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Events began on April 2, 2016 in Philadelphia, where more than a hundred activists began a ten-day, 140-mile march from to Washington D.C. By April 11, thousands had joined Democracy Spring and Democracy Awakening in our nation’s capitol to demand Congress take immediate action to end the corruption of big money in our politics and ensure free and fair elections in which every American has an equal voice. . . . → Read More: Democracy Spring: Alternative Media News Round Up 
This post is part of a series of report-back posts from the 15th annual Allied Media Conference held in Detroit in June. Besides being a regular contributor to Grassroots DC, Judith Hawkins is a Client and Community Organizer at Bread for the City. The following article is also posted on their BFC’s blog. This year, 6 Bread for the City clients and 2 staff members went to the Allied Media Conference (AMC). As I blogged about before we went, my first time at the AMC changed my life. This is the response that many first time participants give when asked how they feel about the AMC. Participants attended sessions on media making, networking, and urban farming and many more. View a complete listing of the 2013 sessions here. So what’s so life changing about the AMC? The energy charged atmosphere is like being hit by lightning. People are excited about learning, exchanging information and sharing their experiences. I found it quite refreshing to witness different generations, races, genders, and people whose “issues” may be different working together to solve problems, not just talking about the history of the problems and how we got here. “The AMC is stimulating and informative,” according to Dusti Ridge, CAB Member. I attended a session on cross-issue organizing, which explored strategies for organizers who are working on different issues or campaigns to identify the intersections or similarities and to use those similarities as a bridge to bring people together and work collaboratively. The discussion was led by a panel of people from several groups: The Teachers Action Group (TAG), the Youth Art and Self-Empowerment Project, the One-Love Movement, Decarcerate PA, Fierce New York, and the Alliance for Educational Justice. We talked about identifying the gaps in service and activism and making combined efforts to fill them. The conference sessions use a popular education style. Attendees are encouraged to participate, and there are plenty opportunities for hands-on learning. For example, at the Discotech (Discovering Technology) Lab, young people explained the basics of electronics by showing participants to use electrodes to make jewelry. A recurring theme at the AMC this year was learning how to support each other in helping others. Joni Podschun, our Advocacy and Community Engagement Manager at Bread for the City, really enjoyed The Biology of Burnout session and would love to see some of the strategies she learned applied at BFC. Stay tuned for a blog post on that session!  Comments are closed  Alternative Media, Communities  Allied Media Conference, Alternative Media, cross-issue organizing 
People from Washington, DC report back on their knowledge and experience from the 2013 Allied Media Conference in Detroit. Find out how to share your story below! The Allied Media Conference (AMC) brings together organizers and technology buffs every summer in Detroit. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the AMC has earned a reputation among community media makers and grassroots researchers for highlighting positive solutions for social movements, not just stating problems. In addition to providing an inclusive space for sharing knowledge and skills, the conference is tons of fun! Due to a strong presence of people and organizations from DC, some AMCers coined the term “DCtroit,” a phrase of solidarity between DC and Detroit. After my first AMC in 2012, I started saying that I connected with more DC people in Detroit than right here at home! Now, we want to stay connected and share the love. A group of media producers from Grassroots DC is putting together this series of blog posts in order to reflect on our experiences and bring the AMC back to our communities. Contribute! This is an inclusive effort to share perspectives of anyone from DC who attended AMC 2013. We want to hear from you! Contact Grassroots DC Coordinator, Liane Scott (liane[at]grassrootsdc.org), to post your story about the AMC to this blog. We will compile posts and cross-post them to the Allied Media Project’s Talk forum in order to stay informed and stay connected. Next year, we hope to recruit and fundraise so that even more people from DC can attend the AMC. Beyond the conference in Detroit, we are thinking about how to organize a similar convergence of local media creators and change makers in DC. How do we create a strong network of like-minded people to work together? Ultimately, we are stronger together than apart. Comment or contact us, and let’s build a more beautiful DC! One comment - (Comments are closed) Alternative Media, Communities Allied Media Conference, Allied Media Conference Talk Forum, Alternative Media, Ben King, DCtroit 
