The US Social Forum’s People’s Movement Assembly process has produced a PMA 2010 website, with information and resolutions from the over fifty PMAs held at the Forum, as well as the Synthesis PMA, which brought together representatives of all of the Assemblies to create a final statement/resolution to be adopted by the Forum as a whole at its closing PMA on Saturday, June 26, 2010.
This statement contains powerful support for the Palestinian struggle, as well as an important vision of shared struggle against oppression, exploitation, racism and imperialism. Critically, the statement condemns Zionism as racism and endorses Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against apartheid Israel. The full statement is below, with the “International Solidarity and Responsibility” section highlighting Palestine:
People’s Movement Assembly Process
As participants of the United States Social Forum, we are seeking an authentic democratic process through the national People’s Movement Assemblies (PMAs). Responding to a national call, local PMAs were held throughout the US, and fifty People’s Movement Assemblies were convened at the United States Social Forum (USSF) in Detroit, Michigan, in June 2010. These 50 PMAs gathered thousands of participants over three days and were grouped into 13 fronts of struggle for a National People’s Movement Agenda. After all 50 PMAs were held, a representative from each of the fifty People’s Movement Assemblies gathered on June 26, 2010 to engage in a collective process to identify the common themes documented in each PMA and to distill the calls to action made in each of the fifty PMAs. The representative group reflected the content, methodology and calls to action of all fifty People’s Movement Assemblies.
Vision Statement/ Preamble: Therefore
We can build a better world. Working together, we can create a world that respects the human rights of every human being, nurtures creativity and health, promotes unity, solidarity and peace, and uses resources in a way that protects the earth and affirms life.
At this historical moment, there is a growing sense of overwhelming crises. We recognize that the money and other resources that have been swallowed up by militarization must be redirected to solve human needs—to protect the basic human needs of food, shelter, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom from harm, and protection of Mother Earth which nurtures and sustains all life.
We believe that we can create a new economic system that is not based on individual, corporate or private ownership and does not exploit people, the planet, natural resources or living beings but instead is based on principles of collectivity and sustains our communities. We must move aside old systems that have failed and create new ones that serve and are accountable to all peoples and all living beings.
We must link arms with our sisters and brothers globally and commit to a willingness to work together to seek understanding, to coordinate action and to move forward collectively with a sense of urgency to create a more just world. We acknowledge the need to break down barriers. We must integrate our national struggles for the human rights to dignity, welfare, freedom and justice.
Each one of us has to dig deeper to understand each other’s culture and history and to build respectful relationships across difference. Our struggles and our goals are all connected to each other. Our fronts of struggle and our goals are all on the same continuum. We have the desire and energy to create something different that sustains us. As a people, we must rely on each other. We can realize our dreams to treat each other as equals and to build alliances and relationships across our commonalities and differences.
We affirm self-determination and self-reliance. We believe that we can build our collective power through participation in popular political education and organizing collective action. We can each realize the power that resides within each one of us and build collective power by participating in the fronts of struggle recognized through the People’s Movement Assemblies. Let us unite and create a better world for all future living generations. A better world is possible! Another US is near….
Fronts of Struggle / Summary of PMAs
(Note: the Capitalism in Crisis summary will be added to this page as soon as possible.)
To the Left: Building a Movement for Social Justice
Recognizing that Neo-liberal and global capitalism depend on worsening racism, patriarchy, heterosexism, and hegemonic gender norms; We call for INTERSECTIONAL approaches to movement building on all fronts of struggle. By INTERSECTIONAL we mean an intentional inclusion and consideration (by all movement sectors) of bodies that are most often by these oppressive forces.
Intersectional analysis: -we are suffering from the devastation brought on by the failure of a global neo-liberal order of advanced capitalism dependent worsened by systems of white supremacy and patriarchy, hetero-sexism, normativity,
- An intersectional approach to movement building is critical to any kind of response and leadership by individuals and communities at the front of struggles for transformative change
- we work to eradicate systemic violence in all its forms, including state initiated, inter-personal, on our streets and against the earth.
- We fight the criminalization of those amongst us who are most oppressed (e.g. LGBTQI, immigrant community.
