Indigenous Cosmovision was raised up in Atlanta, just some of the soulful diversity experienced.

United States Social Forum

(Article by AMI Staff, Stephen Bartlett)

The first U.S. Social Forum took place in Atlanta, Georgia from June 27 to July 1, 2007 and AMI was in the mix. Of the 900 something workshops given for the 10,000 or so participants, AMI led and facilitated three workshops, participated in various "tracks", heard top-notch plenaries, and danced (metaphorically and literally) with progressives of all stripes.

One highlight came during the workshop on Migration and Racism in the Dominican Republic. Yours truly Stephen Bartlett, Sherry Flyr, and Luckner Millien of the Farm Worker Association of Florida were the panelists to get the ball rolling: (What is racism? How have politicians used racism to deflect attention and scapegoat Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent? What are the parallels to the xenophobia surrounding migration in the U.S.?), but then the excellent group of participants did the rest in a wide ranging but passionate dialog, the bulk of those being Dominicans and Haitians now living and working in progressive organizations in the U.S. Not only did we flesh out a deep analysis of the mainstream Dominican identity whereby the African and Haitian heritage is denied and denigrated, but we had live testimonies of conversion. One young Dominican activist told how she once blindly followed the herd and did not have a clue about her own Africanness, until her experience in the U.S. led her to see that she was indeed Afro.

She proudly affirmed: "I am proud to be an Afro Dominican! Proud of my African blood.!" This was greeted by affirming applause by others present. Haitian participants provided historical context, speaking in Kreyol translated into English. And we strategized on the anti racist, pro-human and civil rights advocacy campaign we hope to participate in, with one notable caution about the effectiveness of pressuring the DR government through conventional means.

Other AMI workshops were facilitated on Food Sovereignty:  Land and People in Harmony and Abundance and had stellar panels and participants:  Lucas Benitez and Julia Perkins and others of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Megan of the Student Farmworker Alliance, Alberto Gomez of UNORCA (National Union of Campesino Organizations)/ Via Campesina from Mexico, John Kinsman of Family Farm Defenders/ National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC), Dena Hoff of High Plains Resource Council/NFFC, Bill Christisen of Missouri Rural Crisis Center/NFFC, Eric Holt-Jimenez of Food First, Dennis Olsen of Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy, among others.  Participants shared in an in-depth dialog on the various elements and analysis of food sovereignty and heard about the various corporate and legislative campaigns, and about the Farm Bill struggle.  New ideas sprouted on the spot for possible future actions together.

At the US Social Forum there were major plenaries on Katrina, the War, Gender and the struggle against Homophobic Patriarchical Violent Capitalism, Immigration Rights, Worker Justice and Indigenous Peoples and their Prophetic Struggles and Cosmovision. 

An unfortunate cross-cultural incident seemed at first to mar the final plenary, but ended up yielding unanticipated fruits.  Those of us who were presenting proposals, reading snippets of declarations, or, like myself, bringing a message from delegates who could not get US visas, from Cuba, were told we would be allowed 2 minutes and no more to deliver our messages. That we should make it inspirational, short and to the point, and think of this as a pep rally.  One indigenous spokesperson from Ecuador, dressed traditionally,  reached   his  two-minute  mark   but had more to say (a lot more). The tall African American woman assigned to move things along took the microphone out of the man's hand, so he continued his speech shouting out to the auditorium.  This perceived insult so aroused many indigenous and others in the hall that a few minutes later a large contingent took the stage, carrying Lakota drums and the indignities of five plus centuries.  The Ecuadoran got to make a much longer speech, we got to hear passionate accusations of us evidently as representatives of the Occidental world, as well as healing reconciliation and a gracious apology from the woman who had taken the mike.

So the long journeys home were spiced by reflections on dignity, Western notions of time and the heart beat of Mother Earth, represented by the drum accompanying the Lakota chants.  Earlier during the indigenous plenary a woman from one of the First Peoples of Alaska told of a prophesy of her people:  that one day when humanity would reach a moment of greatest danger, a voice would rise from the north to warn humanity and call humanity back to harmony with Creation.  Given the melting and burning of Alaska, and the drowning polar bears, she said, that time is NOW.

The youthful energy of the Forum, along with the wisdom of the elders, made for a potent convergence that is sure to bear many more fruits throughout communities in the U.S. and the world.  The next Americas Social Forum is scheduled for Guatemala in October 2008 and the next US Social Forum is slated for 2010!  A new generation is competently and radically taking up the mantle of struggle!  We felt that energy in Atlanta!

Lucas Benitez of CIW and Alberto Gomez of UNORCA in Mexico met at the Agricultural Missions Food Sovereignty panel.