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Class Action
June 2007 E-news
1. The Commons
2. Book of the Month: Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons by Peter Barnes
3. June Action Against Classism
4. Resources: Class and the Commons
5. Share your experience: Class Action Survey
6. Join the Founders Challenge by June 30th
7. Class Action 3rd Anniversary Picnic! July 19th, in Northampton, MA
8. Class Action is Moving!
1. The Commons
Class in U.S. society is greatly shaped by a person’s access to socially created wealth –or what a new generation of economic thinkers call “the commons.”
The commons refers to the various forms of common wealth around us, what we have together. This includes the natural commons, such as fisheries, seeds, air, land, water, and airwaves. It includes the social or community commons, such as libraries, transportation infrastructure, property and intellectual property. It also includes the cultural or knowledge commons, such as music, indigenous medicine, the internet, languages.
One way of viewing the commons, articulated by commons thinker Peter Barnes, is “the gifts of nature, plus the gifts of society that we share and inherit together –and that we have an obligation to pass onto our heirs, undiminished and more or less equally.”
People’s class circumstances are directly tied to their historic access to these forms of common wealth. The great Robber Baron fortunes from a century ago were built by cornering and controlling the natural resource commons.
Over the last hundred years, there have been rapid technological advances, each building on the common knowledge of previous generations. No one can claim individual private ownership of what Gar Alperovitz calls our “technological inheritance.” Yet with our skewed distribution of wealth and power in the U.S., a limited few are profiting from our common legacy.
Deepening our understanding of the commons will help us in our efforts to uproot classism. One good start: check out the web site of the Tomales Bay Institute at www.onthecommons.org.
2. Book of the Month: Capitalism 3.0 by Peter Barnes
Reviewed by Chuck Collins
Peter Barnes, the co-founder of Working Assets, argues that capitalism needs a radical “system upgrade” to address the degradation of nature and grotesque class inequalities.
Read more....
You can read more Book of the Month selections in our book corner.
3. June Action Against Classism
Start or join a community garden.
-Community gardens are great common spaces. They are used by all types of people in all types of towns, cities and countries. Start one, join one, or support your local one by asking what they need! Weed for 10 minutes daily, offer to water on weekends, or share your gardening knowledge!
The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) is a bi-national nonprofit membership organization of professionals, volunteers and supporters of community greening in urban and rural communities. The Association recognizes that community gardening improves the quality of life for people by providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulating social interaction, encouraging self-reliance, beautifying neighborhoods, producing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, conserving resources and creating opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education.They can help you find your local garden or to start one in your neighbor. Click here to read more about them.
4. Resources: Class and the Commons
A Race and Class Look at the Commons
“Race, Wealth and the Commons” from May-June 2007 issue of Poverty and Race: Dedrick Muhammad and Chuck Collins tackle the myth of private wealth creation. No one builds wealth alone, they argue. In U.S. society, private wealth (savings, homeownership, investment wealth) is derived from a combination of individual activity and the “commons.” Class and race advantages greatly influence who is able to tap into this “common wealth.”
The solution is to tap “commons” based revenue to broaden wealth and opportunity and reduce class disparities.
Review of The Commons: Another Kind of Property, a chapter in David Bollier's book Silent Theft - by Matt Bannish
It would seem we have arrived at an irreconcilable incompatibility; self-interest cannot be manifest as community-interest. Read more
5. Share Your Experience: Class and the Commons
How does your class background affect how you use the commons?
Let us know at our survey page.
6. Join the Founder's Challenge by June 30th
Class Action reached over 5,000 people in 15 states in its first 2 1/2 years. We're now growing our programming to reach even more people in more communities. But we need your help. Please consider giving by June 30th.
Founder's Challenge to match new and increased gifts
Now's the time to make your gift to Class Action! It wil have twice the impact. The Founder's Challenge will match the first $22,000 in new and increased gifts received by June 30, 2007.
Never contributed to Class Action? Missed contributing in 2006? Make a gift this year and it will be matched 100%. Contributed last year? Increase your gift this year and the increased portion will be matched 100%.
Through the Founder's Challenge, each dollar will be matched, essentially making your gift twice as much. Gifts must be recieved by June 30th, 2007.
This matching gift opportunity is made possible by three participants in Class Action programming who came together to offer Class Action its first ever challenge grant! This $22,000 challenge, initiated by the AnJeL Fund of the RSF Global Community Fund, honors Jennifer Ladd and Felice Yeskel for founding Class Action. It is the first leg of Class Action's Inspiring Action Campaign.
Click here to give online...
Donations may also be sent in or called in to Class Action:
Class Action
P.O. Box 350
Hadley, MA 01035
413-585-9709, ext. 201
7. Class Action 3rd anniversary potluck picnic!
Help us celebrate at Look Park in Northampton, MA Thursday, July 19th from 4:30 to dusk. You bring a dish and we'll provide the rest. This event has been super fun in the past - don't miss it! If you know you'd like to come, RSVP to Sarah.
8. Class Action is moving!
Late this summer we will move just down the road to bigger and better digs. We would appreciate donations of office furniture (lamps, bookshelves, tables, desks) and painting help. If anyone knows or is a generous contractor who could donate their expertise to us in order to replace the carpet, plumb in a sink, and do electrical/ IT work, please let us know! Sarah is at 413.585.9709 x201
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