elissasmith.ca

10/10/2005

reVOLUTION

Filed under: — Elissa Smith @ 12:46 am

I know that the environmental and social justice movements are going to become as big as the Vietnam war, the Women’s movement, the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Black Panthers was for students decades ago.

I feel the passion, the energy, and the excitement wherever I go.

The only difference these days is that with the higher tuition fees youth have to spend more time working. I know people who are full time university students, work full time and manage to squeeze in time to contribute to the movement. GO GABRIEL, KIRA and PETRA- you guys are rock stars!

The challenge is greater. But we’re back stronger than before!

This movement is built on love and friendship.

We’ve united. We’re all working towards a common vision- we’ve just bitten off different chunks of the cookie- whatever we’re most passionate about. There is so much solidarity and mutual understanding for the interconnectedness between the fair trade, anti-oppression, anti-globalization and different environmental movements.

People show respect for the “diversity of tactics” approach. There is a deep sense that we’re all in this together. I fight inside the UN against trade liberalization, for a human right to water, for environmental refugees and I know my friends are fighting riot police outside the WTO meetings. The anti-nuke movement gave us brilliant decision-making tools to organise by “consensus” rather than with heirarchies.

Our potential for mass mobilization is greater than ever before. We’re the best educated generation ever. I have access to so much information. We’re able to communicate to one another and the wider public better than ever before- the internet’s organic structure is connecting us. The internet was originally a military invention- how ironic!

This movement is only going to get bigger and stronger- so you may as well make the decision to get involved now!

“There ain’t no power like the power of the people cuz the power of the people don’t stop.”

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