USSF Outreach Working Group Call Thurs, July 2nd 4pm EST/1pm PST
Agenda:
• Review objectives for the USSF, how does outreach build/reflect the objectives
• Role of the NPC and outreach working group
• Review outreach for USSF 2007 – lessons and challenges
• Outreach methods
• Focus for this call – networks, alliances, coalitions, movements, conferences and annuals meetings
• Develop calendar of conferences, mtgs and events
• Schedule regular call
Introductions: Name, Org, Location • Facilitator - Tammy Luu, Labor Community Strategy Center, LA • Ahmina Maxey, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Detroit • Darryl Jordan, Third World Coalition, Philly (live in Detroit) • George Friday, Independent Progressive Politics Network, North Carolina • Bruce Bryce, Jobs With Justice, Detroit • Ricardo Martinez, Padres Unidos, Denver • Kimberly King, League of Revolutionaries for a New America, Los Angeles • Cindy Weisner, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance • Carlos Jimenez, Jobs With Justice National, Washington DC • Cindy Domingo, Seattle • Monadel Herzallah, Palestinian Popular Conference and United Against Racism
Wanted to join call but couldn’t: • Indigenous Environmental Network unable to join call but have proposal on Indigenous Outreach • Carlos Fernandez, Chicago
Review objectives for the USSF, how does outreach build/reflect the objectives: • Have it rooted in social movements in the US from historically oppressed communities • Representative of grassroots movements • Space to converge different social movements
Role of the NPC and Outreach working group • Being intentional – Outreach will really model what we want to happen at the Social Forum • Members of NPC represent different sectors/region/communities of the movement • Role of being on NPC is that you will help be a bridge to your sector/region/community • Past Outreach WG did a mapping of: Who do we need to be reaching out to, Who’s represented in the NPC and who’s not; How can we outreach to these groups • In past social forum mobilizing efforts were done for the LGBT communities and Palestinian/Iraqi communities • Meta-strategy of o Mapping o Who did we want o Different social forces in movement o Local, Regional, Sectoral – level • Social Forums in the past had not done a good job around indigenous participation and we did not want to re-create that error and we saw the importance of having an Indigenous Organizer • Council formed to ensure Indigenous outreach, presence, and leadership • It’s important to build on the fact that this Social Forum is going from Atlanta to Detroit • We must be sure to track that – reach out to groups to have annual events here
Goal of this working group
Have a pulse on who’s coming in terms of regions sectors communities Plug the holes – ensure we’re going deep on the grassroots global movements and then go broad
Monadel • Really great opportunity for Muslim American participation because of strong presence in Detroit-area • Good motivation for his organization • They are currently discussing if they will have a national or regional presence and are very motivated to participate in a deliberate way…more than they did in the 2007 USSF
Tammy • USSF 2007 made a point to highlight that it’s in the South and the importance of region • Same with Detroit – highlight the political signifigance of the city/region • Using Detroit as a gateway to other urban cities and insight into advancing other struggles
Billy Bryce • Welcomes ideas as to why the Social Forum is good for Michigan’s Conservative Labor Movement for help • Getting folks that aren’t as conservative to participate • In Atlanta as it got closer and closer to the USSF people began to see the importance and just decided to come • Sarita tried to build a labor committee that came in kind of late – but this time if we’re able to recruit key folks early this time to think through strategies • The issue of hooking people in is something that must be discussed around every movement – labor, EJ, education….etc • In any sector that we’re trying to outreach to it’s important that we push the point of that the USSF is about social movement convergence
Review outreach for USSF 2007 – lessons and challenges, outreach methods • USSF 101 general calls o Objectives o Ways people can participate o General 1-800 # • Website is our MAJOR interface with most folks • Outreach ending up having a page on the website where we uploaded templates of flyers, powerpoint, postcards o In English and Spanish o If someone wanted to do a presentation to their community about the USSF they could get the info from the website o Calls once a month in English and Spanish • Outreach and Communications need to work closely together so that the Outreach Committee doesn’t take on the work of the Communications Committee
Focus for this call – networks, alliances, coalitions, movements, conferences and annuals meetings • Start with ones that came out of Atlanta (4) o National Domestic Workers Alliance o Southern Strategies Conversation out of Highlander – George will follow-up with them o Right to the City Alliance • JWJ holding off on national meeting until following year b/c they’re directing membership to USSF • Kimberly – LRNA has members in Detroit o Can give info in the future o Many connections in Detroit • Darryl has offered himself to help in Detroit o Pan-Africa movement o He has 2 weeks in August that he can help • We should begin writing up a wrap sheet for how to go to different sectors
Sectors we should outreach to: • Student / Community College / academic network – Maria from JwJ National • Student Economic Justice Coalition (SEJC) – Student orgs doing work – Carlos will be point on this • Arab/Muslim population - Monadel • Anti-war folks – George o George Martin from United for Peace and Justice is planning to attend Detroit face-to-face meeting • The Gathering for Social Justice – do reform work around the prison industrial complex - Carlos • Queer Visibility group – Cindy helped to form last time • FIERCE is interested in joining the planning process – Cindy will follow-up • GGJA – Pushing to mobilize their membership; Have goal of bringing international allies to USSF • Chinese Work organizing – Tammy will follow up with CPA • Left Vietnamese space – Tammy will follow up with Viet Unity • Transformative Organizing – looking at issues of healing within the movement to actually build for the SF – Tammy will follow up with Sara Kershnar • Funders are gathering for the SF o Young Funders are gathering around the SF o House parties for SF o Will be writing / wide-leaf on the USSF to build more funding/support • Will also help in reaching out to groups working around the prison industrial complex – Tammy • Working on a Colorado delegation - Ricardo • Public Education - Kimberly • Algebra Project - Kimberly • People who are working against No Child Left Behind - Kimberly • Connect with teachers unions - Kimberly
Develop calendar of conferences, mtgs and events:
Dates of upcoming conferences and gatherings • People please e-mail me • ahmina@emeac.org Schedule regular call:
Will be Wed, Aug 5 at 4pm EST/1pm PST
At the next face-to-face we need to come out of that meeting with clarity on • Sectors we need to be outreaching to • Who can potentially be folks to help lead this sectoral organizing • Who else to recruit to the working group • What tools that are needed to move the outreach work