[Peace-discuss] Conference in Chicago

[Al Kagan]

>CALL FOR A MIDWEST CONFERENCE FOR CAMPUS ACTIVISTS ORGANIZING AGAINST WAR
>AND RACISM
>
>November 10&11
>DePaul University-Chicago, Il.
>
>(Please forward to all campus community members you know!)
>
>SIGN UP YOUR SCHOOL TODAY SO WE CAN PLAN FOOD/HOUSING, ETC. Chicago
>Anti-War Network (C-SAWN)* invites all campus based (highschool and
>college) anti-war coalitions (or those interested in forming a campus based
>coalition) to come to discuss and coordinate education, action, and
>organizing.
>
>WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, November 10 - 11, 2001. Housing available
>Friday, Saturday and Sunday night! RSVP to
>student_antiwar_conference at hotmail.com with the number of people that are
>coming and what housing or special needs they may have.
>
>WHERE: DePaul University Campus, Chicago, IL
>
>WHY:
>1. At this crucial time in history, we need to discuss the new anti-war
>movement and the direction it may take, as well as how that movement could
>best connect to existing movements.
>2. We need to organize against the racist scapegoating that is happening
>against Muslims and people of Arab, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and
>South Asian background.
>3. We need to discuss civil liberties abuses coming in the wake of Sept.
>11and how that affects grassroots organizing.
>4. We need to share knowledge about the WHY behind Sept. 11.
>5. This same weekend student anti-war activists will be gathering on the
>West Coast, in the Southeast and Northeast for similar conferences. All
>together we can stop this unjust war!
>
>If you or your campus coalition is interested in attending, please email
>student_antiwar_conference at hotmail.com immediately, telling us which campus
>you're from. We need to know how many people to expect. Also, please help
>spread the word to different campuses! It is critical to the success of
>this conference that each campus makes strong efforts to inform nearby
>campuses of the conference.
>
>Here's a more detailed outline of the conference (by necessity, this
>schedule is in draft form and is subject to changes):
>
>Saturday, November 10
>Education Against War and Racism Day
>
>Saturday will begin with registration at 9:00 am.
>
>Workshops will begin at 10:00am.
>
>The day's activities will focus around education, with workshops and
>teach-ins open to everyone. We will ask different campuses to prepare
>workshops on every aspect of activism as well as invite acknowledged
>experts to help lead sessions to strengthen our movement. Here are some of
>the topics we are considering:
>
>*the History of Afghanistan
>*the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
>*Iraq: From the Gulf War to Sanctions
>*Islam
>*the School of the Americas--US's own school of terrorism
>*Globalization and War
>*Alternatives to the current military action
>*the Curtailing of Civil Liberties
>*Manufacturing Consent: The Media and its Role in this Conflict
>*Fighting the Racist Backlash Against Arabs and Muslims
>*Starting A Campus Anti-War Committee and other skill sharing workshops
>
>With the aid of faculty and professionals, we hope to invite well-known
>figures to participate in an evening plenary session to address us and to
>field our questions.
>
>The conference will include a gallery of action in which campuses are
>encouraged to bring materials from their individual actions (such as video,
>art, puppets, fliers, photos, etc.), as well as educational workshops,
>discussions on alternatives to the war, etc. We welcome any suggestions
>and/or requests for specific workshops and speakers.
>
>Sunday, November 11
>Campus Network Planning Day
>
>Sunday sessions will begin at 10:00am.
>
>A first session of workshops will focus on skill sharing and brainstorming
>proposals for our next plenary discussion.
>
>All the campuses will then gather in a plenary working session to
>coordinate and plan actions and to discuss what kind of network we need and
>want. Campus anti-war groups will each have 3 voting delegates to the
>decision making portion of the conference, although all students will be
>welcome to participate and share ideas. Time will be alloted for caucusing
>as needed.
>
>We feel having a delegated conference is important to ensure that all
>Midwest campuses have an equal voice in making decisions. If all attendees
>were given a vote, than Chicago schools would effectively disenfranchise
>all out of town attendees, since presumeably Chicago area campuses will
>have higher attendence that schools which are farther away (although we
>welcome being out numbered!)
>
>We want to strongly encourage people from campuses in all Midwestern States
>to attend so that our conference truly represents the breadth of the
>Midwest. A delegated work session makes it possible for distant schools to
>be important participants in this conference.
>
>For a delegated conference to be effective, it is important that campus
>coalitions determine their delegates in advance of the conference. In each
>anti-war group, we ask that people come together and choose delegates that
>will fairly represent the visions and goals of (and be held accountable to)
>your campus coalition.
>
>We recommend that the delegates be chosen using affirmative action to
>insure that communities suffering the most from the racist backlash will be
>represented as delegates and leaders (i.e. race and gender balanced
>delegations). We also strongly encourage fundraising for travel expensives
>so that delegates are not chosen based on financial ability to travel. Of
>course, we'd love campus coalitions to send far more participants than
>just their delegates.
>
>IMPORTANT: Please check for additional info and updates by emailing
>student_antiwar_conference at hotmail.com
>
>Signed,
>Chicago Student Anti-War Network (CSAWN)*
>
>*The Chicago Student Anti-War Network (CSAWN) is a network open to all
>Chicago area anti-war student groups as well as students seeking to form
>such groups. We are a democratic, delegated network which seeks to
>coordinate anti-war activity between a diverse body of institutions and
>schools with the aim of strengthening and broadening the movement. We have
>three points of unity:
>
>1. Stop the War!
>2. Defend Civil Liberties.
>3. Solidarity with Arabs, Muslims, and all people facing racist attacks and
>scapegoating.
>
>To date we involve student anti-war committees from the University of
>Illinois-Chicago, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Harold
>Washington College, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia
>College, DePaul University, Northeastern Illinois University, Illinois
>Institute of Technology, and others.

-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu