OK you Artful Activists, Creative Organizers and Solutionaries – Here’s a Quick heads up:
I just got confirmation that THIS Friday at 10am Pacific, Backbone will be hosting a strategic conversation with Winona LaDuke and Bill McKibben about this CoViD-19 moment and its relevance for decarbonization, localization, and system transformation. RSVP HERE (I will paste some of what I shared in my invitation to Bill and Winona at the bottom to give you a sense of where this may be going).
Might #Grounded be a meme for the paradigm battle ahead? We’ve used the slogan “Keep it in the Ground.” Maybe it is time to keep planes “On the Ground.” Localization of economies, democracy and resilience requires that we be/get “Grounded” – reconnected to place, planet and each other. In the old “normal” it was difficult to imagine stopping air travel. Today, it is easy to imagine. The climate, planet and creatures need the new normal to look dramatically different from the old normal. NOW is our moment of opportunity. As Diane de Prima says,
(3x) “THE ONLY WAR THAT MATTERS IS THE WAR AGAINST THE IMAGINATION”(then) “ALL OTHER WARS ARE SUBSUMED IN IT.”
Keeping fossil fuels in the ground very likely requires keeping airplanes on the ground. Backbone Artful Activists could help illuminate and animate imaginations and support bold climate actions to keep airplanes Grounded – while the the Solutionary Rail alliance champions a vision for infrastructure decarbonization, access and resilience that better serves everyone. CoViD-19 is a terrible disease – but let’s not squander this opportunity to slow down, decommodify, decolonize our time and our lives and re-indigenize to protect the places we love.
What will the actions we take will look like? Will we be in or around airports or elsewhere? We don’t yet know – but I trust the brilliance of the HIVE. Let’s listen to these leaders and dig deep to manifest some beautiful, transformative trouble. (For fun – some recent projections in Seattle.) Solutionaries – what are our demands for a stimulus for a just transition? How can we escalate our demand and solidify our unconventional alliance through this CoViD-19 crisis to revitalize rural communities and decarbonize the supply chain?
So, Solidarity Brigadiers & Solutionary Rail allies… Are you game?
IF YES, I just put up an event page to make sure that you all have the first shot at getting on this call. Please RSVP HERE
IF YES, I just put up an event page to make sure that you all have the first shot at getting on this call. Please RSVP HERE
I do hope that you will participate on Friday. Bring your enthusiasm, creativity, and courage. Amy and I have to decide on which Zoom tool to use. BUT PLEASE RSVP NOW so that we can prioritize your participation.
Also, IF you can help spread the word by sharing the Facebook Livestream on your pages let us know. If there are allies you think need to be on the Zoom call, Please invite them to RSVP as well. We may also need extra help facilitating the chat and comments. If you can help with that or some other aspect PLEASE let us know. Email solidarity@backbonecampaign.org
In solidarity!
Solutionary Rail co-author & campaign lead
o. 206-408-8058
o. 206-408-8058