to members and people interested in sds.

an invitation

********************************************

[this draft CALL was first presented at the Michigan state-wide sds
meeting, March 30, 2008; re-drafted April 4, and presented as a
public CALL at Ann Arbor "hash bash" on April 5, 2008, and has now
become even more (2317) words to say what is fairly simple: "We need
to get together. This is an invitation.”]

from alan haber. (sds organizer, since 1959)

NOTICE:

revised April 4, 2008, edited and sent beginning april 9. [a "word"
version is attached]

********************************************

5 years ago, April 4, at the Loraine Motel in Memphis,

honoring Martin Luther King Jr, and in the presence

of many contemporaries and luminaries of the movement, scholars and
students,

on a panel sponsored by the Organization of American Historians,

titled "remembering sncc and sds,"

i made a CALL, that indeed, in deed, we should

"re-member sncc and re-member sds,"

including of course now, “seniors for democratic society,”

and all the other permutations that reflect our diverse identities in
the common movement.

It is needed still to reconnect the networks of commitment from
before, and all the generations to now, and this has continued as part
of my work.

After Memphis, i called several "the next meeting of sds" meetings,
one in Ann Arbor town, one at the University of Michigan, and one at
Western Michigan University, All were well attended, young and old,
with many signing interest lists, as many did in Memphis. An sds
chapter started at the University of Michigan, put out a "zine," and
began a collective next writing of the "Port Huron Statement."
Another group started at Eastern Michigan University, calling
themselves "solidarity in democratic struggle, still sds, but
stronger." A group began at Pioneer High School. Other groups began
independently elsewhere, in the northeast and southeast.

2 years ago, fittingly on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a call went out
on the internet from several of these groups and a new student
initiated sds began to take shape, and has now grown to near a hundred
school based chapters and many unaffiliated, at-large members.

Supporting and within the initiation of the new sds, a working group
of past-student, movement veterans began to take shape, coming to call
itself "movement for a democratic society," and also incorporating as
a "foundation for democratic society."

This "mds/ mds, inc/ fds" endeavor has stimulated several local action
groups and much political discussion, but after too much interpersonal
turbulence (to compress a long story in a short phrase), and the
decision of the sds chapter federation to be "100% student run," the
"fds" has found itself on its own back burner; and, best hopes at the
outset, notwithstanding, "mds" has ceased to function as a working
political association. Neither at-large members of new sds nor
survivors of old have an adequate framework, out of all this
intention, through which to associate.

this NOTICE is to put out another CALL, and re-call:

Dr. King had been through the movements, he had seen the powers of the
people,

in Montgomery, and Selma and Memphis, so many places,

making possible what, even short times before, could hardly have been
imagined.

The movements he had witnessed are what had carried him to the
mountain top, to see the promised land:

when the rebirth of freedom, drawing as he said, on wells of
democracy dug deep in the revolution which began this country,

has become the common experience of all, when poverty and race
discrimination and war and terrible injustices are things of the past,

when knowing "we will get there" is everyone's joy.

All the veterans of the movement have seen this apparition, or sought
it,

when the rainbow arc of justice comes to earth;

it is part of the bond of "solidarity for democratic society" that
embraces the beloved community, each in our places, in our unique
capacities, working together, keeping the faith,

bringing to birth the better world we know and dream is possible.

We need a movement, the summoning of our common humanity, as a song
says.

And a revolution, as Dr. King called for, and other songs sing.

Part of movement is finding the words, "a name for ourselves,"
means of mutual recognition, to search for and discover, and
re-discover one another.

this CALL is one means:

to invite an individual membership political association, that i like
to call, in the "interim," until we decide different, "sds-i"
"sds"
in little letters with a little "i,"

identifying and drawing on the old "sds," for those who remember or
have learned,

its vision and lessons, activism and change-the-system orientation,

and continuing with the "i" emphasizing that everyone is a subject,
an "individual," and also emphasizing qualities of this association
that are "important"

inclusive

independent

international

intergenerational

interracial

interfaith

intentional

interesting

inviting

for democratic society.

democratic society is our common ground, common cause, reference point,

reclaiming the commons and the common wealth and the common humanity
among us all is our mission

inviting for starters, (of course all my relations and friends)

and students for democratic society, veterans, from the old days

new students for democratic society members at large, who are not in
chapters,

new students for democratic society members who are in chapters and
also want to be part of this inter-generational association,

movement for democratic society members,

and "sncc" for democratic society, and "ssoc" for democratic society

(student non violent coordinating committee, and southern students
organizing committee)

reaching out to veterans of past movements,

including, beside students, seniors for democratic society, and

survivors for democratic society, and every other way to say everyone
can have an identity in this political association:

strugglers, seekers, scholars, sisters, singers, satirists,
socialists, sociologists, socialites, siblings, syndicalists,
scriveners, scribes and smokers

welcoming scientists,.saints and sinners, soldiers and sailors,
slackers and savants,

semites for democratic society is my particular working group.

whoever for democratic society, with whatever letters of the alphabet.

This is an effort, in part of the imagination, to help us better get
together,

not neglecting to smile for democratic society,

a network organizing horizontally across movements, and radially along
lines of personal association and affinity, fields of study,
professional competence, work, love and knowledge, etc., locally,
regionally, nationally, and internationally.

"sds-inclusive," is potentially a way of identification and working
together and over distances, it is a proposed undertaking in addition
to existing memberships, organizational commitments and activities,
complementary, not competitive or contentious, cooperative,
respectful, tolerant and ever seeking convergence.

i expect this "sds-inclusive," for those who choose to join,

will self-organize internally around affinity and working groups,
project concerns, and event teams, as cyber-chapters, personal
networks, phone trees, and other modes, taking on a variety of tasks
relating to the common task,

acknowledging the better definition of the common task is always part
of our task.

i hope others who are working on similar concerns of organization and
democracy can link together the web sites, wikis, deliberative
forums, networks, etc. that have been invented and constructed to
help communication.

