The Bertha Capen Reynolds Society is an organization of workers in social welfare committed to economic and political justice, peace and alliance with movements for fundamental change in existing class, racial and gender hierarchies. It is named after Bertha Capen Reynolds (1885-1978), an eminent author, educator, practitioner, trade unionist and social activist whose lifework linked concerns for individual and social change.

Every year, the BCRS holds a conference aimed at bringing together a diverse group of activists, social workers, students and academics to discuss, strategize and renew ourselves.

This year the conference will focus on how to build alliances for economic justice. It is clear that various social justice movements all have an important contribution to make in building "one big movement." Our work is to identify what we have in common, to find ways to work together despite our differences, and to develop an inclusive vision to guide us in the work ahead. This conference will provide us with the opportunity to think together, talk together, act together and enjoy each other.

BCRS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Friday, June 25 Friday AM 9:00-10:15 Beginnings:
Greetings from Smith College School for Social Work Poet Linda Carney;
Fred Newdom: Creating Alliances for Economic Justice & the Role of Social Welfare Work and Workers

FRIDAY MORNING 10:30-12:00 Foundations Workshops: These short workshops introduce the major assumptions, facts, and approaches that will help conference participants have a comparable base of information that will allow us to work together more productively. Our assumption is that everyone needs to be introduced to some of the content and methods that will resonate throughout the conference. We urge participants to attend the workshop about which they know the least.

1. FACING ECONOMIC REALITIES: Joel Blau, SUNY at Stony Brook; Rosemarie Freeland, Welfare Rights organizer, Greenfield, MA. Reviewing and understanding the basic assumptions about the wealth, job and income structures that influence our strategies and alliances.

2. POPULAR EDUCATION AND POLITICAL ACTION: Anna Megyesi, American Friends Service Committee, Northampton, MA. The basics of popular education and why it is important to find new ways to learn and to teach as we try to make change. Exploring the assumptions and politics behind popular education methods.

3. POLITICS THAT OPPRESS US: WELFARE & IMMIGRATION REFORMS: Mary Sutherland, ARISE for Social Justice, Springfield, MA; Cheri Honkala, Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Philadelphia; Tyler Moran, Immigrants and Refugees Association, Boston. This session will cover the basics of what we know now about how federal and state policies are hurting people - a place to learn and get basic questions answered.

4. MORE POLICIES THAT OPPRESS US: THE MENTAL HEALTH MANAGED CARE ANTI-SYSTEM Debbie Levine, Boston. The basics of what we know about how the managed care system is making both autonomy and appropriate treatment for people with mental illnesses difficult to achieve, and is dramatically changing the nature of work within the system.

5. FACING THE WORLD AS A RADICAL IN SOCIAL WELFARE: Members of the Journal of Progressive Human Services Collective including Marcia Cohen and Diane Stokle, Portland, ME Developing a deeply felt radical practice within the social welfare systems. Ways to bring our politics into the workplace and still respect and learn from the people we work with.

6. IF THERE'S ONE THING WE DID RIGHT, IT WAS THE DAY WE STARTED TO FIGHT: Organizing Strategies and Options for Today: Willie Baptist, Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Philadelphia; Rick Wilson, West Virginia Economic Justice Project, American Friends Service Committee, Huntington, WV. Ways to think about organizing in these times. What works to allow low income people to gain power and lead alliances? What works to radicalize the non-poor so they stay in the struggle?

7. BEYOND REACTING: ALTERNATIVE VISIONS OF WHAT WE REALL WANT Ann Withorn, UMass/Boston; Teresa Funicello, author of The Tyranny of Kindness. People have been thinking about better ways even in the midst of defeat and fight backs. We'll introduce the basic strategies that are out there for radically changing the systems that oppress: basic income, living wage, and socialism today.

8. DIVERSITY AS A RESOURCE FOR CONNECTIONS: Lisa Werkmeister-Rozas and Preston Smith, Mount Holyoke College, S. Hadley, MA and David Bell, UMass/ Amherst. Folks have been doing diversity and anti-racism work for years now. Some of the lessons we have learned that should help us organize and work together.

9. TALKING UNION: THE ISSUES AND STYLE OF UNION POLITICS: Dale Melcher, UMass Labor Center, Amherst; Jason Pramas, Workers' Center, Boston, Brenda Stokley, President, Social Service Employees District Council 1707, AFSCME/AFL-CIO, New York. As we work more with unions again, many non-labor activists need to learn more about the basics of how the labor unions operate and what it takes to work effectively with labor.