The following digital story, produced by Empower DC member Ernestine Ward, summarizes how she came to Empower DC, and why she believes its work is important. Ernestine is a somewhat new DC resident and, unlike many other transplants to the area, she intends to stay. According to Ernestine, “volunteering with Empower DC has not only helped me gain a sense of community, but has also helped me become aware of many of the city’s pressing issues.” I believe the above digital story exemplifies the mission of the Grassroots Media Project, which has been, “to provide a space for media production and training to individual activists and community-based nonprofits in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Through the creation and distribution of news media, such as radio segments, short videos, public service announcements, digital stories, etc., GMP producers will educate and inform policy makers and the public at large about issues that matter to them. Our productions will be distributed on the Internet, public radio, public access television or any distribution outlet willing to work with us. We hope to provide an alternative to the mainstream media, which often overlooks or misrepresents issues and causes that matter most to low-income and working class residents of the District of Columbia.” Unfortunately, Empower DC is no longer able to support that mission and this will be my last post for the Grassroots Media Project. Fortunately, Executive Director Parisa Norouzi has said that Empower DC would welcome another organization that fills the media training niche now left vacant by the suspension of the Grassroots Media Project and that she would like to have the content of the blog accessible as an archive, which you can find at the site grassrootsmediaproject.org. In the meantime, GrassrootsDC.org is still up and running. The content on that site will be produced by former Grassroots Media Project volunteers who want to continue to work towards the project’s former mission. We are no longer working for the Grassroots Media Project but are instead in the process of forming a new organization called Grassroots DC. Grassroots DC will continue to fulfill the media training niche to which Parisa Norouzi referred. We will also continue to cover not only the work of Empower DC but as much of the considerable work being done by DC’s entire progressive community as we can manage. Beyond our home online as GrassrootsDC.org, we don’t yet have a brick and mortar location. Producers continue to work collaboratively but from a variety of locations. With any luck, that will change soon and we’ll be able to resume training in person. In the meantime, you can still find our curriculum online and the alternative media that covers the issues that matter most to DC’s low-income and working-class residents at GrassrootsDC.org. It’s not the end of the Grassroots Media Project but a shift to what I believe will be a more sustainable organization, Grassroots DC. Comments are closed Classes & Workshops Alternative Media, digital story, Ernestine Ward, Grassroots DC, GrassrootsDC.org, Media Training, progressive organizations 
The District’s mainstream media has not gone out of their way to cover Walmart and their current attempt to locate four stores within DC’s borders. There are a few media activists within the community who have been following the story. Here’s a brief survey. Longtime DC activist and video journalist Luke regularly posts to DC’s Independent Media Center. All of the following articles include video: Dozens Protest Outside of Developer’s House Unions Demand Wal-Mart “Respect DC” at Wilson Building Rally Anti Wal-Mart Film Screening Packs the House at Plymouth Congregational On February 25, WPFW’s Spirit in Action program dedicated an entire hour to the issue of Walmart. Empower DC co-founder Parisa Norouzi’s arguments against Walmart coming to DC were pretty unshakeable. I am trying to get a copy of the program to post here. In the mean time, you can find it on WPFW’s Program Archives page. You’ll have to scroll down to Spirit in Action, 2/25/2011. The Washington City Paper fancies itself alternative press. The jury is still out on that but they did cover our favorite rapper Head-Roc and his efforts to keep Walmart out of the District in their article Head-Roc’s Mouth: Keep D.C. Walmart Free. Radio journalist Pete Tucker of Fightback Radio looks at the issue from the point of view of small business owner Gary Cha in the podcast Yes! Says No to Walmart. Although the Washington Times is not alternative media, their article Alexander Aides on Wal-Mart Team about Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander’s ties to Walmart is relevant nonetheless. Should you have the time and the inclination to get your information in a more sociable way, the group Walmart Free DC has been scheduling free community screenings of the film “The High Cost of Low Prices” in every ward in the city. The next screening will be in Ward 3: Palisades Neighborhood Library 4901 V St. N.W. – PAL Large Meeting Room Thursday, March 31, 2011 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Following that is a screening in Ward 5: Woodridge Library 1801 Hamlin St. N.E. Wednesday, April 6, 2011 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM If you’d like to do more than just follow the story in the media, Walmart Free DC has begun meeting regularly on Saturdays at Empower DC, 1419 V Street NW. The best way to become involved and stay informed is by subscribing to their list serve. To do so, send an email to walmartfreedc@lists.riseup.net. The groups No Ward 4 Walmart and Ward Four Thrives appear to be working in conjunction on this issue. If you’re a Ward 4 resident looking to get involved, they can be contacted via their website WardFourThrives.blogspot.com. Their blog has lots of information about Walmart in general and links to a bunch of articles that aren’t posted here. Enjoy! Comments are closed Gentrification, Walmart Alternative Media, anti-walmart activism, media activism, Wal-Mart, Walmart |
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