This year, I have been participating in the Building A Movement, or BAM, facilitation training cohort. It is a nine month training program for community leaders working on environmental and economic justice issues to sharpen their skills as a facilitator. This program is led by the folks at Taproot Earth and Project South, who have put together this program to bring together leaders from the Gulf South and Appalachia to continue our fight for survival.
The first BAM session took place in New Orleans, LA, while the second and most recent session, in late June-early July, took place in Montgomery, AL.
During the nine-month program, a few Peoples Movement Assemblies (PMAs) will be sprinkled throughout. The reason behind that is pretty simple: for unity. Across the country, we are all facing similar issues with our local and federal governments. These assemblies bring us together to build our people’s power. So when it is time to stand up and fight, we have our comrades at our sides and behind us ready to go.
The first of these assemblies was the ‘We Choose Now’ Gulf South to Appalachia Community Assembly in Birmingham, Alabama. Most of the folks from the BAM session participated in this assembly.
Walking into a Gulf South to Appalachia Community Assembly on July 2nd was like stepping into a vibrant ecosystem of ideas and emotions. The energy was palpable and there was an infectious enthusiasm among the participants that were united by a common purpose. This energy was fueled by a sense of urgency and the shared commitment to tackling the issues at hand.
The event took place in the heart of downtown Birmingham at Kelly Ingram Park, where everywhere you look, you see a piece of movement history. Over 550 participants representing 26 states and Borikén (Puerto Rico) came together to celebrate the 60-year anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and to learn from each other, share our knowledge and skills with others in the movement, and begin building strong and meaningful relationships with our fellow comrades in the fight for survival.
One of the most striking aspects of this assembly was the diversity of voices. The community leaders and other participants came from a variety of backgrounds, most from indigenous communities or communities of color. Each brought their own perspective and expertise that surrounded the issues we were discussing. This diversity only enriched our discussions and offered a more comprehensive view of the issues we are all facing. While a variety of opinions can often lead to disagreements, our discussions led to more robust and nuanced solutions.
Dialogue is essential and often centralized at a Peoples Movement Assembly, which is why there were multiple learning sessions on different topics ranging from deep democracy to food, water, and land sovereignty. These sessions were designed to be a space where all participants had a chance to speak on the issue at hand. This approach helps ensure that a wide range of perspectives are considered and decisions are made collaboratively. The facilitators worked hard to create a space where all voices could be heard and respected.
I had the privilege of representing CCJ at the session around deep democracy. This was my first time speaking on a panel for our organization, and it was a great experience. During the session, we talked about the importance of deep democracy and how to implement it within our communities. We also discussed accountability: How we have to be accountable to one another, as well as different ways we can hold our elected officials accountable to their actions.
Within and beyond the formal agenda, this assembly fostered a sense of community. The networking and informal conversations allowed the participants to build connections, share experiences, and form alliances. This sense of camaraderie is vital for sustaining that momentum once the assembly concludes. The relationships forged at the assembly will lead to collaborations and initiatives that extend far beyond the event itself.
While we all come from different backgrounds and we may not agree on everything, we are all facing the same struggles, organizing and building people’s power around the same issues within our own communities. This is why it is important to have these types of spaces and convenings: We are much more likely to reach our shared goals when we work and ride together. Shout out to the BAMILY across the Gulf South and Appalachia!
