April 2015
POCLAD Article
POCLAD [and You?]
at the U.S. Social Forum
Greetings!
We are writing to share the exciting news that the Program on Corporations Law & Democracy (POCLAD) is gearing up to participate in a big way with the third US Social Forum, one of the premiere movement spaces anywhere in the country. Over 10,000 people gathered in Atlanta in 2007, and 15,000 gathered in Detroit in 2010.
This political motion comes out of the World Social Forum, which is a meeting of individuals and organizations representing civil society that rejects the corporate capitalist narrative of consumption and commodification and boldly proclaims that “Another World is Possible!” The World Social Forum was first held in Porto Allegre, Brazil in 2001, and has been meeting every few years ever since as a place to stimulate debate, reflection, and proposals for creating a new world.
The US Social Forum will convene social change agents in the United States to make plans to create a peaceful, just, democratic and ecologically sustainable society. This seems like an IDEAL place for POCLAD supporters to engage folks in conversation about what it will take to make the promise of democracy a reality. To that end, please consider this a personal invitation to you from the entire POCLAD collective!
Please register today. You can register as an individual by clicking here: REGISTER.
The US Social Forum will be convening June 24-28 in both San Jose, CA and Philadelphia, PA, and we will be using streaming technology to connect both sites. POCLAD principals will be at both sites, so please come to whichever one makes the most sense for you and connect with us!
Of particular relevance—POCLAD will be co-anchoring a participatory People’s Movement Assembly (PMA) titled “The People vs. Corporations: Whose Constitution is it Anyway?”
In Philadelphia, we will be partnering with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF), Move To Amend and the Liberty Tree Foundation to facilitate this PMA.
In San Jose, we will be partnering with the Hip Hop Congress, The Pachamama Alliance, Movement Rights, and Move To Amend to facilitate this PMA.
We would welcome participation from other organizations. Please forward this announcement to any individual or group that might be interested.
You might want to propose your own workshop or PMA. If so, you can register an organization by clicking here: REGISTER.
David Cobb is taking the lead in helping to coordinate POCLAD participation in the US Social Forum. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact him directly at David@MoveToAmend.org
Lastly, we want to make it clear that we are expending considerable resources to mobilize to participate this exciting and historic gathering. POCLAD does not receive any money from Foundations, government grants or corporations (surprise)....
The reality is that every dollar we spend comes out of our own pockets, and from ordinary people like you. Many of you have generously donated in the past, and are directly responsible for the fact that we have been spreading our message for over 15 years.
Please make a donation to POCLAD so we can continue our work.
Contribute online at http://poclad.org/donate.html or by send a check to:
POCLAD
P.O. Box 246
S. Yarmouth, MA 02664
For a tax deduction, send your check of $50 or more -- earmarked for "POCLAD" to:
Jane Addams Peace Association
777 United Nations Plaza, 6th Floor
New York City, NY, 10017
Thank you!