[discuss-dan] Pro-Democracy Campaign Launched

["getmelissa@uswest.net" <getmelissa@uswest.net>]

Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 18:36:56 -0500
   From: Ted Glick <indpol@igc.org>
Subject: Pro-Democracy Campaign Launched

For Immediate Release                         For more information:
December 5, 2000                             Ted Glick, 973-338-5398

                    IN WAKE OF UNFAIR ELECTIONS, 
                  PROGRESSIVES FROM ACROSS THE U.S. 
               LAUNCH SERIES OF PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIONS

Over the weekend of Dec. 2-3, at the National 4-H Conference Center
just outside of Washington, D.C., leaders from close to 50 local, state,
regional and national organizations, a mix of races, ages, parts of the
country and experience in the struggle, came together for
"Progressive Dialogue II."  The main purpose of this annual conference
was to discuss "where do we go from here" as an independent progressive
movement in light of the political energy unleashed over the past year.
This upsurge began with the creative and effective actions in Seattle
and continued through other mass actions and the Nader/LaDuke campaign,
leading to the current popular dissatisfaction with the present election
debacle, particularly the outright denial of the right to vote for many
people of color, especially in Florida.

Discussions centered around a "Pro-Democracy Campaign;" the need for
race to be placed at the center of a newly-emerging, 21st Century
progressive movement; finding and linking our various movements; and a
call to establish a "shadow government." The climate of the discussions
was encapsulated by the long-time civil rights leader, Ms. Victoria
Gray-Adams, as "creating a new way of being."

Ted Glick, the national coordinator of the Independent Progressive
Politics Network and a co-convener of the dialogue, commented
afterwards, "As the nation waits to find out who will be the next
President, it is tremendously encouraging that groups from around the
country have come together to develop a plan to defend the rights of
working people and move towards a real democracy whoever becomes
President. Concrete plans, people prepared to work, energy, and the
beginnings of a vision for the future--as we witnessed here--have
inspired me and others to step up the battle for true freedom."

The Pro-Democracy Campaign will be initiated by actions this month and
next:

-PROTEST THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE on Monday, Dec. 18, 2000 at state
capitols around the country.
-PRO-DEMOCRACY WEEK from January 15 (Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday)
to January 20 (Inauguration Day). Teach-ins, demonstrations, rallies and
other forms of action will be taking place in localities throughout the
country during this week.
-A PROGRESSIVE GATHERING in Washington, D.C. January 17-19 being set in
motion by the Progressive Challenge Project of the Institute for Policy
Studies. The Gathering will include speakers and workshops toward the
goal of launching Working Groups and an electronic network that will
link progressives across the country with allies in Congress.

The specific focus of the Pro-Democracy campaign will be a Voters Bill
of Rights: abolishing the Electoral College, investigating and ending
violations of the Voting Rights Act, clean money elections/campaign
finance reform, voting rights for former prisoners, making voting easier
and more reliable, instant runoff voting, proportional representation,
D.C. statehood, access to media and debates for all ballot-qualified
candidates, and non-partisan administration of elections.

People volunteered to establish websites, media portals, listserves and
other technologies to find, link and keep informed the activists and
activities across the country of this emerging movement. These
activities are projected as leading in the near future to what has been
christened by former National Rainbow Coalition Executive Director Ron
Daniels as a "Progressive Unity Conference spearheaded by people of
color." Out of such a conference, or prior to it, could emerge some form
of "Shadow Government" to carry on the progressive agenda developed in
the struggle from Seattle to Nader and beyond.

Other discussion focused on the need to recognize the power of the
voices of labor, youth and seniors, the need to oppose the
interconnected systems of domination-class oppression, white supremacy,
patriarchy and heterosexism, and the importance of incorporating art and
culture into our strategies for education and movement-building.

For more information on the December 18 protest, contact Global Exchange
at 415-255-7296 or nick@globalexchange.org.

For more information on the January 15-20 Pro-Democracy Week contact the
Independent Progressive Politics Network at 973-338-5398 or
indpol@igc.org.

For more information on the January 17-19 Progressive Challenge
Coalition event in Washington, D.C., call 202-234-9382, x. 238 or
a-quinn@mindspring.com.

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