FRIDAY LUNCH: 12:00-1:00 Showing of Outriders; Anchor House Exhibition

FRIDAY AFTERNOON "INSTITUTES": 1:15 -4:30 -Learning From Our Experiences These Institutes give us time to hear about each other's efforts and begin to build the skills we need for action.

10. LEARNING OUR LESSONS: WHAT HAS THE DEBACLE OF WELFARE REFORM TAUGHT US: A conversation among activists led by Mimi Abramovitz, Hunter College, NY; Diane Dujon, UMass/Boston; Cheri Honkala, Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Philadelphia; Roslyn Powell, NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York, NY. Lessons for organizing and changing policies with organizing groups from around the country. We'll be checking in about the state of the movement and sharing tactics and strategies for change.

11. THE ASSAULT ON IMMIGRANTS HAD NOT ENDED: Keeping Watch and Learning From Each Other. Susan Collins, The BRIDGE/El PUENTE, Houston, TX; Tyler Moran, Immigrants and Refugees Association, Boston; Rhina Ramos, Workplace Project, Long Island, NY; Changes Project social action theatre, Holyoke, MA. Lessons for organizing and changing policies from Texas, New York, Massachusetts. We'll be checking in about the issue and sharing tactics and strategies for change.

12. WATCH OUT, WE'RE ALL NEXT: SOCIAL SECURITY AS THE NEXT REFORM: Ken Grossinger, AFL-CIO; Maie Croner, National Jobs for All Coalition; Jason Pramas, Workers' Center, Boston. What's behind the rhetoric? How to be prepared and why. Lessons from the AFL-CIO organizing and education campaign to save and improve social security, as well as discussions about the potential effects if we don't win on this.

13. I AM A WATERMELLON SEED: EXPLORING POVERTY THROUGH METAPHOR: Ann Scott, Rhonda Soto, Krystal Recor, Alicia Robert and Cynthia McBride, members of the The Changes Project, a participatory action research project investigating the impact of welfare policy changes on the learning and achievement of adult students in the Mentor Program at Holyoke Community College. This is a participatory workshop led by current and former welfare recipients to explore the "welfare experience" through generating and analyzing metaphors.

14. BUILDING BRIDGES: LEARNING FROM COMMUNITY/LABOR CAMPAIGNS: Mary Brent Wehrli, UCLA; Louise Simmons and Marcia Bok, University of Connecticut, Hartford; Bob Pollin, Living Wage Campaign, Amherst; Judith Mullins, Pioneer Valley Project, Springfield. There are many efforts going on to build new kinds of community/labor alliances. Learning from the Living Wage, Anti-Displacement, and Contingent Work campaigns.

15. LEARNING HOW TO WALK FUNNY: DOING RADICAL CLINICAL WORK AND TEACHING WHEN YOU HAVE ONE FOOT IN THE SYSTEM: Fred Newdom and Jerry Sachs, Smith College. Progressive workers and teachers face a number of contradictions between the demands of their values and the demands of the institutions in which they work. Efforts to reconcile these contradictions include approaches that grow out of the work and ideas of Paulo Freire and other liberatory thinkers. Workers and teachers will have an opportunity through facilitated discussion and experiential approaches to share ways they have addressed the dilemmas they face by having one foot in radical politics and the other foot in the system.

16. DEFENDING OURSELVES: REMEMBER WHAT THE RIGHT IS STILL UP TO: Chip Berlet and Serena Kahn, Political Research Associates, Boston; Jean Rexford, Coalition for Democracy, New Haven, CT. Learning how the Right is still fueling local efforts to undermine public schools, stop abortion and gay rights and, in general, to end domestic socialism. We will discuss what's happening and how people are fighting back.

17. HERPOLITIC/HERPRACTICE: FEMINIST POLITICS AND SOCIAL WELFARE: Barbara Joseph, SUNY at Old Westbury; Mary Hobgood, Cross University, Worcester, MA; Cross University, Worcester, MA; Mary Bricker-Jenkins, Temple University, Philadelphia. What have we learned from 25 years of feminist practice and organizing? How do we bring a feminist understanding to the policies and reduced work opportunities of today's corrupted welfare state?

