An Appeal from Frances Fox Piven

January 2012

Dear Friend:

In past years, we've written to you for financial support for the Left Forum's annual meeting with grave concern about the future of the country and the world. It's been a difficult time of war, rollbacks in worker rights, expanding threats to the environment, rising inequality, a brutal assault on the poor and growing capitalist arrogance and aggression. But as I write this letter to you now, I am surprised and heartened by the incredible uprisings of courageous young people all over the world. Their hopeful movements are the focus of this year's Left Forum meetings, to be held at Pace University in lower Manhattan, on the weekend of March 16-18, 2012.

Here in New York City the movement's rallying cry is "Occupy Wall Street!" The name is brilliant because financial capitalism looms so large not only in the reality of inequality and in the failure of the government's recession policy, but also in the minds of the millions of people who now recognize that the banksters are stealing us blind. The movement is inclusive, a movement of the "99%" that reaches out to working people and their unions, to religious groups, immigrants, minorities, seniors and the poor. It is non-violent and remarkably innovative and disciplined, with its "People's Mic," its "General Assemblies," and working groups that consistently create forms of participatory democracy that are horizontal and non-hierarchical.

We want to try to understand this movement as it has unfolded thus far, and even more important, we want to explore the possibilities for supporting it. How can the movement expand to include the poorest people who have been the most hurt by predatory capitalism? How can it grow and develop strategies that allow it to exercise real leverage over American elites? What are the strengths and weaknesses of its tactical innovations? And what are the important continuities between these modern youth movements and the great movements for democracy and equality of the past? These are some of the important issues which the 2012 Left Forum will engage.

I hope to see you all there. But in the meantime, I appeal to you for the most generous contribution you can make in support of this important event. We are a non-profit, all volunteer board. We rely on the support of our community to organize the conference and keep the fees as low as possible to encourage the widest possible participation. Please send your tax deductible contribution now.

Frances Fox Piven