Hey folks,

This is a vitally important contribution to the conversation on building long-lasting, sustainable movements that are about togetherness and liberation, instead of inequity, biogtry, prejudices, and divisiveness. Check out this pamphlet:

The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere: Making Resistance to Antisemitism Part of All of Our Movements
http://www.pinteleyid.com/past/
A 32-page pamphlet for activists by April Rosenblum

Chris Crass, an organizer from The Catalyst Project says:

“In order to build powerful movements we must take on antisemitism as what it is: a divide-and-rule strategy that has served to maintain ruling classes, conceal who actually has power, and confuse us about the real systems of oppression that pit us against one another. … Rosenblum’s pamphlet needs to be studied and the lessons applied.”

Spread it around too!

When I look around me at the American Left, what I see is a movement that’s treading. Perhaps it is a matter of definition (who is really in the Left and so on) or perspective (seeing vs. not seeing the great things going on in the progressive community). But when I look around me, the overarching relationships I see are not those of solidarity, but of jealousy, competitiveness, and hostility. Instead of real diversity, I see a drive to homogenize our strategies and actions - even if only by default and submitting to the status quo and “fighting the good fight”. Instead of egalitarian social relations and equity, I see social relationships which largely resemble the relationships that exist in the systems of exploitation which we oppose and seek to replace. Instead of strategy I see inefficiency and a lack of concrete goals. Instead of visionary thinking, I see a lack of direction. Instead of real organizing aimed at taking power, I see activism, lobbying, and resistance-mode repetition. Instead of fighting to win, I see more of the same habits of defeat.

One of my biggest internal battles has been “as organisers, should we engage with the (organized) Left? Or is even associating ourselves with most who call themselves ‘leftists’ enough to prevent real progress and growth?” Should we try to try to convince leftists that their actions aren’t moving us forward on a trajectory of change, or should we just spend our time with ordinary folks who sincerely want to help change the world.

I don’t know the answers to these things. I have lots of ideas about them though. What I do know is that a lot of people who don’t consider themselves “radicals” are doing some damn innovative things that’s moving the movement forward more than most “leftists”. Those who are committed to building a mass movement aimed at building a new future need to start having these big-picture conversations with one another. Intentional organizing and dialogue is one of our greatest tools.

I found a progressive artist today who is AMAZING! His name is Robert Shetterly. Since September 11th, he’s done over 50 portraits of “Americans Who Tell The Truth“. About his inspiring collection he says:

“My original goal was to paint fifty portraits. I’ve now gone beyond that and have decided to paint several more. The more I’ve learned about American history — past and present — the more people I’ve discovered whom I want to honor in this way. The paintings will not be for sale. They will stay together as a group. The courage of these individuals needs to remain a part of a great tradition, a united effort in respect for the truth. Eventually, I will give the portraits to one museum or library on the condition that they continue to be shown. These people form the well from which we must draw our future.”

He paints their portraits and then an inspiring quote that they said. Some are from the past. Some are from the present. They represent a diverse section of the progressive movement and are all really great. Robert has got an amazing style (not to mention that I wish I had his handwriting).

“Americans Who Tell The Truth” is a traveling exhibit. I hope to be able to attend one. Others should check it out and consider doing so too! Our movement begs for more and more progressive culture, art, music, and new forms of story telling and communication. Robert has made a gigantic contribution to that effort.

Th painting in this post is of Walt Whitman, the great American Poet. The quote painted is from his 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass which says:

“This is what you shall do: Love the earth & sun & the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid & crazy, devote your income & labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”

Ain’t it the truth?

Thanks Robert.

It was my first week of high school. I was sitting in my 9^th grade global history class. Had the room not been since renovated, I could point to the exact seat where I had been sitting in. Mr. Denton, my high school’s principle, came on the loudspeaker. “Would everyone please listen? I have some very bad news. A short time ago a plane crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. Shortly thereafter, a second plane crashed into the other tower. There are also reports that a plane has struck the Pentagon. While it is still too early to tell, it’s being said that the crashes may be part of an ongoing terrorist attack. Please do not panic, we will keep you updated as events unfold.”

