Building Unity for Nonviolent Action!
By Ken Warren
On Jan. 24, I was one of several MOSES members who spontaneously showed up at James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation for their monthly People, Peace, and Planet potluck. This particular one had been publicized as a kind of a kick-off for Building Unity for Nonviolent Action (BU4NVA). Speakers included John Nichols, Ajak Johnson, Everett Mitchell, and Rebe Silvey. During the week preceding the event, organizers started to recognize that it was going to be very well attended and arranged to put the presentations on Zoom. You can find a recording of the meeting on the website linked below.
That decision was fortuitous. I never heard an actual estimate of the crowd’s size, but I estimated the number of attendees at 300 to 400. The building was bulging at the seams!
After a welcome by emcee Tim Cordon, Ajak Johnson of Badger Collective got the audience energized and inspired. Their message was to emphasize the importance and strength of collective action. John Nichols followed Johson to the podium and continued to rev up the crowd with emphasis on the human rights violations going on right before our eyes.
Nichols then brought Rebe Silvey to the stage to remind us of the work that Voces de la Frontera has been doing and continues to faithfully perform within the Latinx community. Finally, Judge/Pastor/Activist Everett Mitchell brought everyone to their feet with a rousing speech about the dangers we face as a society – and a challenge to each of us to be ready to act.
Since the Jan. 24 program, at least 25 local, neighborhood, and faith-based groups have formally endorsed and become involved in the movement. Building Unity has already held several training sessions and has more planned. These early sessions filled up quickly, so many of us are still in need of training in ways to be effective when and if the time comes. A weekend of training is planned for March 14-15.
There has been great success in getting individuals to sign the BU4NVA Solidarity statement, but the group is also working to encourage local organizations and churches to add their names to the list of movement supporters. As part of that work, Tim Cordon and Rebe Silvey spoke at our MOSES General Meeting on Feb. 8.
Individual action teams continue to organize and disseminate information, but more action teams are needed. Anyone who knows of a few people in their neighborhood or congregation who are concerned about the tactics of our federal agencies, particularly ICE, are encouraged to form an action team. Visit the BU4NVA website for more information about BU4NVA, including ways to get involved and a schedule of upcoming training opportunities: https://www.buildingunitywisconsin.org/building-unity-for-nonviolent-action/