Notes from the National APIMB meeting 8/7/11

 APIMB 8/7

 

Strengths

• broad geographic representations

• primarily youth (not typically in alliance spaces)

• convos not present in other national spaces

• planners present a broader view about conditions, what a movement is

– it got people thinking nationally

 

Political development

Exchanges

Sharing resources

Shared learning

 

Left & Revolutionary

• Sharing personal stories was really important

o Could actually reveal things in this session

o Qualitative difference b/c past sessions was about grassroots

o Balance this time between organizers and grassroots folks good

• What is left? What are we talking about? What’s the commitment? How

do we bring our left work into our organizations

• What does a third space (political home) look like

• Small steps on clarifying vision and analysis

• This is an Asian thing. Move forward with the momentum we have

• Terry & Mike support in drafting analysis. Shiu Ming have syllabus for this

• Commitment to make it happen relatively thin – relevant for us in

determining what it takes to make it happen

• Some participants just curious

• The set of people talking about a Left is much smaller – 20-30% of

the whole space

• 20% prob down with the left project; 30-50% of the small group down

for left project.

 

Who is in to explore this? In what?

 

Criteria:

What is capacity?

What’s it gonna take to push us forward

 

Opportunities

 

“It” is a national formation

Organizer’s network: younger organizers thrived on meeting each other

A left space would open up to leftists not working in mass organizations

 

 

• Create a national study program that will put forward questions of

what are left formations, with eye on Asian Left Formation in the

long-term

o CONSENSUS

 

• Continue to have exchanges

 

• Just form the formation already! Common points of unity, make it

cool to be left, develop consciousness of ppl on what it means,

support each others’ work, just goals May 1st, Anti-war, etc.

 

• Grab the lowest hanging fruit by putting out trainings/analyses and

engage in local work/ national formation?

 

• China Exposure Program (or elsewhere)

o Help from APIMB to develop the idea

o Within frame of international solidarity

o Develop proposal, deal w/ political analysis piece

 

• Connect Grassroots and APIMB

 

o Focus on organizers in the 20% first, focus on grassroots

organization people first

o Later we can branch out, but right now focus on grassroots org ppl first

o Means APIMB is about the grassroots. Would be a different character

 

Is APIMB moving toward building a national left formation? What’s your

role in it?

- Stacy: Yes, but not feeling currently accountable to organizations in Bay Area

- Helena: If so, would want it to be informed by our communities not

typically a part of Asian left. Not just college students  - a

reaction to APIMB’s student focus in the past.

- Michael: Yes, better equipped now. A national Asian formation a future step.

- Mark: Focus on study and discussion. Coordination in different

regions very hard. Be a discussion space primarily. As much as we can

handle. An organization not realistic.

- Brian: not sure

- Timmy: Would be interested in talking about a national study program

for creating a left org.

- Le: Just form the formation already. Start small and moving from

there. Have something accessible for people to begin to be presented

about “being Left”. Lowest hanging fruit ppl interested in being left

- a service provided to build left Asians. An Asian left 101. Ambition

great, program small. Example of this retreat. Could have had greater

structure b/c no clear accountability or commitment previously

articulated

- Alex: Should do it. Conditions ripe for it. Goals would be like Le.

Doesn’t want to get stuck on organization question. A group with

common points of unity. Goals would be to be more explicit about being

left, make it cool. Developing consciousness of people and what it

actually means. Support each other’s work. First phase where most

critical mass. Left edge of the progressive stuff we’re doing. It

needs a name points of unity for coming together. Anti-war, Foxconn,

Immigrant rights, national days of action. Be more explicitly about

left politics. Energy in Asian organizers in grassroots organizations.

Target activists in organization. China exposure – focused on

activists. Ex of Pilipinos and NAFCON

 

1. Asian Left Formation (A.L.F.) – YES!

2. Connect APIMB to exchanges more – No, keep as is

a. What does it mean to be connected

b. Do orgs connected to APIMB? No

c. Dunno if it’s good or bad to be explicitly left

d. “For what” is the question we don’t land on each time we’ve done an exchange

i. the “For what” is something not just the organizations should come up with

ii. After the study, come to common analysis, stick in a ppt and

inform the direction

iii. Difference is that with vision have at least one strategy convo

iv. Would advance the gatherings

 

NEXT STEPS

• Create a national study program that will put forward questions of

what are left formations, with eye on Asian Left Formation in the

long-term

 

Syllabus (3 sessions)

• Review – NY study,  get materials from Shiu Ming

• Create what’s not there

• Topics: Left formations – left ideologies, capitalism/china, left

history, budget crisis, frame the current moment

 

Process of distribution

• Point people

• Criteria for participants

 

Points of unity

• Discussion to sharpen points of unity

• Review existing points

 

By end of 2011 syllabus completed, process of distribution

Complete 3 sessions by August 2012

Evaluation by December 2012

 

F/up with Jay and Terry about involvement

Syllabus/plan – Stacy, Michael, Mark, Kim, Timmy, Helena

Implementing plan/distribution – Brian, Michael, Kim, Timmy, Alex, Helena

Attendance – Le

Coordinator – Stacy & Michael

 

1. Asian Left Formation

2. APIMB initiated the exchange, and supports it now but the exchange

is not a project of APIMB. APIMB is open to organizations and

individuals

3. National study

4. APIMB leads toward Asian Left Formation

5. Suggest APIMB name change, leads

 

Questions:

Helena: Some questions about how to talk to ppl

Brian: Explore more the China Exposure Trip

Michael: How well will we be able to carry this out

Kim: Need to pull in a few more elements to get this done

Michael: not clear about general members – Boston has local members

Name change