Revolution Iowa: From Protest to Power

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

22 July 17

owa’s Citizens for Community Improvement’s annual convention, “Revolution Iowa: From Protest to Power,” was held on July 15th and laid the groundwork for success in 2018.

CCI was formed in 1975 by a group of ministers in Waterloo, Iowa, who felt their state needed an organization to fight for social justice. CCI’s stated mission is to “empower and unite grassroots people of all ethnic backgrounds to take control of their communities; involve them in identifying problems and needs and in taking action to address them; and be a vehicle for social, economic, and environmental justice.”

The keynote speaker this year was Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders, who was endorsed by Iowa CCI Action in his campaign for President in 2016, was in Iowa for the first time since last year’s election. He is returning to Iowa next month, fueling speculation that he is laying the groundwork for another run in 2020. Sanders pulled no punches in his remarks, calling President Trump a liar and the GOP attempts to repeal Obamacare the most anti-worker legislation ever.

The morning plenary included Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza. Garza, without naming names, said we elected a kleptocrat to be president and acknowledged that it wasn’t a fluke. She called the election of Trump a resurgence of white nationalism. She reminded us that the Tea Party movement has been organizing and gaining power for a long time and November’s election was a culmination of effective and strategic movement building. Her message was hopeful, too – she pointed out that young people were ready to fight for change. Our job is to give them something to fight for.

The convention included several workshops throughout the day.

Erika Andiola of Our Revolution held a workshop on being Undocumented and Unafraid: Rising Up in a Divided America. Erika, a high profile DREAMer and policy director at Our Revolution, laid out the innovative strategies that immigrants are using to resist the current attack on their lives. Erika told her story and explained how it led her to a leadership role in the dreamer movement and now her position as the political director of Our Revolution.

Michael Lighty, National Nurses United, held a timely workshop on Medicare for All. Here in Iowa, no action on health care is not an option. Even if the Republicans don’t act on the federal level, the collapse of the exchange here in Iowa could lead to tens of thousands of Iowans losing their health care in January. CCI understands that repealing ObamaCare without a better plan would be a mistake, but they also see that a single payer system is the real solution. NNU is on the frontlines demanding Medicare for All. They know that corporate profit has no place in healthcare.

There were several other workshops, but I was only able to attend those two.

CCI Action also highlighted the work they have been doing for Justice in Iowa. They are a model organization for the Political Revolution. You can watch my video coverage of the 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.

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