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-------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Report on the Chicago Conference and LeftElect Network Update: June 22, 2015 Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 14:14:05 -0500 From: LeftElect Conference <leftel...@gmail.com> To: leftel...@gmail.com *_Report on the Chicago Conference and LeftElect Network Update: June 22, 2015 _* Seven weeks have passed since the May 3-4 Future of Left/ Independent Electoral Action Conference. We value your interest and would like to offer a report on the conference and next steps for the network. Some 200 political activists from around the country and from a variety of independent political organizations, as well as individual activists, carried out a rich discussion and an amicable debate about how to collaborate in the work of building a large political alternative to the left of the Democratic Party. Participating in the Future of the Left/Independent Politics Conference <http://leftelect.org/>, in an unprecedented spirit of cooperation, national, state, and local candidates and activists, as well as elected officials from the Green Party, the Peace and Freedom Party, the Richmond Progressive Alliance, Socialist Alternative, Progressive Dane, and the Vermont Progressive Party discussed the challenges of campaigning and the difficulties of actually holding office while trying to both build movements and push progressive policies. Also at the conference were members of the International Socialist Organization, the Justice Party, and many other organizations. Thanks to numerous contributions and hardworking volunteers, conference costs were kept low, and the conference brought in more than it cost. The surplus will be seed money for the new network! For additional reports see /New Politics/: http://newpol.org/content/left-independent-political-action-conference-unprecedented-cooperationand The North Star http://www.thenorthstar.info/?p=12264 To view the conference livestream archive see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6M57pSRjRk Responding to the country’s pervasive economic and social crisis many leaders of the movements Occupy, Black Lives Matters, and Fight for $15 were in attendance. While this was a conference focused primarily on electoral action, the organizers made it clear through panels on the Black Lives Matter movement and the Fight for $15 that politics must be about building and giving voice to such movements. The conference was historic not only for its agenda but the spirit of mutual respect, cooperation, and solidarity that the conference engendered. The organizing committee—which includes leading members of the Green Party as well as representatives of the the Peace and Freedom Party, International Socialist Organization (ISO), Socialist Alternative, Solidarity, the Black Agenda Report, and Richmond Progressive Alliance—announced that a continuations committee would take up the question of now to keep alive the network established by the conference. They also recognized the need for greater diversity, for greater involvement of African American and Latino activists, and for simply casting a wider net and drawing in others involved in such political campaigns. The Future of the Left/Independent Politics Conference represented an important step forward not only for independent politics but also for cooperation on the left. There were many suggestions presented for the organizations and individuals involved in this conference to keep alive the network we have founded, while continuing our work in local movements and independent political campaigns. The continuations committee is meeting by email and telephone. We hope to *continue to use the website* at leftelect.org <http://leftelect.org/>as a place to share information on important electoral campaigns, upcoming events, as well as to link to sites of dialogue and comradely debate. We encourage activists and candidates to use the website to contribute their thoughts on these topics. We have started the transformation of the website from a conference focus to reflect this goal. We wish to thank everyone who planned, participated, contributed and attended the conference and hope that you will continue to interact and plan with the continuations committee. If you or your organization would like to suggest someone for the planning committee contact us at leftel...@gmail.org <mailto:leftel...@gmail.org> For the Future of Left-Independent Political Action, The Continuations Committee: Kali Akuno, Robert Caldwell, Todd Chretien, Bruce Dixon, Howie Hawkins, Bryan Koulouris, Dan La Botz, Gloria Mattera, Gayle McLaughlin, Joanna Misnik, Debra Reiger, Lance Selfa, Jill Stein, Linda Thompson Ongoing and suggestions for future activities: 1.)We encourage *local and regional report back meetings* and evaluations on the conference, and support local and regional events.A Southern California report back and discussion is scheduled for 7:30 PM on June 25 at The Peace Center, 2916 Sepulveda Blvd,, Suite 102 Culver City CA 90230. 2.)We encourage and support LeftElect participants’ *ongoing discussions* and contributions to ongoing events. At the recent Left Forum (where there were a number of panels that referenced left/ independent electoral action including one hosted by the Green Party of New York State https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9lIzCv0cwQand another by North Star http://www.thenorthstar.info/?p=12306). 4).*People can r**ally behind Kshama Sawant*http://kshamasawant.org/for a successful Aug 4, 2015 Primary. Kshama Sawant’s reelection campaign is arguably the most important battle for independent left politics in the U.S. in 2015. Sawant will be challenged in the Aug 4, 2015 primary by four democrats: Pamela Banks of the Urban League, marriage equality campaigner Rod Hearne, and Morgan Beach of the Seattle Women’s Commission, and Lee Carter, an ex-TV newsman andAfrican-American community activist. Even in the midst of her re-election campaign, Kshama sent a message and video greetings to us at the Chicago conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0bvQXDL5i0 5).We’d like to share information so people might attend the *2015 Green Party Annual Meeting in St. Louis *July 23-26. Green Party members indicate that this year’s meeting will feature much more than just a annual convention. The Green Party is working with local activists to provide workshops and possibly events on racial justice in the wake of Ferguson. There will be several days of issue and skill-building workshops, electoral strategy sessions, and panel discussions. The Annual Meeting is a place where all those interested in independent political action can continue to work on a strategic plan, begin new projects, and build alliances with local activists. http://www.gp.org/state-and-local-news/1302-2015-green-party-annual-national-meeting 6).There were many other suggestions for network ideas including a larger national gathering before the 2016 elections that could involve new forces. We are open to feedback and suggestions on all these ideas or new ones. *Ways in which to follow and interact with the LeftElect network: * LeftElect Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/leftelect Facebook discussion group (New!) https://www.facebook.com/groups/662029273929051/ Website: http://leftelect.org/ Announcement listserv subscribe:leftelectupdates+subscr...@googlegroups.com <mailto:leftelectupdates+subscr...@googlegroups.com> Email: leftel...@gmail.org <mailto:leftel...@gmail.org> _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
