Solidarity with #Vision4BlackLives Study Event Agenda

This agenda is based on an event organized by Catalyst Project in Oakland, California on December 2nd, 2016. This event was intended to help participants take a deep look at the Movement for Black Lives Policy Platform, with the goal of moving people towards taking concrete action in support of the demands. We broke the participants into small groups based on the 6 planks of the platform. The curriculum was aimed at white people in particular (because that’s who we organize), but was open to all, and had a multiracial facilitation team and a multiracial audience.

 

We offer it here in the hopes that others find it useful in efforts to build multiracial movements for collective liberation.  With questions, please contact:

 

  • MJ McClure (Catalyst Project): molly@collectiveliberation.org
  • Will Dominie (Catalyst Project): 510.529.1122, will@collectiveliberation.org

 

Many thanks the Movement for Black Lives for their visionary policy platform, to Robbie Clark for speaking at the event, and to the people and organizations who facilitated the breakout groups and gave feedback and input on the agenda, including: Asians 4 Black Lives, Teachers 4 Social Justice, the Participatory Budgeting Project, Labor for Black Lives, Black Lives Matter Bay Area, White Youth Challenging Racism, Donna Willmott, Lindsey Shively, Katherine Schoellenbach, Mashael Majid, Clare Bayard, Ginny Browne, Regan Brashear, Feng Kung, Chela Delgado, Rachel Krow-Boniske and Paige Kruza.

 

CLICK HERE FOR FACILITATORS’ AGENDA WITH DETAILED NOTES & IDEAS FOR PLANNING AN EVENT

 

SUMMARY AGENDA

 

60 min Read / re-read the platform & potluck dinner

 

20 min Welcome & Framing

  • Welcome people to space, introduce organizers
  • Point out bathrooms, scent free space, wheelchair accessible, introduce acccess team
  • Indigenous Land Acknowledgement, connect to purpose of event
  • Share political framing & goals for event
  • Opening comments: Robbie Clark, #BlackLivesMatter Bay Area
  • Facilitators introduce themselves & give instructions for the rest of the event

 

10 min Transition time to small groups

 

90 min Small groups based on demands: Invest/Divest, Reparations, Economic Justice, Political Power, End the War on Black People, Community Control, and Teen Breakout Group.  

 

  • Facilitator give brief summary of the demands in this section and goals for discussion (5-10 min)
  • Journaling (5-10 min)
    • What are you main take-aways from this part of the policy platform?
    • How is your work already in alignment with the vision and demands for Black Liberation in this part of the policy platform, where does it need more alignment?
    • What questions do you have?
  • Pair with someone near you to discuss (5-10 min)
  • Group Discussion (30-50 min)
    • What are your main take-aways from this piece of the platform? What stood out to you?
    • Where is your work already aligned with the platform & its politics & this section in particular? Where does it need more work on alignment?
    • What questions do you have on how your work relates to, and can advance these demands for Black liberation?
    • What work is currently happening in your area around these demands that you can plug into?
    • What would it take for people to get behind this policy in your community (that can be however people define it, but extra emphasis on white people organizing white people–if you’re working with a mostly white set of participants)?
    • Whose leadership is centered in your work, and how are you connecting with radical Black leadership.
  • Closing  (5-10 min)
    • Write down and share with someone near you one or two commitments you are making moving forward.
    • Facilitators ask small group to re-gather in the larger space with the rest of the event participants

 

10 mins   Transition Back to Full Group

20 mins Closing, Pitch and Next Steps

  • Ask a couple people to share some quick reflections from their small group conversation
  • Talk about the importance of work for Black liberation in this time period, and specifically the transformative vision of the platform
  • Fundraising pitch for local groups in the Movement for Black Lives
  • Agitation for people to get involved in local organizing work aligned with the Movement for Black Lives policy demands (ideally with visuals)
  • Inspirational & action-oriented closing