This is the current list of people confirmed to present at the All Power to the Imagination! Conference for 2010. Please check back later for more information on certain speakers.
Also, we are proud to provide childcare at this year's conference!
There will be a memorial in remembrance of Howard Zinn and Colin Ward on Friday evening.
Leandra Argyros
Leandra Argyros will present on "Underground Immunology"
Her presentation will consist of a three-part primer on
1. the workings of the immune system (including how stress affects it)
2. ways to support it through nutrition (mostly vegan/vegetarian) and herbs.
3. natural remedies for common ailments (yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections, asthma/allergies, the cold/flu), some of which work better than their pharmaceutical counterparts!
Jessica Anne Wheeler
Jessica Anne Wheeler will focus on bridging theory and practice in the discussion of racism. Her project will move from theory (positionality as used by Linda Alcoff, with discussions of her work and the work of Henry Louis Gates), as well as the essays by Tim Wise, to a in-depth examination of her own failures to overcome racism and her day-to-day efforts to "re-contextualize" herself in order to approach understanding of actions and reactions as a result of racism. Although not explicitly a workshop, she hopes to outline a series of steps she continually take each day in order to combat her own upbringing, and offer tips on how participants can work towards their own "re-contextualization."
Adam Roca
Adam Roca will give two presentations:
How to be a White Ally to People of Color-led Organizations Got a bad case of the 'white privilege', and don't know how to address it? Part presentation, part workshop and part dialogue space for self-identified white people. There will be a crash course on what 'white privilege' means and how it fits into the larger context of a Anti-oppression/liberation framework. We will then explore what role white folks can have in the liberation process and what tools might be of some use. Finally, there will be a space for open dialogue for white organizers to share their trials and tribulations trying to navigate this murky terrain.
Healthy Movement DynamicsWhat are we looking for a in a campaign, organization, collective, affinity group and movement overall? How do we engender positive communication styles and relationships with both our comrades and the larger community? What does it take to make our work both personally fulfilling and socially meaningful? How can we make sure that we are down for the cause in the long haul? These are large & important questions that shape the majority of how the work that social justice advocates & activists/radical change & community organizers plays out. Yet, they often go unaddressed, both collectively in the spaces that we organize in and individually. Don't expect to find any answers during this presentation/workshop/dialogue space. Instead, I am hoping that it helps give people a push in the process of figuring this out in healthy ways, as well as offering organizers the tools and skills to bring it back to their respective communities.
Sara Henry
Sara Henry will perform and discuss Woody Guthrie songs. She will explain the historical context of each song, and tell stories about his incredible, adventurous life. She will discuss how the ethic expressed in his songs is so important to us in a time where environmental resources are becoming scarce. Thinking about the ideas of Woody Guthrie can help to shape a positive, sustainable future.
Oannes Pritzker
Oannes Pritzker will focus on the theme of Climate Change & Energy Justice with emphasis on Indigenous People's Perspectives & Networking with Youth Activists. Oannes is the director of the Yat Kitischee Native center. The Yat Kitischee Native Center is an Inter-Tribal, Cultural, Environmental, Educational, Social Justice, and News-Media Organization. Our purpose is to promote earth-ethics, in order for people to have more reverence for MotherEarth and respect for the world's Indigenous Peoples.
David Banks
Endangered Speciousness: The Importance of the Public Realm
David Banks will explore the various ways real (and fictional) built space is used to control dissenters, manipulate discourse, and maintain the hegemonic authority of hierarchical systems of dominance. This presentation will take examples from real cities such as Berkeley, California, Los Angeles California, New York, New York, Sarasota, Fl, and many others. Graphic novels have been one of the few genres that have truly taken advantage of the city’s physical form as a topic of inquiry. Therefore, we will also examine the city as it is portrayed in graphic novels such as V for Vendetta, Superman: Red Son, and the Transmetropolitan series. After being introduced to these various case studies, the presentation will move into an analysis of commonalities within each example, and finally a synthesis of how to create places that enhance individual freedoms, rather than diminish them.The presentation will end with plenty of time for discussion and group analysis of the topics presented.
Adele Nieves
Adele Nieves will present on “The Cyberquilting Experiment: A Network of Women of Color Stitching Together a New Media Movement in Web 2.0 and Beyond.” The Cyber-quilting Experiment is a project which examines how the internet can be used as a resource for social justice work, community and movement building activities. It was developed to generate energy, inspiration and education through practical illustrations and tools. The purpose is to connect the on-ground work activists are doing in their communities with internet technologies, in order to assist and amplify their social justice work. The presentation & group discussion will explain what Cyberquiliting is: From training women of color organizations on how to use multi-video conferencing technologies to hosting multiple city rallies to end violence against women, holding online tutorials on how activists can use Google documents to assist with administrative work and more.
