50 Activists gather at Monthly Potluck for Progressives
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Approximately fifty local activists joined together to share their bounty & break bread at the monhtly Potluck for Progressives on Monday, June 30th.
The Potluck for Progressives has been sponsored for more than six years by the Alliance for Democracy, Rochester chapter (AfD-R). It is the longest continually running & most successful potluck of its kind in our region. Typical Potlucks offer local activists an opportunity to meet each other, talk about their projects & interests, highlight a particular organization and discuss a larger topic.
After everyone introduced themselves & talked briefly about the projects they are working on the meeting turned to the featured organization: The Peace and Rights Forum.
A group of activists, educators, health care workers, journalists and others have been gathering together every other week on Fridays at St. Joe's House of Hospitality @ 5:30pm to talk about how they can build a local forum for peace and rights here in Rochester. Organizers Mary Shoemaker & Andy Dillion gave an overview of the group's goals, talked about recent discussions & described the activities the group is planning.
The Peace & Rights forum is planning & organizing an exciting alternative economic forum in September here in Rochester. The forum is designed to offer a sharp contrast to the undemocratic G7 meeting to be held at about the same time. The group's organizers promise more details will follow shortly.
The majority of the meeting was devoted to a panel discussion. TOPIC: “Bridging the Fault Lines”
What is a “Progressive”? What are the best ways to find common ground & work together when we don’t agree on every issue & every tactic?
Panels included Bill Benet, Member of the Monroe County Legislature for more than 20 years; Joyce Herman, an activist, involved member of Rochester interfaith groups as well as a founding National Associate of the National Coalition Building Institute; Jesse Lenney, co-organizer for Metro Justice; Mary Shoemaker, activist with IndyMedia & Peace and Rights Forum (see above).
A fascinating discussion was kicked off by Jesse Lenney organizer for Metro Justice who layed out a case for building a Progressive movement by supporting the existing professional agencies/organizations like Labor, Metro Justice, etc. He talked about possible "electoral strategies" and finished with his views on progressivism.
Bill Benet moved from the discussion from more practical to the more theorhetical with a discussion of the ways a movement recaptures the definition of fundimental American values like democracy.
Joyce Herman spoke passionately about working internally as activists to resolve our underling emotions (anger) & move onto productive action. Listenning to others & looking for common ground are the foundation activities, acording to Ms. Herman, of building coalitions with people who may not agree with each other on every issue & every tactic.
Last up was Mary Shoemaker, an acitivist with the local IndyMedia Center & the Peace & Rights Forum who also wanted the movement to look a the socio-economic underpinings of an "advanced capitalistic society" playing off an earlier email conversation between Mary & Bill Benet. She offered a wonderful call to action based on her analysis!
A lively general discussion ensued kicked off by Jesse Lenney. Bill Benet offered a vision of a targeted electoral strategy in which local Progressives focus on working within the Democrat Party in Monroe County. A considerable exchange followed with a variety of sentiments on all sides of the question.
Moderator, AfD-R member & author of this article, Rome Celli, offered the observation that the local Progressive movement exists in an embryonic stage right now. In order to build the movement all the various elements have to recognize what is possible, join together, pick their goals, coordinate their work & start working.
The formal meeting came to a close with comments by Mary Boite who recognized that the local chapter of the Alliance for Democracy's mission is to assist in the formation of a local Progressive movement.
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The AfD-R is about to publically launch a local campaign reform effort called the Demonstrate Democracy Project. Learn more about how you can help take big, organized money out of local politics & encourage a more democratic electoral process please visit:
http://www.rochesteralliance.org/Index_files/page0004.html
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