Political society, in America and internationally, has been weaker and
poorer for the absence of more direct continuity of the 60's
movements, and the longer continuities they represented. This also, i
believe, was the conclusion of the panel 5 years ago, near the deadly
hour, on April 4, in Memphis, "remembering sncc and sds."

This CALL is to make political society richer and stronger,

to correct for the absence of needed continuities and memories,

re-weaving the threads of the many movements,

keeping our eyes on the prize, the promised land,

remembering the poor people's march, joining the struggles of race and
class

and when the end the war movement was strong in every base and pillar
of the war machine.

Our political society in the United States, needs a louder calling to
account the hypocrisies of mainstream politics, and politicians,
however good some may be or seem.

An election campaign is preaching varied versions of hope and strength
to a fearful center,

but none to rock the boat, nor be too specific about "what needs to be
done,"

when justice thunders condemnation

at the wars and brutalities and crimes of the ruling orders.

and the pending thresholds of climate catastrophe make change of
policies imperative, beyond what ordinary politics seems able to
envision,

people are as in a daze.

It is time, past time, time again to blast the two trumpets of silver,
to sound an alarm,

to call the congregations, to set the camps forward, something more
than what has been, and not alone.

We need better to recognize one another, and how in fact we are
everywhere,

and our many actions are but different fronts of the same struggle.

We need to use the knowledges we have, from our varied sources and
experiences,

to articulate the better world that is possible,

and the actions and changes of policy and practice needed from here to
there.

Particularly in this time of political campaigning,

when people everywhere are thinking and making up their minds,

the policy challenges from the movements to the candidates, and the
ruling orders, is of vital, living importance.

At the local level, in communities where i am and travel, and in sds
chapters of which i hear, similar questions recur:

how to get quality public education for everyone, without years of
indentured debt.

how to end the war in Iraq and Afghanistan

how to deal with "terrorists," al-qiada, talliban, fascist and
fundamentalist killers and cabals (there might be a better name from
this difficult topic)

how to deal with "state terrorism" impunity, war criminals

how can non-violence combat war

what is a fair immigration and naturalization policy

how to get good health care for everyone

what is a proper cannabis policy, considering how many among us are
outlaws

how to end poverty

unlearning racism

what is a just peace between Israel and Palestine, their neighbors and
the world

reclaiming the commons

off oil, climate change and clean energy

new work, good work, global economy and economic justice

what is patriarchy and how to get partnership instead

i know there are many other : how to end all the wars of the world,
and bring the powers that be to the peace table, and women fully into
peace making, is the project having my long commitment.

These, illustratively, are topics about which an at-large,
sds-inclusive chapter could help us bring together what we know, and
better use the knowledge,

i hope the outreach through our own circles of power and connection
will establish liaison with student networks, sds and beyond,
indigenous peoples' networks, journalists and media activists without
borders, international connections, healers, artists, union
organizers, and local elected officials of progressive independent
mind.

In all this i see the overarching task as helping create a culture of
peace and non-violence for the children of the world, that the next
generations should not have to experience the horrors i and we and
our fathers and mothers, and the grandparents have seen.

*****************************

i propose as a way to initiate this "sds-i," at-large chapter, is to
invite

who ever reads or hears this, you, to please reply:

any kind of reply. add, or contribute to the topics above, indicate
your interests, or just yes or no.

When in "mds," i drafted a “thousand word membership card,” which some
called a poem. i asked as dues, answer to 2 "do" questions: “what
do you have to offer?” and “what do you need?” that way we could get
acquainted with each other and form from the outset some kind of
political economy of mutual aid within our association. Either those
proved to be very difficult questions which few could undertake, or in
the press of cross currents, few considered these questions at all,
among the 1000 words.

If you find this "sds-inclusive" interesting, have questions of your
own, critical comment, or concern, view of how it might relate to
what you are doing, wish to join, want to answer

the 2 “do” questions, or whatever, please reply.

Assuming a chapter's worth of people, you, do reply with interest, i
will compose "letter #2,"

reflecting back to you who express interest, what everyone, who ever,
said, and the collected proposals of how to proceed, shorter than this.

In particular i want to explore and gather ideas of how now, with
available technology, we can develop a multi venued, multi-media
inter-continental congress and convention of our at-large, inclusive
chapter, to deliberate together.

As an "at-large chapter," sharing at least a name, some liaison with
sds school based chapters, should be discussed before and in the next
sds convention.

i am not immediately initiating a new "discussion list serve," hoping
first people will respond to this CALL, before responding to each
other responding to this call and whatever old business may still be
brewing.

i hope people, each of you, you, with your friends, will circulate
and consider this CALL and proposal. It is needed, or something like
this: the human union, coming together across all our lines, the
solidarity deeper than differences.

At a minimum, i hope this at-large sds-i chapter can be a place where
present sds'ers of whatever generation, including myself and friends,
who aren't otherwise involved in a local chapter, can do political
work together, or whatever we choose, acknowledging in what is going
on, "we are a we" and so this chapter, at its minimum, is an act of
"self-determination."

More and at heart, it is a hope to be one of the many, multiplying
efforts prefiguring the embracing union among us, and world wide,
encouraging an escalating convergence of strengths, to block and
stop and turn around the suicide march of racism, militarism, and
materialism, and empower the democratic will of people to choose
instead the promised land.

some day soon

alan haber

ann arbor sds-i

megiddo@umich.edu

Post office box 7213,

ann arbor, Michigan 48107

734 761-7967