Busboys and Poets Books Presents POWER CONCEDES NOTHING
Date and Time
Jun 14, 2022 6:00 pm
Location
Takoma
235 Carroll St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20012
Jun 14, 2022 6:00 pm
Takoma
How did our movements in the south flip key states against Trump, hold the line in Virginia, and make gains states like in Florida and Texas against such great odds?
This discussion comes out of the must-read book Power Concedes Nothing by Linda Burnham, Max Elbaum, and María Poblet. It lays out the organizing work building up to the monumental 2020 election including what worked, what didn't, and how they approached the challenge of both "going broad" to win a crucial election and "digging deep" to build a base for long-term progressive change. Power Concedes Nothing features voices of the on-the-ground organizers mobilized for record-breaking turnout, registering new voters and motivating an electorate both old and new.
The discussion features:
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, with an introduction from a member of our Busboys and Poets team, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of POWER CONCEDES NOTHING will be available for purchase before and after the event. Full dinner service is available throughout the show. Please note that this event will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books. Proof of RSVP may be requested on arrival if capacity is reached.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
Vivian (she/her/hers) serves as the Civic Engagement & Racial Justice Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, overseeing APALA's programs on voting, redistricting, immigration advocacy, and political engagement. Her role builds on her recent leadership of APALA's field program in Nevada, coordinating and mobilizing AAPI communities for record voter turnout. She previously worked in federal science policy and served two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Philadelphia, Pa., and Moline, Ill. She is dedicated to advancing social and economic justice informed by the collective power of communities, and to improving physical environments. She holds an MPA from Princeton University and a B.S. and B.A. from Carnegie Mellon, where she dedicated time to cultivating AAPI community and building solidarity across communities of color. Vivian's hometown is Columbus, Ohio, sprouting from dual Taiwanese and Buckeye traditions.
Maria Peralta drives the political strategy for one of the most powerful unions in the country, a league of workers and activists that press for issues for everyday people. Her family was among the first Latinos to integrate a white working class neighborhood in the Bronx, an experience that taught her resilience, a respect for diversity and the power of solidarity among marginalized people. As a result, she refuses to accept an economy that only works for wealthy people while leaving low-wage workers behind. She is the national political director at Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and oversees the program dedicated to building political power to improve the lives of SEIU’s 2 million members and their families. But Maria’s work has an impact on everyone, whether they are a union member or not. She knows that good jobs, decent wages, humane immigration policies and healthcare are among the most important issues in our country and says candidates will need to meaningfully engage voters on these topics to convince them to show up at the polls.
Deepak has been an organizer, campaigner, educator and alliance builder for over 20 years in the labor movement and community organizing. In June 2013, he began serving in the new role of Chief of Staff at the Center for Community Change. From 2003 to 2012, Deepak worked in the labor movement, for the Service Employees International Union and then the United Food and Commercial Workers. He organized and campaigned with workers in several industries, including janitorial, health care and retail. From 1995 to 2003, Deepak worked at SCOPE/AGENDA in Los Angeles, first as community organizer and lead organizer and then as director of SCOPE's national training and political education program. From 1991 to 1994, he did his first full-time organizing work with the U.S. Student Association. After nearly 18 years in California, Deepak recently relocated to the Washington, D.C. area with his wife, Pronita Gupta, and their daughter Sadhana.
ABOUT POWER CONCEDES NOTHING
Power Concedes Nothing tells the stories behind a victory that won both the White House and the Senate and powered progressive candidates to new levels of influence. It describes the on-the-ground efforts that mobilized a record-breaking turnout by registering new voters and motivating an electorate both old and new. In doing so it charts a viable path to victory for the vital contests upcoming in 2022 and 2024. Contributors include: Cliff Albright, Yong Jung Cho, Larry Cohen, Sendolo Diaminah, Neidi Dominguez, David Duhalde, Alicia Garza, Ryan Greenwood, Arisha Michelle Hatch, Jon Liss, Thenjiwe McHarris, Andrea Cristina Mercado, Maurice Mitchell, Rafael Návar, Deepak Pateriya, Ai-jen Poo, W. Mondale Robinson, Art Reyes III, Nsé Ufot and Mario Yedidia