Bridges Across Borders and Debora Barros Fince
Bridges Across Borders, a group that works to dissolve the imagined and imposed borders between countries (specifically the United States, Colombia, Panama, and Mexico), will present with Debora Barros Fince, an Indigenous Wayuu from La Guajira, Colombia. In 2004, Debora’s clan suffered a massacre at the hands of Colombian paramilitary. They will discuss the difficulties of organizing across borders where massacre perpetrators commit human rights atrocities with impunity, using Bahia Portete, a remote coastal desert where the mangroves and the cactus kiss, as an example. They will also analyze the complicity of coal mining companies, governments, and even "Environmental Groups," that lead to such displacement.
Mark Lance Anarchist Theory Track - We have met the state and she are us: understanding, power, and social transformation
Mark Lance is on the board of directors for the Institute for Anarchist Studies based in DC. This talk will relate some work in philosophy by people like Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Foucault and Mark Lance’s own work, some central ideas from the history of anarchist thought and some concrete organizing issues that confront those working according to anti-authoritarian principles in the midst of a capitalist, imperialist, sexist, racist, heterosexist, etc. society. Mark Lance will support the claim that social transformation must involve three dimensions: critical reconstruction of whatever aspect of current society we are trying to transform, the construction of alternative modes of organization within the organizations we are working with and the transformation of our own habits, skills, perceptions, etc. Understanding this latter dimension involves making some important, but unfamiliar distinctions. The goal of the presentation is to bring some fairly abstract theory down to earth and to provide useful insights to guide our work in transforming society. For more information on the Institute for Anarchist Studies please visit: http://www.anarchiststudies.org/
The New College Writing Resource Center
The Student Writing Assistants from New College’s Writing Resource Center will lead a presentation and workshop on radical pedagogy and anti-authoritarian learning models. Topics will include active, non-disruptive listening, peer-to-peer conferencing, and intellectual empowerment, which are all part the WRC philosophy and practice. Participants will engage in an active listening exercise in which they will consider their own listening patterns and develop strategies for non-disruptive listening. The session will end with a group discussion about the possibilities of peer-to-peer conferencing. Questions such as “How have we been trained by our educational system to not trust ourselves or take responsibilities for our own positions, and to take positions that are approved by our teachers?” will be raised. http://www.ncf.edu/writingresources
Katie McAuley
Body (of) Knowledge: Radical Politics and Gendered Reproductive Care
Forces as diverse as the industrial revolution, the scientific method, big Pharma, colonialism, feminism and the Internet have all forced humanity to confront the relationship between individual bodies, freedom, and political action. Drawing from medical manuals, history books, zines and anarchist publications, Katie will present on the ways in which direct action has influenced reproductive health in the past, and the ways in which such action can be taken in the future. She will also discuss alternatives to tampons and provide free male and female condoms, DIY dental dams and menstrual calendars. Finally, Katie will network with Florida and Sarasota activists to explore the idea of a creating a reproductive health collective in the area.
James Schmidt: The Infoshop is Not the Revolution...But It Sure Helps to Have One Around"
James Schmidt, one of the coordinators at the Civic Media Center in Gainesville, will lead a guided group discussion about the role of infoshops and other similar radical spaces in building and maintaining active, engaged, radical communities of resistance. He believes that autonomous, independent, radically-oriented spaces are essential to this endeavor; they are the foundation from which action springs. Unfortunately, such spaces often only survive for a couple of years. To combat this, participants will discuss the theory and praxis for how (and how not!) to build and sustain infoshops, as well as network and build infoshop solidarity.
https://www.civicmediacenter.org/
Alachua Committee Against Brutality
Alexis Kohilakis, Jimmy Fishhawk, and others from the Alachua Committee Against Brutality, a group of concerned Gainesville residents created in response to the events of "The Fest Riot" on Nov. 1st, 2009 (see below for details), will present on their goals and the lessons they've trying to achieve them. They will cover the specifics of what to do when an activist faces legal charges, with a focus on dealing with negative media coverage. Using video clips, they will also talk about their efforts to place a temporary ban on the use of tasers in Florida until a statewide "proper usage" policy is adopted. Finally, in regards to creating a Citizens Police Review Board, they will discuss different types of review boards and advisory committees, how to build coalitions with seemingly divergent groups, the process of getting a referendum on the ballot, and ways of dealing with the media and gaining public support such as holding press conferences, writing letters to the editors, and staying in the public eye. http://www.myspace.com/againstpolicebrutality
“The Fest Riot:” In the early morning there was an altercation at a block party as part of an unofficial Fest house show between the Gainesville Police Department and partygoers, resulting in the arrest of five people and the deployment of Tasers by multiple police officers. The ACAB feels the police did not properly de-escalate the situation, something the GPD does regularly at students’ parties and sports related events, and that the partygoers were targeted because they looked “alternative” and not like UF Gators fans. Their actions resulted in actual and potential harm to both officers and partygoers. These events were dubbed “The Fest Riot” by the media.
