Information for Participants -- Mapping Our Futures Economics and Governance Online Workshop for Official Black Lives Matter Memphis

Summary:

This is a seven-part, participatory, popular education workshop series for Official Black Lives Matter Memphis. We will learn about and discuss:

• the fundamental forces of the current economic and governance systems,
• visions of a democratic, just, and sustainable future,
• and strategies toward building the solidarity economy we all deserve.

About the Workshops:

This series follows Highlander’s Mapping Our Futures curriculum. We will explore how economics and governance apply to our families and communities. We will define common economics and governance concepts, learn a robust model for understanding capitalist economies,  and examine how money and resources flow. We will get inspired by the global solidarity economy movement and its values of people, place, and our planet over profit. Real-world “Beautiful Solutions” demonstrate the ways communities are shifting how they organize, govern, resist, build, and transform. We will consider what kind of solutions already exist in our communities, and what solutions we want to try. Mapping our communities will help us deepen our understanding of community issues, assets, and needs, while also envisioning a way forward. This curriculum is designed for community groups to build analysis and strategy.     

Read more about each workshop

Anticipated Outcomes:

• A stronger analysis of the fundamental forces of current economic and governance systems. 
• A clearer vision of the “Solidarity Economy” as the democratic, just, and sustainable future we deserve.
• Broader awareness of existing examples of Solidarity Economy. 
• A deeper understanding of our community and potential solutions for community transformation. 
• Strategies and tools to begin building the solidarity economy we all deserve.

Current Schedule:

The series starts April 3, 2021 and runs through July. The dates and times are TENTATIVE and subject to change based on facilitators’ availability. The series consists of seven 3-hour workshops, plus some community work between sessions.

April 3 — Groundwork Concepts Prep Session

April 17, 11am-2pm PM CST– Session 1: Where are we: Setting the Stage and Community Mapping

April 24, 11am-2pm PM CST — Session 2: How did we get here: Capitalism and the Solidarity Economy

May 1, 11am-2pm PM CST— Session 3: Beautiful Solutions: Examples of Solidarity Economy

May 2 – June 11 — Meet with your pod, group, community. # weeks reflection time.

June 12, 11am-2pm PM CST — Session 4: Labor and Ownership: What’s Capitalism and What’s Not?

June 26, 11am-2pm PM CST — Session 5: Wealth, Ownership and Control: History and Today 

July 10, 11am-2pm PM CST — Session 6: Globalization and Value Chains

July 24, 11am-2pm PM CST — Session 7: The Way Forward, Series Reflection & Next Steps

About the Facilitators

All of our facilitators are experienced organizers and popular educators who participated in the Highlander 2020 Mapping Our Futures Training of Trainers program.

• April Taylor (she/her) works on the Highlander Center Education Team focusing on Economics and Governance and lives in Lexington, KY. April is a worker-owner of The Wild Fig, Kentucky’s only Black-owned bookstore and worker cooperative. April also organizes with Lexington Police Accountability. 
• Denzel Caldwell (he/him) is an Electoral Justice Researcher and Educator with the Highlander Center. He is also an organizer with Black Lives Matter Nashville and Water Bear Coop who lives in Nashville, TN.
• Dustin Gibson (he/him) is Access, Disability and Language Justice Coordinator for PeoplesHub, an online training center using popular education to strengthen social justice movements. He’s also a Peer Support Trainer with Disability Link and a founding member of the Harriet Tubman Collective.

Tech Support: TBD

Participant Agreements

Overall

• These sessions all build on each other.  I commit to making my best effort to attend all of the workshops. I will communicate ahead when I’m not able to make a session. Should I miss one session, I will watch the recording and make up the work and study before the next workshop.
• I commit to completing outside work between the sessions to deepen the understanding of how to apply learning and changes in our communities.
• I understand these workshops are participatory. I commit to full participation in the live workshop, an important part of the community learning process.
• I understand that I should choose a location with a strong internet connection, where I am able to speak and listen comfortably. I understand that full participation requires a laptop or desktop computer, ideally with a webcam, and headphones.
  • (If you need help securing equipment to join the workshop, or if you require training on how to use your equipment and the zoom software to join, please contact a local coordinator – see contact info elsewhere on this page).

Workshop agreements: 

• Participate fully (as if our liberation is at stake!)
• One mic or speak one at a time and pause before speaking
• Everyone is a teacher and a learner
• Self care and community care
• Balance good listening with sharing openly, regularly
• Bring your curiosity, questions, feedback, and ideas 
• Equalize power dynamics
• Seek deeper understanding
• If you make a mistake, acknowledge impact. Take responsibility for your own feelings + actions.
• Be honest while being compassionate – critique out of love
• Go with the flow, expect non-closure
• Think big!