VIEW FROM THE HILL - #11; July 31, 2006 A Monthly E-mail Update Highlander Research and Education Center www.highlandercenter.org >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< CONTENTS 1. The Young and the Restless, Highlander’s Youth Program, July 23-30, 2006 2. The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development at Highlander July 18-21, 2006 3. Another South is Possible, Southeast Social Forum 4. Emergency National Border Tour 5. Congress Renews Voting Rights Act 6. Upcoming Workshop: Interpreting for Social Justice, Aug 4-6, 2006 7. Thanks to Peter Yarrow and New York Friends 8. Homecoming, September 3, 2006 >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 1. THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, HIGHLANDER’S YOUTH PROGRAM, JULY 23-30 We’re fresh off youth week at Highlander with back to back gatherings on youth and intergenerational organizing filled with laughter, hard work, creativity and thoughtful insights. Monday, July 23: The week began with a one day evaluation where previous participants in Seeds of Fire, Highlander’s summer youth leadership development camp, gave feedback on their experiences in the program, what the program meant to them, what worked, suggestions for making it better and ideas for future programming. Tuesday – Thursday, July 25-27: Youth and young leaders then gathered for "Calling the Moment: The State of Youth Organizing in the Southeast." "Calling the Moment" brought together youth and young leaders from around the region to discuss the terrain of youth organizing in the southeast - challenges, successes, needs and infrastructure. Friday - Sunday, July 28-30: We closed the week with an Intergenerational Grassroots Think Tank to explore intergenerational organizing tensions and opportunities. Twenty- seven participants ranging in age from 15 – 67 and diverse in race, culture, class, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and faith/spiritual practice developed actions and strategies for working together in our shared struggle. We have just completed these gatherings and look forward to preparing and sharing follow-up reports including a digital story about the intergenerational think tank. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 2. THE ROSA AND RAYMOND PARKS INSTITUTE FOR SELF DEVELOPMENT The week before last at Highlander, July 18-21, 2006, we were honored to host and facilitate workshops with members of The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development on a month long journey of their 17th annual flagship program, Pathways to Freedom. Fourteen youth aged 13-18, and accompanying adults, are traveling by bus to trace the Underground Railroad through the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, and this year’s theme focused on “Retracing the Life and Works of Rosa Parks” with the central question ‘Where have we been and where are we going?’. The Highlander part of the journey started at the site of the original Highlander in Monteagle, Tennessee with emeritus Board member Scott Bates who gave a tour of the original grounds and a history of Highlander. The group then spent two days with Highlander staff at this Center in workshops focused on understanding the context of the times of Mrs. Parks' life, and the context of the times in which youth live today, all for informing opportunities to think about and develop action. Cultural activities were held each evening as well as integrated throughout the workshop. Adults accompanying the youth on the Highlander part of the journey included Ms. Elaine Steele, who co-founded the Institute with Mrs. Parks as the legacy organization to carry on Mrs. Parks’ work. The purpose of the Pathways to Freedom program is to help youth reach their highest potential through leadership development, examination of themselves and their environments and developing an action agenda for improving their communities. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 3. THE SOUTHEAST SOCIAL FORUM; JUNE 16-18, 2006 Five hundred activists from across the south and U.S. convened in Durham, NC in mid-June for the southeast Social Forum, Another South is Possible. Through workshops, plenaries, conversations and culture, participants talked, shared, and analyzed about the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the fight for immigrant rights, and the impact of violence and war at home and abroad. It was the first time the south had gathered since Hurricane Katrina and gave the opportunity to strengthen old relationships and build new ones. Led by Project South, the Southeast Forum was organized by a coalition of organizations including Highlander. The Southeast Social Forum is one of several regional forums in the U.S. this year in preparation for next year's U.S. Social Forum, an expected 20,000 plus gathering in Atlanta, June 27 - July 1, 2007. Hats off to Highlander staff Roberto Tijerina who represented Highlander on the planning committee for the southeast social forum and coordinated the translation and interpretation needs of the gathering. Hats also off to Tufara Waller Muhammad, Highlander’s cultural organizer who worked with the youth caucus and participated in and organized cultural components of the gathering. Highlander staff also facilitated workshops at the forum, including: - Pupils and Prisons, co-facilitated by Susan Williams, Highlander, and Kim Rogers and Roger White, the Data Center, Oakland to bring together people working on issues of education and prisons. - VISION: Writing our Own Destinies, a youth-led workshop co- facilitated by Nakeisa Brown and Ariell Appleton, Project South Youth Council, with Christi Ketchum, Project South and Tufara Waller Muhammad, Highlander, to develop models of organizing that connect issues and educate and mobilize youth for the U.S. Social Forum in 2007. - Katrina’s Challenge, co-facilitated by Cara Page, Committee on Women, Population and the Environment, and Pam McMichael, Highlander, a workshop developed in a collaborative effort at Highlander with other groups which takes the lessons from the Gulf and explores those issues in other communities. Katrina’s Challenge for displaced people only, was also offered by Angela Winfrey-Bowman, People’s Institute and a participant in the collaborative effort which developed the workshop. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 4. EMERGENCY NATIONAL BORDER TOUR; JUNE 15-18, 2006 Mónica Hernández, Coordinator of Highlander's Pueblos de Latinoamérica Program, was one of 30 participants in a national emergency delegation that visited the U.S.