human rights

C. T. Vivian & Repressive vs. Liberatory Revolutions at Opening Ceremony of US Social Forum 2007

Posted June 29th, 2007 by sdiener
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By Sam Diener, Peacework Co-Editor

At the opening ceremony on Wednesday June 27, 2007, the speaker I looked most forward to hearing was C. T. Vivian, the legendary civil rights activist and brilliant nonviolent strategist.

Some of what he said was marvelous, including a challenge to us to work for fundamental, revolutionary social change – to reclaim liberty, reestablish voting rights, and focus on the long-haul work of ending poverty in the US and around the world. He said, “The thing about being a revolutionary is that you can’t be happy in a world in which people are oppressed. You can’t stand it. You have to do something.”

Yet, Vivian’s legacy of heroism can not render his remarks immune to critique. Below the fold...

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