Political groups discuss how to help liberal causes
As mainstream Democrats streamed into town for their multimillion-dollar nominating convention, the activist left held a show of its own yesterday, with thousands packing classrooms at the University of Massachusetts at Boston yesterday to shore up their movement and show what the left wing has to offer beyond demonstrations.
The three-day Boston Social Forum -- modeled on a global event first held in Brazil in 2001 -- drew liberal activists from around the country for everything from workshops on freedom songs to speeches by big names of the left -- Angela Davis, Winona LaDuke, Granny D, and Danny Glover. Former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich was scheduled to speak today.
More than 2,000 people turned out for yesterday's events, organizers said. With buzz about upcoming demonstrations in the air -- including an antiwar march planned for today, event coordinator Jason Pramas said one reason for the forum was to show that liberals need to define themselves by more than just protesting.
"Reactive protest only goes so far, and then the spectacle of protest becomes the story," he said. "It becomes the idea of what progressives have to offer -- they can [complain], but what are their beliefs, and why should we join them?"
The product of nearly two years of planning by dozens of area unions and liberal nonprofits, the weekend gathering featured hundreds of small group discussions covering "all major areas of human knowledge," according to a press release, from hip-hop and sweatshops to hemp and the news media.
It was also a recruiting ground for the convention-week protests planned by a wide array of left-wing groups. Protest organizers eagerly handed out fliers on campus, urging visitors to join them. Some participants said they would turn out for the rallies, but others plan to skip them. While dissatisfied with likely Democratic nominee John F. Kerry, many said they will vote for him anyway in hopes of ousting President Bush.
"I plan to vote for Kerry, and then, after he wins, I expect to spend a lot of time yelling at him," said Ava Cheloff, 52, of Belmont.
Speakers at a morning convocation had little praise for Kerry, who has drawn the ire of the left for supporting the war in Iraq and opposing gay marriage, among other policies. "We're a little fed up with the bourgeois politics that are going to be going on next week -- how about y'all?" shouted Margaret Prescod, a women's rights activist who led protests at the Democrats' convention in Los Angeles four years ago.
"We want a total change of priorities, where caring for people and the environment is the priority over war and profit," said Prescod, to loud applause. On the UMass plaza, where activists listened to folk music and reunited with friends, a political puppet show drew an audience in one corner. The Bush and Kerry roles were played by one puppet with two cut-out faces. Many attendees wore "Stop Bush" headbands or T-shirts. Edie Fishman, 83, of New Haven, wore at least a dozen red pins with the message "Bush Out the Door in 2004."
Wayne Standley, 55, of Shelburne Falls, said he won't vote in November. A Socialist, he called the Democratic Party "a quagmire," and said those who try to change it "have to compromise and compromise." More important than voting, he said, is working for social justice, like past activists who helped end the Vietnam War and segregation.
Pramas, the event coordinator, said he hoped the forum's energy will give liberals momentum. "Maybe in a few years, when the movement is stronger, maybe then we'll make the Democratic Party sit up and take notice."
Globe correspondent Tyrone Richardson contributed to this report.
