A CALL TO LEARN, A CALL TO ESCALATE ACTION Wall Street Banks, American corporations and their political allies have declared a one-sided war on the American people. This war is being waged at our schools and colleges, on public employee unions, in our workplaces and in our communities.
Today, Americans are working harder and earning less while corporate profits soar. Homeowners, consumers and students are seeing their wealth being stripped away by banks. Our government plunges into debt waging trillion dollar wars. Meanwhile, our infrastructure erodes, climate change proceeds unchecked, our schools, daycare centers, senior facilities, clinics, parks and emergency services are all starved while corporations and elites get billions in tax breaks!
“Austerity” policies falsely suggest that spending on social needs is the reason why governments-- at all levels-- are facing massive budget short falls. NO! Our debt and deficit problems are a direct result of corporate tax breaks and extortionist bank practices that have lead to a scandalous and unprecedented transfer of wealth-- from hardworking Americans to the richest segments of US society.
The courageous actions by the citizens in Wisconsin are an inspiring defense of the core values of this country: a civil society based on freedom of association, healthy and stable communities that value public services and the public good.
The outpouring of support nationally shows the possibilities for challenging deepening economic inequality and political marginalization of the majority of the American people. We are on the cusp of a great movement to resist and roll-back the corporate domination by banks, energy companies and war profiteers.
To join that movement and escalate the activism planned in the days, weeks and months ahead we are organizing a “National Teach-in on Debt, Austerity and How People Are Fighting Back. The live web cast Teach-in will be streamed on Tuesday, April 5th, 2011, from the Judson Memorial Church in New York City, beginning at 2:00 PM EDT. Admission to Judson is free. Social justice experts and activists from around the country will be hosted by moderators FRANCES FOX PIVEN and CORNEL WEST in New York City through a live web cast that you can join by organizing a teach-in on your own campus.
Special Thanks To:
AFL-CIO, American Rights at Work, Center for Community Change, CUNY, Demos,
Justice for Janitors, Professional Staff Congress, SLAP, SEIU, United for Peace & Justice,
USAS, USSA, We Are One…HOW TO ORGANIZE A PARTICIPATING
TEACH-IN ON YOUR CAMPUS Please join us in organizing this event and building a progressive social movement to fight the destructive power of corporate greed. College campuses around the country will be linked to the New York City teach-in via the Internet. Anyone with a connection can participate. After the web cast, each campus will have its own discussion of how students can join with unions and community organizations to escalate their own local campaigns.
It’s easy to take part. All you need to do is:
Reserve a room with any internet connection to receive the web cast feed, and to make sure that you have audio-visual capability to make it available to the audience. The room reservation for Tuesday April 5, 2011, should be for several hours across the afternoon (or starting at 11:00 AM Pacific Coast Time). Allot time in your reservation for setting up and testing equipment and your Internet connection, and to clean up afterward.
REGISTER YOUR CAMPUS TEACH-IN Click Here!:
http://www.fightbackteachin.org/registerteachin.htmlIdentify a person who will take charge of the web cast hook-up from your end.
Identify a moderator, even if only to welcome people before the web cast.
Publicize the event. Use social media and seek coverage from local media including newspapers, student papers, radio stations, and television.
Organize a few people to help set up and clean up afterwards.
And then add your own teach-in to the national program!
Invite local speakers and activists to address national or local topics following the web cast (visit RESOURCES for some ideas.)
Identify local actions and organizing efforts around student debt, home foreclosures, predatory lending and other destructive actions by banks, increases in college tuition, the Dream Act, cuts in public services, day care cutbacks, teacher lay-offs, attacks on unions, etc. in which students and other community members can participate.
Seek co-sponsorship from student groups, local labor unions, churches, and local activist organizations.
Prepare educational materials for distribution at the event and available online. Include information about national, state and local efforts opposing austerity and budget cuts.
Publicize the event – again.
For more information visit:
http://www.fightbackteachin.org/index.html 
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