy? Maybe we have a common vision already.
Global response is needed. Articulate a vision of values and use stories to illustrate. Be opportunistic and jump on things as they come up. Be bottom-up.
Empathy, empowerment, economic and social sustainability. We need accessible language.
We need energy to win. We need to recognize differences within the 99%.
Round two (movement building)
Occupy became an expression of moving past the mainstream media. It was action, it was concrete, and it had a physical gathering space, and it developed community.
Neighborhoods and areas—a way to mobilize. UJP can include all kinds of people. House meetings might be good.
Just by struggling together we can create tangible bonds. Stay simple and clear. Sometimes an individual, e.g., Mel King, can unite people.
Be familiar with your surroundings. Have more campaigns like Budget for All.
We need ideas about moving forward. Today the presentations have lacked specificity, and the range of people in the room needs to be wider. Electoral work is helpful to bring people together—get pledges from candidates.
There was a budget for all effort in Congress. This could bring us together. The federal budget affects every constituency. We need a state resolution. We need to work on our congressional delegation. A national convergence march? Get Mass. Republican gubernatorial candidates to repudiate the Tea Party.
Collaboration must be based on recognizing the legitimacy of each issue. Climate change still might need to take priority now, however. Economic and equity analysis is essential.
Hope: The global community needs to focus on the lack of hope elsewhere in the world, and here among many groups. We need to bring join with groups working on issues such as prison justice, where most of us might find ourselves part of a minority.
Make sure we are visible, which is hard given the media, and make sure we have actions that are possible for many groups, e.g., working parents.
Climate change activists are using smart goals as a tool. Still, there is the 3-year deadline, after which it will be too late for any of our causes. Building hope is a challenge.
How do we build a movement? We need to articulate short-term and long-term goals. Sharing what each other are doing is a mechanism. Link issues, e.g., climate and green jobs. We need to share ideas for social reconstruction, long-term change. Challenging corporate power. Building a new way of working together–form cooperatives.
Touch people emotionally. Maybe use the arts. Preserving humanity as a value, not just personal survival. Use simple messages and the power of intergenerational work.
Get youth involved. They tend to be in silos.
Be assertive about inviting in people of color. Political campaigns can mobilize people. Campaign finance reform is important. Maybe it’s time for a third party.
We need to identify linkages to reinforce our work. We can design actions that link.
Links exist from military $ to green jobs, etc. Hit people where they’re at. Make it easy for people to engage. Use social media. Ask people to be part of the process, not to just give $. We need to connect with young people who are already active in protests, and make the linkages.
Communication is a key—activists in various sectors can get together and articulate issues to each other and talk to grass roots on an emotional level.
We must be bottom up. We should look at after-school time and other unclaimed time. We need to transform our institutions.