- We will not let SB 1070 stand in Arizona or any copy cat laws like it. We propose a national action on July 29th to defeat SB 1070
- Demand full fair employment for ALL and a just economic recovery
Orgainizing Workers in the 21st Century
Organizing workers in the 21st century requires a broad and inclusive democratic labor movement that represents and debates the diversity of all kinds of work. Fix the broken labor law system to guarantee all workers the right to organize bargain and strike. Major government investment in good jobs by taxing Wall Street and wealthy, cutting military budget and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Support the National Day of Action for Jobs and Public Services organized by Jobs with Justice in Fall of 2010.
Stand with our sisters and brothers, and denounce the violent attack on the independent trade union movement in Mexico and their rights and join with them in developing an effective and coordinated tri-national response.
Ecological Justice
We call on our U.S. social movements to recognize that we are in a moment of epic transition on Mother Earth and to unite in a frontline community-led movement for Ecological Justice.
We must foster communities of resistance and resilience that are reclaiming our right to home—sharing our resources in a reflective, responsive relationship to place.
We call for real solutions grounded in root cause remedies, rights, reparations, and participatory democracy.
In order to begin building a movement of movements, we will: Stand with the people of Detroit against the Covanta Waste
Incinerator and local polluting corporations such as Marathon and DTE. Stand with the people of Arizona against SB1070, the militarization of the US borders, and other repressive enforcement measures, on July 29th. Coordinate actions in solidarity with Gulf Coast residents on August 29th in commemoration of the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina where we will
- Demand federal recognition of sovereignty of United Houma Nation.
- Hold creative actions around the country in protest of BP, Chevron and other dirty fuels industries.
- Demand the protection and restoration of wetlands, rights of return and reconstruction for Gulf Coast residents.
Strategize and mobilize locally across the U.S. to bring our power to bear on the UNFCCC’s COP 16 in Cancun November 29 – December 10.
Indigenous Sovereignty
As older brothers and sisters of this land, we do not want another U.S.; but the return of our Ancestral homelands and the right to self-determination. We want others to understand our unique history as the first recipients of systematic oppression & institutional racism in this hemisphere, to understand the colonization of our homelands and the exploitation of the national resources of Turtle Island. In order to work together, we need non-Indigenous entities to become educated on our history and issues from our perspectives, to RESPECT and HONOR our identity, spirituality, traditional ceremonies and related protocol. We ask that together we work toward the well-being of our communities, our children, future generations, other life forms, the plant and animal nations and Sacred Sites. We want others, to RESPECT and HONOR our expertise in all areas of this land from North to South, and that of Indigenous peoples respectively on other continents. We want to see more representation of Indigenous peoples in the USSF planning process and more Indigenous participation. We want an opening plenary at the next USSF to set the context of our struggles from our perspectives. We will take the lead on our own issues as decision makers and we ask for support on our work in Environmental, Social, and Economic Justice dealing with issues of: energy development (specifically: TARSANDS, coal, uranium, gold, gas & oil, and other extractive industries); green jobs; disparities due to income, environment, and substance abuse; the banning of ethnic studies programs; preservation of Indigenous languages and life-ways; funding for health-care; imposed political borders and immigration issues; food-sovereignty; protection of Sacred Sites and WATER; repatriation; privatization of natural resources & life-forms; commodification & tokenization of Indigenous images & knowledge; continuity of spiritual & healing practices; and the unrestricted access to and use of our traditional medicines and healing practices. We ask you to support us by connecting your work to the local Indigenous communities’ struggles in your area. We call for an annual international day of action between October 11-15 to unite against dirty energy projects and to celebrate our living Indigenous cultures, languages, spiritual practices, sovereignty, and nations. As the caretakers of the land we have a responsibility to honor, love, and give back to our Mother Earth, therefore WE DEMAND that the governments of the U.S. and Canada fully adopt the U.N. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples without qualifications. We support the existing actions and policies that promote our work by other entities, such as Bolivia’s Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth. We will move forward by working together collaboratively, involving Youth and Elders, to heal from external and internalized oppression to restore BALANCE and to build healthy relationships around the world.
Detroit & the Rust Belt
Detroiters are challenging economic institutions to build a society where human needs including air, water, shelter, meaningful work) are recognized as human rights, inviolable by no political body and protected without discrimination.
Person al corporate profits are invested so that people and communities are supported by a thriving commons.
We will work to build solidarity throughout the rust belt with communities impacted by de-industrialization and technological shifts.
Transformative Justice and Healing
Full access to alternative mechanisms, practices and infrastructures that promote: Self Determination / Restoration Interconnectedness / Mutual Accountability Supporting / Uplifting struggles Families and Communities
Increased and Strategic Intervention in Systems Benefiting and/or Profiting and/or promoting suffering, isolation, fear and systems that criminalize (including marriage industry, prisons, consequences o trauma and violence), dehumanize, brutalize and kill.
