From: Kali Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Summary Report of PHRF/OC Coalition Meeting 7.15-16
Mardi Gras Indian suits have more than a million
beads and we sew them one bead at a time.
Cherice Harrison-Nelson, Council Queen
Guardians of the Flame Mardi Gras Indian Group
One bead at a time: Were in this for the long
haul.
SUMMARY REPORT OF PHRF COALITION MEETING 7/15-16/2006
Overview:
On Saturday, July 15th and Sunday, July 16th the
Peoples Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Coalition
(PHRF/OC) convened a coalition meeting at the Kingsley
Center in New Orleans with the following critical
objectives:
to reconfirm the commitments, mission, and
principles of the coalition
to regroup to advance the struggle for a just
reconstruction and the right to return to stop the
ethnic cleansing of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Representatives of over 30 local, regional and
national coalition partners attended, including:
Advancement Project, Advocates for Environmental Human
Rights, African American Leadership Project, Ashe
Center, Atlanta Survivors Council representative, Bay
2 Gulf Solidarity, Black Activist Coalition on
Katrina, Black Workers for Justice, C3/Hands Off
Iberville, Common Ground, Critical Resistance, Exodus
Ministries, Houston Survivors Council representative,
Junebug Productions, Keepers of the Flame, Kryst Unity
Center, Kuumba Report/Harambee Radio, Lafayette
Survivors Council representative, Louisiana Museum for
African American History, Miami Workers Center,
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Mississippi Disaster
Relief Coalition, National Coalition of Blacks in
America for Reparations, National Coalition to Free
the Angola 3, National Solidarity Committee
representatives, NENA (Lower 9th Ward Neighborhood
Empowerment Network Association), New Afrikan Peoples
Organization, New Black Panther Party, New Orleans
Palestine Solidarity Committee, New Orleans Worker
Justice Coalition, Pan African Material Assistance
Task Force, Peoples Environmental Center, Peoples
Institute for Survival and Beyond, Republic of New
Afrika, Safe Streets Strong Communities, Solidarity,
Voices of Katrina, Welfare Rights Organization.
Summary of Proceedings
Saturday, 7/15
Consensus from participants statements 7/15/2006:
Foundation for Rebuilding the Coalition:
1. The genocidal attack on African American people in
New Orleans and the Gulf and largest forced dispersion
since Reconstruction cannot pass without resistance.
The struggle to defend the right to return with
justice is a priority struggle for all African
Americans and other people committed to challenging
oppression.
2. People are committed to building coalition unity.
3. We must concretize what right to return and
challenging genocide mean in practice.
4. We must build a united front, however there are
some differences as to the nature of the united front.
5. We must restructure and initiate communication
tools to improve coordination and communication.
Next Steps. Break out groups suggested the following,
7/15/2006:
1. Base Building: The Survivors Councils, Work
Groups, and local organizations will bring people
together to fight for their needs, become conscious of
their power, galvanize their power and use it to
inflict consequences on the government and developers.
2. Campaigns:
Affordable housing for all
(1) Stop evictions, foreclosures and rent increases.
(2) Bring evictees home instead of extending their
stay.
(3) Construct temporary housing.
(4) Open all Public Housing for former tenants/no
demolitions/no conversions.
(5) Housing Campaign includes exposure of LRA shell
game. Demand: If had a house, must get a house.
(6) Want new communities, not just houses.
Flood Protection System (Levees and Water
Management.)
(1) Levees are a life and death issue. No compromise.
(2). Need educational work to make issue more real.
3. Activities:
Commemorationno cause for celebration, report card
on lack of progress.
(1) Launch Levee Campaign there
(2) Recruit for Survivors Councils
(3) Build support for Housing Campaign
Black /Brown Unity Summit: Primary unity: jobs for
all, common challenges of criminalization and
exclusion
International Tribunal
Peoples Assembly
Sunday, 7/16/2006
Two groups convened to begin implementation of
Coalition consensus, programs and projects.
