Event Location The Sanctuary 432 S. Goldthwaite Street Montgomery, AL FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2018 Registration opens at 1pm SCHEDULE 6:00pm Potluck Dinner (hosted by Central Alabama local) (Sanctuary) 8:00pm Music / social event (Goat Haus Biergarten - 532 Clay Street) SATURDAY, JULY14, 2018 8:00am Registration table opens 9:00am Welcome statement by Nelson Jancaterino, Socialist Party of Central Alabama local chair 9:15am Welcome statement by Pat Noble, Socialist Party national co-chair The Socialist Party Los Angeles Local wishes our comrades a productive 2018 National Organizing Conference!
9:30am 11:00am Workshop Session 1 Community Based Movements to Build a Mass Socialist Party Conveners: Mimi Soltysik, Amanda Riggle, Nick Walrath Sponsored by: LA local, Inland Empire local SPLA and IESP share their experience as part of the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition ranging from in-person engagement to research to editing. This workshop not only presents ways of engaging with communitybased grassroots movements both in person and from a distance, but shows examples of the work being done within the coalition. Mimi S., Nick W., and Amanda R. will be presenting on the different work they each produce as part of the coalition but will also share other ways they have been involved in community work. The ethos behind this workshop is that it takes community involvement to fuel the building of a mass socialist party and the work SPLA and IESP does with various coalitions is a great example of that mentality. Liberation Theology and the Poor People s Campaign Convener: Ron Garner 2018 is the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King's Poor People's Campaign. Across the country weekly demonstrations are being held in state capitals to lift up a variety of concerns of the poor and marginalized. Various faith groups are actively involved in the 40 Days of moral action to include civil disobedience. The socialist/marxist critique of capitalism provides an entry into faith communities that speaks the language of religion. Base communities are an excellent way for religious leaders to create a core of solidarity within their congregations. 11:15am 12:45pm Workshop Session 2 Ag For All: Exploring the Relationship Between Sustainable Agriculture and Marginalized Groups Convener: Beth Anne Dunagan Marginalized groups have moved from the margins of the ag industry towards leading a movement for sustainable agriculture. In order to explore this topic, we will look at the historic exploitation of marginalized groups in the ag industry, including their vulnerability regarding food insecurity and food-related illnesses. Additionally, we will trace how people of color, women, and queer folks have contributed to and become leaders of the movement for sustainable agriculture. On Coalition Building Convener: Greg Pason How do we build coalitions to build movements and build power? What are our limitations? What are our strategies and how do they differ?
12:45pm 2:15pm Lunch CONFERENCE PLENARY ORGANIZING FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS 2:15pm 3:45pm Join us for our panel discussion with community activists in Alabama as we discuss organizing to defend reproductive rights in the Trump era. Panelists: Mia Raven, co-founder of the P.O.W.E.R House Melissa St. Aylor, co-founder of the P.O.W.E.R House Travis Jackson, Iraq War veteran, local civil rights activist, and clinic escort Panel Moderators: Bill Friedman, Socialist Party of Central Alabama Jason Moody, Socialist Party of Central Alabama 4:00pm 5:30pm Workshop Session 3 Quit Talking Trash: Disruptive Narratives of the Deep South Convener: KC Cork Vick, Hometown Action* The Deep South is structurally and socially marginalized in both progressive and radical left politics. This is particularly felt by those of us living and working in small town and traditionally conservative spaces. In this workshop, we will critique narratives alienating Southern working class and poor folks from our movements. Together we will disrupt our individually and collectively internalized classisms, femmephobia, and metronormativity to make way for Deep South power-building. The Socialist: Building a Mass Socialist Following Conveners: Amanda Riggle, Nick Walrath Sponsored by: SPUSA Editorial Board One of the most effective ways to spread ideology and to engage mass populations is through digital media like The Socialist. With a wide appeal and a platform that can not only be read across the U.S. but across the world, The Socialist has great potential to act as an agent of ideological change. The first step in building a mass socialist party is to change the base ideology that encourages people to engage in capitalism and perpetuate the capitalist system. By offering a platform for left ideological debates and creating content that gets attention (both positive and negative), The Socialist would like to host a workshop on the importance of digital/print media in socialist movements and the potential such media has in changing capitalist ideology to a more socialist-friendly environment. 7:00 pm Door open 8:00 pm Concert/Fundraiser