FRIDAY DAY 4:30-5:30: Who was Bertha Reynolds, Why Name Ourselves After Her and Why Change Our Name? Betsy Meisner, Boston; Pearl Tuck, Danbury, CT; Tomannie Walker, New York City; Ann Withorn; Fred Newdom

FRIDAY EVENING: A Conversation with Adolph Reed, The School for New Research, New York and Cheri Honkala KWRU, Philadelphia with respondents from movements about the state we are in and what to do about it.

SATURDAY, JUNE 26
SATURDAY MORNING: 8:45-9:30 Greetings: A special greeting/orientation for folks joining the conference on Saturday, including a greeting and short introduction to the issues facing our Northampton neighbors from Clare Higgins, President of the Northampton City Council.

SATURDAY MORNING Workshops II. 11:45-11:15
18. FIGHTING THE STIGMAS THAT DIVIDE US: Lenny Lapon, Springfield; Heather Johnson, Foundations, Inc., Holyoke. People with mental illness are often subtly and not so subtly excluded from joining the struggles for change that they understand so well. This workshop will focus on experiences of challenging the stigma and understanding its implications for all.

19. HEALTH RIGHTS AS A BROAD-BASED ORGANIZATION ISSUE: Attieno Davis, Health Care for All, Boston; Marty Nathan, Southwest Community Health Center, Springfield; Jeff Scavron, Brightwood Health Center, Springfield. Health care offers important opportunities for linking the concerns of African American and Latino communities with a wide array of white working and middle class people's concerns -- how do we take advantage of these opportunities? What are the issues in building coalitions around health care?

20. GAY RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS LINKING THE STRUGGLES: Sean Cahill, New York City; Pam McMichael, SONG (Southerners on New Ground), Louisville, KY. Struggles around gay issues are often separated from other progressive initiatives, so that radical gays and lesbians are often left with the dilemma of "choosing" their struggle. We'll explore experiences of bringing gay issues into other struggles, especially in broad based coalitions.

21. BLACK RADICAL POLITICS: WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES AND IMPLICATIONS OF A REVIVED BLACK POLITICS: Judith Roderick, Black Radical Congress; Adolph Reed, Labor Party. As the intersections between race and class becomes clearer within the economy, the possibilities for a more radical Black politics may be rising. What will affect the possibility of this happening? How does it relate to building an alternative force for change?

22. THE CRIMINALIZATION OF PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING: David Ellenbrook, Diane Stokke, and Luther Brown, Castleton State College, Castleton, VT, Katherine Van Wormer, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA; Michaelann Bewsee, ARISE for Social Justice, Springfield; Ellen Miller-Mack, Brightwood Health Center, Springfield. Under welfare and immigration reform, poverty itself is becoming criminalized at the same time as many social problems are being "solved" by longer and tougher criminal sentences. What are the implications of this for people with substance abuse and mental illness issues as well as for low-income communities?

23. SIX DEEGRESS OF SEPARATION: SEEING WELFARE RIGHTS AS HUMAN RIGHTS: ARISE for Social Justice, Springfield. This experiential workshop uses popular education approaches to deepen participants' understanding of economic and political power and its impact on policies like welfare reform.

24. LISTEN UP: CREATING A LISTENING PROJECT: Anna Megyesi and Rick Wilson, American Friends Service Committee. The Listening Project is a process developed by Rural Southern Voices for Peace in North Carolina. We will train ourselves in a method that local groups can use in gaining insight into community perceptions, expanding community awareness and working for social change.

25. CAMPUS BASED ORGANIZING: Amanda Sapir, Mount Holyoke College; Jennifer Fasulo, Mahmood Ketabchi, Johnnie Zibell, Parent Student Survival Campaign, Amherst. Students are rebuilding a base of campus concern for economic justice issues -- from welfare, to immigration, to homelessness. This workshop will explore What's going on, what the issues and potential are, and how to keep the process moving forward.

26. WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF WELFARE REFORM: WHAT CAN BE DONE: Mary Byrne; Ted Murphy, Salem State College, Salem, MA; Jennifer Filipovich, Missoula, MT; John Templeton, President, Local 509, SEIU, Boston. This workshop will focus on what can be done to make parts of welfare reform work for people, what are the dangers and possibilities (for recipients and workers) of trying to work within the system. People from various states around the country will share their experiences and research.

27. CHANGING THE MEDIA/USING THE MEDIA: Wes Blixt, freelance journalist, Amherst. How do we change the media images and messages that mislead and discourage people? How can we get the media attention we need without making the mistake of chasing the media instead of organizing?

