Peace Talk — Summer 2006
The Quarterly Newsletter of Peace Action MaineThrough a series of workshops, cultural events, and plenary sessions we will discuss issues, develop and strengthen networks, and devise strategies that support peace, social and economic justice, and a safe environment. In all the areas of human endeavor—politics, economics, science and technology, culture and faith—we will attempt to show that “Another Maine is Possible.”
Between July 28th and 30th the first-ever Maine Social Forum will be held in Lewiston at Kennedy Park and the Bates Mill. The history of the Social Forum started in 2001 when Brazil held the first World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, with 12,000 people in attendance. It was initiated as an alternative to elite events like the World Economic Forum—an exclusive conference in which powerful world players meet to plan the global economy. In sharp contrast, the World Social Forum was an open and inclusive space, inviting grassroots organizers, peace and justice activists, environmentalists, and global citizens to meet and share strategies for our global society.
Not only has the World Social Forum continued each year and grown in popularity, attracting over 100,000 registered attendants in 2005, but it has also inspired smaller regional Social Forums to proliferate and to create what some commentators see as a new social movement. In 2004, the United States’ first Social Forum took place in Boston, MA. This summer, there will be two new Social Forums in the United States—one in the Midwest and one in the Gulf of Maine—that are preceding the first-ever US Social Forum to take place in Atlanta, GA the summer of 2007.
The Maine Social Forum—which encompasses the bioregion—is inviting artists, activists, social service groups, nonprofits, grassroots organizers, community organizers, and other interested people to come to Lewiston to discuss how peace and social justice can be achieved. The central theme of the Forum will be “Another Maine is Possible.”
Activities at the Maine Social Forum will include music and festivities in Kennedy Park, workshops, presentations, and discussions in conference rooms at the Bates Mill, and a large bazaar of information and vendor tables on the Bates Mill’s spacious fourth floor. A Film Festival will also be held in the Lewiston Public Library’s Callahan Hall to showcase Maine filmmakers and address issues pertinent to the Maine bioregion.
Organizers expect the event to be successful at strengthening the movement for social justice in Maine as well as bringing excitement and tourism to the mills and local restaurants in downtown Lewiston. So grab your bandanna, peace-quilt, or organic cotton pullover and make history with us by attending the first-ever MAINE SOCIAL FORUM!