   The Boston Global Action Network, the post-Seattle global justice coalition in Eastern Massachusetts, was one of the longest lasting networks of its time. It spawned several subgroups, notably Bankbusters which continued the struggle against the World Bank and successfully lobbied the city of Cambridge to join the World Bank Bond Boycott, and the BGAN FTAA Task Force that coallesced critics of both FTAA and CAFTA, its Central American successor, into an active coalition. Other loosely affiliated groups and individuals worked on AIDS in Africa and the defense of political dissidents who were persecuted by the state in the years following Seattle. What we were For struggling for a better world all of us are fenced in, threatened with death. The fence is reproduced globally. But fences are broken. The rebels search each other out. They walk toward one another. They find each other and together break other fences. In the countrysides and cities, in the states, in the nations, on the continents, the rebels begin to recognize each other, to know themselves as equals and different. They continue on their fatiguing walk, walking as it is now necessary to walk, that is to say, struggling... - Subcommandante Marcos BGAN came together initially as a mobilization of labour, democracy, and environmental groups in the fall of 1999. The initial success in Seattle and later in Washington DC with the April 16 World Bank/IMF protests, saw BGAN take on a more permanent form, educating and mobilizing people for social justice, the environment, cultural survival, labor and human rights in the face of neoliberal globalization. It continued to sustain a diverse, non-partisan network of over 20 local, national, and global grassroots organizations that did not follow a single ideological position or practical approach, but rather aimed to support one another in a spirit of solidarity, mutual aid, and celebration. What we became Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free. - Starhawk Eventually a small group of dedicated individuals formed the heart of BGAN, a development that was not forseen by its original backers who envisioned a looser working network oriented on specific campaigns as opposed to a network hub with a unique identity. While some of these activists involved themselves directly in sustaining the network, others worked on campaigns, building coalitions around new issues of interest to the global justice movement. Most importantly, the various summit mobilizations reawakened and reactivated a mass of activists by directly confronting the alienation and destruction of community at the core of neoliberalism's corrosive affect on society. What we struggled to be That we are not a collection of individuals dispersed by the world, but rather a living harmony of colors and voices, a constant shout of desires and thoughts that are born, that grow, that lovingly fertilize in one heart and one will, woven of hope. - From the Declaration of the Indigenous National Congress in Nurio, Mexico, March 2-4, 2001 After September 11, BGAN was eclipsed by the anti-war movement, as the struggle against neoliberalism took on a far more ominous and direct tone against a resurgent imperialism. However, some of the foundations that BGAN laid, including tentative experiments with forming "activist base communities" in Boston's various neighbourhoods and the "network of networks" model were incorporated wholesale into the peace movement. BGAN also provided a large number of seasoned activists to the cause who brought with them their concerns over structural democracy in the new coalition. By 2002, the remaining working groups within BGAN returned to its core globalization issues. FTAA gave way to CAFTA as the main point of struggle, while Bankbusters continued its work with the World Bank Bond Boycott. The various members of the network also continued their tireless work, while attention turned more to immediate concerns of survival under the gloom of war and recession. Many of the core individuals also moved on from Boston, either into self-imposed exile, or to other American cities to continue the struggle. No fate but what you make This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists. Dangerous passions of pride, hatred and selfishness are enthroned in our lives; truth lies prostrate on the rugged hills of nameless Calvaries. The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority. - Martin Luther King Jr. Not one of us knows what effect his life produces, and what he gives to others; that is hidden from us and must remain so, though we are often allowed to see some little fraction of it, so that we may not lose courage. The way in which power works is a mystery. - Albert Schweitzer The links below will give you a fair idea of how the long struggle is continuing in Boston these days. For those checking this site after a long absence, a big hug and hello! We had some very good years together, and undoubtedly will continue to struggle to make other worlds possible throughout our lives. Best of luck in all your endeavours. United for a Fair Economy Jobs with Justice (Eastern Massachusetts) Boston Social Forum American Friends Service Committee (Boston) Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador Alliance for Democracy Grassroots International |
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