Fellow LBO-Talkers,
Featuring everyone's favorite economic scholar, Doug Henwood...
I really recommend people check this out and consider pre-registering, not just because of Doug or the fact that I'm helping to organize it, but this looks to be an interesting, participatory, and important event in terms of movement- and vision-building.
-marc
www.lifeaftercapitalism.org -- register now !--
The protests around the Republican National Convention taking place in New York City later this summer are shaping up to be perhaps the largest this country has ever seen. As folks from all over the United States have started booking their flights, organizing their local communities into busses and vans, and collecting that last bit of gas money from in between the pillows of their couches- organizers are quietly discussing the possibility of having over 1 million people converging in the streets of New York City during the week of Aug 28th-September 2nd....
While these protests will give us the chance to collectively raise our voices in opposition to the direction that this government is taking us - many of us realize that the problems that we face run much deeper then simply the Bush administration, the Democrats, or this upcoming current election cycle. What we face are institutional problems, problems which will only be challenged and ultimately overcome by imaginative and broad based social movements- not ballot boxes. Life After Capitalism 2004 aims at contributing to this process by providing a space for activists- in the run up to the intense mobilization period- to reflect on the importance of long term vision, strategy, and face to face relationship building.
This is an invitation, asking activists from around the country to come into New York City a week prior to the major demonstrations and participate in what should be an exciting and energizing weekend - a weekend that seeks to bring together and give voice to the (non-sectarian) anti-capitalist left in the United States. Below you will find a list of both speakers as well as topics of discussion which should hopefully give you an idea of what this conference is trying to accomplish.
Check out the website (www.lifeaftercapitalism.org) - which will be completely re-designed by mid July, complete with full schedule, links to related sites and resources, cheap places to stay in New York City etc.
The site briefly outlines the basic areas of focus within the conference but more importantly allows you to register online, something we encourage folks to do as soon as possible due to space restrictions of approx. 700 participants. We have worked very hard to keep all costs to a minimum ($15-25 sliding scale) - all registration fees go directly into making this weekend happen as our only funding comes through the opening Friday evening event and conference fees. We also have a number of scholarships available for people who are interested in attending. These scholarships will be extended specifically to activist communities who have been traditionally marginalized from these kinds of gatherings and debates. For any and all questions/suggestions please contact info at lifeaftercapitalism.org or call (212) 591-0083.
Confirmed participants (partial list)
* Elizabeth 'Betita' Martinez * Robin D.G. Kelley * Naomi Klein * Michael Albert * Vijay Prashad * Bill Fletcher * Chris Crass * Doug Henwood * Suheir Hammad * Starhawk * Cindy Milstein * Adolf Reid * Steve Shalom * Andrej Grubacic
As well as representatives* from: * Critical Resistance * Direct Action to Stop the War * Colours of Resistance * Root Cause * Left Turn * Estación Libre * Jews Against the Occupation (JATO) * National Youth & Student Peace Coalition (NYSPC) * Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) * Institute for Social Ecology * Peoples Global Action (PGA) * Domestic Workers United * Coalition of Immokalee Workers * Institute for Anarchist Studies (IAS) * Argentinian Social Movements * International Forum on Globalization * TransAfrica
* For identification purposes only
In addition to the basic framework of the conference, discussion will include:
* Revolution & Reform * Transforming internalized oppressions * The role of the State * Towards a new politics of solidarity (local & international) * Perma-culture * Hip-Hop & Capitalism * Coalition building between communities of color * History of anti-capitalist networks in the US * Gift economies * Life without prisons * Co-optation of social movements * Role of Social Forums * Palestinian solidarity movements in the US * Zapatismo * Building multi-racial organizations/networks * Art & Revolution * NGO's & Funding within the movement * Intersections of oppression: organizing to end all domination * The future of summit protests * Direct action strategies