Convergence Magazine and Seed the Vote co-sponsored a special online event introducing the concepts, content, and applications of the “Block & Build Syllabus: Left Strategy in the MAGA Era.” The event previewed the syllabus content, looked back at its development and shared early experiences of its use. You can download the slides from the event here and see the syllabus itself here.
Convergence developed the syllabus as an internal political education tool last year, as we worked to clarify our position and strategy for the road ahead. While the organized Left had moved beyond abstentionism as a central strategy in 2016, and made a critical difference in 2018, 2020, and 2022, many are now questioning the value of electoral work, given the options on the menu in 2024. US complicity with Israel’s war on Gaza–and our movements’ all-out efforts to change it–show just how hard, and necessary, the work of block and build is. Our need for broad-front politics rooted in our principles and vision could not be more urgent.
We’re pleased to offer this seven-part self-paced course that examines the current moment in the arc of US democracy. Written with organizers in mind, the syllabus covers where we are, how we got here, and our best assessment of how we might block a total capture of the federal government while also building the capacity of our movements to shape the trajectory of the “small-d” democratic alternative.