The Heat Around the World and the US Social Forum

I have always been a baby about heat. I don't like it. Though I'm from Illinois, with incredibly intense (and humid) summers, and frigid winters, you'd think I'd have accomodated by now. I haven't.

But the benefit of going to India at it's highest heat (May) and in it's hottest region (Southern India) is that the heat doesn't bother you so much at other times. I spent much of my time there in 110 degree weather and outside, the air dripping with humidity...

Upon moving to Georgia and Turkey, I didn't get too worked up about the 90 plus degree heat (also without AC, of course!). And now, at the Social Forum in ATL, which requires much moving around from place to place, I can honestly say I think my attitude towards the heat is much better now! I don't get so worked about it.

Now, as for the the US Social Forum, woo-eeee...what a trip! Being around these super progressive people--a crowd so diverse in every nature (and most surprisingly in age!) and so wonderful I felt like I had won the lottery being there. Participating in sessions (and presenting in a panel myself, on the Gulf Coast funding) was a real delight. Not only did I run into people from Brown, from progressive-type conferences, and general friends I was expecting, but I was so overwhelmed and impressed with what the Forum created. 900 workshops offered! Plenaries with amazing speakers! Tents (including a candle-lit healing tent) and stations galore!

For me, the highlighted sessions were "building the women's movement," learning about the "non-profit industrial complex" in a session called "The Revolution will not be funded" (I've been thinking a lot about this lately...whether civil society as it exists is the best model for pushing change, and another article I found interesting) (Actually I could go on and on about this session--and if you ever want to chat about it, please let me know!). I also really enjoyed one session about how to engage in elimination of sweatshops and sweatfields in terms of your consumer habits (check out ILRF and they say "DO SEND THE EMAILS that come via alerts, they make a difference!"), a session about Katrina (I believe every American should make it a priority to listen to the Survivor Stories and learn more about this huge national tragedy), a food justice session, and wished I could have gone to one on the Farm Bill and some rural development sessions. NEXT TIME!

Thank God for this forum though. It really came at a crucial time for me, as I think through structural issues, about my place in the world, and about the role of civil society in creating change.

The saddest piece was bumping into so many wonderful people and only getting to see a few for more than a brief few minutes. On Sunday I did get to go with Kira and Ben to Arabia Mountain. That was awesome, despite feeling like I was on Mars in the middle of the scortching afternoon, searching for a trail.