african-american
Latino African-American Solidarity, Popular Education, and Effective Story Telling for Change
Posted June 29th, 2007 by jgarcia
By Jordan Garcia, Immigrant Rights Organizer, AFSC in Denver, CO

I started out this morning at the US Social Forum in Atlanta by volunteering to work security. I helped 
people find the registration area and answered a lot of questions. For not 
being from Atlanta, I had to figure out this area pretty quick. It was 
incredibly interesting to get a chance to talk to people and find out where 
they were from and the type of work they were doing in their communities. 
And it kept my mind of the heat and humidity!

Then I attended the Black and Brown Unity work shop with the Third World 
Coalition Members of the AFSC. I found the alliances built in the room 
exceptional and felt like I gained a deeper understanding of some of the 
nuances of the issues affecting African American and Latino Folks.
Next I attended a workshop put on by an organization named Smart Meme . 
They shortened their full-day workshop down into two hours and still spoke 
incredibly articulately about messaging and the importance of story telling 
in our work. We discussed the role of the dominant culture’s story and the 
power analysis that can become a part of any campaign’s strategy. We 
discussed the ways a good story is at the heart of any compelling campaign and 
the necessary components of those stories.
The presenters used elements of 
popular education to make the workshop interactive and each activity gave 
me ideas and made me think deeper. There wasn't a dull moment and I don't 
think it was a coincidence that all the presenters and members of the 
organization were young people.
I left feeling like there was so much I 
could bring back to my work with Coloradans For Immigrant Rights. Some of 
the activities I feel I could recreate for our members to further inform the 
messaging and effectiveness of the stories we use to move people to a more 
compassionate place with regard to immigrant rights.
While staffing the AFSC table this evening, I got to catch up with Marge 
Taniwaki, also from Denver, and spend time discussing how we can bring back 
the skills and energy we're privy to here at the USSF. Then we were able 
to tag team inviting folks from all over the world over to our table to 
encourage them to take some of our literature home with them. The No Human 
Being Is Illegal bumper stickers were of particular interest. 
Now I'm off to a party for the Ruckus Society and even more events put on by 
MondoHomo, a queer arts collective here in Atlanta!

I started out this morning at the US Social Forum in Atlanta by volunteering to work security. I helped 
people find the registration area and answered a lot of questions. For not 
being from Atlanta, I had to figure out this area pretty quick. It was 
incredibly interesting to get a chance to talk to people and find out where 
they were from and the type of work they were doing in their communities. 
And it kept my mind of the heat and humidity!

Then I attended the Black and Brown Unity work shop with the Third World 
Coalition Members of the AFSC. I found the alliances built in the room 
exceptional and felt like I gained a deeper understanding of some of the 
nuances of the issues affecting African American and Latino Folks.
Next I attended a workshop put on by an organization named Smart Meme . 
They shortened their full-day workshop down into two hours and still spoke 
incredibly articulately about messaging and the importance of story telling 
in our work. We discussed the role of the dominant culture’s story and the 
power analysis that can become a part of any campaign’s strategy. We 
discussed the ways a good story is at the heart of any compelling campaign and 
the necessary components of those stories.
The presenters used elements of 
popular education to make the workshop interactive and each activity gave 
me ideas and made me think deeper. There wasn't a dull moment and I don't 
think it was a coincidence that all the presenters and members of the 
organization were young people.
I left feeling like there was so much I 
could bring back to my work with Coloradans For Immigrant Rights. Some of 
the activities I feel I could recreate for our members to further inform the 
messaging and effectiveness of the stories we use to move people to a more 
compassionate place with regard to immigrant rights.
While staffing the AFSC table this evening, I got to catch up with Marge 
Taniwaki, also from Denver, and spend time discussing how we can bring back 
the skills and energy we're privy to here at the USSF. Then we were able 
to tag team inviting folks from all over the world over to our table to 
encourage them to take some of our literature home with them. The No Human 
Being Is Illegal bumper stickers were of particular interest. 
Now I'm off to a party for the Ruckus Society and even more events put on by 
MondoHomo, a queer arts collective here in Atlanta!
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