One of the key goals of the US Social Forum is to inspire people to take action in their local communities to bring about the kind of world those attending the Forum are envisioning-- i.e., a world where human rights and ecological mindfulness are prioritized over wealth and profit-making.
The power of the Social Forum process to inspire local action is apparent in our experience in South Bend: A group of five high school-aged youth from South Bend La Casa de Amistad's youth collectiva helped organize a march for human rights and against discrimination. The idea for the march came from the widespread calls at the USSF for groups to organize locally to protest Arizona's discriminatory immigration law, SB1070. When they returned home, students began meeting with local organizers from Jobs with Justice and other students from the area--including several University of Notre Dame students who attended the US Social Forum as well.
The organizers inspired many older organizers in the region with their energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. They painted banners and signs for the march, and designed a t-shirt to distribute to marchers and show our numbers. Estimates of the size of the march ranged from 250-400, and people joined us at various points along the way. The march ended with a rally and speeches at the newly opened Center for Civil Rights History near downtown South Bend. It was appropriate, noted Center director Dr. Kevin James, that this sort of protest event was one of the first major events the Center hosted.
For this town, this size of a march is notable. But what was most impressive is that it was a diverse march with people from all different neighborhoods and colors. I think many who attended were inspired to continue finding ways to build bridges across the diverse segments of the community. We're looking forward to continuing this process and thinking ahead to an event to commemorate International Human Rights Day on December 10.
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