“Ensuring Democracy’s Future: An Interactive Gathering to Reflect on Block & Build and Identify Our Needs for 2024 and Beyond” drew 120-plus activists and scholars to the City University of New York School of Labor and Urban Studies (CUNY-SLU) September 6. In plenaries and breakout group, participants digested field experiences with organizers and strategists who have been knocking on doors, drawing out lessons for weaving together a winning alchemy of politics, people, and policy.
Speakers in the plenary sessions included Margie Del Castillo (State Power Caucus), Maria J. Stephan (Horizons Project and Showing Up for Racial Justice), Fahd Ahmed (Desis Rising Up and Moving), Brandon Mancilla (United Auto Workers Region 9A), Jasmine Gripper (Working Families Party-NY) and Max Elbaum (Convergence). Professors Alethia Jones and Stephanie Luce of CUNY-SLU moderated the event.
The event was hosted by the CUNY-SLU Murphy Institute’s Civic Engagement and Leadership Development Program and Convergence Magazine. A dozen additional organizations helped build the program by signing on as co-sponsors: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East; CAAAV-Organizing Asian Communities; Democratic Socialists of America NYC; Grassroots Power Project; Historians for Peace and Democracy; Jews for Racial and Economic Justice; Liberation Road; Movement Law Lab; NY Caring Majority; Seed the Vote; State Power Caucus; and SURJ NYC.
A video/audio recording of the plenary presentations is now available here.