SWOPblogger

We are excited to be here for the National Conference on Media Reform in Memphis during the weekend when the nation celebrates the Civil Rights Movement by honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was here that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to stand in solidarity with sanitation workers, solidifying the interconnectedness of the fight for racial and economic justice. It was this revolutionary act that lead to his murder here in Memphis.

Yesterday, keynote speaker Jesse Jackson pointed out that when we romanticize and reduce Martin Luther King’s message to “I have a Dream” we take away the edge of that struggle, and the struggle that remains today. Jesse instead called it the “Broken Promises” speech, or as MLK called it, a promissory note that bounced. And, Jessie went on to say to us…"here we are as progressives, so many whites, so few black or brown.”

And as we have participated this weekend, we can’t help but think about Jesse’s comment directly to the audience during his speech that the crowd was far too white, and his admonishment that any movement for progressive social change should reflect the diversity of our collective movement. We believe that the “whiteness” of this conference is an outward reflection of a deeper failing: the prevalent belief that a small group of self-selected individuals, or “citizenry,” can make effective demands on a system. The belief that individual, uncoordinated acts can fundamentally affect change is ridiculous. Being representatives of SWOP, a grassroots social justice base organization, we are encouraged by the efforts of others here, such as Youth Media Council, Albuquerque’s own Channel 27 public television, and a regrettably short list of others, who are talking about the importance of collective action. Like us, these groups recognize the necessity of building a base to affect change, but unfortunately there is an almost virtual lack of base building organizations present to hear the message about moving beyond reform and the importance of engaging in media justice work.

We’ve heard the word “grassroots” over and over again. The way people are using grassroots here is the same as the way they use the word “citizenry.” They are speaking about themselves: media activists. This usage lacks a structural analysis, a recognition that our “citizenry” broadly is still highly unequal. We envision in our minds that if the goals of this conference for “citizen control” of the media were achieved, our communities in New Mexico would still be iced out.

As we build the media Justice movement, along with our comrades and allies, we challenge the other sectors of the movement:

· To move from activism to organizing

· To begin to build organizations and not just individual voices

· To move from a reform mentality to a revolutionary mentality

· To build a movement led by the most disenfranchised.

en la lucha,

Tomás and Marjorie
SouthWest Organizing Project

NCMR2007