October 2004 Conference: Activists Gather to Talk Global and Local Politics

 

By Tim Sandoval

When Sissy Trinh, Director of Southeast Asian Community Alliance, arrived for the Diane Middleton Foundation Conference held on October 6, 2004, at the Cabrillo Marina Conference Center in San Pedro, she didn’t know what to

expect. Having attended similar events sponsored by foundations, Sissy often left feeling detached and disconnected from the process.  But not on this day!

Energized by over 40 conference attendees representing several organizations from throughout Southern California, Sissy left feeling inspired by the extraordinary grassroots work germinating throughout the region and the warm connection she felt with everyone.  Sissy states, “I felt a genuine connection with other participants and board members.  They were receptive and interested in my work, which you don’t always find in this line of work.  The speakers were great and the outstanding work being done by organizations was very motivating.”

This years conference was organized around the theme “Living in the Belly of the Beast,” a reference to a popular slogan used during the 1960’s anti-war movement and mirroring the current global political and economic situation.

The morning session included three outstanding speakers – all activists but representing a wide range of experience.

Dave Arian, the current President of the International Longshore and Warehousemen Union/Local 13, set the tone for the day by putting the 2004 presidential election in a historical context.  The controversy and polarized opinions about the war in Iraq were similar to what the American people experienced during the Vietnam War.  As in the 60’s, Americans were being mobilized on an agenda based on fear.  Arian then set forth a detailed analysis of the current political climate and the significance of the fall elections.

The Political Director of the Service Employees International Union (Local 1877) Javier Gonzalez, captivated the crowd with a personal story of how he came to work for a union and how he saw the fall elections.  Gonzalez related that his interest in unions was not based on the significance of labor unions historically but the simple fact that if you wanted to improve the lives of working people, the best way to do it was through working with a union.  He stressed the need to expand the base of voters and not simply focus on the tiny percentage of not yet decided traditional voters.  Gonzalez stated that the key to winning future battles was a labor community alliance.

The final speaker presented yet another fascinating perspective.  Karen Bass was the founder of the Community Coalition for Substance Abuse and the candidate (now victorious) for the California State Assembly (47th District).  Bass started her presentation by relating how the Community Coalition came to be formed.  “A decade ago the left had ceded the issue of crime to the conservative forces.  We were afraid to touch it because we knew that working folks in our communities were genuinely concerned about crime and the safety of themselves and their children.  By focusing on the need for treatment and positive economic development (as opposed to more liquor stores) we were able to win over the community and use this critical issue to move forward a progressive agenda”.  Bass continued with a practical discussion of how to use elections and being an office holder to create positive change.

The morning temperature rose after conference attendees began to discuss the war in Iraq and the since passed presidential elections.  Many expressed their displeasure by the lack of quality presidential candidates while others talked about the growing use of fear by the government to distract working class Americans from the intensifying economic crisis.

During lunch, conference attendees sat down with board members to talk politics and ongoing projects.  The afternoon session focused on conference attendees bios and organizational work, which allowed everyone to learn more about each other’s work.  Everyone left enthused and excited by the new connections they had made, and the opportunity they had to reflect on the broader global changes that are impacting their local work.

Here’s what the conference participants had to say:

Chris Venn of San Pedro Neighbors for Peace and Justice:

“I enjoyed the addresses by the three main speakers.  It is always informative to hear Dave Arian and the other two speakers had such deep and wide-ranging experiences that it was a good education on the sophistication of our movement for social justice.”

Gilda Haas of SAJE:

“I really like the diversity of the room – people my age and people 30 years younger, for example; also the notion that we are all in this together.”

Damon Azali of Labor/Community Strategy Center

“I thought it was really good that you had folks that were organizers that were talking.  So much of the time we go to conferences in which somebody from the more administrative level talks about what we should be doing but not really having a good sense of what is going on on the ground.  It was a refreshing change.”

Becky Dennison of LA CAN

“The speakers were great, prompted a lot of thought and discussion.  And the time and opportunity to hear about others’ work was inspiring and refreshing.”

Shannon Donato of the Harry Bridges Institute

“The conference was a refreshing day to ground ourselves with other like minded groups to hear the inspiring work being performed.”

The DMF board met in late October and also evaluated the conference.  In retrospect we could see that it was a difficult time to have the conference because folks were so busy with the election and many education participants could not attend because it was a school day.

As we reviewed all of the evaluations from folks who attended the conference, it was clear that what people enjoyed the most was the opportunity to meet with other organizations and learn about the terrific organizing work that was going on throughout Southern California.  Our board members really enjoyed meeting grantees and activists interested in future funding.  As board member Dee Petty said, “The conference put a face to the organizations that we have been hearing about.  I really enjoyed sitting down and getting more details about the work folks were doing."  The sentiments were echoed by conference participants who had the opportunity to meet the DMF board members.

Based on the feedback from everyone, here is what our board decided to do about future conferences:

· Focus on the grantees – we have lots to learn from each other.

· Pick a date that allows teachers and students to attend.

· Develop interactive games to allow more mixing.

· Consider focusing on skills we all could stand to improve such as organizing techniques or fundraising.

Our board understands that everyone’s time is extremely important.  We want to use our conferences to provide organizations with valuable connections and resources.  Check out our website about our 2005 schedule and make plans now to attend our conferences on March 21st and July 12th.

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