By deepening local and regional work, increasing national impact, working cross sectorally and in solidarity with knowledge transfer between generations.
Endless War/Militarism
We call for a diametrical shift of U.S. tax revenues from war and militarization to meet human needs, here and abroad. This requires recalibrating the moral compass of the nation in ways that prioritize sustainability, justice and equity over power, growth and control of resources. This shift must also include revitalizing our underfunded educational system, creation of green jobs and technology, ensuring decent housing, providing comprehensive health care for all, and addressing our crumbling infrastructure.
In short, we demand that the people’s needs supersede those who selfishly profit from endless wars, interventions, occupations, support for oppressive regimes, such as Israel, and the assault on governments unwilling to buckle to US power. The overarching misdirection of money in support of a military serving as the enforcer of neo-liberal policies in the world is a direct assault on people of color, workers, resources, and our environment. It is unsustainable, immoral, and serves only the interests of the few.
Therefore, we resolve to build a strong, broad, diverse and inclusive peace movement, one embracing broad constituencies, since all are adversely affected by the US historic and unparalleled spending for war and aggression. We resolve to promote, participate and build annual united antiwar/peace conferences, such as the United National Antiwar Conference in Albany, NY July 23-25, 2010, where activists will democratically decide upon national and local actions for Fall 2010 and Spring 2011.
We resolve to work tirelessly to break the tentacles of the over 800 US international military and naval bases into peaceful uses so that military budget infrastructure is transformed into self-sustaining, non-polluting economic and cultural purposes. We support those organizing to educate citizens in both urban and rural areas as to the cost, cause and effect of war, while unwaveringly advocating for a culture of peace and non-violence.
We support local and state planned mobilizations in the coming year, such as the one being organized in Michigan, along with those organizing marches, actions, and workshops between Independence Day and Labor Day 2011.
Displacement, Migration, Immigration
The freedom to move across borders that were set up to colonize and exploit people for profit is a basic element of human dignity. We recognize the right & need for Peoples to migrate and connect across the world to experience other cultures and expand our understanding of life. Displacement is caused by economic forces that give people no choice but to leave their original lands. War, Disaster, Corrupt Governments and economic crisis are the tools that displace communities globally. To fight displacement and support migration globally, there is a need to strengthen relationships & connections among the masses of people across borders. We recognize borders as colonial lines drawn to divide communities and that the act of active solidarity & movement of communities across these borders leads to the undoing of this colonial legacy.
On July 29th we call for a connected international day of action called “A Day without Papers” against SB 1070 in Arizona.
Cross border action against border wall
Solidarity Work Brigades connecting communities and sharing skills to support the right and need of migration for all communities.
Simultaneous People’s Movement Assemblies in Detroit & Gulf Coast to shift the paradigm of how we address depopulation in our respective communities.
Media Justice, Communications and Culture Technology
Media Justice, Communications, Culture and Technology
As communicators, cultural workers, artists, media makers, technologists…
We believe the power to communicate, and therefore the power to transform society, belongs to everyone.
We call for full access, rights and power to use all forms of media, communications and technology to democratize the distribution and production of information, culture and knowledge.
With an emphasis on reframing core movement goals and identified framing threats, we commit to working together to build meaningful, powerful stories to build a powerful movement for democratic social change, human rights and racial and economic justice.
Further, we commit to work together to deepen our collaboration to realize the goals set forward by each PMA and the PMA process.
Strategies for Building Power / Ensuring [Meeting Human] Needs
Uniting within and across sectors/struggles to take back resources through coordinated actions to claim human rights based in common human needs and led by people who are directly and most affected by their denial.
ACTIONS
October 7th, the Day of Action for Youth, Parents, Educators, and Allies who want education justice and transformation
April 15th, Money for Poor, Not for War, National Tax Day
Month of October, annual International Zero Evictions Campaign (IAI) [but not to interfere with Native days, Oct 11-13]
December 10, 2011 (International Human Rights Day), a National/International Economic Human Rights Day of Action linking the struggle to end poverty and secure the rights to housing, health, quality education, and other economic rights.
International Solidarity and Responsibility
We stand for the dismantling of U.S. imperialism, transnational domination and global apartheid created by the capitalist world system.
We affirm the rights of Mother Earth.
