2009 Leftist School in Edwardsville, Illinois

1st Annual Left-wing School of Greater St. Louis/Metro-East

Host: Autonomy Alliance (AA)
Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Location: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Street: Peck Hall 2413 and 2414
City/Town: Edwardsville, IL

PURPOSE AND GOALS:

This School, or in-service for people interested in Left-wing ideas, is an opportunity for people to learn about a variety of ideas, presented by various organizations. This is also an opportunity for organizations to come together to exchange their ideas and learn from each other.

For new Leftists, this offers the potential to interact with a variety of ideas and organizations, while learning their strengths, ideas, and a lot of raw information. It also offers the potential to become plugged into an organization and become more active, as well as understand Left-wing issues and perspectives more clearly. Please, engage everyone you can to learn as much as you can!

For organizations, this offers the potential to interact with new Leftists and newly formed organizations, possibly to develop a united front. You will get to propose your ideas and not have them misrepresented by other ideologues, and you will have the opportunity to engage other groups and new Leftists with your ideas.

All organizations involved should have taught the lesson(s) for the Left-wing School to their own organization prior to the actual event. This allows members from each organization to attend OTHER organizations' workshops to maximize the exchange of ideas, maximize engagement, maximize critical inquiries, and have discourse that is essential for any healthy solidarity in our future.

Participating Organizations:

Autonomy Alliance

Workers International League

Metroeast Progressive Movement

Gay-Straight Alliance (SIUE)

Radical Education Against Capitalist Tyranny! (REACT!)

Socialist Organizer

Metroeast Green Party

Workers Emergency Recovery Campaign

Black Bear Bakery

Show Me No H8

Hands Off Venezuela

SCHEDULE:

9:00 – 9:25 - Peck Hall 2413: Breakfast (Black Bear Bakery); Introduction and Explanation - Alec Plant (Autonomy Alliance)

9:30 – 10:20

PH 2413: – The Need for A Mass Party of Labor/Role of the Revolutionary Party - Dave May and Ryan Raymond (Workers International League)

PH 2414: The Need for A Popular Revolution - Metroeast Progressive Movement

10:25 – 11:15

PH 2413: Capitalism is the problem. Socialism is the solution. - Paul Poposky and Nikhil Kothegal (Workers International League)

PH 2414: History of Schooling in the US - Andy Lucker (Autonomy Alliance)

11:15 – 12:30 Lunch; Documentary on Gay Marriage Buses - Ed Reggi (Show Me No H8)

12:30 - 1:20

PH 2413: Feminism and the Kinship Sphere - Amber Robins and Andy Lucker (Autonomy Alliance)

PH 2414: Co-presentation 1) LGBT Information and Politics - Stacy Hansen; 2) "What it's like to be a gay Republican..." - Joel Durham (Gay-Straight Alliance (SIUE))

1:25 - 2:15

PH 2413: Working in A Workers' Collective - David Feldmann and Eric Boschen (Black Bear Bakery)

2:20 - 3:10

PH 2413: A Democratic Secular Solution for Israel and Palestine - Steve Tamari

3:15 – 4:05

PH 2413: Technology, Computers, Software, and Organizing with Them - Ben West

4:05 – 4:30

PH 2413: Ending Comments; Reflection; Open Dialogue; Do we want to do this again?

If you or a Left-wing organization would like to participate in these discussions or table at the School, please, let us know by messaging here, or emailing autonomyalliance@gmail.com.

DIRECTIONS:

St. Louisians, The following items will be useful for getting to and throughout SIUE. SIUE has one of the geographically largest campuses in the U.S., though, it's not a big school. It's easy to get lost and can be difficult to find.

For GoogleMaps, here are the simplest directions to get to SIUE's Campus:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=st.+louis,+mo&daddr=38.77657,-90.046005+to:1+Hairpin+Dr,+Edwardsville,+IL+62025+(Southern+Illinois+University+Edwardsville:+STARBUCKS)&geocode=Fc-0TQIduUaf-in5ju36qbTYhzFb4Lsiyuo5vg%3B%3BFf7tTwIdLr-i-iHcY-760PXU7w&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=11&via=1&sll=38.734804,-89.977341&sspn=0.234064,0.617294&ie=UTF8&ll=38.716055,-90.096817&spn=0.234126,0.617294&z=11

From there, it may help to view this interactive campus map on your computer:

http://www.siue.edu/maps/

ALSO, PRINT THIS OFF, or, at least take a close look at it and make note of directions:

http://www.siue.edu/maps/map_campus.pdf

The event is in Peck Hall (#4 on this map), but you will have to park in one of the countless parking lots and walk to Peck Hall. (I advise the lot by Lovejoy Library.) Please, be in Peck Hall BY 9:00.