[ComCom] brochure; meeting?

[Gracegrnrnbw at aol.com]

apologies -   I guess I did not read my notes so I did not know folks were 
proposing tommorrow Sun am - 10am in the Boston area would h ave been difficult 
- except I am in the Boston area Because...   there is a major union event in 
Dorchester at 9:30.   I could come by afterward or if youstart a little 
late....   I don't know if Merelice's is closer or Bill's - anyone else?   ITs 
Florian hall, Hallet St., Dorchester...

I know I was not part of the most recent conversation about the brochure - I 
want to suggest two things to this draft (thanks for all your work bill)- 

First, as I believe we had agreed about at the comcom meeting at Paul Yin's 
house,I really think and it is my experience with effective outreach materials 
that it is important to ask questions and reach for what other's think to 
engage people.   For example, I don't find that political statements alone do 
engage many people that are tired of being told what to think - If they see us as 
concerned about what they are concerned about (through a suggestive question) 
and then a way to identify and get involved, they are more likely to feel 
welcomed with their own perspective, whatever that is...

so for instance (and this is just an example), if someone wants to say that 
the core crisis right now is racism (expressed through policies of prisons, 
economic oppression, lack of jobs and housing, sending youth of color as cannon 
fodder in white imperialist wars - that seek to destroy our communities at home 
through violence, drugs and siphoning money to pay for violence against 
people of color abroad - whose cultures are demonized and therefore targetted for 
destruction - and that the fight for oil dominance and the ensuing destruction 
of the environment is part of the long legacy of European-style Christianity 
which has dominated and destroyed indigineous religions and cultures which saw 
human beings as just one part of nature and sought to live in balance with the 
natural habitats around them) and that is why they are committed to our ten 
key values - I don't want them to get put off because an-earth-centered version 
of our politics is the primary argument of our brochure.

Second - I find referring to the Rainbow from1983 does not work for many 
people who maybe knew Mel but never learned about the Rainbow - so I tend to 
actually describe what the process of the Rainbow style organizing was and to refer 
to the biblical quote about use being a rainbow people - otherwise, present 
day politics assuming it is just about GLBT folks not that lavender is just one 
stripe in our rainbow-

Love, Grace
In a message dated 3/3/07 2:44:01 PM, merelice at gmail.com writes:


> Thanks, Bill!
> 
> Let's go for it. Since Eva still cannot meet, maybe stairs are not an
> issue, and we could see if Bill's place is available. Another option
> is my place in Brookline Village. Coffee drinkers would have to bring
> their own since I am a tea drinker. I'll send directions (easy access
> by T or car) if it's here. There's also a Starbucks and a couple of
> Dunkin Donuts in the area.
> 
> Merelice
> 
> On 3/3/07, BillCunningham <etwee at earthlink.net> wrote:
> > Hi Merelice and everyone,
> >
> > Sorry, I thought I had sent this out already. Did anyone else get it? In 
> any case, If the absence of this draft until now is the only reason for 
> postponing our meeting tomorrow, I hope that it isn't too late to allow us to go 
> ahead with a productive meeting....
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> ComCom at green-rainbow.org
> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/comcom
> 
> 




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