Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 13:29:49 +0000
From: robmcelwain@hotmail.com ("robert mcelwain")
Subject: [azpeace] STATE-WIDE OR REGIONAL CONFERENCE ???
To: azpeace@yahoogroups.com
Reply-To: azpeace@yahoogroups.com
From: "dixie b" <dixiebefree@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2001 13:40:35 -0700
Hey all you fellow Southwest organizers! Greetings!
This email is in regards to a proposal addressed to those in the Arizona
region who have been organizing in their communities for justice locally
and also those organizing around anti-war efforts. I have heard people
throughout the region showing an interest in seeing A STATE-WIDE OR
REGIONAL CONFERANCE on ending terrorism/for peace and justice without
violence and to learn more about each others struggles for justice in our
communities. I am sending out this email to hear feedback from the people
organizing within this region.
Please forward this information to any that you think would be interested.
You are welcome to contact myself or Marita at dixiebefree@hotmail.com , or
Marita at mkennedycastro@hotmail.com .
At a Justice and Peace meeting in Flagstaff, a couple of us recently gave
report-backs about the Globalize Justice Not War rally and march in the Bay
Area and also the Stop The War Conferance that we attended in Berkeley.
Afterwards we shared a proposal asked for input in regards to a state-wide
or regional gathering. It may be a huge step but we are hearing comments
being echoed from individuals of various communities desiring such a stp.
What are all the issues/struggles in this region?? How many grassroots
organizations and individuals are there? Some of the issues right here are
over water, mining, indigenous sovereignty, homelessness, increased
militarism of the border, and uranium. How do these struggles relate to
each other? How do they fit into globalization, US policy, and war?
I am putting a call out for contact information of the various groups that
are organizing so that I can ask their opinion and to get to know them
better.
Just a few of the plans I have heard that are underway here in AZ is an
anarchist conferance in Phoenix in the beginning of 2002, an Amnesty
International conferance in Flagstaff for early 2002, an upcommin EF!
organizers conferance in February in Eden Hot Springs at the base of Mt.
Graham. There are various groups throwing benefits, starting resource
centers, organizing on the Hopi and Navajo reservations and in Flagstaff,
Prescott, the 4 corners area, Phoenix, Tempe, and Tucson.
If this conferance were to happen, it should be pen to all, as inclusive
and diverse as possible, being gender balanced and multicultural. It could
be open to artists of conscience -poets,writers, performers, and musicians
intertwined with organizers, workshops and speakers. Art reaches people in
places where they are less defensive and makes it more likely that parents
can attend such a conferance. Art is inclusive towards children. Its
focuses could be:
*Ending terrorism (Stop The War)
*Organize against racist scapegoating
*Discuss civil liberty abuses in the wake of Sept 11 and how this affects
grassroots organizing.
*To fully discuss political issues involved with this war and its' status
as it is unfolding.
*Building an effective movement and to best connect existing movements.
Some of us who have been discussing this believes that to be effective, the
movement must break out of bits of isolation & link up with much broader
segments of the working class.
A key way to change foreign (& domestic!) US policy NOW is to fuly
understand the truth behind it(through education-dialogue, forums,
teach-ins, conferances), and build a massive movement encompassing millions
of workers and youth to stop this horrendous war. It's the workers and the
youth who will be paying for the US governments war with their social
security, lay-offs, and job losses, cuts in social spending, and with the
lives of our family members in the military.
The anti-war movement or movement to end terrorism, or, for justice without
violence (whatever we shall call it)must be flexible to be able to link up
with each sector of society that moves into opposition as more and more
people understand that militarism/US imperialism is not in their best
interest --including those currently unsure about whether or not to support
the war and even those who presently support it.
Groups of people from the Prescott, Flagstaff, and Tucson communities
attended the Stop The War Conferance at U.C.Berkeley. Some of us are
inspired to organize a conferance here at home. A few of the workshops
included Feminist Perspectives On War, Profiling and Scapegoating,
Strategic Campaigning (with Ruckus Society), Civil Liberties, Labor and
War, Military and Dissent, Media and Manufacturing Consent,
Art-Culture-&Resistance, US Agenda For War, and there as a representative
from RAWA (The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan).
There was hip-hop!, videos were shown all day and there was a whole day of
discussions (between students since its focus was on the Campus anti-war
movement).
We are asking various local communities their opinions - what they would
like to see, what workshops they's want to prepare for.We'd invite
acknoledged local experts to help lead sessions to strengthen out movement.
Do you think such a gathering would be effective?
Is now the right time? or when?
Where (in Arizona?) would you like it to be and why?
Should this conferance include other areas just outside of AZ such as
border towns in Mexico or the 4-Corners area?
Should it be on campus or off?
Do you know of any existing struggles and organizers that should be
contacted to speak, organize, for advice or information?
Are you available to help organize, speak, perform, help with
logistics(--food, housing, facilities, etc), outreach, even just for
advice!, monetary?
Right now these ideas are still in the very beginning stages. It's not
etched into stone. As the war develops and consciousness changes, the
movement will need to adopt new objectives and slogans. I hope that these
ideas canbe discussed at our comunity discussions and these upcomming
conferances.
Thankyou.
OUR GRIEF IS NOT A CRY FOR WAR!!!!!
dixie
I am currently dwelling in the beautiful Flagstaff area working with
individual artists and grassroots groups, I offer my support with
indigenous peoples of Black Mesa and 4-Corners region, volunteer with
Flagstaff Activist Network occasionally, and attend vigils and meetings of
Justice and Peace Coalition.
dixiebefree@hotmail.com
-----
Send an email to :
<flagstaff-action-subscribe@egroups.com>
to receive activist announcements local to Flagstaff AZ
or to:
<flagstaff-action-discussion-subscribe@egroups.com>
if you'd like to take part in open discussions on local activist topics.
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Unlimited PC-PC calling at Crystal Voice! - Only $1/Mo.
Download your free 30 day trial. Click here.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Gb1xVB/GxbDAA/ySSFAA/MtTslB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
azpeace-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/