The focus of the
10th Allied Media Conference (AMC) (Detroit, June 2008) was "Our Evolution Beyond Survival: Media Strategies for the Next Ten Years." The
multi-speaker, multi-artist, multimedia keynote surfaced visions, projects, inspirations and calls to action. Blank colored cards were handed out for people to write their hopes, dreams and fears. A 15-foot timeline stretched along the conference hallway and people added their cards throughout the weekend.
Together we created a 20-year map of recent history and near future. The map began in 1998 and asked what good and bad trends had happened in media and justice-- then it continued to 2018, asking what
could happen in the next ten years, what we hope and fear.
This form of collective history/future mapping is something CIMA started experimenting with at the
Necessary Knowledge workshop (Philadelphia, February 2008).
At the AMC, Detroit artist and record-label founder Ilana Invincible led a workshop that asked what a "whole-istic," sustainable, thriving community would look like, and what would be the role of media and arts in that envisioned community. Participants then added those specific ideas to a timeline of when they could be realized.
Both timelines became the basis of a workshop session that focused on synthesizing and reflecting on the maps-- and on our movements. A group of about 16 people used the "swot" method to assess the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats of our movements.
Here are some of the thoughts that emerged from that session...
WHAT WE ARE DOING AND NEED TO BE DOING FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS OF (R)EVOLUTION
We already, and we need to:
* Study and share about history, gather and distribute that information in multimedia forms
* Use community spaces for storytelling, knowledge-sharing, visioning,
strategy, planning work-- we need to use and to protect community spaces
* Find inspiration to work from a place of positivity, not just driven by anger and negativity
* Use culture, media and arts to envision good/bad futures, inspire action, use/share stories for inspiration, followed by concrete strategy planning sessions
* Use grassroots media as a strategizing and educational tool to develop/promote our campaigns and visions
* Have explicit conversations regarding funding plans
* Develop ways to formalize/name movement identity/themes, recognizing
interconnectivity, creating thematic spaces for work to connect issues
and groups -- noting that race is everywhere, not an issue that can be
in a silo
* Build coalitions across/among African-American and Latino communities
* Support and learn from the model of women of color sharing circles: in person or regularly via phone
* Create/support coalitions and cross-sector spaces and also autonomous
spaces for women, people of color, folks with disabilities, queer,
immigrant communities
* Orient towards compassion for people and aggression towards situations (not the other way 'round)
* Learn from models of theater/arts inspiring community strategy
meetings... like the Octavia Butler-based middle school play that asked
"what happens if we don't change the culture/society" and then the
students participated in a community issues to discuss and plan around
the issues raised
* Do visioning, strategizing and long-term
planning in movement spaces. Look at goals, timelines, strategic
assessments, economics/politics/power.... and continue this conversation
INSIGHTS FROM THE KEYNOTE AND THE MAPPING
~ the process is the practice; the process is the change
~ we are not seeking power over or against -- we are about power WITH each other
~ there are connections of struggles across distance
~ we have noted more good things than bad on our past/present map
~ we have a strong appreciation for the celebration of youth
~ we are about using media to help each other, not to have more than others
~ the keynote's multimedia use of video, music, poetry, talking,
dance... showed there are many ways to present and receive ideas at once
~ many of our goals/visions relate to promoting literacy
~ there is the consistent threat of unequal internet access
~ there is a link between "digital colonialism" and the development of
independent media as a tool to fight it, to give access for
marginalized voices and stories
~ life isn't boxes-- hard to separate these things- strengths/opportunities/weaknesses/threats
OUR STRENGTHS AND OPPORTUNITIES
+ we have a lot of strengths
+ we have vast knowledge of media skills (production, writing, tech, etc); ability to produce independent media
+ we have organizing and mobilizing skills
+ we do a lot with little $, using what we have available
+ we train each other
+ our work "transcends boxes"
+ we're able to use tech (internet, cell phones, etc) to communicate locally, nationally and globally
+ we break down borders with our work and our collaborations; there is an opportunity to do this locally, internationally
+ we have a legacy of radical organizing to build on; there is a rich history of alternative media
+ we identify and critique when groups are left out: women, youth, queer, people of color; commitment to diversity/inclusion
+ we can and do use popular education to build our movements
+ rising material crises have potential to catalyze collective action/power and revolution... how to sustain and build on that for movements?
+ current conditions (recession) expose systemic problems
+ we can build on common interests
+ there could be increased willingness to accept change
+ the Allied Media Conference as a strength and opportunity
+ networking among our organizations, media outlets; we have an interest in collaboration and sharing ideas
+ the internet is open for our use and innovation (for now)
+ new social/interactive web technologies ('web 2.0') provide new opportunities to connect & build; we can use digital tech in our movement
+ free, open-source software and wireless connectivity
+ the model and use of the creative commons for sharing & building content/ideas
+ independent media covers what others won't
+ we can build coalitions to build power when dealing with funders
+ independent media and popular education can be tools to make revolution: to build systemic consciousness, portray collective liberation
+ we are open to critique (and we open critique) in order to improve practice, accountability, reconstructing power structures
+ we have the opportunity to be building alliances with immigrant communities in post-9/11 context
+ media can reach people at grassroots level, can promote personal transformation/consciousness
+ we can promote better heathcare/medical treatment
+ grassroots media programs in schools and after-school can reach youth
WEAKNESSES AND THREATS - danger of burn-out; individuals working too hard
- segmentation and isolation by race & class (and also the need for some separate/autonomous spaces)
- the openness, neutrality, potential egalitarian/equality nature of internet is under threat
- the fear of difference
- the threat of people being left behind, left out
- there's reliance on fundraising and complicity & complacency with that system
- directions pushed by funders, fundraising/funding system; catering to foundation interests
- competition for nonprofit funding; instability of the funding
- the dominance of people from privileged perspectives in the work (by gender, class, race, etc)
- the challenge of being accountable to communities, constituencies, underrepresented groups
- there's a lack of widespread internet accessibility
- media instills fear
- political repression; public complacency; lack of action
- society built on colonial values... can be made more insidious through band-aid changes
- commercialization of revolution: eg the "green movement," violence against women of color
- the power of corporate interests; corporate media consolidation, expansion, dominance
- decline of print media as a movement tool
- people's imaginations are limited by traditional perceptions of what media is
- lack of willingness to accept change
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