Community organizers across the country and the world will gather in in Raleigh, North Carolina to address the crisis of rights and equality, and to build an economy for the people and planet

In the wake of the debt-ceiling debacle of the last few weeks, working people and the poor are facing what could be a decade of increased hardship. Members of the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance are gathering Aug. 26-28 in Raleigh, North Carolina, to redouble their efforts to defend the public sector, and to push back against the conservative myths of scarcity and austerity.

“We as community organizers are coming together to do the hard work of addressing the real crisis — the crisis of rights and equality.” — Cindy Wiesner, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance.

The Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, a national coalition of community-based organizations, will hold its Membership Congress, hosted by Raleigh-based Black Workers for Justice.

“We as community organizers are coming together to do the hard work of addressing the real crisis — the crisis of rights and equality,” said Cindy Wiesner of the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance.  She added, “…We are gathering in Raleigh to develop a grassroots plan of action to move money away from our wasteful military budget and into programs that can stimulate job growth, heal our damaged ecosystem, and provide for everyone’s basic needs.”

GGA’s “Deepen Our Roots, Broaden Our Base, Build Grassroots Internationalism,” will feature testimonials from local groups including the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, as well as inspirational stories from international allies including Alessandra Ceregatti of the World March of Women-Brazil, Marcos Antonio Velazquez Navarrete of the Hemispheric Social Alliance-Mexico, and Hamouda Soubhi from Alternatives Morocco and the Maghreb-Machrek Social Forum- Organizing Committee. 

Host organization Black Workers for Justice will share the highlights of its organizing work to defend human rights and the public sector throughout the state of North Carolina.

“This is a critical time in our region and in our nation for people to come together to resist the assaults on our communities and on our livelihoods.” — Ajamu Dillahunt, Black Workers for Justice.

This includes their fight to preserve quality public education and to stop the school-to-prison pipeline in Wake County and beyond, organizing to promote true democracy in the form of people’s assemblies and in the face of conservative attacks on voting rights and fair districting zones, and defense of worker and youth rights through their Mental Health Workers’ Bill of Rights and Hip Hop for Justice campaigns.  

GGJ believes that lasting change happens when communities — like the low-income communities organized by BWFJ — lead through collective resistance and rights-based solutions tested and proven by experience on the ground. 

Since its founding in 2005, GGJ has connected more than 500 community organizers with international movement leaders from Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. In the process GGJ is redefining international solidarity and building a global movement for peace, justice and a sustainable world from the ground up.

“This is a critical time in our region and in our nation for people to come together to resist the assaults on our communities and on our livelihoods,” says Ajamu Dillahunt, member of Black Workers for Justice. “We need a coordinated response to the cutbacks in jobs, services and the minimum safety net that had been established for families.”

For more information go to www.ggjalliance.org; visit Grassroots Global Justice Alliance on Facebook, or follow on Twitter at @ggjalliance. For more info on Black Workers for Justice go to www.blackworkersforjustice.org or visit Black Workers for Justice on Facebook