“It is time to take back our democracy and demand that our elected officials stand with everyday people—not the greedy bankers and corporations that crashed our economy and put families in crisis. Together we will stand against the politics of division and speak truth to power. We will restore our shared values in order to achieve our shared dreams for the future—together we can create a just, equitable and sustainable society for all.”
Are you in? Then this Saturday, get yourself to the annual convention of the Alliance to Develop Power. If precedence holds, it’s sure to be a lively and powerful event.
ADP’s roots go back to a campaign to preserve affordable housing projects around the Valley; over the years, it’s gone on to establish a workers’ center, pushed for economic policy changes that serve working people, advocated for immigrants’ rights, and established a worker-controlled maintenance and landscaping business, among other things.
“The inherent dignity in self-determination drives all of our work—the way that we organize, the issues around which we engage, and the operating principles that govern the cooperative businesses we launch,” ADP’s mission statement says. “We seek to be a model for the broader adoption of these practices.”
ADP expects 700 people at this weekend’s convention, as well as elected officials, including Gov. Deval Patrick, who will be asked to commit to working with the organization on its goals. “Officials will hear testimony on various issues of community concern including the economy, job creation, immigration reform, affordable housing and green equality,” according to an announcement from ADP.
The convention takes place this Saturday, Oct. 16, at Centro Cristiano Nacion de Jesus (formerly Sinai Temple), at 124 Sumner Ave. in Springfield.
