Just after sunrise on Tuesday, June 22nd a group of ten activists gathered outside of the Lafeyette Ave. Presbyterian Church. This group of Buffalo organizers was on their way to participate in one of the largest gatherings of left-wing organizers in the United States. They were going to participate in the US Social Forum. The organizations that participated in the delegation included the Coalition for Economic Justice, People United for Sustainable Housing, the WNY Council on Occupational Safety and Health, Buffalo Class Action, Buffalo Tenants United, and Buffalo Indymedia. Traveling with these delegates was a group of another 20 activists from the Vermont Worker Center.

After a six hour drive, the activists arrived in Detroit just in time to participate in the Opening Celebration for the Forum. Over 5,000 people, with many thousands more still arriving, marched through Detroit announcing their presence and the beginning of this national gathering of social justice organizers. A bloc of indigenous activists led the march which included labor organizers, environmental justice groups, community organizations, tenants and homeless movements, and left wing ideological groups. In the end, over 15,000 activists would take part in the week’s events. The US Social Forum had begun, and for many people in the United States, this would be the first day they heard of the convergence.

What Is the US Social Forum?

The US Social Forum is a gathering place for social justice organizers throughout the country. It’s a space for activists from a wide variety of people’s movements to share and learn from each other’s experiences. It’s a space to build unity and debate new questions. But, most importantly to many at this year’s Forum, it’s a place to build and strengthen movements. The Forum stands in contrast to meetings like the Group of 20, held this weekend in Toronto. At the G20 meeting, sweeping economic decisions are made that will affect the lives of millions of people. However, this meeting will not include those peoples’ voices. The Social Forum on the other hand represent a space of grassroots discussion and decision making, where every day people organize to have a say in the decisions that have such profound impacts on their lives. At hundreds of workshops, presentations, panel discussions, and rallies people from throughout the US build an agenda that adequately addresses the needs of everyday people. This is the US Social. Surrounding these workshops and discussions is a nearly constant cultural display of poetry, music, visual art, and spectacular parties.

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Southern Oregonians Ivend Holen and Wes Brain are in Detroit, Michigan for the United States Social Forum. Here is a description of the first part of their MoTown adventure.

Most of the photos are from the opening day march

Fireworks may have been a more appropriate grand opening for a Tea Party convention than the 2010 United States Social Forum. 

But just the same, the Detroit skyline exploded in patriotic colors after I arrived at the Spirit of Hope Church of Trumbull Street Monday night, where local residents and out-of-towners watched the joint Windsor--Detroit "Red, White and Boom" Independence Day celebration from the church's historic be-gargoyled bell tower.

"Another World is Possible / Another U.S. is Necessary / Another Detroit is Happening," goes the tagline for the Social Forum, the second United States installment of this global and local process. It's expected to draw 20,000 or more social justice campaigners of all stripes this week, including hundreds from around Minnesota.

Previous Coverage | | | More Coverage: Houston, TX | Worcester, MA | Buffalo, NY | Buffalo, NY Part 2| Rochester, NY | Rogue Valley, OR

A diverse Crew from Houston is in Detroit for the US Social Forum. We got here just in time to participate in the opening march and are participating in the first full days of workshops. We'll post more soon, hope to see everyone up here in Detroit. [See Photos] More Photos From the Newswire: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | March on the Detroit Municipal Wast Incinerator

From the Southwest Workers Union: The People’s Freedom Caravan riders gathered in San Antonio in the early dawn hours this morning to embark on their 11-day epic journey to the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit. The “social forum on wheels” has begun, and on the bus together are both new and seasoned organizers, school workers, immigrant rights and environmental justice advocates, independent media-makers, youth and grandmothers.

“We’re on the road again, because there is still so much to fight for,” says Tanya Garduño, who recently returned from the historic immigrant rights marches in Phoenix, AZ. Along their journey, caravanistas will connect with over 100 grassroots organizations, sharing culture, comida, history, and struggles through shared action. They will arrive in Detroit with new relationships and understanding of the work of fellow organizers struggling for indigenous, worker, immigrant, and environmental justice all across the Midwest. [Read Full Article with photo]

HELLO FROM DETROIT! Here's a short video clip from the closing ceremony at the Allied Media Conference (http://alliedmedia.org) featuring Worcester's Toxic Soil Busters and others from the Eco-Justice Track:

Eco Justice Track at Allied Media Conference Closing Ceremony from Worcester Roots Project on Vimeo.

Last Thursday, activists from throughout the city gathered at Campieri’s Pizza for a party. Organized by the Coalition for Economic Justice and Buffalo CarShare, the purpose of the party was to raise funds for a trip that local organizers will be taking to Detroit to attend and participate in the US Social Forum.

The US Social Forum is part of an international movement of Social Forum’s that began with the World Social Forum in January of 2001. The Social Forums are spaces provided for many of the different social justice movements in an area to gather and discuss their efforts, learn from one another’s experiences, and build broader, more coherent movements.

After years of protesting outside of the World Economic Forum’s meetings for the exploitative and destructive economic policies that came out of these meetings, activists from throughout the world began discussing the need to create alternatives rather than simply protest the current options. Under the banner of “Another World is Possible”, the World Social Forums began organizing. Shortly after, people locally began organizing regional, national, and even local city social forums with the purpose of building unity and strengthening the efforts of local social justice organizations and movements.