My heart sank. I had no idea what was going on. I was confused, disoriented, and scared. As the day would unfold, the severity of the attacks and more would become clear. My confusion would quickly turn to sorrow and anger.

And we all know what happened next… The red alerts. The presidential speeches. The reoccurring images of towers falling and planes crashing. The firefighter funerals. The church services. The community memorials. The anthrax scares. The duct tape and plastic sheeting. The “department of homeland security”. The red, white and blue – and yellow – covering everything. The fear. The hate. The sadness. The terror. The “War on Terror…”

More than anything I needed more information. I was buying newspapers and magazines everyday. I was reading articles on the internet. Though for all my reading, it still didn’t seem to make sense. The gap between what they were telling us and what I saw before me seemed to get wider by the day. The concept that anyone could “hate us for our freedom” sounded utterly preposterous to me.

Then I found an article that did make sense. It’s the only article I remember reading now almost six and a half years after that horrible day. It was titled “September 11 and Its Aftermath”. It was written on September 17 and published sometime in October. I realized only recently, re-reading the article which I had long forgotten about, that it had been written by two people who I now consider friends and personal mentors – Mike Albert and Steve Shalom.

The article started by outlining some context to the situation, the possible actors (Osama bin Laden, al Qaida, the hijackers), and then continued to dissect a myriad of questions that I and many other Americans were asking. “What should be the U.S. response?”, “What should be the implications for people who ‘praised” the attacks?”, “What should the U.S. do to protect ourselves from future attacks?”, and many others. Most significantly, like Z writers do meticulously, they understood what caused and drove emotions and actions, and pushed people to try to sympathize and understand the pain of others. They tried to explain everything from the joy of some people around the world in response to the attacks to the hyper-patriotism and “flag-waving” at home – both elements which sickened some portions of the American population. They urged thoughtful reflection, careful, thorough investigation, and tolerance and restraint. They presented the exact message that I – and many others – needed to hear during that dark period.

After reading that article, though I had read previous ones from Z before, Z Magazine and ZNet would slowly become a huge part of my life.

I generally advocated for peace and human rights before 911 happened. I had been involved in some liberal and direct service groups before, though I never had much political analysis on a grand scale. I had gained much of my progressive roots from amazing teachers the previous few years – veterans, queers, women, and others who had roots in social justice movements.

Much of this gave me a strong hatred for individuals like Saddam Hussein; hatred which, again without Z and other progressive sources, might have led me astray during the invasion of Iraq. While I can’t admit to this day that I am sorry for Saddam’s rule being at an end, I am much more horrified by what has occurred in Iraq under U.S. military occupation.

Around the end of March in 2003, ZNet and Z Magazine published a statement against the attack on Iraq entitled “We Stand for Peace and Justice,” which had been collectively penned by many Z authors from around the world. As soon as I read it I immediately agreed with it and signed the online version of the statement. I think it and much of what Z Communications publishes is a testament to both its accessibility and its relevance. As a liberal I agreed with the statement then. As a radical progressive I still agree with it today. That says quite a lot. The statement still gets to the roots of what my politics are. Here’s what it said:

“I stand for peace and justice.

I stand for democracy and autonomy. I don’t think the U.S. or any other country should ignore the popular will and violate and weaken international law, seeking to bully and bribe votes in the Security Council.

I stand for internationalism. I oppose any nation spreading an ever expanding network of military bases around the world and producing an arsenal unparalleled in the world.

I stand for equity. I don’t think the U.S. or any other country should seek empire. I don’t think the U.S. ought to control Middle Eastern oil on behalf of U.S. corporations and as a wedge to gain political control over other countries.

I stand for freedom. I oppose brutal regimes in Iraq and elsewhere but I also oppose the new doctrine of “preventive war,” which guarantees permanent and very dangerous conflict, and is the reason why the U.S. is now regarded as the major threat to peace in much of the world. I stand for a democratic foreign policy that supports popular opposition to imperialism, dictatorship, and political fundamentalism in all its forms.

