To the Left: building a movement for social justice: intersections and alliances across race, class, gender, sexuality, age, ability… Track US Social Forum Workshops

Failures of U.S. housing policies, international monitoring, and grassroots efforts to resist housing violations and promote housing rights

How Communities are Building the Domestic Human Right to Housing Movement and Utilizing U.N. Interventions

This panel will look at the growing movement to end poverty led by the poor and united across color lines which is taking hold in Philadelphia and beyond. The panel will focus on a network of groups that are both fighting to further their particular struggles around housing, education and workers rights and then their collaboration to build a bigger network and movement. The focus will be on leadership development, media, political education, and network building.

Movements Begin with the Telling of Untold Stories: Building a Movement to End Poverty Led by the Poor in Philadelphia and Beyond

The People’s Health Movement and many grassroots organizations have been working towards universal, comprehensive health care in the United States for decades. On March 23rd, 2010, “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” became law. However, the struggle for healthful communities continues, especially for vulnerable groups including women, immigrants, and the working poor.

Health Care Reform- Not comprehensive, somewhat incomprehensible. Where do we go from here?

We will explore the new curriculum Human Rights Yes! which is based on the UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This workshop will teach a human rights approach to advocacy work. It is designed to promote individual empowerment and self-advocacy initiatives. Based on the Human Rights Resource Center’s work this workshop will provide a basic understanding of disability rights and how to integrate a disability perspective into human rights efforts.

Exploring Human Rights -- Action and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities

This workshop will explore critical questions on building unity among black and Latino communities within the rich racial and cultural diversity of South Florida.

Black Brown and Sunny – Lessons on Building Black and Latino Unity in South Florida

Within both historical and contemporary imaginations, university students are posed as playing an indispensable part in progressive and radical Left political movements. The twenty-first century student Left is hardly monolithic in its inclinations, ideologies and impulses. We welcome everyone concerned with the state of the contemporary American student Left, especially students and young people.

Politics of the Contemporary American Student Left

Our workshop will include a panel presentation by public education activists sharing their experiences in the movement for access to quality public education, including a report from the May 2010 convention of the Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education held in Montreal, an analysis of the current attacks on public education at the K-12 and higher education levels, a case study of successful organizing against charter school takeovers in Los Angeles, their role as organizers for the March 4th Day of Action for Public Education in Los Angeles, and making a case to call on the federal government to insure quality and equal public education. The workshop will culminate with discussion of attendees’ experiences to together identify uniting issues, goals and effective strategies for the movement to defend and enhance access to quality public education- kindergarten through university.

Building a Movement for Access to Quality Public Education for All: Kindergarten through University

The Fund for Genetic Equity is sponsoring this brainstorming session to explore efforts to place a ballot question on the 2012 Massachusetts ballot which will seek to end Genetic Discrimination and safeguard patient privacy rights.

The Politics of Genetic Equity - Forging a New Civil Rights Concensus

This workshop will discuss the history and accomplishments of the Cuban women's movement under the leadership of the Federation of Cuban Women and in the context of the Cuban revolution. We will also discuss the role that Cuba has played internationally in advancing human rights especially in the realm of healthcare and literacy. Panelists include Rita Olga (from Cuba), Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples and Catherine Murphy, Director of the film, "Maestro," a film about the 1961 one year national campaign that irradicated illiteracy in Cuba. A short trailer of "Maestro" will be shown. Jan Strout and Cindy Domingo, of the U.S. Women & Cuba Collaboration will discuss strategies, campaigns and work that participants can take with them to build a women's movement and network of supporters to change U.S. policy towards the Cuban people and to lift the 51 year old U.S. blockade against Cuba.

Why Women? Why Cuba? Building a Women's Movement for Cuba