social movement

National Nurses United and their allies rallied today at the New York Stock Exchange. During the rally they demand a tax on Wall Street transactions. This tax they declare will ensure that "the yo-yos that buy and sell this country pay their fare share" to heal America. 

Organizing Upgrade, a website devoted to "open strategic dialogue between left leaders from the field of community organizing," has an essay from long time Philadelphia organizer Willie Baptist. 

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Any approach to social change, organizing and leadership development has to be based on your assessment of the situation and of the problem.  If you have one assessment or one diagnosis, you’re going to have a particular prescription and a particular approach to the solution. Either we’re dealing with a teddy bear or we’re dealing with a grizzly bear, and either estimate will determine your set of tactics, your organizing approach.  If you think you’re dealing with a teddy bear and in reality it’s a grizzly bear coming at you, you’re going to be in trouble. So this estimate of the situation is absolutely crucial to the process.

A number of Philadelphia groups MMP is connected with are gathered with others from around the country and the world to develop leaders of a movement to end poverty. Here is some coverage of the School in the mainstream press. 

http://wvgazette.com/News/200908090058

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/52903102.html

Stay tuned for reports from the School participants at:

http://pileadershipschool.wordpress.com/

People across the country are in the midst of a debate about the best path to fixing our broken health care system and getting quality healthcare to the un/underinsured. While attention is focused at the state and federal levels, the city of Philadelphia is about to lose another vital institution that serves the healthcare needs of poor and working class Philadelphians--Northeastern Hospital. This city-wide struggle to save Northeasterngoes hand-in-hand with the national fight. Keeping Northeastern Hospital open and fixing our country' healthcare system are two sides of the same coin. Listen to a report from Labor Justice Radio.