1. Commemoration of Year Anniversary since Great Flood
(in emphatic opposition to Mayors Party that is
sponsored by Harrahs Casino and Coke and plans to
celebrate on the graves of Black people.)
PHRF has initiated a Commemoration Coalition that so
far includes some 25 community organizations. The
Commemoration will include a week of activities to
culminate August 29th, the anniversary of the Great
Flood. The themes and plans for the commemoration
are:
* Recognize and honor our dead and heroes. (reading of
the names, scrolls and photos).
* Report card on failures of government to ensure
right of return with justice.
* Build support for Housing Rights and Flood
Protection (Levee) Campaigns.
* Local and regional solidarity actions.
* Amtrak trainbeginning in Houston will bring
displaced people home.
* The Great Flood, death and dispersal, was a national
and international tragedy.
* Media: sharp messaging: international human rights
of internally displaced people, disaster not over,
national day of mourning, op eds.
* Connect with anti-war and immigrant rights movements
* Build support in churches.
* Youth/Hip Hop and Traditional Culture must be
featured in commemoration.
* Include Vietnamese, Latino and other immigrant
communities.
2. Base Building:
* Priority is to build base for the PHRF Coalition and
constituent partners among African Americans in 7th
and 9th wardsparticularly among youth. The Base
Building Group continued to meet after the larger
group left Kingsley House to draft a strategy for Base
Building. Here is the draft:
Vision:
Self determination
Equity in organization- race, gender, class, record
Transparency- $, leadership, decision making
All ages participating
Long Term Goal:
Build a power base in NOLA and Gulf to support mission
of PHRF.
On going Collaboration with Youth
Intermediate goals of Base Building:
1.To acknowledge, support, and strengthen local
organizations within the PHRF, formerly within the
PHRF, and those not within the PHRF that reflect those
most oppressed.
2.To strengthen the coalition supporters and partners
participation in PHRF programs and projects.
3. To sup-Acknowledge, support & strengthen local
organizations
4. Support Katrina survivors and their self-organized
networks of survivors nationally.
Short Term Goals:
To strengthen coalition partners and supporters
participation in the Commemorationwith an emphasis on
youth participation.
Whole Group Discussion/Suggestions and *Action Plan
1. Outreach possibilities: Childrens Defense Fund
Freedom Schools, Southern Echo (601-982-6400)
2. Cherice Harrison-Nelson and John ONeil will
convene cultural planning group for Commemoration.
3. Critical Resistance is planning Amnesty Sunday for
Aug 27within commemoration activities.
4. Raise banners and photos by levee to connect Levee
Campaign and Commemoration.
5. Workers Justice Center is finding ways to make
statement that immigrant and Black workers unity is
possible. The center is asking coalition partners and
other conference participants for support with money
and housing.
6. Must put the Right of Return of Internally
displaced people on international agendalike
Palestinians.
7. Need neighborhood councils to organize for
Commemoration.
8. Immigrants should participate in tribunal planning.
Next Steps: all coalition members are urged to join us
in:
1. Building the Coalition Collaborative Board (CCB).
The CCB will be a new body to eventually provide
leadership to PHRF. Once all coalition partners,
survivors and neighborhood councils join the CCB by
signing the points of unity, adopting the demands of
the Peoples Assembly and assigning a representative
to the Boardthe ICC should transition into being the
steering committee of the CCB. The goal is to rebuild
and expand the ICC, infuse it with new energy and
capacity, and ensure accountability.
2. Join in the work to strengthen the Peoples
Commemoration and related activities, Housing
Campaign, Levee Campaign, Base Buildingespecially
among youth and through Survivors Councils. For info
and to join work contact:
Malcolm Suber: Peoples Commemoration and Housing
Campaign 504 931-7614 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Saladin Muhammad: Levee Campaign 252 977-1419
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Kali Akuno: Base Building 510 593-3956 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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