We affirm Indigenous sovereignty and the rights of oppressed, colonized and exploited people and classes in the U.S. and throughout the world to self-determination including the human right to food sovereignty, water, natural resources, housing, education, health care, work and freedom of movement and migration.
We call for the full acknowledgement numeration for women’s caring survival and justice work.
We call for the end to U.S. interventions and occupations in Palestine, Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Colombia, etc.
We call for a framework of reparations, restitution for slavery colonization, and genocide.
Action Points: (#3 with 3 of 4 original members conferring, was added at the last moment before the reading of the summary to PMA).
- We call on all organization and social movements to endorse the Cochabamba accords; to engage the International Day of Action for ecological justice.
- We call on all organization and social movements to boycott, divest and sanction the Israeli apartheid state and the institutions the support it.
- We affirm that Zionism is a form of racism that denies Palestinians the right to self-determination.
- We call on all organization and social movement to support the International Day of Action against the U.S. occupation of Haiti and for the return of Jean Bertram Aristead.
- We call for an anti-imperialist convergence in 2011 and 2012.
Democracy and Governance
Democracy cannot exist in the United States until colonial “territories” are eradicated and the control by the wealthy and large corporations is ended. Major electoral reform, decolonization and abolition of corporate personhood and campaign contributions as “Free Speech” is essential for democracy to be a reality in the U.S.
We will create and organize towards a new social contract (or constitution) that guarantees human rights protections, ends colonial practices, a voter bill of rights, eliminates corporate personhood and campaign contributions as “free speech” and a right to direct community participation in making decisions in the allocation and protection of land, resources and services.
The US Social Forum has established a PMA 2010 website to report back on the resolutions and decisions of the People’s Movement Assemblies at the USSF, as well as the Synthesis PMA of all 50 PMAs held at the Forum. The synthesis resolution adopted by the Social Forum includes an important call to adopt Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, as well as recognizing that Zionism is racism.
The following resolution was adopted by the United Against Racism PMA at the USSF, held on Thursday, June 25, 2010, organized by USPCN, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, Left Turn, United Against Racism, and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement:
“People of color forces committed to ending racism and ensuring socio-political equity are converging to move beyond the silos of identity politics and into a united struggle against racism. Neo-liberalism and racism have pummeled poverty, insecurity, war, exploitative labor practices, and violence against people of color communities both within and without the United States. The core activists and organizations within this space and within the United Against Racism hold a common view that Palestine represents the barometer of the extent to which imperialism is willing to go to ensure that the capitalist system of oppression and exploitation continue unabated. There is a general understanding that the liberation of Palestine is a critical linchpin in the transformation of this system and the creation of a more humane global system.
In order to solidify this solidarity and build another world shoulder to shoulder we seek to prepare our bases:
To be prepared and committed to defend one another
To define points of convergence among us; and
To host a 2011/2012 conference where we can continue to build our joint struggle
This body has identified several common issues and goals:
To end U.S. aid to Israel which is provided at the expense of strengthening social services in the U.S. including but not limited to, adequate education, access to health care, safe neighborhoods, and food security;
To challenge militarization and policing of our communities and our lands;
To support the boycott, divestment, and sanction of and against Apartheid Israel
To confront border struggles and the scapegoating, criminalization, and targeting of immigrant communities; and
To defend and free our political prisoners”
The US Social Forum has established a PMA 2010 website to report back on the resolutions and decisions of the People’s Movement Assemblies at the USSF, as well as the Synthesis PMA of all 50 PMAs held at the Forum. The synthesis resolution adopted by the Social Forum includes an important call to adopt Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, as well as recognizing that Zionism is racism.
The following resolution was issued by the “The Way Forward: Strategy, Tactics and Seeding Boycott Divestment and Sanctions in the US” People’s Movement Assembly at the US Social Forum, June 22-26, 2010, in Detroit, MI:
Whereas: This Assembly endorses the 9 July 2005 Call from Palestinian Civil Society calling for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel until it complies with International Law and the universality of human rights, which was reaffirmed in the joint statement of Palestinian civil society to the World Social Forum in January 2007, and inspired by the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and urgent need to end the siege of Gaza (NOW!) we resolve to support a comprehensive BDS campaign against Israel until it complies with its obligations under international law by:
1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the wall;
2. Ending its system of racial discrimination and recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, including their right to full equality;
3. Recognizing the right of Palestinian refugees, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), to return to their homes and properties, as stipulated in UN General Assembly resolution 194.
