#community-organizing

#community-organizing

Lily Rodriguez approaches a woman selling elotes outside a subway station in Queens. She buys one, but what she's truly looking for is to earn the vendor's trust, and find a way to offer her a whistle. Rodriguez was accompanied by other volunteers who were similarly engaged in passing out whistles to every passer-by, distributing more than 200 of the instruments meant to make noise on the New York City streets.

At the core of Pyaari Azaadi's diasporic artistic genius lies the belief that to do something fully and in an embodied way, one must immerse oneself in the storms of the heart, where our emotional and physical selves congeal as both metaphor and sacred koan. It is in that space - where even light is dimmed - that we live our truth, the elusive state that all people of conscience strive to hold.

groups that are on the ground here in Chicagoland, helping people understand their rights, whether they're citizens, residents, or undocumented.

In Monona, a suburban city of around 9,000 residents just outside the capital city of Madison, around 400 people lined one of the busiest corners of the main street of the city. Protesters held signs in opposition to President Donald Trump, took part in cross-street chanting, and encouraged vehicles to honk their car horns in support - which dozens of cars did.

What is artivism? We define artivism as art that is meant for social and environmental change. Basically, we call an artivist someone with three facets. First, they have to be a strong and recognized artist whether they dance, sing, paint, write poetry, etc. Their art should touch people's hearts, minds and dreams. Second, their work should be rooted in their own community. That can be a neighborhood, a city, a region, or demographic, but it should be serving, inspiring

Brendan Griffith was elected by over one million workers across New York to serve as president of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

"We believe that part of making good trouble is community building and getting organized so that when the time comes to make some kind of good trouble, you have people on your side," said Tal Karsten, an organizer with 50501 San Jose.

Advocates rallied outside the federal courthouse, emphasizing the situation surrounding Guillermo Medina Reyes, a Bay Area community organizer, who has lived in the U.S. since age six.

We need to see demonstrations as organizing opportunities, to connect new people to the growing movement challenging Trump's regime.

The trauma from both incidents, Brou said, has stayed with him to this day.

Ali emphasized that the struggles faced by various communities, such as cost of living and access to education, are not limited to any ethnic or working-class group.