RadFest 2004: Midwest Social Forum

Posted by on April 16, 2004

[posted from Comm-Org]
From: “Dolgon, Corey”

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

THE HAVENS CENTER
UW-Madison

presents

RADFEST 2004
MIDWEST SOCIAL FORUM

Lake Geneva Campus
of Aurora University
Williams Bay, WI
June 4-6, 2004
http://www.havenscenter.org/

Dear friend:

I would like to invite you to RadFest 2004, an annual weekend conference for progressive activists and academics organized by the A. E. Havens Center for the Study of Social Structure and Social Change at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Also known as the Midwest Social Forum, the central goal of the conference is to provide an opportunity for progressive activists, organizers, and intellectuals to come together to discuss issues, strengthen networks, and devise strategies for progressive social, economic, and political change. The conference has grown significantly in recent years, becoming an important annual gathering for progressives. Last year, for example, approximately 425 people from throughout the upper Midwest and beyond attended. This year, our program has expanded considerably and we expect an even larger turnout.

The conference will take place on the weekend of June 4-6, 2004 at the Lake Geneva Campus of Aurora University – 240 acres of rolling, wooded hillside located on the shores of Lake Geneva in Williams Bay, WI, about 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee, 70 miles southeast of Madison, and 80 miles northwest of Chicago.

The opening event of the program will be a plenary panel on Friday evening, titled “Latinos and the Struggle for Political, Social, and Economic Justice.” The panel will be composed of Elizabeth Martínez (Institute for Multi-Racial Justice), Richard Moore (Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice), Christine Neumann-Ortiz (Voces de la Frontera), and Renee Saucedo (La Raza Centro Legal).

On Saturday evening, there will be a second plenary panel, titled “Progressive Strategy in 2004, and Beyond.” The panelists will include Medea Benjamin (Global Exchange), Elizabeth Marti?nez (Institute for Multi-Racial Justice), Jamal Rogers (Black Radical Congress), and a fourth panelist yet to be determined.

The remainder of the program will be primarily devoted to nearly fifty workshops and panels addressing a wide array of social, political, and economic topics on Saturday and Sunday, including: “Ending Corpocracy: Getting Corporations out of Politics” (with Charlie Derber, Ed Garvey, and Mike McCabe); “Media, Democracy, Education, Reform, and the World” (with Bob McCannon and Bob McChesney); “Post-invasion Iraq and the Movement to End the Occupation” (with Medea Benjamin, George Martin, Matt Rothschild, and Allen Ruff); “Fifty Years after ‘Brown v. Board of Education’: Measuring the Success of Desegregation” (with Barbara Golden); “Community-driven Neighborhood Change: Lessons from Chicago” (with Gabriel Piemonte and Beauty Turner); “Taking the Social in Socialism Seriously” (with Erik Olin Wright); and “Another World is Possible: The Social Forum Movement” (with Marc Becker, Janet Conway, Corey Dolgon, Matt Nelson, and Thomas Ponniah).

In addition, there will be a book signing session with Charlie Derber, Regime Change Begins at Home; Robert Jensen, Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity; Jason Mark, Insurrection: Citizen Challenges to Corporate Power; Bob McChesney, The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communications Politics in the 21st Century; and Thomas Ponniah, Another World is Possible: Popular Alternatives to Globalization at the World Social Forum.

Finally, because the building of a progressive community also requires time for relaxation and strengthening social ties, we have devoted a portion of the program to recreation and entertainment. In the evenings, there will be musical entertainment, including an open jam session on Friday hosted by Corey Dolgon, Jim Pennell, and Erik Wright (please bring your own instruments). On Saturday afternoon, TAPIT/new works, Inc. will present its new, award-winning play, “One Wall Missing,” which explores the links between the 1950’s political repression of McCarthyism and the current political environment defined by the Patriot Act. And throughout the conference, there will be opportunities for daytime recreational activities, including swimming, canoeing, rowing, hiking, tennis, archery, golf, volleyball, and many others.

The key to the success of RadFest 2004 will be the enthusiastic participation of progressive individuals and organizations dedicated to the construction of a more just world. If you would like to be a part of this gathering, please visit the Havens Center website (http://www.havenscenter.org/) to register online or download a registration form, and obtain a full conference program and logistical information. The cost for the conference (including lodging and meals) is very modest and determined by ability to pay. Please note that fees go up by $10 on May 4 for overnight participants and May 21 for commuters. We also encourage you to spread the word to other people or organizations you think would be interested in participating. If you have any questions, please contact us at info at http://www.havenscenter.org or call 608-262-0854 or 608-262-1420.

We hope you will contribute to making RadFest 2004 an exciting event and help us in our efforts to build a progressive community.

Sincerely,

Patrick Barrett
Administrative Director
A. E. Havens Center
Special thanks to the Wisconsin Community Fund for its financial support.