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San Lucas Workers Center Goes To Washington Hundreds of community leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. in late April for the National People’s Action Conference. National People’s Action is a non-partisan alliance of local community organizations devoted to grassroots empowerment. San Lucas Workers Center was well represented among those community leaders. SLWC leaders participated in strategic planning and action for the NPA jobs team and immigrant rights team. Our leaders also co-chaired the Jobs Workshop, providing testimony in several workshops, advocated for worker rights on Capitol Hill and participated in a meeting with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. SLWC also played important roles in several of the direct action “hits” including an action at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.” Here are the thoughts of several SLWC worker/leaders after the conference: NPA was a very inspiring and exciting experience of camaraderie and togetherness with people from all around the United States who are similarly engaged in fighting for justice in their communities. Being at NPA, one feels that they are doing the good work of ‘demanding democracy’s promise’ and having a great time doing it. To hear how groups are attacking injustice in their communities and succeeding and telling your own story is nothing less than thrilling. To march on the home of Chuck Connors, the acting Secretary of Agriculture, with all our number demanding that he stop stealing the system of agriculture form the people and giving it to his cronies was just plain right on. to converge in the same way upon the offices of the Business Roundtable and demand that they stop stealing the system of education from the people was just what I had been aching to do since they started their No Child Left Behind scam. The hits on the RNC and the DNC also did my heart a lot of good. It was ll that our society needs so badly but gets far too little of: The people participating in and taking control of their democracy. Let’s do NPA every weekend! Mark Saulys
This NPA was my first time but it won’t be my last. It was fun for me, as well as meaningful, to have people come from all over the U.S. to form a greater power to help stop some of the unjust things that are happening in our communities with low-wage workers, housing, and other things. We did something called “site visits” where people get together and visit those responsible for the things that affect our communities. NPA stands for National People’s Action and when the people get together, that is exactly what we do - take action. I like the saying that we have the power, that people have the power, the power to make a difference in our day to day lives. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Just to be a part of something like this was a rush for me, to see people fighting together for the same cause. For me, that’s real power and that’s what NPA stands for – people coming together to fight the fight. Kevin Anderson
My first year at the NPA conference made me feel and believe in people power. I never realized that there were so many people nationally supporting each other and fight as one for our rights. It was an experience of strength, will, and belief that will continue to feed our spirit and nurture our consciousness. I now feel committed to continue the fight. I hope to be with all of you at next year’s conference, ready to achieve victories for our communities. Javier Franco
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