I stand for solidarity. I stand for and with all the poor and the excluded. Despite massive disinformation millions oppose unjust, illegal, immoral war, and I want to add my voice to theirs. I stand with religious and moral leaders all over the world, with world labor, and with the huge majority of the populations of countries throughout the world.

I stand for diversity. I stand for an end to racism directed against immigrants and people of color. I stand for an end to repression at home and abroad.

I stand for peace. I stand against this war and against the conditions, mentalities, and institutions that breed and nurture war and injustice.

I stand for sustainability. I stand against the destruction of forests, soil, water, environmental resources, and biodiversity on which all life depends.

I stand for justice. I stand against economic, political, and cultural institutions that promote a rat race mentality, huge economic and power inequalities, corporate domination even unto sweatshop and slave labor, racism, and gender and sexual hierarchies.

I stand for a policy that redirects the money used for war and military spending to provide healthcare, education, housing, and jobs.

I stand for a world whose political, economic, and social institutions foster solidarity, promote equity, maximize participation, celebrate diversity, and encourage full democracy.

I stand for peace and justice and, more, I pledge to work for peace and justice.”

One thing that has always struck me about Z is that it is, as it advocates, participatory. What I mean by this is that, while many other left publications take weeks, or months to respond to an e-mail or phone call (if they ever respond at all), Lydia, Andy, Chris and Michael, or any of the various Z writers, often respond with a day or so – sometimes even within a few hours. They encourage new people to write – often for their first time – publishing articles, event postings, and major calls to action for thousands of grassroots activists, organizers, and citizen journalists every year.

Most recently I attended Z’s June 2007 Z Media Institute (ZMI). ZMI was a tremendously enlightening and powerful experience for me. It is a nine day progressive summer school held in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. At ZMI, we studied, learned, discussed and debated what a better society might look like, explored the rich history of radical social movements, and contemplated what type of strategic goals our movement would need to win a better society.

It was probably the most rigorous (and rewarding) educational experience of my life. While the content was outstanding, the unique component was the pedagogy. Education was combined with long-term friendship building. Utopian vision deconstructed cynicism and skepticism about possibilities for progress. Strategy and political analysis began to highlight what movement trends kept us from moving forward. The entire program was connected to the practice of grassroots organizers and organic intellectuals.

The Institute culminated in an evening session which asked the question: “Why Are We Radical?” The session highlighted what brings people to the Left and why the work we do is so important. The invisible stories about what drives people to action – veteran stories, stories about race, stories about gender and sexuality, stories about political repression and torture, stories about alienation, and mainstream institutions which limit personal development. Our stories of personal survival and struggle are the real stories of our movement, or our organizers, and of Z.

I was born exactly 21 years ago, and while I know I have so much to learn, I am comforted knowing that a growing community exists that not only shines light into the darkness, but believes that a world without darkness is actually achievable.

We can all support the efforts to strengthen and expand the Z Community. Now is the time to ask ourselves how much strong alternative news sources and left networks like Z mean to us.

As we begin a New Year:

Join Z. Write for Z. Donate to Z.

Let us do this that the resistance might not just live on, but rather, that we might finally know victory and that our children and grandchildren might live in an era of peace and justice.

www.zcommunications.org

The following is a review I wrote for ZNet on April 21, 2007. It’s one of my favorite books and super relevant for building powerful movements for social change. Check it out:

Remembering Tomorrow: From SDS to Life After Capitalism, a memoir by Michael Albert, published by Seven Stories Press, is a must read for every young organizer serious about winning long-term, systematic change in the world. It critically analyzes the social movements of the past with the goal of building the stronger, more explosive and powerful movements of the future. Rather than ignoring persistent movement problems, it asks the hard questions that far too many experienced organizers avoid. Its look at the sixties and decades since, addressing culture, political events, and especially activist organizing, presents history not only honestly, but as we need it. Its focus on vision and strategy challenges our current over emphasis on only critique. Its exploration of what type of society we really want by way of historical examples and experiences is truly remarkable.

