Press and People Stories

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[edit] Press Stories

Please post online article links to stories leading up to USSF Detroit 2010

  • May 2009: Resurrection City, Auto idolatry and casino economics have left Detroit tottering on the brink. What will it take for Motown to rise again? By Bill Wylie-Kellermann in Sojourners Magazine


[edit] From our Correspondents: News on the Movers and Shakers behind the USSF

The US Social Forum Writers Network's special correspondents help keep our writers and the general public informed about all the exciting ways people are preparing the "road to Detroit." This space will provide updates from people around the country who are biking, walking, marching, and caravaning to Detroit as well as those who are paving the way to Detroit through outreach to the diverse groups of people who need to be part of the conversation about the new country and world we are working to build. To become a correspondent, email us at writers@ussf2010.org .

People's Freedom Caravan http://abc.ussf2010.org/caravans

ARCHIVE: See Yes! Magazine's Sarah van Gelder's blog from the 2007 People's Freedom Caravan to Atlanta


Delta to Detroit Poor Peoples March for Human Rights: http://old.economichumanrights.org/index.shtml


The Red Road to Detroit: Native People Bring their Voices to the USSF


Biking it to Detroit http://bikeit.org/


National Field Organizers on the Road to Communities Near You!


On the ground in Detroit

[edit] Blog Mentions

none yet

[edit] Videos

People's Freedom Caravan Trailer Video, March 2

[edit] Radio/Audio

none yet

[edit] People's Stories and Testimonials

Here are stories from the people responsible for helping make the USSF in Detroit possible. Their stories can help people better understand and appreciate the process, and we hope they'll inspire more folks to join us in Detroit this June!


We invite you to tell us your stories about your USSF Atlanta 2007 experience. Help us tell others what the Social Forum is about as we kick-off for USSF Detroit 2010! Need wiki help?

Some ideas about your experience may include:

  • How did you get there?
  • What social movement organization or activists did you travel with?
  • What were you most interested in learning about or doing at USSF Atlanta?
  • What what your favorite session or panel?
  • What was it like to participate in the Opening March?
  • What information did you share with others when you returned home?
  • How did USSF Atlanta change the organizing work you do in your grassroots group or organization?


  • The Children's Social Forum was my main reason for going (and bringing my 6-year-old daughter) to the 2007 US Social Forum.

Last summer, we had done a tour of northeast anarchist and radical bookfairs. I had co-presented a workshop called “Don’t Leave Your Friends Behind” about the need for the anarchist community to support the parents and children in its midst. The workshops were generally well-received by a predominantly childless audience, some of whom already helped the parents and children in their groups, some of whom had never thought about the issue. Siu Loong had participated in the various childcare and kids’ programs at each bookfair and had always had a good time, although I noticed that, for the most part, the kids’ activities had little to do with the issues at the adult workshops.

For me, the Children’s Social Forum was an opportunity to see how the broader social justice movement was incorporating the next generation. This wasn’t just childcare—a room set off to the side where well-intentioned volunteers and kids were isolated from the goings-on of the larger group. No, this promised to be a forum for kids to explore the issues that we grown-ups were talking about.

I wrote a piece about our experience at the Children's Social Forum here: http://www.leftturn.org/?q=node/971

and am hoping that next year's USSF in Detroit will also have children's programming and inclusion.

Victoria Law, NYC

[edit] Reflections on USSF 2007, ATL

Vermont Workers Center made a video about the 2007 USSF, highlighting some of their members' experiences there: http://blip.tv/file/590773/


I wrote an extensive blog reflection on my experience here: http://mindpowercollective.wordpress.com/ideas-and-thoughts/


My main memory is being hit by a pie in the face because I wasn't "radical enough." It was not a nice experience. Medea Benjamin


What a Summer~USSF 2007

I was fortunate enough to have friends living in Georgia and arrive with around nine other people to attend the forum together. I remember being overwhelmed by the amount of workshops and the task of getting to all of them in a timely manner. The opening march was very hot, and it was nice to have people handing out water. The puppets were fabulous! i was shocked to learn that the park which had many of the venders and tents was just days before a place were houseless people normally slept. These folks were arrested and taken to jail in preparation for the forum! Instead of being invited to participate in the event, they were criminalized by the very people who days later would listen to workshops and panels focused on this very struggle! The forum needs to be more accessible and welcome to the people!!

My favorite workshops were part of the gender/sexuality track. Folks from Southerners on New Ground (S.O.N.G.), Sista II Sista, INCITE!, and FIERCE! were on point, their workshops were packed, and there was a real sense of movement in those spaces. Several hundred people wanted to further our discussions around moving beyond the non-profit industrial complex.

Another concern I have is the lack of time we had to meet regionally. We were given such little time for this, that we barely could introduce ourselves before the time was up. I think more structured time needs to be given to regional organizing/networking. When you are in workshops and then the plenaries all day, it's difficult to eat, sleep, and meet outside of that in one day. Also, I think it would be worthwhile to have the opening plenary focus solely on work in Detroit so attendees know what's happening locally.

The way that I shared what went on at the forum was recording workshops, editing them, and giving them away as CD's.

Thanks to all the organizers, past and present!


Ashley Oakland, CA

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