In it’s “Seven Points of Unity” the Marxist Unity Group includes this, describing the socialist government it envisions for the USA: “Supreme power will rest in the hands of a popular, unicameral assembly elected by proportional representation.” Below find a call that reflects a similar vision, but for a formation that we can initiate today in an attempt to prefigure this approach to self-governance by the mass movement of oppressed and exploited. The “Peoples’ Senate” project is being launched by the Spirit of Mandela Coalition, the formation which organized the October 2021 International Tribunal that found the USA “Guilty of Genocide” against Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. (Links to information about all of that below.)
I hope that readers of Cosmonaut will fill in the on-line form expressing interest, plan to attend the webinar projected for February 18 (Noon Eastern Time) and help spread the word.
Steve Bloom
Dear Friend and Fellow Freedom Fighter,
The Spirit of Mandela Coalition, following up on the October 2021 International Tribunal verdict finding the US Guilty of Genocide against Black, Brown, and Indigenous people (see full verdict HERE), is calling for the building of a new mass grassroots formation: The Peoples’ Senate. The people need to govern and represent themselves in combating genocide and addressing their right to a just and humane existence. Our vision is for the Peoples’ Senate, organized directly by our oppressed communities, to grow into a body which will serve that purpose.
Today our communities face the most egregious violations of our human rights since the civil rights and Black power movements of the 1960s and ’70s. Conditions we are living under include random mass shootings, right-wing vigilante attacks, police violence and murder, environmental racism, the reassertion of “states rights” (the “right” of states to ignore basic human rights), and healthcare racism. The US government dangerously scapegoats immigrants; causes destabilization, extreme violence, bombing, and killing of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and poor people all over the globe – and spends billions of dollars to do it; and keeps hundreds of thousands of people living in homelessness and poverty in the US. Our communities are facing targeted attacks against voting rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights as right-wing elected officials and appointed judges roll back decades of hard-won battles for justice. While out-voting right-wing candidates during elections is important, voting alone will not be enough. We must organize to put more pressure on the system for major change.
The US Congress and Senate are representatives of the rich and powerful. They refuse to address the necessity for universal healthcare or a sound nationwide infrastructure providing access to clean water and other necessities. Corporations ignore and violate the needs of the planet while evading their fair share of taxes. US prisons are filled with Black, Brown, Indigenous, and poor people, many incarcerated for crimes they did not commit and/or serving sentences that far outweigh whatever criminal acts they may have committed. The oppressed national communities of Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples all have political prisoners and prisoners of war incarcerated since the 1960s until today, who have fought for our liberation and are being held in prison unjustly or only released when near death. We want them all freed now!
Building our own Peoples’ Senate will enable us to organize locally from a position of strength and connect local activists with others, in other parts of the country, who may be pursuing similar goals while electing “Senators” who are mandated to represent our interests and demands. A Peoples’ Senate can fight for changes that protect and ensure our right to vote, our right to control our own bodies, our right to live free from discrimination as LGBTQ+ people, our rights to living wages and safe working conditions, our rights to sovereignty and dignity, and our rights to live free from state violence and abuse.
We invite you to take a look at the attached introduction titled The Peoples’ Senate At A Glance. We will present a series of webinar discussions about the Peoples’ Senate followed by local and regional meetings to get input and guidance from a wide range of experiences for this organizing project. If you are interested in joining with us in launching these initial steps to build a Peoples’ Senate, please fill out the on-line form HERE as soon as you can. Thank you.
Peoples’ Senate Organizing Committee, Spirit of Mandela Coalition
January 9, 2023
Full Verdict: https://www.
At-A-Glance: https://
Online form: https://form.jotform.