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Come out Monday June 14th at 6pm for a potluck at the Flying Squirrel Community Space to meet bicycle riders on their way out to the US Social Forum in Detroit. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about what activists in the upstate NY area are working on and to learn more about the US Social Forum. Who is going on this ride?
The Finger Lakes BikeIt Ride is open to all residents in the Finger Lakes area who are passionate about biking to the US Social Forum in a large group of people committed to social & environmental justice, community service and mutual aid. We will likely have riders from Ithaca, Syracuse, and Binghamton, as well as from several smaller towns in the area.

The US Social Forum, June 22nd to 26th in Detroit, will provide a space to build relationships, learn from each other's experiences, and share analysis of the problems our communities face. It will help develop leadership, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.

From the Ad Hoc UH Social Forum Committee to the open publishing newswire: University of Houston students are raising funds to go on the bus to Detroit. We need $6,300.00! Students are excited about going to USSF to gain access to skills, training, networking and inspiration to help us build movements for social justice among young people here in the city of Houston. We are requesting donations and will be hosting a garage sale. [Read the full appeal with info on how to donate]

This Friday, June 11th The Houston Indymedia Radio Show will focus on the US Social Forum. Listen up at 7:30pm on KPFT 90.1fm.

The Social Forum is a movement-building process - not a conference," says one local announcement about the 2010 United States Social Forum (USSF) June 22-26 in Detroit.  Dozens, if not hundreds, of Twin Cities activists plan to attend the Forum for which nearly 20,000 have registered and thousands more are expected to show up.  But first, this Saturday June 5, the Waite House hosts the Twin Cities People's Movement Assembly (PMA), "a gathering of people to come up with demands, commitments, and visions on how to struggle together for positive social change" and one of the first steps in the social forum process.

The PMA at Waite House from 2-5pm is organized by local activists who attended the 2007 USSF in Atlanta and will include arts and cultural performances, food and childcare. The video at left begins to explain the PMA model.  In particular, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights campaign and local unions have been instrumental in guiding the push to the USSF in Detroit, and want to ensure that people from marginalized groups are in the majority at the Waite House PMA on Saturday.

Southern Oregon’s most radical singer/songwriters Patrick Dodd and Pete Herzog will perform together for a fundraiser to send delegates to the 2010 U.S. Social Forum in Detroit. At a time when most artists shy away from politics or controversial topics, Dodd and Herzog thrive on telling truth to power.

Guatemala, October 11.- The Social Forum of the Americas is coming to an end. Today was the last day of workshops and events at the Universidad de San Carlos. The event will conclude on Sunday with a march and rally at the Plaza Central in the historical downtown area at noon. I started the day attending the "Globalization and migration: effects on indigenous peoples" organized by MIGUA, the Movement of Guatemalan Inmigrants in the U.S." Among the panelists were Elvira Arellano, Carlos Lopez from Casa del Migrante, Eliza Orozco, indigenous leader, and Eduardo Jimenez. They stressed the impact of migrations in the local communities and the need to correct through education a consumerist development in those receiving remittances from the U.S. For those who are left behind, believing that those who have left are successful materially, are left with a sense of worthlessness.

Battered by budget cuts and burdensome tuition costs while facing an indifferent administration, students at the City University of New York (CUNY) will hold a three-day gathering to chart a course for reviving campus activism.

The CUNY Social Forum will be held at the City College campus in Harlem Oct. 17 to 19. The goal is to bring together students, adjuncts and faculty from across CUNY’s 23 campuses to share their experiences and strategize around a host of important issues including tuition hikes, the university’s increasing reliance on low-wage adjuncts, restoring open admissions and defending ethnic and gender studies programs. Organizers also envision CUNY as a place where student, faculty and the community have meaningful decision-making power. Read More | Related: The Third Social Forum of the Americas Has Begun in Guatemala

Guatemala City -- October 7, 2008. The Social Forum of the Americas has begun, with most of the nearly 2000 participants arriving today. The registration process begun normally while switching from an automated system to a manual one. All the packets and a beautiful bag where distributed to each registered delegate. There was not doubt here that Spanish is the official language of the forum. The other undisputed presence is that of the Mayan people. In fact, their presence has been felt not only in numbers, but also in spiritual influence. Mayan religious ceremonies have gone on at dawn and sundown.

Next weekend, Friday June 27th to Sunday June 29th is the LA Social Forum. Billed as “a weekend of building bridges between LA-based campaigns for social justice, environmental action, criminal reform, election fairness, gender equity, political power and cultural expression.”

The conference kicks off Friday evening at 6 pm on the campus of USC. Over 70 workshops on a wide range of issues will be offered during the weekend. The Los Angeles Independent Media Center is among those groups holding a workshop, see: LA Indymedia Workshop.

“The Los Angeles Social Forum is a place where Southern California activists will meet and share power, plans, perspectives, and ideas while building a network for peace and social justice.” For more information please see: LASocialForum.org

Boston, Mass.—Hundreds of thousands around the world will join forces tomorrow, January 26, 2008, for a historical celebration of social movements and social justice as they take action locally on the Global Day of Action called forth during the World Social Forum (http://wsf2008.net/). People all over the world will hold talks, demonstrations, concerts, vigils, and many other creative ways of resistance to clamor “another world is possible.” In the Greater Boston area, the Global Day of Action launched last weekend with a Winter Soldier event organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War and their supporters, followed today by an immigration rally organized by the Boston May Day Coalition, and a People’s Music Winter Gathering tonight that seeks “to promote progressive ideas and transform ourselves and our communities through music to bring about a better world.” Other activities include an event to challenge the Free Trade Agreement in Colombia, a demonstration in support of Palestinians, and a talk about human rights in Haiti.