SUNDAY, JULY 15, 2018 8:00am - Registration table opens 9:00am 10:30am Workshop Session 4 Structure, Roles, and Responsibilities: How the Socialist Party Operates Convener: Pat Noble In this workshop, Socialist Party national cochair Pat Noble will explain and answer questions on the structure of the Socialist Party and the responsibilities of each Party level and office. Conducting a SWOT Analysis Convener: Mimi Soltysik Mimi Soltysik of the Socialist Party Los Angeles Local will host a workshop detailing how a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) can help to organize a campaign at any level of the organization. 10:45am 12:15pm Workshop Session 5 south Convener: Joseph Ezekiel, Montgomery PRIDE United* LGBTQ+ folks in the Deep South, while comprising nearly one-third of the LGBTQ population in the U.S., are an under-served community in this region of the country. The workshop will provide an overview of blockades to wellness for LGBTQ people in the 14 states of the south including lack of domestic funding, resources, healthcare and legal aid. We will also examine how these regional barriers have resulted in the formation of community assets and nonprofits that have made waves in providing direct services to this historically marginalized population. Recognizing, Countering, and Coping with Everyday Sexism Conveners: Stephanie Cholensky, Amanda Riggle Sponsored by: SPUSA Women s Commission This workshop is meant to be a follow up to the Socialist Feminism 101 workshop the Women s Commission held last year. The subject matter is in response to some of the most common questions posed to women in the party and the Women s Commission. The first workshop addressed what socialist feminism is, this second workshop will address some steps we can take to ensure we are building a socialist feminist party that is welcoming to people of all genders. 12:15pm 1:45pm Lunch Read The Socialist on-line www.thesocialist.org Greetings from the Pason Family
1:45pm 3:15pm Workshop Session 6 Alabama s Red Roots: Modern Strategies from a Forgotten Resistance Convener: Adam Powell The workshop will detail the rise of the Alabama Chapter of the Communist Party and how it gained widespread appeal throughout rural Alabama via the Sharecroppers' Union (SNC) and the International Labor Defense organization. It will also discuss how the party used dynamic literature and other actions to specifically appeal to a rural, poor Southern demographic, as well as the variety of struggles it faced in doing so. From this, I will detail my thoughts on how our party can better appeal to this same demographic, which today continues to suffer in much the same way that Alabamians did in the past. Music, Arts, and Community Building Convener: Greg Pason How does art and music fit into our community organizing work? This workshop will be a place for participants to share experiences and ideas for future an current organizing work. Art is an integral part of daily life. It should not be treated as just a commodity. Socialists work to create opportunities for participation in art and cultural activities. We work for the restoration and preservation of the history and culture of working people, women, and oppressed minorities. SPUSA Statement of Principles 3:30pm 4:30pm - Report back from workshops 4:30pm 5:00pm - Good and Welfare JOIN THE SOCIALIST PARTY USA THE SOCIALIST PARTY strives to establish a radical democracy that places people's lives under their own control -- a non-racist, classless, feminist, socialist society in which people cooperate at work, at home, and in the community. Socialism is not mere government ownership, a welfare state, or a repressive bureaucracy. Socialism is a new social and economic order in which workers and consumers control production and community residents control their neighborhoods, homes, and schools. The production of society is used for the benefit of all humanity, not for the private profit of a few. Socialism produces a constantly renewed future by not plundering the resources of the earth. www.socialistparty-usa.org