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Recommendations For Practicing Language Justice

June 13, 2023 Armando Desmadre and Christopher Preciado, Grassroots Economic Organizing. , , ,
Between the two of us, we have done free and rarely paid translation work for at least 40 years, including for “movements” — horizontalist, anarchist, abolitionist, mutual aid, etc. Reflecting upon the generally monolingual nature of the above types of groups in the USA (in our limited experiences), the almost consistent tendency for translators to burn out given the general lack of practice in supporting language justice and translators, even if it means financially, and the need for better attempts to build language justice, we would like to share the following recommendations.

The One Democratic State Initiative As A Counter-Hegemonic Endeavor

June 11, 2023 Alain Alameddine, Mondoweiss. , , ,
The occupation and settler colonization of Palestine is, fundamentally, a political project for a state based on identitarian claims. Indeed, the mere presence or residency of non-Palestinians in Palestine, under the rule of an inclusive Palestinian state, would have been immigration, not colonialism. It is the Zionist endeavor for the establishment in Palestine of a state exclusive to some — and therefore exclusive of others, the natives — that makes it settler-colonialism. It follows that the liberation and decolonization of Palestine is itself a political project that forms the antithesis of settler-colonialism, namely, the transition from the exclusive, Jewish, Zionist state (of Israel) to an inclusive, secular, democratic state (of Palestine).

Colombia: People Mass Mobilize In Support Of President Petro

June 8, 2023 Telesur, Orinoco Tribune. , , ,
With the simple motto, “You have to jump, you have to jump, so that labor reform is approved!” that the people shout in the streets of Colombia, mass marches advance in support of President Gustavo Petro and his government program looking to bring justice to Colombians afflicted for decades by civil war and oligarchy rule. The marches for the “taking of Bogotá in defense of social reforms,” that occurred this Wednesday, June 7, is—according to social media trending topics—for the purposes of labor reforms, social change, and against the soft coup that President Petro has denounced in recent weeks being prepared by the Colombian elite and right-wing forces against him.

You Can’t Organize Alone

June 1, 2023 Keisa Reynolds, In These Times. , ,
I spent a number of weekend mornings in small rooms attending workshops across downtown Chicago in my early 20s, around 2015. In one, abolitionist Mariame Kaba taught some two dozen participants about the legacy of the women in Marcus Garvey’s Black Nationalist movement, connecting their organizing in the 1920s with the framework Black feminist abolitionists were creating a century later. Learning that history was valuable in itself. Equally important was Kaba’s assurance that we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel — there was no analysis or strategy we were considering that hadn’t been used in the past. That might sound like reason for despair, but for me it was immediately empowering; white supremacy doesn’t want abolitionist organizers to know how close we’ve gotten to a common goal.

How People’s Movements Globally Are Resisting Western Imperialism

May 15, 2023 Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. , , ,
Leaders of the G7 countries, the United States and its Western Imperialist partners plus Japan, will meet this week in Hiroshima to discuss ways to escalate the war on China. As they lead us closer to global and potentially nuclear war, the significance of the location is offensive to people's movements. Clearing the FOG speaks with Rhonda Ramiro, the spokesperson for BAYAN-USA and a leader of the US chapter of the International League of People's Struggle, about protests being planned against the G7 Summit and how people can participate virtually. She also discusses campaigns in the US against state repression and major actions being planned to protest the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco this November.

Lessons From Barcelona’s Eight-Year Experiment In Radical Governance

May 11, 2023 Mark Engler and Paul Engler, Waging Nonviolence. , , ,
In May 2015, this slogan was the rallying cry of a Spanish movement that startled its country’s political establishment by propelling into power Ada Colau, Barcelona’s first female mayor. Colau took office alongside a winning slate of city councilors who had joined together in a new formation called Barcelona en Comú, Catalan for “Barcelona in Common.” Their victory reflected a decision by activists to move from occupying the town squares to taking over city halls, and it would have profound consequences for the future of one of Europe’s most prominent metropolitan areas. Eight years later, Ada Colau and the Comuns, as they are referred to locally, face a different political situation.

Resisting Cannibal Capitalism

May 7, 2023 Nancy Fraser, Red Pepper. , , , ,
It is increasingly common to hear of crises – economic, environmental and/or racial – in which the vast majority of the global population are confined to substandard living conditions while a global elite accrues wealth at a horrifying pace. There is a widespread sense that something has to give, that the world cannot continue on its current path. Of course, this is often the cry emanating from movements on the streets and detailed in the pages of Intergovernmental Panels on Climate Change (IPCC) reports but these often fall on the deaf ears of those in power. So what exactly has to change and how do we untangle this big, hot mess?

