Call for a University of the Poor

Dear Member of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign,

We hope all of you and your families are doing well and have continued organizing since the March of the Americas. We want to thank each of you and your organizations for making the March a success.

One of the most important parts of the March of the Americas was the participation of so many dynamic organizations of the poor. While each organization came to the March with a rich history and a unique range of experiences, all of the groups are united in the struggle to build a movement to end poverty led by poor people themselves. These varied experiences towards the common goal of securing economic human rights for all can be a valuable resource to us all.

We are breaking new ground by building a new social movement in this country, a movement to end poverty and economic human rights violations. The role of education and the exchange of experiences becomes increasingly important as we develop new tactics and strategies for this new period.

Join us. A number of the organizations of the PPEHRC discussed and agreed at the March of the Americas on the concept of a "University of the Poor" - a web-centered university where the different groups of the PPEHRC can share their experiences, leadership development ideas, and educational models. This university will host exchanges, where different "teachers" and "students" from participating organizations can visit other areas nationally and internationally to learn lessons on organizing, educating and developing membership. During the March, the Movimento Sem Terra (Landless Workers Movement) of Brazil extended an invitation to host such exchanges. The "University of the Poor" will also host intellectual exchanges including calls for papers to assist the PPEHRC organizations with organizing in their local areas. During the March, organizing low wage, temporary and contingency labor workers was identified as one such issue. Different leadership development institutes, education centers of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign will serve as campuses for the "University of the Poor". The libraries and resources that each of our organizations have developed can be shared among the campaign, either at the sites/campuses or over the web.

As poor people's organizations, we have limited resources to regularly get together in large conferences and gatherings. Through developing independent and cheap lines of communication with our web pages, listserves and email, we will be able to better support one another. The "University of the Poor" can be web centered and much of the exchange of information and curriculum can be over the Internet.

We want to share an experience that demonstrates how the "University of the Poor" might function. After the March of the Americas, members of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union and the Atlanta Labor Pool Workers Union visited Immokalee, Florida, where the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is holding a general tomato strike, asking the growers of Southwest Florida for a dialogue and a raise in the wages for tomato pickers. All three organizations of the PPEHRC were able to learn from each other as the strike unfolded. Also, during this exchange, a web page was developed where the Coalition can add to their network of supporters as well as keep in touch with other PPEHRC groups.

We believe the University of the Poor can help build each of our local organizations. By growing and strengthening locally, we can build a large national movement to end poverty. There is a wealth of information and experiences in this campaign. We see the University of the Poor as an infrastructure to facilitate communication and exchange among the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign. We welcome any and all ideas that you may have on how to establish such an infrastructure. We invite you to consider how you might benefit from and can contribute to the University of the Poor. We will be getting in contact with you soon. But please feel free to send or email your ideas and responses to Willie Baptist or Liz Theoharis of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union. (PO Box 50678, Philadelphia, PA, 19132, (215) 203-1950 fax) (Email Willie or Liz at kwru@libertynet.org) We look forward to hearing from you soon and making the "University of the Poor" a reality.

Sincerely,

 

Willie Baptist Education Director Kensington Welfare Rights Union

Liz Theoharis Education Admin Assistant Kensington Welfare Rights Union