Vol. 71/No. 26      July 2, 2007

The slogan of the event is “Another world is possible; another U.S. is necessary.” Atlanta was chosen as host, in part, because it is one of the cities where thousands of working people, in their majority Black, came to flee Hurricane Katrina and the social catastrophe that followed.

Fanning out across the city to build the forum, teams are leafleting and posting fliers in working-class neighborhoods like College Park. In April, 500 people marched through that suburb as part of the funeral procession for Ron Pettaway, a young African American who was killed by Fulton County police. Other targeted areas include the West End, one of the historic Black communities here, and Georgia State University, a campus of tens of thousands in the area where the Forum will be held.

On June 18, a leafleting team got a good response to Spanish-language materials on the U.S. Social Forum at an immigrant rights rally of several hundred people. The rally took place at the Plaza Fiesta mall, where large communities of immigrants from Central America and Asia shop. A number of workers present expressed the need for legalization for all.

Forum organizers are holding meet-and-greet events throughout the metropolitan area to build the Forum and sign up volunteers. Thirty people attended the most recent on June 14.

Elsewhere in the country, efforts are under way to build and organize participation in the Forum. About five dozen attended a June 14 meeting in New York City sponsored by Left Turn magazine. Individuals representing 35 social service organizations, political groups, and non-profit groups focused on childcare, gay rights, and immigrant rights took part.

At a picket outside the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, protesting recent raids by la migra, a dozen students from Evergreen State College in Olympia met up with people from Seattle planning to attend.

The U.S. Social Forum web site is regularly updated. Workshops listed there sponsored by a range of groups include, “Hawaii: 114 years resisting U.S. occupation”; “Building Bridges Among Gulf Coast Organizations”; “Linking Communities to Stop Border Militarization and Interior Raids/Deportations”; “India’s Special Economic Zones—Impact and People’s Responses”; “U.S. Economic Inequality and What We Can Do About It”; and “Protesting War Funding and Recruiters.” These are just some of the more than 950 workshops that will be held in various locations around the city during the five-day gathering.

For more information, to register, and to get involved in efforts in your area to build the U.S. Social Forum, visit www.ussf2007.org.
 
 
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Build U.S. Social Forum!  
 
 
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