-Mexico border June 15- 18, 2006. The tour was organized by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights with the Coalición de Derechos Humanos (Coalition for Human Rights), Arizona, in order to understand more deeply the volatile situation on the border; express solidarity with border communities who bear the brunt of increased militarization; understand how border security affects communities all across the country and contribute to a much needed national dialogue. A first person account of this delegation is the feature article in our upcoming newsletter, and next week, we will have a special View from the Hill with Monica’s narrative and links to pictures, maps and graphics. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 5. CONGRESS RENEWS VOTING RIGHTS ACT On July 20, the Senate renewed sections of the Voting Rights Act that were scheduled to expire, passing the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 (H.R. 9). The 98-0 vote in the Senate and last week's 390-33 vote in the House represented the largest margin of support in the history of the Voting Rights Act. Highlander has worked on organizing efforts around the reauthorization, particularly with the Racial Justice Department of the United Methodist Women. The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, because of organizing by civil rights groups for a fair and equal right for African Americans to vote. While the rights of minorities to participate in the political process are permanent, we are pleased that three important provisions of the Act also passed, including: Section 5, which requires states with the worst histories of racial discrimination in voting to seek approval (or "pre- clearance") from the federal government before implementing any voting change. Section 5 applies to all or part of 16 states, most of which are in the South. Section 203, which requires certain states and counties with significant numbers of citizens with limited English proficiency to provide voting assistance in languages other than English. Section 203 offers assistance to four language minority groups: American Indians, Asian Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Latinos. Sections 6-9, which permit the Attorney General to appoint examiners and send federal observers to monitor elections where an anticipated Voting Rights Act violation may occur at the ballot box. Many groups supported and worked on this issue around the country; Highlander held workshops and shared information to help explain the Voting Rights Act and the importance of its reauthorization. Your calls and e-mails were critical in achieving this important civil rights victory, and we are glad that it passed and remains intact. The fact that most of the 33 nay votes in the House of Representatives came from southerners is a reminder of our work still to do. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 6. INTERPRETING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE; AUGUST 4-6, 2006 This weekend at Highlander, August 4-6, the Multilingual Capacity Building Program is welcoming interpreters for a workshop on learning more about interpreting and translating in a social justice context to empower immigrant communities and build alliances across communities. Topics covered in the workshop will include the ethics of interpretation, interpretation modes, the use of interpreting equipment, the impact of language barriers in social justice movement building, and how to create a multilingual space. Participants will also do hands-on interpreting throughout the workshop. There is no charge for the workshop, and Highlander will provide room and board. We also have limited scholarships to assist with travel expenses. Child-care will be available. For more information and an application, visit our Web site: www.highlandercenter.org. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 7. THANKS TO PETER YARROW AND NEW YORK FRIENDS Many thanks to Peter Yarrow and other hosts of the July 11th New York fundraising party for Highlander. Nearly 100 people gathered to share stories, hear Peter’s music and a discussion of What’s Up with Highlander with director Pam McMichael and staff Charlie Biggs and Roberto Tijerina. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< 8. HIGHLANDER’S ANNUAL HOMECOMING, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2006 Highlander welcomes new friends and old for our annual Homecoming on Sunday, September 3, 2006 from 2:00 to 9:00 pm. Come celebrate workers with us on this Labor Day Sunday with music, poetry, storytelling, theater and conversation. Two workshop sessions will include "What’s Up with Highlander" and "Conversation on Immigration". Folks will have a chance to add to Highlander’s 75th anniversary historical timeline, tour the grounds and enjoy a barbecue dinner on our beautiful hilltop overlooking the Smokies. At this year’s Homecoming we will honor the lives and work of some people with a special relationship to Highlander who have passed in the last year, including Rosa Parks, Anne Braden, Beverly Brown and Eric Rofes. Please bring pictures and information of other people who have struggled for justice and have passed on to add to a memorial display and historical timeline. There will be a ‘Jammin for Justice’ open mic following dinner. Homecoming will be preceded by a meeting of the We Shall Overcome Fund Committee and a We Shall Overcome Cultural Workshop. The committee works to support efforts to preserve and develop African-American culture, especially music, in the southern United States and provides small grants for projects that reflect a blend of culture and struggle, a mix embodied in the primary anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, "We Shall Overcome." The workshop will bring together artists, educators, ministers and activists to share how people are using culture as a tool in organizing and education in their local communities. >---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>---<>--<>--<>--<>---< To unsubscribe from this e-mail list, or to add someone new, send an e-mail to hrec@highlandercenter.org. Past issues of View from the Hill are available online at www.highlandercenter.org/n-view.asp. To make an online contribution to Highlander, go to our Web site: www.highlandercenter.org, and click on the "Donate Now" button. Highlander Research and Education Center 1959 Highlander Way New Market, TN 37820 Phone: (865)-933-3443 Fax: (865) 933-3424 www.highlandercenter.org