The People's Summit: From Resistance to Power

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

05 June 17

his weekend, Reader Supported News will be bringing you coverage of the People’s Summit in Chicago. Featured speakers include Senator Bernie Sanders, Nina Turner, Amy Goodman, Danny Glover, and many other leaders of the Progressive Movement.

This is the second annual People’s Summit. Last year, instead of holding their yearly convention, National Nurses United held the first People’s Summit. Bernie was still a candidate for president so several of his surrogates, including Nina Turner and Tulsi Gabbard, brought down the house.

This year the focus is building a movement beyond resistance. Resistance is not enough – we need to reclaim the future. Of course, we have to survive the next four years, but unless we build a movement for the future, we will be in resistance mode for a long time.

It will not be enough to say Trump is wrong, vote for us. We have to offer the American people a future they can believe in. Bernie understands this and is continuing to show us the path forward. But as he always says, it is not about him, but us.

On Friday night, several of the convening organizations will have speakers who will make a case for “why we are here.”

According to one of the conveners, RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United: “What has consistently unified us is a common vision of opposition to policies of austerity and neo-liberalism, and solidarity in supporting each others’ work on health care, environmental, racial, social, and economic justice, and breaking the corporate grip on our political and economic system”

On Saturday morning, the day kicks off at 9 am with a fantastic panel that includes Jane Sanders, Danny Glover, Naomi Klein, and Katrina vanden Heuvel. The discussion, titled “From Resistance to Power,” will be moderated by Amy Goodman.

Vanden Heuvel recently said, “Resistance can’t be about restoration. It must be about fundamental reform. That’s why progressive movements, media and leaders must take the lead – both in exposing Trump’s betrayals and driving bold alternatives and solutions.”

The next big panel discussion, “Media, Our Movement, and the Political Revolution,” will feature Shaun King, David Sirota, Winnie Wong, Sarah Leonard, and Glenn Greenwald.

Winnie Wong, of People For Bernie, said: “With our institutions of liberal democracy severely eroded and fascism knocking at our front doors, the time is now for activists, organizers, and Berniecrats to come together and imagine an America and world that looks far beyond the horizon of establishment politics as usual.”

Van Jones will deliver an address on Transformation, Opportunity and Justice at Noon.

There will be several workshops and plenary sessions in the afternoon leading up to the keynote address at 7 pm by Bernie Sanders. Nina Turner will wrap things up Sunday morning with a speech called “Wake Up for Justice.”

Throughout the weekend I will be seeking interviews with the participants so that we can bring you coverage that you will only see on RSN and Uphill Media.

The organizers of the People’s Summit issued the following call:

“At a time of tremendous turmoil and progressive opportunity, we invite you to participate in a historic convening of organizations and individuals committed to social, racial and economic justice. On June 9-11 2017, in Chicago, we seek to bring together activists committed to a different kind of agenda: a People’s Agenda that can enhance and expand issue campaigns and hold all elected officials accountable to popular demands for justice, equality and freedom. We envision this Summit as further deepening the relationship between participating organizations rooted in principled anti-corporate politics, development of community leaders, direct action not based on partisan identification, and strategic organizing to build power. The Summit itself will include plenary and workshop sessions devoted to key issues such as the Fight for 15, mass incarceration and criminal justice reform, voting rights and expanding democratic participation, a tax on Wall Street speculation to fund human needs and jobs, climate justice toward a sustainable economy, improved Medicare for All, the fight for free and debt-free higher education, secure retirement through expanding social security, ending HIV/AIDS, achieving Constitutional pay equity for women, and ending deportations and support for DREAMers, among others. We will take action in Chicago against the big money system of politics that expands the power of the wealthy and corporations at the expense of the people. We will also celebrate with music and a ‘festival of joyous rebellion.’ We hope to see you in Chicago, June 9-11, at McCormick Place.”

If you can’t make it to Chicago, you can watch this important event here:

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott moved to Des Moines in 2015 to cover the Iowa Caucus.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.