Reimagining the Possible: Organizing for Long-Term, Structural Transformation
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Thursday, Jul. 17 1:00 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Thursday, Jul. 17 2:15 PM (Eastern)
The far right has a clear and powerful vision for the future of our country and of Michigan. Do we? For decades, the 1% has been advancing a long-term agenda for privatization, deep inequality, and voter disenfranchisement. Nowhere are the results of that agenda as clear as they are in Michigan and Detroit. For progressives to reclaim and rebuild this state and our nation, we will need to match the strategic depth of the corporate right. We will need to move from only addressing immediate crises in our communities to addressing the structures and landscape on which these crises are predicated. That means planning for the next 20-40 years even while we plan for the next 1-2. This panel will engage activists, organizers, and leaders in Michigan in a discussion about the left’s long-term vision for the state, and how taking the long view impacts our practice and strategy.
Moderator
Bree Carlson
Bree Carlson is the Director of the Structural Racism Program at National People’s Action (NPA). Bree has worked as an organizer and trainer in the racial justice field for more than 15 years. Prior to joining NPA, Bree assisted in the creation and implementation of the “Dismantling Racism” curriculum, and has trained hundreds of organizations to understand and proactively address race and racism. Bree spent four years at the Center for Third World Organizing where she trained and supported organizers of color and worked with racial justice organizations across the country. Bree Joined NPA in April of 2012 for the opportunity to expand NPA’s structural racism work and to lead NPA in elevating racial justice as a central and necessary component of a just economy and true democracy.
Panelists
Melanie McElroy
Melanie McElroy joined Common Cause in 2011 as executive director of Common Cause Michigan, a non-partisan non profit grassroots advocacy organization. Prior to joining Common Cause she was a political consultant for local, congressional and statewide political campaigns and organizations in Michigan. Melanie is involved in the Michigan Redistricting Collaborative, and currently serves as Chair of the Michigan Election Coalition, a project of the Michigan Voice table. In collaboration with organizational partners, the MEC promotes reforms in election administration, citizen representation and campaign finance. Melanie is a lifelong Michigander, living and working in downtown Detroit.