Convention Report: Speakers Bring Message of Hope to Progressives
A convention report from the Kucinich website:
The Rev. Jesse Jackson brought down the house at the Forum on Civil Liberties, Civil Rights and Justice at St. Paul's Church in Boston. The Kucinich for President campaign sponsored the event on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention to give voice to issues that are unlikely to be addressed at the DNC, and invited Dr. James Zogby, Margaret Prescod, Marty Martinez, Mimi Kennedy, and James Cromwell to speak on a panel with Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich and Rev. Jackson.
Both Kucinich and the Rev. Jackson brought the nearly 500 audience members to their feet at several times during their addresses, pounding on the pews and roaring their support.
Director of the Rainbow/Push Coalition, the Rev. Jackson stressed the successes of the progressive movement in America throughout history, and said that the movement will continue to succeed.
"Motivation comes from the bottom up, not the top down, "he said. "Bush has a closed-door policy, but we have the key, and in November, we will open the door to the White House."
" Jackson has a great ability to connect with the audience and inspire them," said Larry Kushi, a Kucinich supporter who attended the event. "It was good to point out that the minority vote made a difference in electing President Clinton, and that ( Jackson 's) work on the Rainbow Coalition laid the groundwork for that success by expanding the electorate."
The event was moderated by Zeenat Khan [ed. note: a Muslim for Kucinich!], a newly elected Massachusetts Democratic State Committee member. Khan spoke of the trauma caused by the events of September 11, and said that our need for security must be balanced by protection of civil liberties.
Rep. Kucinich agreed, saying that Boston was the perfect place to talk about the Patriot Act. "In this country, we have a willingness of people to challenge the status quo. In effect, that's our inheritance," he said. "It is so essential to challenge this group that is creating a security state."
Dr. James Zogby, Founder and President of the Arab American Institute, thanked Rep. Kucinich for his leadership. "He didn't walk away from the fight within the Democratic Party," he said of Kucinich.
Dr. Zogby pointed out that only two groups spoke out against the internment of 100,000 Japanese Americans during the WWII, but 33 groups had joined forces against anti-Arab discrimination within a few weeks of September 11. "It might get bad, but it'll never get that bad again," he said.
Margaret Prescod, co-coordinator of Global Women's Strike, linked American foreign policy with problems in our inner cities. "If you think it's hard trying to survive on minimum wage in inner-city Boston or East L.A., try surviving in Africa on a dollar a day," she said.
Marty Martinez , Latino LGBT activist, spoke of the need to connect different progressive movements. "A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," he said.
Actress and activist Mimi Kennedy spoke about the need for a variety of voices in this debate, and James Cromwell, Secretary and Treasurer of the Screen Actors Guild, spoke about the importance of media reform. "What we have to do in the media is tell the truth," he said, suggesting that films often present an unattainable world, rather than reflecting real lives and real problems. "We will take back the media, and we will take back this country."
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