On the Road from the Gulf Coast to Another World

Last week, hundreds of activists and several buses formed the People's Freedom Caravan, traveling from Albuquerque through New Orleans, Biloxi, and Selma, and stopping in Atlanta for the U.S. Social Forum.

More than a conference, the U.S. Social Forum was a chance for 10,000 justice-minded activists to connect, share, and unite -- and show the world that there is an active U.S. movement with a new vision for democracy.

More than a bus ride, the People's Freedom Caravan was a chance for grassroots activists to strategize against racist policies and violence in the U.S. South. These struggles have gained more attention in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita; just two years out, the Gulf Coast remains in deep crisis.

The U.S. Gulf Coast is a high-speed example of what is happening in so many places around the world: an intersection of privatization and corporate globalization that pushes people on the socioeconomic sidelines even further away from justice. The organization of grassroots resistance and persistence is the antidote for this crisis.

And that is why the People's Freedom Caravan journeyed to the U.S. Social Forum: to come together to press for justice and equality -- on the Gulf Coast, in the United States, and around the world.

UUSC is honored to have supported the People's Freedom Caravan that carried many of our Gulf Coast partner organizations to the U.S. Social Forum.