In addition to our Democracy Convention video of Earth Democracy sessions, there are also recordings of Debra White Plume speaking at the closing convention, a panel discussion on civil rights and African-American men, and interviews with Medea Benjamin and Dane County supervisor Leland Pan online here. Definitely worth checking out!
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National and international policies based on neoliberal economics, corporate globalization, and "free" trade which aim to commodify, privatize and profit from almost every aspect of nature are destroying local communities and cultures, and the ecosystems on which all life depends. Earth Democracy is juxtaposed to this system and is grounded in the inherent rights of living beings and Mother Earth.
The Earth Democracy Conference will be one of several tracks at this year's Democracy Convention, to be held August 7 through 11 at Madison College, Madison Wisconsin. Earth Democracy builds on the declaration adopted by the Ecojustice People's Movement Assembly at the 2010 US Social Forum which states: "We support the conclusion that only by 'living well', in harmony with each other and with Mother Earth, rather than 'living better,' based on an economic system of unlimited growth, dominance and exploitation, will the people of this planet not only survive but thrive."
The Earth Democracy Conference will bring together people who are working on the frontlines of the ecojustice movement to:
You can click on the links below to see video of some of the panels and workshops that AfD co-chair Nancy Price organized at the Democracy Convention last week.
The video was shot by Justice Rising editor Jim Tarbell, who was also a participant in panel discussions on community radio and building community economics.
Eco-Climate Justice: A Revolution of Values for People and Nature, featuring Alberto Saldamando, Ashley Anderson, Carolyn Raffensperger, Rachel Smolker, and Ronnie Cummins; introduced by AfD co-chair Nancy Price. This was the opening plenary of the eco-justice/earth democracy conference, one of eight that made up the full convention program. Since this was the first event, Nancy runs through the full lineup of workshops and plenaries--there was a lot going on!
Climate/Earth Justice: Debunking Climate Markets and the Neoliberal Green Economy, with Ruth Caplan, AfD vice co-chair and director of our Defending Water for Life campaign, Daphne Wysham and Rachel Smolker.
Water: A Fundamental Right for People and Nature, with Alberto Saldamando, Nancy Price and Ruth Caplan
And part two of Teaching Earth Democracy, with Nancy Price, Riki Ott, and Bob Peterson. Nancy gives a demonstration of the Tapestry of the Commons interactive project.
We hope to have more video up here and on our Youtube channel soon.
Be a part of the movement to build a more participatory, more comprehensive, and more responsive democracy--come to Madison, Wisconsin this August for the 2011 Democracy Convention. Join Alliance for Democracy, the Center for Media and Democracy, Liberty Tree, Move to Amend, and The Progressive as we share strategies and inspiration from diverse movements--from labor, student, anti-militarism, anti-racism, sustainability, economic and environmental justice--and seek common ground for building a broad-based movement for democratic governance and responsive policy.
Register online today! The convention runs from Tuesday, August 24 to Sunday August 28.
Regardless of the issues or the projects we work on--whether we're fighting for single payer health care, protecting our election systems, working to pass anti-corporate personhood resolutions or ordinances, or supporting local economic rights and building alternatives to a monopoly-corporate economy, the issue behind the issues is corporate power and corporate rule.
“Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.” --Sydney J. Harris
Do the people and institutions that hold power in our country deserve to hold it? What checks and balances can "we the people" hold over multinational corporations and the legislators whose campaigns they fund? As we face down a fiscal crisis, privatization pressure and harsh "austerity" measures, who benefits?
The Democracy Convention is the place ask and answer the questions of who rules, and who should be in charge, to unite, to explore resistance to oligarchy, build connections across the issues, and be inspired by the determination and ongoing work of Wisconsin's labor and community activists.
Register here: http://democracyconvention.org/register-here
Reserve a room at the Madison Concourse, the city's only union hotel: http://democracyconvention.org/lodging
Learn how you can sponsor the convention: http://democracyconvention.org/sponsor-convention
Can't attend? A donation, large or small, helps tremendously:
http://democracyconvention.org/donate
We hope to connect with you in Madison--for a vibrant democracy that inspires us to renew governance to meet community needs, preserve ecosystems, and establish justice for all (non-corporate) people!
As true now as ever!
For ordering info see this page on our website!
