The People United is a network of justice-seeking people found mostly in Virginia and the surrounding areas. Many of us are busy organizing in our local communities with groups like Food Not Bombs, Sowers of Justice, our local Peace Education Centers, and immigrant solidarity networks. We hold signs on street corners, organize neighborhood meetings, and when we really have to, we'll travel to DC for a protest march or to Richmond for a lobby action. We also like having a place where we can connect to broader movements for change.
The People United supports a relatively small but dedicated group of volunteer organizers committed to allying with justice movements where leadership comes from the working class and people of color. This local and regional work is based in personal relationships and connections developed through grassroots organizing at a real community, face-to-face, level. The People United is supported by an advisory committee comprised of experienced activists and leaders and by its members. Members receive updates on the work and support us psychically and financially. Between them, this motley crew supports the work of folks in Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Richmond, Roanoke, Tidewater, Northern Virginia, and West Virginia.
We see a lot that needs changing in the world around us and recognize that no individual or single-issue group can address all of it on their own. We also recognize that social movements in the South have always been most powerful and sustainable when broad and multiracial, with leadership coming directly from affected communities. We come together in this network to explore similarities in our visions for a more just world, share the stories of our struggles, and explore ways we can support each other's work in an accountable way.
We work to respect the diversity in our groups and value our differences, using them to our collective advantage. However, there are some things that aren't negotiable. We support the struggles of all oppressed peoples, even (or especially) when that support is controversial in the small cities where we organize. So if queer liberation or Palestinian self-determination isn't compatible with your vision for a better world, this might not be the network for you. We want to stop the wars abroad but are not willing to ignore the wars being fought in our own cities. We want to close prisons and find their alternatives, and open our borders so that people have more choice than those who want to cross borders with money and guns from the North. We are working towards the day when we have true security because gross wealth and power disparities have been eliminated. Most importantly, The People United envisions a world where all people have real input into the decisions that directly affect them. We recognize that this world we envision is not likely under capitalism and though we respect everyone's choice to vote, we don't see two-party, corporate-funded electoral politics as the vehicle that will take us there either.
If you too support the liberation of all oppressed groups, want to end war, close prisons and open the borders, and believe community organizing is an important means to these ends, we need you. And you may need us, too.
We are creating a group of committed organizers throughout the region who provide mentoring and support for one another, and hold one another accountable to a vision of a movement where all voices are heard, all oppressions confronted, all talents used for the common good. We achieve this through regular face-to-face meetings, phone calls, cultural work, internal education, and shared reflection.
If you'd like to join The People United as an organizer, advisor or member, or if you have needs in your community for organizing ideas, movement building workshops, or action planning, give us a call. If you want more information, call regional organizer Jeff Winder at 434-906-0421. His phone is usually attached to his ear.
The People United supports a relatively small but dedicated group of volunteer organizers committed to allying with justice movements where leadership comes from the working class and people of color. This local and regional work is based in personal relationships and connections developed through grassroots organizing at a real community, face-to-face, level. The People United is supported by an advisory committee comprised of experienced activists and leaders and by its members. Members receive updates on the work and support us psychically and financially. Between them, this motley crew supports the work of folks in Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Richmond, Roanoke, Tidewater, Northern Virginia, and West Virginia.
We see a lot that needs changing in the world around us and recognize that no individual or single-issue group can address all of it on their own. We also recognize that social movements in the South have always been most powerful and sustainable when broad and multiracial, with leadership coming directly from affected communities. We come together in this network to explore similarities in our visions for a more just world, share the stories of our struggles, and explore ways we can support each other's work in an accountable way.
We work to respect the diversity in our groups and value our differences, using them to our collective advantage. However, there are some things that aren't negotiable. We support the struggles of all oppressed peoples, even (or especially) when that support is controversial in the small cities where we organize. So if queer liberation or Palestinian self-determination isn't compatible with your vision for a better world, this might not be the network for you. We want to stop the wars abroad but are not willing to ignore the wars being fought in our own cities. We want to close prisons and find their alternatives, and open our borders so that people have more choice than those who want to cross borders with money and guns from the North. We are working towards the day when we have true security because gross wealth and power disparities have been eliminated. Most importantly, The People United envisions a world where all people have real input into the decisions that directly affect them. We recognize that this world we envision is not likely under capitalism and though we respect everyone's choice to vote, we don't see two-party, corporate-funded electoral politics as the vehicle that will take us there either.
If you too support the liberation of all oppressed groups, want to end war, close prisons and open the borders, and believe community organizing is an important means to these ends, we need you. And you may need us, too.
We are creating a group of committed organizers throughout the region who provide mentoring and support for one another, and hold one another accountable to a vision of a movement where all voices are heard, all oppressions confronted, all talents used for the common good. We achieve this through regular face-to-face meetings, phone calls, cultural work, internal education, and shared reflection.
If you'd like to join The People United as an organizer, advisor or member, or if you have needs in your community for organizing ideas, movement building workshops, or action planning, give us a call. If you want more information, call regional organizer Jeff Winder at 434-906-0421. His phone is usually attached to his ear.