What is Local Democracy? Building from the Bottom Up for Political Power
Submitted by Juscha Robinson on April 13, 2007 - 5:31pm.
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This session will be on: June 29, 2007 - 1:00pm It will be held at: Sparta room at the Atlanta Marriott Downtown View scheduleOrganization DescriptionLiberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution is a nonprofit organization rooted in the belief that the American Revolution is a living tradition whose greatest promise is democracy.
Because that promise is as yet unfulfilled, our central purpose is to build on the accomplishments of earlier American movements by launching a new stage in the struggle for democracy.
We are a fellowship of organizers, lawyers, and scholars. We provide support to pro-democracy campaigns in the form of policy research, publications, legal assistance, consultative services, and the convening of pro-democracy organizers. Proposal Demographicsidentify as women identify as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gendered, queer) identify as people of color Session DescriptionThis session will be an introduction to the Local Democracy movement, and will engage participants by starting to explore a few of the submovements that compose it. Specifically this session will feature speakers with experience in direct legislation, home rule, community wealth creation, and community empowerment and antiracism. The theme that ties these together is people, communities and municipalities as social actors taking back power from the federal and global regimes to achieve policy change and action at the local level. The session will end with facilitated discussion about implementing some of these strategies to address local problems. Participants will take away an enhanced understanding of the status quo power structures that are designed to impose policy decisions on the people and communities from the top down. The goal of the session is to have participants leave with a new sense of what is possible at the grassroots local level, and how to begin going about achieving that in their own communities and municipalities. The biggest challenge the local democracy challenge faces is definitely the power of corporate globalization. This session will address the cross-cutting themes of corporate globalization, neocolonialism and imperialism in that many of the current examples of local democracy involve people fighting the effects of these in their local communities and economies. This session will also envision alternatives, by featuring activists with inspiring stories and strategies to tell about how people can take back their communities through a local strengthening of local democracy. Agenda: Discussion will be conducted in English. Handouts will be provided to participants. This session is co-sponsored by Independent Progressive Politics Network, and Global Exchange. First NameJuscha Last NameRobinson Contact E-mailRobinson@LibertyTreeFDR.org Proposing OrganizationLiberty Tree Organization Websitewww.LibertyTreeFDR.org Position or TitleFellow, Local Democracy Program Area Contact Telephone608-239-4296 Alternate Telephone608-257-1606 Event DayFriday, June 29th (Visioning / Envisioning Another World) Contact AddressPO Box 260217 Formatpanel and facilitated discussion Contact CityMadison KeywordsAnti-corporate power Community organizing and local development Democracy and politics Audience Number25-50 people Contact StateWI Contact ZIP53726 Person ReviewingEmily |