How can we bring more people into our movements; even make our movements gravitationally attractive and compelling? How can we make it easier for people in the movement to lead normal lives? How can we relate to new and broader audiences? How can we frame reforms in a radical context, and direct them towards future social gains? What role should militancy play in the movement? What might a revolution in the United States look like (and how can we get there)? All of these pressing questions, and many more, are addressed at length and in depth in the book. Albert walks readers through decades-worth of practical lessons that can be immediately applied to their own grassroots organizing; whether in schools, in workplaces or communities, or in youth and student organisations such as the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) or Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

He explains how by thinking strategically and focusing on vision, we can provide the inspiration needed to overcome cynicism, counter critics, and draw masses of people into the movement- retaining instead of losing them, with an ever growing commitment.

Remembering Tomorrow is a true gift to young leftists- providing the knowledge they need to begin a life-long journey of political organizing and radical change. It is a timely addition to left organizing- at a point when the need for energetic young organizers to join in the development of vision, not only within the economic sphere, but also for kinship, culture, politics, and education, is greater than ever before. While each lesson from Remembering Tomorrow can be a powerful tool in and of itself, the central message of the book- that vision and strategy can give people the inspiration to fight and as such should be central to movement organizing- is a lesson that each of us should bring to broader audiences. Michael presents this theme perfectly, saying:

“If a person thinks a society promoting solidarity, diversity, equity and self-management is potentially attainable, then for him or her to say it should be morally off the agenda and therefore that people should not try to define it, explain it and forcefully advocate for it, would be to say that humanity should stop progressing…”

The memoir follows Michael Albert’s life, from his college experiences as a young organizer with Students for a Democratic Society, to his work as a founder of South End Press, and finally to the creation Zmag and Znet, and the development of Participatory Economics (Parecon)- the visionary post-capitalist economic model- with Robin Hahnel. It incorporates lessons not only from Albert’s life, but also from the lives of his friends, classmates, and fellow organizers. Drawing on his experiences at each stage of his life, Michael explores the positives and negatives of many trends in activist organizing- with an eye towards improving how we build movements. Analysing how we could forge a powerful Left formation- and what that would look like and require from us- is something that we do far too seldom.

While exploring the book, readers are engaged with diverse organizing experiences- from student organising at MIT, UMass Amherst, and the Harvard Education School, to teaching in schools, prisons, and eventually at Z Media Institute (ZMI)- a leftist summer institute. They will gain tremendous insights in the field of independent publishing and media, following Albert’s major role in South End Press, Z Magazine, ZNet, and Z Media Institute. Albert brings readers into his life, taking them around New England, the United States, and the globe; from his life as a student organiser, to his work as a lifelong author, activist, movement strategist, and visionary anticapitalist- at each step along the way, sharing with them his successes and failings, his insights and uncertainties.

Remembering Tomorrow provides countless examples of where strategic action could have yielded vastly different outcomes- from what was learned organising with SDS to that organisation’s tragic death; from the civil rights movement to the movement against the War in Vietnam; and from the Women’s Movement to advocacy for an entirely different form of visionary economic system. Albert is always up front where the movement could have acted more strategically, and his role in those actions, be they successes or failures.

Taking it further, Michael explores how Participatory Economics could be the economic basis for a future society; a society whereby humans could organize an advanced industrial society in a manner which promotes solidarity, diversity, equity, self-management and efficiency. Weaving together issues of sex, gender, race, and class, of what has been and of what could be, of people and their lives, places and their conflicts, and events and their implications, all culled from personal experiences, makes for a wonderfully human book that is also inspiring and edifying.

All-in-all Remembering Tomorrow: From SDS to Life After Capitalism sheds light on many of the movements of the past; renewing debate on many so-called “settled” issues, and starting new discussions on the issues that many leftists fail to address. It serves as both an extraordinary introduction for new leftists and a sobering wakeup call for experienced ones. I recommend it for all those who are serious about struggling to win a better world.

Note: Readers who enjoy Remembering Tomorrow and wish to further explore the need for our movements to develop vision and strategy, should also consider reading ParEcon: Life After Capitalism, and Realizing Hope: Life Beyond Capitalism and visiting Zmag.org