BDS can take many forms and looks different in each country/city, depending on the local political context and resources. This movement is versatile and flexible in nature and welcomes all campaigns that do not undermine the totality of the 2005 call for BDS from Palestinian civil society.
We stand in solidarity with domestic and other global struggles for liberation and we call on our friends and allies to endorse the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) issued by Palestinian civil society.
We further call for this support of BDS to be centered in the core of the U.S. social justice movement and internationally thus highlighting the intersections that exist across these struggles against Imperialism and Colonialism.
The US Social Forum PMA 2010 website released a new video with a selection of comments and visions of the numerous People’s Movement Assemblies held at the USSF, including those part of the Palestine Program, Justice in Palestine and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions PMA:
The video provides an exciting and inspiring look at the PMAs of the USSF 2010.
Detroit Hosts the 2010 US Social Forum
Interview with PalestineOnlineStore.com founder
El-Zabri: “Public awareness is the first step in advocacy for Palestine”
Forum and Link Staff:
Under the slogan “Another world is possible, another US is necessary, another Detroit is happening” the US Social Forum made its home at Cobo Center in Detroit from June 22 to June 27. Tens of thousands of activists poured into the Cobo Center to meet each other and attend forums that discuss issues related to justice. The Center for Media Justice had the following on the US Social Forum: “The Social Forum movement – conceived as an alternative to the World Economic Forum – is a space for social movements and progressive sectors of civil society to meet and share ideas, stories and solutions to confront the world’s continued economic, ecological and human rights crises. The first World Social Forum was held in January 2001, in Porto Alegre, Brazil…”
The Forum and Link visited the event and interviewed one of the Palestinian activists, Haithem El-Zabri, who flew from Texas to attend the event.
-Tell me about yourself, who is Haithem El-Zabri?
I was born in the U.S. when my parents were here for studies and suddenly became refugees in 1967. We then moved to Italy and then Kuwait, and I came back here to study and live. I majored in Marketing and then got my Masters of Communications in Digital Media.
- What brings you to Detroit?
I am in Detroit to promote Palestinian products at the Allied Media Conference and the U.S. Social Forum. These big conferences offer a huge opportunity to reach a large number of people who are concerned about social justice and human rights.
-What is the Social Forum about?
The U.S. Social Forum is the American version of the World Social Forum, drawing upwards of 20,000 people concerned with social justice issues, enabling progressives to strategize and coordinate for change.
- How did you get involved in Palestine activism?
I come from a family of nationalists and, as a child, I always heard my parents talking about Palestine. My school teachers in Italy were actually surprised by how much I knew about the issue at a young age, and were surprised to learn from me a totally different story than the one they were getting from the news. Then, during the first Intifada, I enrolled in Birzeit University’s international summer program. Spending that summer in Palestine, witnessing the events, being part of the popular resistance, and visiting Gaza really turned my life around. I distinctly remember a friend in Birzeit pleading with me “when you go back, tell the Americans what you saw and what is really happening here.” And that immediately became my mission in life. I tear up every time I think about it, because the Palestinian narrative is dismissed by Western mainstream media and that enables Israel to manipulate public opinion and continue its oppression of our people and the U.S. to continue supporting it without facing significant opposition. Public awareness is the first step in advocacy for Palestine and we need to work on it more vigorously.
- Tell me about your website?
PalestineOnlineStore.com started off as a small website selling documentary films about Palestine. At the time I launched it, I was only marketing two films that had just been released and were very powerful; ‘Gaza Strip’ and ‘Jenin Jenin.’ And gradually, I started adding more and more films, and now the Palestine Online Store is selling more Palestinian film titles for home video than any other vendor. Plus, I’ve added a wide assortment of items to the mix, including books, music, posters, maps, handcrafts, t-shirts, flags, olive oil, za’tar, and much more. Also, the store’s role has grown from mere reseller to a film distributor, book publisher, and music label. In terms of films, PalestineOnlineStore.com is now the distributor of a number of award-winning films, including ‘The Iron Wall,’ ‘The Land Speaks Arabic,’ and ‘To Gaza With Love.’ In terms of books, I’ve self-published a booklet that I co-authored, titled “Nakba – The Ongoing Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.” This booklet was our answer of how to educate people with little knowledge of the issue briefly and concisely (it is only 40 pages long). In terms of music, the store made it possible for Mohammed Al Farra, a young rapper from Gaza, to release his debut CD. The store also produces several t-shirts, posters, and bumper stickers, whenever possible in Palestine.
