An MDSer’s Brief Report On The SDS National Convention 27-30th July 2007

Detroit

Let The People Decide ---- Friday, July 27, 2007

As a first timer to Detroit what I’m most immediately struck by is the palpable feeling of urban decay. Forty years ago almost to the day, this city was in the grip of a historic rebellion as a result of years of neglect, a lack of affordable housing, racism and rampant police brutality. As an MDSer of a later generation than the original SDS, my only experience with the uprising came from watching grainy black-and-white newsreel footage of neighborhoods set ablaze and tanks rolling through the streets. Today a lingering frustration and sense of hopelessness fills the air. This summer to witness the substandard housing and squalid conditions still too pervasive in this town is to wonder if anything has really changed. ---- We made our way to the campus of Wayne State University for the opening of the 2007 SDS Convention. A chalked arrow with the words “SDS Registration” written on the sidewalk directed us toward the DeRoy Auditorium. We said hello to Alan Haber and several students we know from the local NYC SDS Chapter and picked up a Convention Welcome Packet and an impressive 66 page Proposals Packet from the registration table.

The Opening Session kicked off with introductions to the Convention Planners, Roleplayers and Proposal Writers. The Convention guidelines were reviewed followed by a series of Chapter report backs. The Facilitation Team, specifically chosen for this event, was introduced. They consisted of longtime community and labor organizer Lisa Fithian, Nile Malloy of the Rainforest Action Network, and Matthew Smucker of the War Resisters League.

Finally, the legendary activist, speaker and writer Grace Lee Boggs addressed the gathered conventioneers. A resident of Detroit for the past 54 years, she delivered an inspiring speech, recalling the heady days of political activism and the 1967 rebellion - Urging this new generation of SDSers to look for new solutions. To work on rebuilding communities by creating new infrastructures and finding new forms to confront today’s problems.

That evening’s Plenary focused on the introduction of Process proposals and determining the form of decision making to be used at the Convention.

Saturday, July 28

Most of this day’s schedule was given to workshops and meetings of the various caucuses and their corresponding auxiliary working groups. The People of Color Caucus and the White Privilege Working Group; The Queer Caucus and the Hetero Privilege Working Group; The Working Class Caucus and the Class Privilege Group; The Women’s Caucus and the Male Privilege and Gender Queer Groups; and the High School Caucus and the Age Privilege Working Group. A diverse and well considered collection of caucuses/auxiliary groups to represent oppression within’ SDS and society at large.

Among the workshops offerings were topics like “Building a Culture of Consent”, “What Do We Want SDS To Grow Into”, “Anti-Oppression”, “What Is The Role of Student Organizers in Rising Communities”, and “Organizing for Power”. We attended the Anti-Oppression workshop and although not the first of
its kind I’ve been to, I found Nile Malloy’s presentation as a person of color to be especially thought-provoking and beneficial.

Back at DeRoy, spokespersons for the various caucuses reported back on their findings and a series of demands were presented and discussed.

That evenings Plenary focused on Vision and the introduction of proposals designed to outline the values, principles and goals of the new SDS as a national organization.

Sunday, July 29

After a brief early morning scheduling slot reserved for caucus and privilege working groups who needed some extra time, it was back to the Vision Plenary. Proposals were presented by their authors and votes were taken. Several were rejected, a few approved. Others which shared some
similar components were combined.

Although there were more workshops scheduled for that afternoon, in the interest of time and to enable getting to more important structural proposals, a vote was taken and the decision made to put
those workshops off. It should be noted here that all votes were essentially tentative since it was agreed that decisions made here would have to go back to the chapters for final ratification.
A huge step forward in building a horizontal, bottom up, chapter based organization.

The Convention would continue to Monday afternoon but we had to be back in NYC so we left late that afternoon - impressed by the awesome display of student empowerment and democratic decision-making we had witnessed.

OBSERVATIONS:

Approximately 150 to 200 students turned out for the Detroit Convention. Despite the fact that I was attending as an MDSer (from MDS Staten Island, the chapter who most recently declared autonomous
status in the SDS/MDS organization), I had also hoped to take photos for Next Left Notes but was told that media were not permitted, especially in the Plenaries - Not a criticism of the media policy per
se but to point out how it did raise an interesting question. Was I attending as an MDSer with a camera or as a photographer/contributor for NLN? Obviously, both.

Finally, as an MDSer who is also in the MDS Convergence Planning Group, I took special interest in the planning that went into this Convention. Having attended last years gathering in Chicago, there
were clearly even more critical organizational questions to tackle this time around. A lot of preparatory work needed to be done to facilitate a gathering of this size and with this high a level of
expectation. All told, the SDS Planning Committee and Facilitation Team did a great job and thanks to their hard work, much was accomplished. Although MDS, the grassroots organization which conceivably will consist of activists and organizers of all ages, is still in its chapter building stage, the hope remains that come November we can be as well prepared, focused and successful in our first national meeting as SDS has been in their first two.

Reflecting on the weekend I recall that arrow sketched in chalk on the grounds of WSU, pointing upward.

Upward and onward SDS! Upward and onward MDS!