Aug
28
2012
In July, 2012 William Copeland and Rayven Roberts represented EMEAC at the Accountable Community Governance Convening held by the South by Southwest Experiment in Jackson, Mississippi.
This event, to be held at The Commons on Thursday, August 30th from 6-8pm, will serve as a community report back. But furthermore will be a discussion about what does Accountable Community Governance look like in Detroit.
The South by Southwest Experiment is an inter-generational partnership initiated in 2006 by established grassroots social justice organizations: Southern Echo and the Mississippi Delta Catalyst Roundtable in Mississippi, the Southwest Workers Union in Texas, and the SouthWest Organizing Project in New Mexico.
• The ACG Convening had as its long term goal: The creation and implementation of an accountable community governance model through which grassroots communities and public officials can learn to work together to build fair, just and healthy communities.
By Governance, we mean institutions that make policies that impact our lives. This includes government and elected officials but also includes civil society, and grassroots organizations.
Some topics that will be collectively discussed include:
• Current Campaigns related to community governance including: the new city Charter, PA4 and the Emergency Management Situation, The Detroit School Board and its Emergency Management Situation, the most recent Primary election and upcoming elections.
• Detroit as a majority Black municipality- how does our governance meet or not meet our needs
• How do organizations, neighborhoods and activists work together? What is the role of youth? What relationships do we hold with elected officials and their staff/ administration?
This event is co-sponsored by East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC), the Green Party of Detroit, and Building Movement
For additional resources, check out a video produced by SxSW or other reflections from William Copeland.