by DC Jobs with Justice | Jan 14, 2012 | Grassroots Leadership Education Project, Projects
by Andrew Willis Garcés and Mackenzie Baris, with contributions by many others Read previous reports: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 rn INDEX+ 2011 SNAPSHOT + Education & Youth + Gender Justice + Police & Criminal Justice + Immigrant Rights & Language Justice+ Labor & Workers+ Housing & Development+ Budget & Community Benefits 2011 SNAPSHOT DC’S 99% PLANT SEEDS, CULTIVATE HUMAN ECONOMY Facing a perennially corrupt and ineffective local government and several years of national bank bailouts for the 1%, DC change-makers turned to each other. Grassroots projects to create a human economy took off in 2011. The two Occupy DC** encampments churned out hundreds of free, daily meals and provided basic medical care and a library for hundreds of visitors, including some who had been recently laid off or evicted. Other volunteer-run projects like DC Doulas for Choice and DC Time Bank continued to expand opportunities for a human-centered, solidarity economy.rnrnJust a few other examples: A new grassroots, all-volunteer foundation — the Diverse City Fund — distributed $45,000 to 23 organizations led by people of color, and the long-running DC Abortion Fund stepped in when Congress blocked Medicaid abortion reimbursement. Several large housing coops consolidated and began to plan to play roles in spreading coop values & housing rights. New worker and consumer cooperatives began exploratory work, like a potential Shaw food coop, a GWU coop cafe, and cooperatives of day laborers and child care workers seeking greater control over their economic lives. And collective farming projects continued to take root in neighborhoods like Edgewood. NEW YEAR, NEW MAYOR, MORE REASONS TO MOBILIZE In 2011 a new mayor took office,...
by DC Jobs with Justice | Jul 23, 2007 | Projects, Student Labor Outreach Project
rnHelp us "SLAP Corporate Greed"! E-mail dcslapintern@yahoo.com to get involved!rn rn rnWHAT IS DC SLAP? rn rn rnSLAP is here as a resource to anyone who is interested in the fight for social and economic justice. We invite everyone to help us in this fight at whatever level they feel most comfortable with. We maintain a listserv and have semi-regular meetings to keep each other up to date on our various campaigns. We stay local and we go national. We work on campus and we work in the DC community. We are here as a student voice for change.rn rn rnSLAP has been in DC since 2000 and in that time students at all of DC’s campuses have been involved in both right to organize and ethical contracting campaigns. Students at UMD, GM, Howard, Johns Hopkins, CUA, AU, GWU, and GU have all been involved in supporting workers at their campuses.rn rn rnWHAT IS THE HISTORY OF SLAP, NATIONALLY? rn rn rnThe Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) is a joint initiative of Jobs with Justice and the United States Student Association that engages student organizations in economic justice campaigns. JwJ coalitions around the country house local SLAPs that connect students from multiple campuses. SLAP supports the growing student movement for economic justice by making links between campus and community organizing, providing skills training to build lasting student organizations, and developing campaigns that win concrete victories for working families. Additionally, SLAP partners with student organizations such as United Students Against Sweatshops, MEChA, Student-Farmworker Alliance, Student Action with Farmworkers, and Not With Our Money to build a strong student movement for...