-Where do your orders come from?
Orders come from both Palestinians and non-Palestinians, but mostly the latter. Geographically, they come from all over the world, including even such places as Brunei, South Korea, and San Marino! Most of the orders come from the USA, Canada, and Europe.
- Where does the profit go?
PalestineOnlineStore.com is a project whose mission is to make Palestinian products, and especially informational resources, more widely available and to support the Palestinian economy. So the revenues go back into covering its overhead and developing and producing new materials that serve the cause. Obviously sales benefit and enable filmmakers, writers, artisans, farmers, and others, and enable them to keep doing what they do and supplying us with these needed materials for advocacy. Many items benefit our people back home, especially those that are made there such as handcrafts, olive oil, olive soap, kufiyehs, and the occasional item that we manage to produce there. And several are fundraisers for specific projects, such as the ‘We Sail Until Palestine is Free’ t-shirt, which the store has produced for the Free Gaza Movement and is contributing 50% of the profits to them.
- What are you goals and what is next for Palestine Online Store?
My vision is for it to be “the Palestinian Amazon.” The next step towards this is to get the website completely revamped by a professional, and this is the highest priority, as soon as the resources for such development become available. So far, I have designed and maintained it myself in static HTML on Dreamweaver. It needs to be completely automated and have features similar to Amazon’s, such as customer comments, recommendations, etc. I would also like to have staff as soon as possible, as this would enable me to focus on business development rather than doing everything. And eventually, I envision offices in every continent, tailoring products for their specific needs (for example, having our films and books translated into other languages), and different websites for each.
- How do you see the state of Palestine activism in the US today?
While there is a good number of dedicated Palestinian activists, this number needs to be much greater. There is much to be done in terms of advocacy and it cannot be done without mobilizing the entire community. Here at the Social Forum, the biggest Arab community in America (i.e. Dearborn) is severely under-represented. The Social Forum had many Palestine related events to participate in so why the weak turnout of local activists? In Palestine, young kids face tanks with stones. In America, we have it much easier, and we need to make use of that and stand up for the rights of our sisters and brothers. I would like to mention that the U.S. Palestinian Popular Conference will be convening in Chicago in October, so people who want to be involved should really consider attending that, and I hope to see many from the Detroit area there. That conference’s website is http://www.palestineconference.org/ .
A PDF of the hardcopy can be downloaded at http://www.PalestineOnlineStore.com/interview.pdf
The Arab American News published the following report of the USSF and opening march, describing Palestinian and Arab participation in the Forum and mutual solidarity among oppressed communities:
“A New World, A Better America”
by Nick Wright
DETROIT — Uniting under the motto “Another World is Possble,” an estimated 20,000 people from across the country gathered in downtown Detroit this week for the landmark 2010 U.S. Social Forum (USSF).
The event grew from the blueprint of the World Social Forum which is based in Brazil and came on the heels of the first incarnation of the USSF in Atlanta in 2007.
Thousands of people marched Woodward Avenue as part of the event’s opening festivities on Tuesday, June 22 to Cobo Hall, the epicenter of the various workshops and events organized at the USSF.
Grassroots activists representing causes ranging from the fight for clean air and water to workers’ rights to anti-war demonstrators all made their presence felt during the march.
Various issues relating to Arabs and Muslims were also featured both during the march and over the course of the USSF’s weeklong series of events.
Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi, a professor of ethnic studies relating to Arab and Muslim issues at the San Francisco State University in California and former University of Michigan-Dearborn director of Arab American Studies, marched while wearing a keffiyeh in support of Palestine along with friends carrying Palestinian flags.
Abdulhadi talked about the importance of solidarity between activists fighting against injustice along several different lines.
“We’re all under the same umbrella of justice and our struggles should not be separate,” she said.
“Being a part of others’ movements is a much better choice than trying to do it all on our own.”
Julio Lopez, a member of the Southwest Workers Union who traveled to the forum from San Antonio, provided an example of activists working together.
Lopez grabbed a bullhorn during the march and began chanting “Viva, Viva, Palestina!” as members of his group and other nearby marchers joined in.
“All of us here are connected to the same struggle, it’s the fight against corporate power that’s been going on for a long time,” he said.
Abdulhadi also emphasized the importance of educating others on a person-to-person basis and highlighting similarities.
