Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine at the 2017 Left Forum conference June 2-4, 2017, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York City
Between The Lines’ Sponsored Panel Discussion
“Strategies and Tactics to Sustain Effective Resistance for the Long Haul,” June 4, 2017
“Strategies and Tactics to Sustain Effective Resistance for the Long Haul,” with from left to right, Scott Harris, L.A. Kauffman, Arun Gupta and Leslie Cagan. This panel, featuring both veteran and new organizers from various progressive movements, examines the amazing explosion of anti-Trump organizing going on across the U.S. and assesses how this growing movement can embrace a broad, inclusive agenda, adopting strategies and tactics to sustain effective resistance for the long haul, as well as articulate a compelling and practical vision for the future. Chair: Scott Harris, Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine.
Investigative journalist Arun Gupta, co-founder of The Indypendent and The Occupied Wall Street Journal, as well as former international news editor of The Guardian Newsweekly. He has covered a wide range of issues for The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Salon, Truthout, The Progressive, The Nation and other publications.
“Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism” author L.A. Kauffmanhas spent more than 30 years immersed in radical movements as a journalist, historian, organizer and strategist. Her writings on grassroots activism and social movement history have been published in The Nation, The Progressive, Mother Jones, the Village Voice.
Leslie Cagan is one of the nation’s most accomplished peace and justice organizers from the Vietnam war to racism at home, nuclear disarmament to lesbian/gay liberation, fighting sexism to opposing military intervention. Cagan was the national coordinator of United for Peace and Justice.
Panel sessions:
“Reality Check: Why Now More Than Ever It’s Time for Radical Resistance and Independent Green-Left Collaboration and How to Move It Forward,” June 3, 2017
“Reality Check: Why Now More Than Ever It’s Time for Radical Resistance and Independent Green-Left Collaboration and How to Move It Forward” — The converging crises of fascism, endless war, climate change, mass migrations, and economic/racial/gender oppression create unprecedented urgency for united, radical action – in the street and in the voting booth. At previous Left Forums – and over the past many decades – progressives have debated the merits of working to “reform” the Democratic Party versus building a united independent radical political front.
Speakers: Chris Hedges – Truthdig writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist
Medea Benjamin — Code Pink
Jill Stein — former Green Party presidential candidate
Margaret Kimberly – Black Agenda Report
“What Would a Left Alternative to Neoliberalism Look Like?” June 3, 2017
“What Would a Left Alternative to Neoliberalism Look Like?” President Trump rode a wave of economic anxiety all the way to the White House. He effectively seized on the mass discontent felt by working people across the country, fueled by decades of neoliberal economic policies supported by both major parties. Since entering office, however, Trump has doubled down on the same crony capitalist approach to the economy that’s led to the highest levels of inequality since the Gilded Age.
So what would a Left alternative vision of the U.S. economy look like? What kind of policies can activists on the Left push for that would stem the tide of inequality and serve as a counter force to both Trumpism and corporate capitalism? Bernie Sanders outlined a sweeping progressive agenda in his 2016 presidential campaign, but many more radical policies are possible in the United States ranging from a universal basic income to a universal job guarantee, public banking, worker coops, financial transaction tax, and repossession of fossil fuel company resources to fund renewable energy development. Kate Aronoff, above, and second panelist from right; J.W. Mason, left; and Darrick Hamilton, second from left; join In These Times community editor Miles Kampf-Lassin, right, to discuss these and other alternatives to our neoliberal economic system.
Speakers: Miles Kampf-Lassin — In These Times community editor
Kate Aranoff – In These Times
Darrick Hamilton – The New School for Social Research
J.W. Mason — John Jay College
“Universalizing Resistance,” June 3, 2017
“Universalizing Resistance” — Building on the insight that struggles for racial justice, for peace, against climate change, against extreme inequality, and for fulfilling lives all confront a common system, the speakers call for universalizing resistance. They build on a concept elaborated by Charlie Derber in his forthcoming book, “Welcome to the Revolution – Universalizing Resistance for Social Justice and Democracy in Perilous Times” (Routledge 2017). Together with such activist thinkers as Jamala Rogers, Ben Manski, Bill Fletcher, Jodeen Olguín-Tayler, and Matt Nelson, our speakers contributed short essays Derber’s book based on their own organizing work.
Speakers: Professor Charlie Derber — Boston College
Medea Benjamin — Code Pink
Gar Alperovitz — Democracy Collaborative
Janet MacGillivray Wallace — Rainforest Action Network
Chuck Collins — Inequality.org/Institute for Policy Studies
“New Media for a New Economy,” June 3, 2017
“New Media for a New Economy” — It’s no secret that the current socio-economic and political system doesn’t work for the majority of people, but fewer people know that all across the U.S. and the world, people are building solutions and experimenting with new ways to meet their communities’ needs. One of the biggest news stories of our time is simply not being reported. But who’s going to tell that story?
The media that has sold generations on competition, consumerism, capitalism, extractivism and war is funded by corporations that profit from all of those. The pluralist, just, trans-local economy we know is possible is going to need new media to spread the word. If we’re going to shift the culture we need media that’s invested in that shift. Join The Laura Flanders Show, the New Economies Coalition and the Media Consortium to hear about the collaboration they’re already involved in, and to brainstorm with them about next steps.
Speakers: Laura Flanders – The Laura Flanders Show, pictured above left
Natalia Linares — New Economy Coalition, above, second from left
Jo Ellen Kaiser — The Media Consortium, above, second from right
Gar Alperovitz — Co-founder, The Democracy Collaborative and co-chair, The Next System Project, above, right
Deyanira Del Rio — New Economy Project, above in peach blouse
Plenaries:
“Challenging State Repression,” June 2, 2017
“Challenging State Repression” — with from left to right, Sekou Odinga, Glen Ford, Molly Crabapple, Laura Flanders, hidden, and Linda Sarsour, at podium. Special introduction by Oscar Lopez Rivera
Speakers: Laura Flanders, moderator
Molly Crabapple
Oscar Lopez Rivera
Sekou Odinga
Linda Sarsour
Glen Ford