USSF Writers Group

From: Jackie Smith
Date: January 29, 2008

Writers needed to help spread the word about the World Social Forum's first "decentralized" global day of action.

Dear friends,
Last week the "decentralized" 2008 World Social Forum generated around 800 actions in more than 100 countries.  Few people -in the U.S. anyway-are aware of this important achievement.

I write to urge you to do some writing in the coming weeks to help people better understand the World Social Forum and how it is developing in response to what organizers are learning in this massive "experiment in global democracy." As you may have noticed, the mainstream media has failed to report on the Social Forums, leaving many people ignorant of its existence or convincing them that the WSF is in decline.

The continued development of the World Social Forum process depends on our work to help people think about this new way of doing politics. We need to give people different interpretations from what the mainstream media would like them to believe-i.e., that civil society initiatives for change always tend to run out of steam or fail because of internal rivalries, lack of popular support, etc.
 
Although most of the mainstream media have ignored the WSF this year, when it is mentioned the typical spin is that the global meeting was "cancelled" because of the lower-than-anticipated turnout at last year's WSF in Nairobi.  What this account fails to mention is that 1) the Nairobi Forum attracted considerably large numbers, especially given the limitations on transportation and infrastructure as well as the relative strength of civil society organizations there; and 2) the 2008 World Social Forum was not cancelled, but rather, organizers called for a "decentralized" social forum, calling on people to organize WSF-inspired events where they live. This is in line with earlier efforts to make the forum more accessible to more people who cannot afford to travel to distant places for the global meeting. For instance, the 2006 meeting was a "polycentric" Social Forum, held sequentially in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The decentralized format also aimed to give global organizers a chance to deepen their connections to their home communities. Thus, rather than signaling a decline in the vibrancy of the WSF, this year's Social Forum reflects its vibrancy and innovation.

My local experience with the decentralized format was that it was very successful. In "Michiana"-the Indiana/Michigan border region in the U.S.-- we organized a week of action that helped kindle (or rekindle) some ties between labor unions and other progressive groups in the region. It also stimulated new discussions about how the "blue-green" labor-environmental alliance might help focus local action and energy. And we brought together about 100 local residents to discuss how a social forum could help us address problems we're facing here such as worker insecurity, corporate influence in local politics, environmental destruction (through climate change and CAFOs), and official harassment of immigrants.  (www.michianasocialforum.org)

The WSF website lists actions being taken in different parts of the world. You can find out what's happening near you and get some discussion going in local and movement-based media about the WSF process and how it can be tied to local issues and organizing work. Here's a way for you (and your friends, colleagues, and students) to be part of the movement for global democracy!  

Another "hook" you can use is to mention this other "alternative" meeting, of Latin American governments, who met last week to discuss the ALBA-Economic Alternative for Latin America (http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/01/28/6666/ , by Medea Benjamin).

Thanks for being part of the USSF/WSF Writer's network. Please let me know if you would like to continue being part of this effort, and encourage interested writers to join us by emailing: ussfwriters@sbcglobal.net .

In Solidarity,

Jackie Smith

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Jackie Smith
Associate Professor of Sociology and Peace Studies
The Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
574-631-2640