Ella's Daughters National Gathering on Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
Ella's Daughters National Gathering on Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
ON MAY 3rd NEARLY 200 PROGRESSIVE WOMEN GATHERED
IN CHICAGO, IN THE SPIRIT OF ELLA BAKER,
TO TALK ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZING
On Sunday May 3 nearly 200 progressive women from around the country met at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to pay tribute to the legacy of civil and human rights activist Ella Baker; to share their own experiences organizing, teaching and working around social justice issues; and to build a growing activist network called Ella’s Daughters. The gathering on May 3rd was the national group’s second annual meeting. Attendees came from 10 states and dozens of organizations. Ella’s Daughters is a national network of diverse activists, scholars, artists, and workers advancing justice in Ella Baker's democratic tradition and facilitating connections between different social justice movements.
Speakers at the one-day gathering included Christi Ketchum, co-director of Project South in Atlanta; Nadia Hijab of the Institute for Palestine Studies in Washington D.C.; Erline Browne of Domestic Workers United in New York City, and Awamaka Agbo, coordinator of the Green Collar Jobs Campaign of the Ella Baker Center in Oakland, California. Local speakers included Sharmili Majmudar of Rape Victim Advocates, Mia Henry of the Chicago Freedom School, Leena Odeh of the Southwest Youth Collaborative, Manju Rajendran of Females United for Action, and anti-death penalty activist, Alice Kim. Scholar-activists Rose Brewer of the University of Minnesota, Premilla Nadasen of Queens College, Martha Biondi of Northwestern University, and Barbara Ransby of UIC were also in attendance, among others, and were a part of the program. The group was extremely diverse in terms of race, age, ethnicity and social class, and included poets, teachers, students, labor organizers and LGTBQ activists. There were lively debates about gay marriage, immigration reform, U.S. foreign policy, and the economic crisis. While the gathering occurred roughly 100 days after President Barack Obama took office, and most of the attendees were left of center politically, the discussions focused more on grassroots organizing than electoral politics. The highlight of the event was a loud and spirited evening performance by feminist hip hop artist, DJ FM Supreme and a choreopoem produced by performance artists, AQUAMOON called “Don’t Call Me Sassy,” about women taking control of their bodies and sexuality.
The group decided to convene next year on June 22, 2010, on the eve of the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit. A 2010 planning committee with regional representatives was established. In a workshop on social justice quilting, a team of quilters began the first phase of a social justice quilt project. The quilt will tour college campuses in March of 2010 along with a dramatic monologue depicting Ella Baker’s life and philosophy. Find out more about Ella’s Daughters, and how to support it and get involved at www.ellasdaughters.org. Ella's Daughters is also on Facebook, and we invite you to become part of our on-line community.