Report from Movement School for Revolutionaries #1: Humboldt, CA
This is an independent review of the first Movement School for Revolutionaries workshop, held in Eureka, CA on April 15, 2017.
The original post, written by Frank Lockwood of Washington state, can be accessed by clicking here.
What is the "Movement School for Revolutionaries"?
Movement Schools for Revolutionaries are now in process in San Diego, Irvine, Riverside, Seattle, Milwaukee, NYC, and soon to be in Seattle, Washington. So what are these “schools” anyway?
Are you a “progressive” politically? Perhaps a Movement School for Revolutionaries should be in your future. The Movement School for Revolutionaries as I experienced it, was a transformational, one-day event promoted by David Keith Cobb of the Green Party of the US (gp.org). (Please see the disclaimer below.)
Each Movement School is custom-designed in collaboration with the local anchoring organizations. So each one will have slight different flavor. These one-day schools are opportunities for training and collaboration, and are attended by those serious about making positive changes in the political systems of the United States and of the world. The schools support real, grass-roots democracy in view of a global financial and political crisis or collapse.
For me, now important message was this: We need to know who our friends are, and collaborate with them to make good things happen.
The world is in crisis: Entire nations are doing right turns, resulting in concerns about fascism (small “f” fascism), right wing extremism and the pending collapse of environmental regulatory agencies. Examples are Brexit, Dem-exit, which may be one reason the Green Party and other groups have been meeting to discuss, among other things, cooperation and collaboration in the face of what some of us consider to be the pending collapse of some political parties, possibly including the Democrat and Republican political machines.
I personally traveled from Washington State to take in one of these Movement Schools for Revolutionaries, held at Eureka, CA over the Easter weekend, 2017, and it was great. We had several speakers with good visuals and fast-paced, high interest presentations that showed why we are in a global political crisis, and how can address this.
When Cobb speaks, you soon understand three things:
1. He is a serious believer in the Green Party’s Four Pillars and Ten Key Values,
2. A former Democrat, Keith does not believe the Democratic party can be taken over and transformed from within.
3. However … he is not for bashing other progressive movements. Rather, we must collaborate whenever possible. “We can disagree about tactics,” he says, but "We must be respectful of each other too."
The Movement School is largely about building a collaborative movement of progressives — one that is big enough, powerful enough, and committed enough to transform politics, and therefore, society. The list of things needing transformation is long: Imperialism, White Supremacy, Patriarchy and a flawed Capitalism being instances. All of the above, he implies, have created huge problems for many Americans.
Cobb and fellow progressives are serious about undoing some of the worst trends in America’s political system, although the issue bigger than even the USA, and the Green Party is a movement or political ideology that exists in other countries as well.
Toolkit of Ideas: The workshop includes a list of ideas to address the current, global situation, and addresses what are called “revolutionary opportunities.”
Just to be clear, “revolutionary" in this context, refers to concepts, values and legal transformations, not violent overthrows of governments. The Green Party, of which Cobb and I are members, advocates for local-control and wide-based democracy as opposed to top-down, demagogical, or violent oppression. If you are a progressive or “peaceful revolutionary,” please sign up and attend a session in order to learn more.
The Take-Away: Those attending should gain a better understanding of the present, global opportunity for positive change: The world is in an unprecedented crisis, as was described using global maps as visuals, but the Green Party in collaboration with other progressive movements, if united in a goal, can present a viable alternative to politics-as-usual. We could now be entering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-shape our democracy.
To inquire about attending or arranging for a Movement School in your area, you might like to contact Cobb at davidkcobb@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that I speak only from my own observations. This is not an “official” description of the movement.
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