Solidarity 2020 and Beyond is partnering with Waging Nonviolence to launch an exciting new webinar series called People Power: COVID-19 and Beyond. Anchored by grassroots activists, along with high-profile scholar-activists and journalists, the series will debut on Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. EDT on Zoom and Facebook Live with a conversation on the major unfolding nonviolent uprisings in the United States, Lebanon, Thailand and Zimbabwe. Regular installments will follow through the end of the year. All recordings will also be posted and archived on the YouTube channels for Waging Nonviolence and Solidarity 2020 and Beyond, making them easily accessible to those unable to participate in the live events. To sign up for the next webinar in the series, click here.
The series will highlight the voices of experienced and trained grassroots activists who are part of Solidarity 2020 and Beyond’s Global Grassroots Activist Network, working in more than 100 countries around the world. While educational webinars and ideological discussions have increased significantly since COVID-19, there has arguably been a dearth of grassroots voices working in the trenches. People want to know not only why, but how, to wage effective struggle at this key time.
With our new series, we hope to focus on the nuts and bolts of how to build and wage nonviolent campaigns and movements for dignity, justice and freedom around the world. The goal is to answer questions like: How do I begin to bring awareness and mobilize people to work for change? What do I do when my government chooses to use violence against unarmed protesters? Can nonviolence really overcome violent armed actors and militaries? How do I create a strategy and tactics that will work in my unique situation? What does my situation have in common with others? How important is training and preparation versus organic events that bring people out?
The field activists who will participate in these webinars have been trained by local groups and networks around the world, including Afrika Youth Movement and Action Aid’s Global Platform, Beautiful Trouble, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, RHIZE, Inclusive Global Leadership Institute, Ekta Parishad, Training for Change and many more.
Movements in the Global South have been less understood and covered in mainstream media, which is why this series will prioritize these under-resourced and difficult mobilizing efforts in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Yet, at the same time, we are also seeing major threats to democracy, climate crisis prevention and human rights in the United States and Europe. So solidarity is what we need most now.
Through locally-led initiatives, the activists taking part in this series have built peer-to-peer learning exchanges, written articles and disseminated culturally appropriate curriculum translated into local languages, developed creative resistance, messaging and mobilizing strategies, utilized technology and security tools, and implemented self-care initiatives. These efforts slowed initially during COVID-19, but are now building back strong.
This webinar series plans to amplify and make evident the truth that nonviolent campaigns and revolutions are happening at record numbers around the world, and its participants are learning from each other. The activists that will be featured are waging a broad variety of local, national and international struggles. These include movements for women’s rights and gender justice, environmental justice, racial justice, anti-corruption and good governance, disability rights, indigenous rights, democratization and self-determination.
The activists hope to accomplish four main goals through this series: to connect diverse activists from around the world to share experience and provide moral support; provide lessons learned and detailed knowledge to new organizers and activists; to share and discuss new and effective ways to continue struggles during COVID-19 and beyond; and to provide evidence of the extensive reach and activity of strategic and effective movements around the world today to build hope and resilience at this dark time.
On Sept. 8, the first webinar in the series will explore a range of ongoing movements, and feature:
The details for future webinars will be included in Waging Nonviolence’s weekly newsletter and on Solidarity 2020 and Beyond’s soon-to-be-launched website. The topics for upcoming webinars this month include: COVID-19 and the anti-corruption nexus (Sept. 16), nonviolent struggles for environmental justice (Sept. 22) and women’s leadership in movements (Sept. 30).
If you are an experienced activist, a budding organizer, a policy maker, researcher or journalist, or an ordinary citizen searching for hope and evidence of people working together for a better world, please join us for this exciting series of conversations.
I don’t see a link to register for the webinars
Here is the link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nonviolent-uprisings-now-fighting-for-dignity-equality-and-justice-tickets-119022514545
It’s embedded in the phrase “click here to register” in the first paragraph.
These are important initiatives promoting programmed and sustained non violence approaches in securing social chachangesd confidence required to make our world a better place for all.
good initiative. Hope to join these webinairs. Harcourt en Annelies klinefelter.
Greetings! I am an anti-nuclear activist here in India and have been struggling against the Koodankulam nuclear power project near the southernmost tip of India. It’s been described as the longest nonviolent struggle after the Indian independence struggle here in India.
Please keep me posted about your webinars. Tnx.
Dear Friends,
I’m sorry I missed this. Can I still view the webinars? Are more coming? I’ll check also.
Peace and blessings,
RevRalphGalen@gmail.com
Dear Rev. Ralph, sorry you missed the live Zoom panel. You can watch the first three panels in September here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-Cey-PFNEizzYoCAn2OYQ
and can also sign up for the current webinar here for October 7 here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlcO6vrzMoE9O7sjdHlsxwv1zjOQ6C3scE