Tom Hereford: Racism, Classism and Failure in the War on Drugs: End it Now!
Thomas "Chap" Hereford (Catholic priest and former Federal Prison Chaplain), Anthony "Amp" Peterson (small business owner and former Federal Inmate) and Reginal "Reggie" Hardy (minister and former federal inmate) will present on the reasons for and the effects of the "War on Drugs." They will show that the prison system contains racism, classism, and social control elements, but also suggest steps forward which are based on freedom of choice and logical protection of the common good. The steps are quite easy, quite simple, it's just a matter of the will to do it.
Alexa Anderson
Alexa's presentation is about how the dramatic conflict between different perspectives on graffiti in New Orleans, documented in her ethnographic work, is a microcosm of the larger interplay between the different perspectives on public space. These perspectives shape the way public spaces are used in America today. The perspective that serves the interests of the wealthier parts of society is one in which public spaces are viewed as sites of potential danger. This perspective builds a discourse in which “disorder” of any kind is necessarily “destructive,” leading to crime and decreased property values, thus justifying strict regulation of all aspects of public space. This strict regulation essentially criminalizes homelessness as well as public discourse in the classic sense of the term. Recent trends in street art, however, have used the discourse of control against itself. Alexa will look specifically at the work of the graffiti artist Banksy.
SWER
SWER will facilitate a conversation about the history of US immigration policy and our current political and social climate,which has left thousands of immigrant families separated, stopped immigrant youth from being able to go to college, and has created a culture of exploitation of our immigrant workers. We will also discuss how others can help the immigrants rights movement and our communities.
Andrea Ortiz and Melissa (Meltron) Fisher
Popular education and building community projects for liberation. This will be a conversation on how to use popular education and critical pedagogy models to create and develop effective and reflective social justice collectives. Looking at education as a tool for liberation rather than "the great equalizer," we may begin to think critically about how we teach, learn, and experience our world and our relationships.
Queery- New College queer activism
This will be an open forum on queering activism and politics. This isn't referring to sexuality and gender so much as the sort of nebulous use of queer as a verb in the realm of theory. We want to explore the practice and possibilities of non-normative and novel forms of political expression, activity, and mobilization. In what ways can radicals be creative and find practical, advantageous ways to sidestep dominant modes of discourse by embracing their inner fabulousness?
Nancy Rose
Nancy Rose will be presenting on alternatives to disposable tampons and pads for collecting fluid lost during menstruation. These include but are not limited to: menstrual cups, sea sponges, and washable/reusable homemade or store bought pads. She may also cover other interesting devices made especially for women, such as the "go girl" or "pee-style" devices that allow women to pee standing up more easily. Men and women are both encouraged to attend. (A note to the boys: although you might not think these issues affect you, be aware that your opinions can make a difference to the girl or girls in your life. Your openness about alternatives can help inspire openness in others.)
The majority of girls and women have long been taught that their menstrual period is something gross to be hidden from the world and not to be talked about. This discussion is aimed at breaking down those ideas and sharing ideas that may seem radical, but are actually both more practical and more environmentally sound than what we are taught in school or by the media. Disposable pads and tampons contribute an uncountable amount of waste to our finite world, as well as end up costing hundreds to thousands of dollars over a lifetime and almost certainly altering how a woman feels about the natural process of menstruation. This discussion will hopefully help all in attendance feel more comfortable talking about their bodies as well as help to dispel myths and answer questions about the alternatives to disposable pads and tampons.
Uhuru: Africa's not poor, it's being looted!
Two part workshop series focusing on the work being done by African people around the world to reclaim their land and resources and to provide solutions and a future for themselves. And how each of us can participate in the "Africa's Resources in African Hands!" campaign. If you have ever wondered why African people, no matter where they live throughout the world, suffer such intense poverty, while Africa itself is the richest continent in the world, you need to attend this workshop!
People can see the devastation in Haiti. But why was the crisis so immense? Why was the death toll so high? Haiti, just like anywhere African people exist around the world, was mired in intense poverty. Where did that poverty come from? The Uhuru Movement believes that we have to understand the context in which Africa has become poor to understand how we can participate in changing it. This presentation asks that very important question: "Why?" Why are Africans everywhere poor? Why don't they have control over their resources? The answer is not based in racism, which is just ideas in the heads of white people. The answer lies in the colonial relationship that African people have to those who benefit from their wealth. The solution does not lie in simply "unlearning" our racism, but in changing that colonial relationship. So in very concrete terms, this presentation is about taking that political theory and turning it into practice. The Uhuru Movement has built countless programs and institutions to solve the problems faced by African people in the U.S. and around the world. We would like to talk to students about those programs and how they can participate.
