The opening plenary of the Counter Summit for Peace and Economic Justice underscored not only that we must, as a country, shift our priorities away from war and militarism and towards peace, justice, and whole and thriving communities–it also highlighted that we are in a fight for our lives.
Given that our lives and the lives of millions around the world are inextricably linked, what are the tools and strategies that we need to employ in order to win? From the Robin Hood tax advanced by National Nurses United, which would tax the 1% instead of the 99% who is already paying much more than our fair share, to visionary campaigns like Caring Across Generations which aims to expand and uplift the majority female and of color workforce that provides quality care for millions of elders being waged, today’s conversation reinforced that we need new organizing tools, new strategies and a whole lot more people to join the movement for peace and justice. We need to present a formal challenge to corporate power. As GGJ member and Jobs with Justice ED Sarita Gupta remarked this morning, “What would it look like to bargain with the top 1/10th of the 1%, like the Bay Area’s Greg Penner, who sits on the boards of Walmart, Goldman Sachs, and the Hyatt hotels?”
Alicia Garza, Executive Director of POWER