Join us for a virtual forum about the nationwide uprising for racial justice and black liberation still unfolding across America. We will discuss the massive protests ignited by the murder of George Floyd. We’ll dig into what this historic moment means and where we go from here to build the movements it will take to win the changes we long for.
Michaela Lovegood (PA Stands Up) will moderate the discussion with Libero Della Piana, Eliza Booth (Lancaster Stands Up), and Kandace Montgomery (Black Visions).
The virtual forum is scheduled for Thursday, June 11th, 7:00-8:15pm EST. To attend, you must register here.
Enough is enough. In cities and towns across the nation, millions have now participated in protests to demand justice for George Floyd and to demand systemic change. A black-led multiracial force has struck a chord that is reverberating everywhere.
This moment comes after nearly a decade of mobilization by the Black Lives Matter movement, which has focused attention on the killing of Black people, often at the hands of police officers. This moment also comes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated economic inequality, left millions of Americans unemployed and struggling to survive, and has disproportionately taken the lives of Black people.
How do we understand this moment and this uprising? Who is participating, and in what ways? What do we make of the responses from police and from politicians? What demands are emerging from this moment (e.g., defunding the police) and how do we win them? How do we use this moment to heal ourselves and our nation? Where do we go from here?
We will dig into these and other questions together.
Eliza Booth is a co-founder and the Lead Organizer for Lancaster Stands Up. Inspired by the Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign, she got involved in her local community to affect change. She holds a seat on the Lancaster City Democratic Committee where she represents her home precinct. She lives with her husband Michael and their son Kordell.
Kandace Montgomery is a Black and queer, organizer, facilitator, and strategist, working to expand our collective ability to build power that transforms systems and people. Based in Minneapolis, she is the Director of Black Visions and a member of the Movement for Black Lives.
Libero Della Piana is the Senior Strategist for the Alliance for a Just Society and Just Strategy. He has more than thirty years of experience in organizing, education, and writing on issues of economic, social, and racial justice. He lives in East Harlem, New York.
Michaela Purdue Lovegood is Deputy Executive Director at PA Stands Up. She has more than 20 years experience as an organizer and trainer, developing and driving campaigns, political education, and strategic planning processes. Michaela is also Co-founder and Co-director of the Political Healers project.
This forum is part of a series organized by Pennsylvania Stands Up focused on understanding the current crisis and also the organizing opportunity at hand. Forums are held every other Thursday at 7pm. All are welcome.