Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 13:39:06 -0700
From: dixiebefree@hotmail.com ("dixie b")
Subject: [azpeace] Discussions on SWest Conferance
To: dixiebefree@hotmail.com
Cc: rscotttoo@hotmail.com, azpeace@yahoogroups.com, ferluis@aol.com, margar4302@aol.com, dzabor@msn.com, adobehut@msn.com, mjcoyle@imap2.asu.edu, shewhopaints@yahoo.com, Ldebarros@compuserve.com, lachlanfranquemont@hotmail.com, sphxaat@aol.com, normadelman@earthlink.net, wellsda@imap4.asu.edu, f_firat@hotmail.com, bruce@amug.org, MareTempe@aol.com, emily.gaarder@asu.edu, thom@oraclearchitecture.com, sherry@oraclearchitecture.com, Jefjiaf@aol.com, casey01@hotmail.com, processadvocate@earthlink.net, Beth.Swadener@asu.edu
Reply-To: azpeace@yahoogroups.com
Greetings SWest organizers, friends, and concerned peoples,
I am starting to get lots of feedback from various communities "that a
state-wide or regional conference would give all of us a boost and may have
a positive impact toward getting the movement heard more. Networkingwith
others who are working for the same causes cannot hurt but help strengthen
the movement."
Herein are a few of the ideas presented, a partial list of upcoming events,
and once again the original proposal for a regional conferance.
There has been great ideas about workshops and involvement from a wide range
of communities, for instance the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition.
One organizer, Beth, writes that she likes the idea of a conference or some
trainings to prepare for the Washington events in April. For workshops she
suggested perhaps Call to Action (Randall Smith, now in Tucson and other
facilitators) They've given excellent workshops and might be available to
give some -also non-violent direct action and guerilla theatre training.
Beth facilitates an "unlearning oppression" workshop as well. Other
concerned peoples in the Tucson area stated that they could do a workshop on
building sustainable communities as a model of peace. They also suggested
that we could bring attention to Raytheon Corporation, "since their
headquarters are located in Tucson and something needs to be done to stop
them since their (our) bombs are going to kill people in the Middle East."
Also hopes were shared that there will be something about ending nuke power
in AZ and of course the uranium mining problem. Philippa, an organizer in
the Flagstaff area asks if this (conferance) is to "be four-corners wide?
And should it be on one of the reservations? A coalition of Native American
and peace and ustice groups, four corners wide, would be powerful,and a
long time coming."
Ideas for the conferance to be on Martin Luther King Jr Day and more ideas
that this is too early a date have been discussed, though if there are
people organizing around MLK day, its a good idea if there were some public
show of support for all the organizations working for peace and justice.
Another organizer who works with Arizona Alliance for Peaceful Justice in
Tempe, hopes we can all come together at the various MLK events and remind
people that MLK stood for Justice of all kind. If people cannot attend such
events then perhaps we can stand in solidarity by helping get the word out
further in each of our circles.
I am itching to know what all these great organizations/groups/individuals
are working on! How many are there? and How can we support each other?
I propose that each time we write to each other, that we sign on what
community we are from, and if one chooses to, what organizations they are
working with. So please share this with others. I am starting to get lots of
feedback from others in the SWest region and I can foresee that it will SOON
be too much for me to manage and I think it should be more egalitarian
rather than myself cutting and pasting these transactions between each
other. Does anybody have any suggestions for a better way of communication?
Would an organization or individual want to put a list of groups together on
a listserve?
That would be great if each of us could bring this up at our next meetings.
How many people are aware of these ideas for a conferance? How can they
reach the widest of circles? It has once been posted onto the AZ Indymedia
website. There are many who do not have internet access and not everybody
reads the arizonaindymedia website.
I envision everyone participating and creating this conferance-Tucson,
Tempe, Phoenix, Prescott, Jerome! (they are creating a huge Peace garden),
Flagstaff, Navajo and Hopi Nations, and all other smaller communities that I
did not mention.
Just to keep in mind, here are just a few upcoming events that I have heard
about. Arizona is rockin! If somebody has a more comprehensive list please
share.
**Alternative Media Conference is going to be in Tucson April 18-21st.
**Earth First Organizers Conferance at the base of Mt Graham in
February.http://www.earthfirstjournal.com
**Anarchist and Anti-Authoritarian gathering/conferance for the American
Southwest sometime in February. Groups from the southwest (primarily AZ,
NM,NV, CO, UT and Northern Mexico). More info:
Phoenix Anarchist Coalition
P.O. Box 3315
Tempe, AZ 85281-3315
www.phoenixanarchist.org
phxac@hotmail.com
I have heard talk of an conferance in early 2002 with Amnesty International
in Flagstaff and a conferance in Prescott. Sorry, this is all the details I
have so far on these.
I look forward to meeting you!
OUR GRIEF IS NOT A CALL TO WAR!!
take care
dixie -Flagstaff
PROPOSAL FOR SWEST GATHERING/CONFERANCE:
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 step.
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 open 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 fully
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 can be discussed at our community 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
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