[Xmca-l] Social Movements Discussion: From Lois Holtzman

[mike cole]

Hmmm, it appears that gremlins have gotten into Lois's xmca contact. This
note from earlier in the day
went missing, she got concerned, and so I am forwarding her message while
Bruce tracks down the problem.

mike

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lois Holzman <lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org>
Date: Thu, Oct 12, 2017 at 12:14 PM
Subject: Re: [Xmca-l] Re: Does the All-Stars article document a social
movement?
To: ablunden@mira.net, "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <
xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>


I’ll jump in here to comment on two issues brought up in relation to the
All Stars and Carrie’s article—one on social movements and another on play
and performance.



We usually think of social movements as efforts/activities where people
protest, take to the streets, demonstrate, make demands, etc. The All Stars
is a different approach to social change and cultural transformation. Its
approach is to build alternatives to the failing, oppressive, authoritarian
institutions that suppress us economically, culturally, socially,
emotionally and to build self-sustaining, self-governing institutions, to
build something *other*, and to involve masses of people from all walks of
life in that effort.

The founders of the All Stars (both the official founders Lenora Fulani and
Fred Newman, and the unofficial hundred or so others like myself) were (and
as Mike referenced related to the move in NYC to privatize public housing)
still are engaged in more traditional-looking protest. I say traditional
looking because I don’t think it is typical protest because of who is
leading it and what it is part of. It is an organizing effort, an effort to
engage people in activities through which they can see differently and can
qualitatively transform. Fulani did not run for US President in 1988 and
1992 to win, but to organize people to see new possibilities for
themselves, their communities and their country—and to take action. I think
that the All Stars is a new way of engaging poverty than those that we’ve
witnessed and perhaps been involved in, a way that over the decades has
involved thousands of people, poor, wealthy, and in-between. This kind of
work takes the long view, something Micah White, co-founder of occupy Wall
Street, writes about (among lots of other things) in his book, *The End of
Protest: A New Playbook for Revolution*. Please read the book!