July/August 2004

Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC.

From the Editor's Desk

We are in the midst of feverish organizing for the Boston Social Forum (BSF). Over 600 workshops are scheduled. Poets are poised to propound principled prose in propinquity with hip-hop performers. Musicians are tuning up, filmmakers are editing their final flickering frames.

At the forum, many of us will need to choose from a bewildering cornucopia of perspectives with which we could engage, events in which we could participate, issues we could learn about, and skills we could develop.

For all the creative demonstrations we are organizing outside the Democratic Convention this summer, some have questioned, why won't we be in the streets on a more massive scale? I think the question is a good one, but given the creativity of the plans for the demonstrations outside, coupled with the creation of a counter-convention through the BSF, I am not concerned.

There will be large numbers of demonstrators at the Republican Convention in New York. In fact, given the patently unconstitutional restrictions on permits, unless New York officials finally realize they don't really want a 1968 Chicago Convention redux on their hands, New York might play host to civil disobedience for 100,000 guests. I can think of no finer way to reclaim civil liberties in this country.

The Boston Social Forum is not an alternative per se to being in the streets making our voices heard, but I think it has the potential to transform our sense of political possibilities. Thus, in the long term, it might be more significant than if we organized clusters of dedicated affinity groups to strive mightily to get marginally closer to the Fleet Center fences in restricted spaces where few would witness our actions.

Since neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are articulating a vision of peace with justice, it is incumbent upon us to develop visions of alternative social arrangements vivid and compelling enough to motivate millions to want to join us. This is difficult to do when we are confined to 10-second chants or when attempting to invite folks to entertain an alternative world view in the space of a poster-board.

I'm excited, because in addition to our demonstrations and our critiques of the inherent violence of the current world systems of militarism, capitalism, racism, patriarchy, and heterosexism, events such as the Boston Social Forum, the Bl@ck Tea Society's Alternative Bazaar, the Life After Capitalism conference in New York, the Active Arts Conference, and the Don't Just Vote Campaign, give us wider canvasses upon which to paint alternatives to what the Democrats and Republicans offer.

For us, each issue of Peacework is a mini-social forum, proclaiming that a nonviolent world is possible.

In this expanded issue, we seek to analyze the electoral landscape for advocates of peace with justice, discuss the economic costs of the war in Iraq and the antecedents of the US torture scandal, expose injustices the Republicans and Democrats remain all too silent about (both here at home and around the world), learn about organizing for nonviolent social change by peasants in Mexico and HIV positive women in Rwanda, examine nonviolent struggles to protect our planet, explore efforts to remake US immigration policies, learn from previous convention protests and the street medics who help us stay healthy while we demonstrate, and celebrate performance artists who might gross us out while creating devastatingly barbed satire.

Just as the Shout Heard Around the World initiative, the Fund the Dream campaign, and the Women's Web at the BSF will each amplify our cries of "No" to militarism and oppression, and turn them into affirmations of "Yes" to democracy, peace, and liberation, this issue of Peacework offers portions of an alternative political platform, highlighting outrages which cry out to be redressed, and initiatives which deserve our support. (For additional political platforms, please see our web links on page 25).

This special issue of Peacework, in addition to going out to our regular subscribers, is being distributed to many of the participants at the events I've mentioned above. If this is your first issue of Peacework, or the first issue you've seen in a while, welcome. I hope you're moved to join the Peacework community by writing for future issues, responding to the ideas herein, and subscribing so that you won't miss future issues, which, like the Boston Social Forum, will be chock-a-block with "Global Thought and Local Action for Nonviolent Social Change."

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