Lynne Purvis
Lynne Purvis will give an overview of the Anne Braden Program, a anti-racist, anti-capitalist training for white social justice activists, and strategizing for anti-racist action in Florida.
Joshua Stephens- Anarchist Theory Track
Making Paths By Walking: Notes on Prefigurative Economics in the Now.
Within the anarchist tradition, worker self-management has functioned as a sort of conventional reconstructive economic vision. But as a container for social transformation, especially while so many destructive forces shape and speak through us -- often well outside the sphere of production relations -- is this model, and the conversation it often produces, adequate? What other questions might our chosen flavor of workplace organization pose? What is its relationship to the communities in which it's carried out?What does it communicate to the social body outside the proverbial shop floor? What is its role in movement building? What points of intervention does it reveal? What does the contemporary economic landscape offer possible radical interventions in production/service/consumption. And what does it say about us as a social movement we think of resistance strictly in terms of protest, rather than field of activity that includes the construction of new forms?
Andy Cornell- Anarchist Theory Track -
Lessons from the Movement for a New Society
This presentation and discussion will introduce participants to the history and practice of the Movement for a New Society and draw lessons from the experiences of that organization with the intent of facilitating more effective anti-authoritarian political activism in the contemporary period.
The Movement for a New Society was a national network of feminist radical pacifist collectives that existed from 1971 to 1988. Though rarely remembered by name today, many of the new ways of doing radical politics that the Movement for a New Society (MNS) promoted have become central to contemporary anti-authoritarian social movements. MNS popularized consensus decision making, introduced the spokescouncil method of organization to activists in the United States, and was a leading advocate of a variety of practices—communal living, unlearning oppressive behavior, creating co-operatively owned businesses—that are now often subsumed under the rubric of “prefigurative politics.” MNS was significantly shaped by aspects of anarchist thought and practice developed both in the United States and abroad. Participants synthesized these elements with an array of other influences to develop an experimental revolutionary practice that attempted to combine multi-issue political analysis, organizing campaigns, and direct action with the creation of alternative institutions, community building, and personal transformation.
Maia Ramnath- Anarchist Theory Track -
Anarchism and Anti-Colonialism
In this session we'll discuss the historical intersections of anarchist thought and praxis with anti-colonial struggle. In the process we explore what a comprehensive vision of liberation-- or decolonization-- would look like and how to move toward it, whether on one's own behalf or through the practice of active solidarity. Drawing concrete examples from my recent experiences with the Gaza Freedom March, I seek to apply these ideas to activist work related to areas like Palestine, Native American sovereignty, and urban gentrification.
Randeaux- Radical Food Redefinition, in Language and Practice
The workshop style discussion emphasizes three main points What is food? What has it become? and How do we establish our relationship with food today? what people can do in order to help bring our food systems to a healthier place through thought, action, and language re-programming. The workshop will include examples such as home cooked, home fermented, home brewed, and home grown food stuffs to illustrate how we can take back our food.
FRIDAY:
Check In and Walk in Registration: 4:00 – 7:00pm, outside Hamilton Center
Food Not Bombs Cooking: 4:00-6:00pm, in the Dort Residence Hall Kitchen
FNB Dinner: 6:00-7:00pm, at Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota (carpool there)
Opening Panel and Remembering Comrades Who Have Passed: 7:00-8:00pm, in HCL 8
Live Music: 8:00-10:30pm, on Z Green
Dance Party: 10:30pm-2:00am, in Palm Court
SATURDAY:
9:00-10:00am: Coffee and Yoga, on Z Green
10:00-11:15am: Block 1 presentations
11:20-12:35 pm: Block 2 presentations
12:40-1:40 pm: Lunch , outside between Ham Center and the HCL classrooms
1:45-3:00pm: Block 3 presentations
3:05-4:20pm: Block 4 presentations
4:25-5-40pm: Block 5 presentations
5:45-7:00pm: Block 6 presentations
7:00-8:00pm: Dinner , outside
8:00-10:00pm: Radical Open Mic, at the Four Winds
10:00pm-2:00am: All Power to the Party!, at the Beet House
SUNDAY:
9:00-10:00am: Coffee, on Z Green
10:00-11:15am: Block 7 presentations
11:20-12:35 pm: Block 8 presentations
12:40-1:40 pm: Lunch , outside
1:45-3:00pm: Block 9 presentations
3:00-4:00: Closing Panel , in HCL 8 (TA)