“Many people don’t know about the details of things like the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, Gaza, the occupation and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment in the media,” she said.
“We need to do what needs to be done and educate each other about our struggles.”
Organizers also constructed a Palestine tent in the USSF’s tent city area and tables were set up to pass out literature and educate fellow activists about the struggle.
A full slate of workshops at the USSF were also planned through Sunday, June 27, and with so many choices, many forum attendees were forced to make difficult decisions.
On Tuesday, June 23, a workshop entitled “Building Arab and Black Solidarity” was held at the TWW & Associates, Inc. education center in Detroit.
Speakers including Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan (CAIR-MI) staff attorney Lena Masri, organizer Nada Khader, and Nisrin Elamin, a curriculum development specialist for the Global Kids education center in New York City, talked about the importance of building solidarity between African Americans and Arab Americans in the face of injustice and oppression. They also discussed strategies for better education on the two cultures.
“What I’ve found is that the best way to engage the youth and to get them to see different perspectives is during afterschool programs, since our schools are always about increasing test scores,” Alamin said.
Shaun Pierce, an activist from the south side of Chicago, said that the goal for the two cultures should be to get past the dialogue stage and move into actions that will enable them to organize with each other for common goals.
Linda Najjar of Ann Arbor said she’s worked with numerous young Detroiters and agreed that education was especially important.
“I work with black youths and educate them about Arab issues such as the Palestine conflict and in most cases they didn’t know, but they truly want to help once they find out.”
The issue of increasing safety for Arab American business owners in inner city communities was also brought up, and Dearborn resident and activst Rhana Natour relayed a strategy that local Arab American and Detroit police leaders have touted in the past.
“We need to encourage more community building efforts for small businesses to get to know each other and their customers, that’s the first step,” she said.
The forum was also a golden opportunity for event organizers to educate fellow activists about the challenges facing the Muslim community in metro Detroit and beyond, and the Thaqalayn Muslim Association (TMA) of UM-Dearborn hosted an event entitled “The Media Hijacked my Religion” at Wayne State University’s Student Center on Wednesday, June 23.
CAIR-MI head Dawud Walid was the featured speaker, highlighting important issues such as what he called media bias regarding the FBI killing of Detroit Imam Luqman Abdullah and the preponderance of fear-mongering and “passive propagation” of Islamophobia.
Walid showed local news coverage from WXYZ-TV about the Abdullah event and took issue with the way it was reported on.
He said that Abdullah was never charged with incitement, terrorism, or treason but that media outlets ran with the story that Abdullah wanted to wage a “jihad” against the U.S. Government.
Walid also took issue with the misuse of the word “jihad,” which means “personal struggle,” and the use of the word “ummah” to designate an alleged radical group despite the fact that the word means the entire global community of Muslims.
“This type of misreporting and misuse of Arab terminology is promoting Islamophobia,” Walid said.
He also slammed reports of 10th Precinct police in Detroit being told to be on high alert “because it was in a Muslim neighborhood” according to the WXYZ clip.
Walid also cited FBI statistics from the website loonwatch.com showing that 6% of terrorist attacks committed in the United States were by Muslims and compared the stat with the media coverage various events have received.
“You’d think that it was 94% of Muslims committing attacks with the way they are covered,” he said.
While the workshops served as an excellent way for various activists to get to know each other, a great deal of strategizing was also done on the side through conversation.
Non-profit worker Robbie Samuels of Boston came to Detroit with a plan to help create focused, topically relevant dialogue between USSF attendees.
Samuels passed out stickers that read “Ask Me About…” or “I’m Looking For…” on them for USSF attendees to publicize their issues and areas of expertise.
Samuels believes that organization and cooperation are the keys to making things happen in the fight for social justice in America.
“My goal is to get people engaged and to create welcoming community spaces across issues and across identities based on shared values,” he said.
“We need to get people engaged so we can take action.”
Jeff Smith of the Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy published the following report of the “Palestinian Solidarity: Past, Present and Future” workshop, which took place on Thursday, June 24:
On Thursday afternoon I attended the Palestine Solidarity workshop, facilitated by the Lansing-based Peace Education Center. One of the presenters began by saying that it has been difficult to organize around support for the Palestinians since 1993. Before 1993, the PLO was the singular reason for people to rally around Palestinian rights.
Since then, the focus has shifted to the occupied territories and no longer just the PLO. This shift in focus has been due in part to both the fist and second Intifada, the community-based non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation.
