[IMC-US] what we want from indyconference

[muna rva imc]

so i booked the flight to austin today, and have just reread what folks have
said so far... and am working up the ability to chime in somehow.

what i would like from an indymedia conference is for people to know me and
respond to me.

richmond indymedia has been around for over four years. we've spent most of our
time trying to keep our heads above the stink that is shitty conservative
richmond-- if you ain't been to VA, then perhaps you haven't heard the saying:
"you can't go further south than virginia."

i have faith though that once the civl war ends, things'll be better.

i'm a woman. and i'm half-palestinian. i live in the former capitol of the
confederacy. obliviously, i ain't aiming to make my life any easier. so i spend
a vast amount of my time volunteering with indymedia.

i hope that i help.

all this in terms of vision... in regards to the question on the table...

i don't know what i want from us indymedia. i'm not sure if i even want a us
indymedia. but i know i've got one and it seems to need some help. it certainly
seems to need some spanish and some folks to hold down the front and center
features. i know i'd love it if richmond was finally syndicated on the site and
if folks would respond to my many inquiries about this... anyway...

chris is right in that the austin gathering will help. it will help to the
extent that people who can afford to make it to austin will again be excited by
the project. which, i'll be honest, is always the kind of grouping i'm somewhat
skeptical of.

max i wholeheartedly agree with -- vision is important, but the concrete nitty
gritty is crucial. i feel like i consistently see activist efforts fail those
who most need them when the focus becomes abstracted, or i'd argue sometimes
obfusuicated. i want to work with people with solid principles and a strong
collective foundation, but i also need accountibilty, consistency,
transparency, honesty, patience, and dedication.

i think a lot lately about what sheri is asking about indymedia's role and our
relationship to other media. i want to hear what other people have to say about
that. i'm glad she's been reading up on movement building -- i'm curious to
hear what more she's learned.

i don't read much anymore. i listen and i work. that's a big part of what
indymedia is for me -- the credibility of my own life and those around me. the
record of that. of what really is important.

i think it'd be nice to have put corporate media out of a job in ten years.


this email is by far long enough...

x,
m.