William Barber Takes Us to Church at Netroots Nation
David Dayen reported at Salon that while Vice President Joe Biden (who ran late because of the Ukraine crisis) got more attention and spoke to a full house -- Barber got bumped to 9 PM on Thursday night of the conference and spoke to a half empty room. Nevertheless, according to Dayen, Barber stole the show. Dayen observed that Netroots Nation had evolved over the years "from the passion of activism to something like a trade show for the Professional Left. Organizations," he correctly reported "dominate the space and a number of the panels, and networking often takes precedence over idea formation. But the embers of hardcore activism do remain at a conference big enough to encompass a variety of perspectives." Barber, a member of the mainline Protestant denomination, Disciples of Christ, is also the leader of the state NAACP. Dayen who offered the only detailed reporting on Barber's speech that I've seen summarized some of his points:
Every time a moral fusion movement sought great changes among the populace, Barber explained, they invited a backlash, from extremists wanting to deconstruct this moral foundation. The way to deal with them was not through rational compromise or horse trading. Barber stated firmly that they need to be fought, that a movement must grow and bear witness to the most basic rights of citizenship, and show America the "higher ground."
Though too few bore witness to Barber's remarks - and nary a soul in the press - they encapsulated the other spirit of the netroots, not of an interest group subject to ingratiation by ambitious politicians but of outsiders, armed only with their moral convictions, using the tools they have to fight for change. Between Joe Biden's paean to consensus and Rev. Barber's plea for moral reconstruction, I know what I'd choose. I agree. And having listened carefully to Barber's keynote speech, I plan to do a series of posts about it -- and what it means for writing, thinking, and acting in response to the Religious Right.
William Barber Takes Us to Church at Netroots Nation | 1 comment (1 topical, 0 hidden)
William Barber Takes Us to Church at Netroots Nation | 1 comment (1 topical, 0 hidden)
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