However, the presenter said that there has been an ongoing negative impact of the 1993 “peace accord” known as the Oslo Peace Accord. Many people in the US now see the “problem” of Palestine as an internal problem, because they now have control over their own territory. This perception amongst people in the US has made it easier for US policy makers to continue to unconditionally support the Israeli occupation.
Another presenter states that historically the Palestinian solidarity groups had a much stronger socialist or class-conscience base. There have been dozens of US-based organizations that have supported Palestine, but there has been an evolution of these groups. Some watershed moments for the US solidarity groups were the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the first Intifada in 1988. The presenter also points out that many of the previous region solidarity movements were linked with the Palestinian struggle, such as the Central American Solidarity movement and the South African anti-Apartheid movement.
After the 1993 Oslo Accord, people began to realize that despite the peace process more Palestinian land was being occupied by Israeli settlers. Another change in the Palestinian Solidarity Movement was the 2nd generation of Palestinians now living in the US. This new generation brought new energy and fresh ideas.
One difficulty that people working on Palestinian Solidarity in the US is that the Palestinian narrative is not even tolerated. In addition, anyone who speaks out on this issue will be charged with anti-Semitism. This is particularly the case of Palestinians and other Arabs living in the US, which underscores the importance of having more people participate in Palestinian Solidarity work.
The Boycott and Divestiture movement actually began in the early 1990s, based mostly on the experience of the South African Anti-Apartheid movement. This movement grew over the years.
A third presenter spoke about another aspect of the mainstream left and its silence on the Palestinian struggle. This silence could be considered a form of hostility to the issue, especially since the US contributes $3 billion a year to Israel, which translates to $7 million a day.
The US funding of Israel became the focus of much of the Solidarity work in the 90s and the most recent decade, particularly if the funding was framed as funding an illegal occupation.
Now the focus is mostly on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The conditions of this campaign are when Israeli ends the occupation, dismantles the wall and recognizes the right of Palestinians.
Divestment is an action where people will not invest in companies that do business with Israel. Some of these companies are Motorola, Caterpillar and Viola. Sanctions currently don’t exist from the US, but this is a tactic if and when there will be enough public support to get the US government to impose sanctions on Israel.
Someone from Oakland, California spoke about the Longshoreman Union’s refusal to unload goods from an Israeli ship recently. This was an important victory, because the longshoreman also took the same position during the South African Anti-Apartheid campaign.
The rest of the conversation dealt with a variety of aspects of the difficulties within doing Palestine Solidarity work. These difficulties dealt with claims of anti-Semitism, nationalism, the right of return for Palestinians, Congressional support for Israel, international law, war crimes and cultural resiliency.
While the session did not spend enough time on practical solidarity work, the discussion was great and the history and analysis of Palestine Solidarity work was excellent.
Free Speech TV, which is presenting a live feed of major events at the US Social Forum, is also holding a series of interviews with participants in the USSF.
On Wednesday, June 23, FSTV interviewed Ziad Abbas, Palestinian refugee, founder of Ibda’a Cultural Center in Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, Palestine, and co-director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance.
Watch the interview here:
FSTV also interviewed Ann Wright, a former U.S. Army Colonel, anti-war activist, Gaza Freedom March organizer and Gaza Freedom Flotilla survivor, telling her story about the assault on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and the need to break the siege on Gaza:
The following is the full video of Thursday’s evening plenary featuring keynote speaker Jamal Juma’ of the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign. Entitled “From National to International: The Effect of Neoliberal Policies at Home and Abroad,” the panel was moderated by Cindy Wiesner of Grassroots Global Justice. Lidy Nacbil of the Asia/Pacific Institute on Debt and Development, Rita Olga Martinez of the Cuba Friendship Institute, Marian Kramer of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Ashim Roy of the New Trade Union Initiative, Iraqi activist and writer Raed Jarrar and Haitian activist Frantz Jerome joined Juma’ on the panel.
Free Speech TV is providing live coverage of major events at the Forum. Below is the FSTV video of the Thursday evening plenary; Juma’s speech begins at approximately the one-hour mark.
Panel on Palestinian Political Prisoners and the Holy Land Foundation Case
Friday, June 25, 2010
6:00 p.m.
COBO Room 03-46
US Social Forum
Speakers:
Ziad Abbas: Former Palestinian Political Prisoner & Director of Middle East Children’s Alliance
Noor Elashi: Daughter of Holy Land Foundation Political Prisoner & New York Writer