People In The US Were Once Promised Affordable Education For All

May 6, 2023 Chris Hedges, The Real News. , , ,
The 1960s were a decade of intellectual and political ferment on college campuses. Anti-war, feminist, and racial justice movements all found a foothold in higher education, with student activists often playing a pivotal role in social movements that extended far beyond the university. A crucial condition for the student radicalism of the time was the affordability of public higher education and the recent dissolution of barriers that prevented students of minoritized backgrounds from attending college. Today, these conditions have all but disappeared. Collectively, college graduates owe some $1.6 trillion in student debt.

Anti-Imperialist Push From The Brazilian Grassroots

April 9, 2023 Camila Escalante, Kawsachun News. , , ,
Overshadowed by the media frenzy surrounding Lula’s new term in office, Brazil’s social movements are vowing to remain mobilized to push for policies favorable to the working majority. They’re also engaged in the fight against imperialism with hopes of steering foreign policy towards solidarity, amid pressure by North America and Europe to join intervention campaigns currently targeting several countries. We contacted the National Movement for the Fight for Housing (MNLM) after seeing that representatives of the urban movement had visited the embassy of Nicaragua, in a show of solidarity.

Cliff Durand Presente!

April 8, 2023 Peter Weisberg, Grassroots Economic Organizing. , , , ,
The San Miguel de Allende community joins social justice activists around the world to mourn the passing of Dr Cliff Durand, who died peacefully at home with his beloved wife Julie and their two dogs, after a short illness. Cliff leaves a huge legacy and an international reputation for his fearless, tireless and relentless efforts to create a more just and equitable world. An inspirational activist-leader, this giant of a man was a gentle and humble conversationalist; an insatiable learner; a whole-hearted and encouraging teacher; a critical thinker with a huge intellect; and a loving husband, father and grandfather.

The FBI Used An Undercover Cop With Pink Hair To Spy On Activists

March 29, 2023 Trevor Aaronson, Black Agenda Report. , , , , ,
The young woman with long pink hair claimed to be from Washington state. One day during the summer of 2020, she walked into the Chinook Center, a community space for left-wing activists in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and offered to volunteer. “She dressed in a way that was sort of noticeable,” said Samantha Christiansen, a co-founder of the Chinook Center. But no one among the activists found that unusual or alarming; everyone has their own style. They accepted her into the community. The pink-haired woman said her name was Chelsie. She also dropped regular hints about her chosen profession.

Design Principles For Radically Unorthodox Movement-Building

March 28, 2023 Pamela Boyce Simms, Grassroots Economic Organizing. , ,
The networks, organizations, and movements that we generate reflect the quality of our own consciousness in the moment. What does the global state of human consciousness tell us then about the movements that we're capable of building? If you find the answer to that question frightening, you're invited to explore a radically unorthodox approach to movement-building. Welcome to the work of the Community Supported Enlightenment (CSE) network.  The CSE network, like so many change agent groups over time, has discovered the  secret sauce recipe. The answer has been hidden in plain sight for eons.

Change The World And Watch Public Opinion Follow

March 11, 2023 Hamilton Nolan, In These Times. , ,
The work of political struggle goes on constantly, forever and ever, without end. True moments of opportunity, though, come about rarely and without warning. They cannot be manufactured; they can only be taken advantage of. The lulls between them — like right now — are the time to remember the lesson that we always seem to forget when things get interesting: Forget public opinion. Public opinion is a trap. Capture the structures when you have the chance. In my adult lifetime there have been two great moments of opportunity for the Left. One was after the 2008 financial crisis, a period that you can generously construe as lasting several years, through the heyday of the Occupy movement.

Harnessing The Enormous Untapped Power Of Celebrity

February 15, 2023 Paul Engler, Waging Nonviolence. , , ,
Today there exist significant numbers of celebrities with progressive politics and a desire to support movements for social justice. These people bring unique resources to the table, including the capability to activate new bases and access new sources of power. Given the immense cultural power of celebrities in our society, and the degree to which artists of all kinds skew progressive, one would think that this would be a great advantage for progressive movements. And yet, something seems to be missing. Why don’t social movements get more traction from their association with celebrities who are willing to move from being mere spokespeople for charity into positions of genuine solidarity?

‘News From Nowhere’ – Building Communal Life In Venezuela

February 12, 2023 Chris Gilbert and Cira Pascual Marquina, Venezuelanalysis. , , ,
In the world at large, the fact that a group of ordinary people comes together in some remote part of Venezuela to democratically determine their production and their way of living in a commune could seem to be completely unimportant. In the eyes of most who shape public opinion, this would be a quintessential nonevent. To be sure, it is never news. Nevertheless, if there were such a thing as a revolutionary news agency, the formation of such a commune and its advances would be the stuff of front-page articles, with banner headlines such as EXTRA! A NEW COMMUNE IS FORMED! or COMMUNARDS TAKE THE NEXT STEP!
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