SATURDAY LUNCHTIME: 11:30-1:15:--YOU ONLY GET WHAT YOU ARE ORGANIZED TO TAKE: NOT ACCEPTING THE UNACCEPTABLE: Conversations about organizing & building alliances with people who are doing the work in welfare reform, social security, women's rights, worker's rights and housing/homelessness. Moderated by Ann Withorn.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS III: 1:30-3:00
28. INCREASING MISERY: SEEING THE EFFECTS OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY: Don Cooney, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI; Pete Delgado; Asoka Bandarage, Mount Holyoke College. Capitalism today demands compliant low waged workers with fewer protections and a shrinking conception of economic rights for all. This workshop will give participants a chance to explore how this works and what it means for workers and social policies within the US, as well as how to fight back without dividing ourselves from each other.

29. IS THAT A MOVEMENT BUILDING? Mary Bricker Jenkins, Temple University, Philadelphia; Grace Ross, Women's Alliance, Framingham, MA; Attieno Davis, Health Care for All, Boston; Ann Withorn, UMass/Boston. There are signs that things are changing and we may be rebuilding a movement. We will think about how to know when to stand up, sit down, pipe down and speak out. This workshop covers how movement building differs from community-based organizing and how it is linked.

30. PRIVATIZING THE PUBLIC'S TRUST FUND: LEARNING FROM WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE FEAR: Bob Fisher, University of Houston; Rick Colbath-Hess, Human Service Workers Rights Initiative, Boston; Timothy Scott, New York City; Jason Pramas, Workers' Center, Boston. Privatization has already changed the criminal justice and mental health worlds. It is fast creating dramatic shifts in public welfare and public health. How is this all linked to the attack on secure jobs, the welfare state, social security and our future? This workshop will link current struggles together into a broader picture of what is happening.

31. GETTING TOGETHER: LOW INCOME PEOPLE'S ORGANIZING WORKSHOP: Michaelann Bewsee and Mary Sutherland, ARISE for Social Justice, Springfield; Rosemarie Freeland, welfare rights organizer, Greenfield, MA; Pat Gowens, Welfare Warriors, Milwaukee; Cheri Honkala, KWRU, Philadelphia. This workshop will allow people in low income people's organizations to talk together about the issues they face in doing their work in these times. Especially, how to keep low income people in leadership while working in coalitions and how to link to broader issues while responding to immediate attacks.

32. YOUTH ORGANIZING: TIME FOR MOVING ON: Susan Saltzburg and Grace Seibert-Larke, Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA; Members of the Governor's Commission on Youth; Beth Mattison, Youth Leadership Academy, Northampton. In our graying world, the power and potential of youth to make change is often overlooked. This workshop will address how programs that originate as service can also lead to political action. Lessons from gay youth organizing, student organizing and other youth struggles.

33. OUTRIDERS: A VIEWING AND DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW TO USE THE FILM IN ORGANIZING AND EDUCATION: Kensington Welfare Rights Union, Philadelphia. The film Outriders has great potential as an organizing and educational tool. This workshop will view the film and talk with KWRU allies and members about how it can be used effectively.

34. STAYING ALIVE: WAYS SOCIAL ACTIVISTS CAN SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND BUILD RESILIENCY: Kathy Armenta and Jean Ellis Avera, University of Texas, Austin, Texas. Bombarded by economic injustices, managed care, the power of the right and other assaults, organizers need to develop effective capacity building skills to sustain their passion, motivation and spirit. This workshop will use experiential methods to help participants who are trying to work for change to examine and identify the whole set of strengths they possess for facing the difficulties of social justice work.

35. COMMUNITY /UNIVERSITY CONNECTIONS FOR CHANGE- What's Possible? What Are the Limits?: Lee Staples, Boston University; Louise Simmons and Marcia Bok, University of Connecticut. This workshop will present some examples of the issues and possibilities when universities and community organizations try to build partnerships for change.

36. CREATING NEW VISIONS FOR CHANGE IN NEW WAYS: THE WORK OF SCHOLARS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: Dan Claussen, SAWSJ, Umass/Amherst. Enough of talking heads and strategic planning. This workshop will cover how we can push ourselves to bring an ever-widening alliance together in more creative ways and how to use that creativity to push for justice.

37. FAITH AND JUSTICE BASED ORGANIZING TO PREVENT MORAL MELTDOWN: Sister Jane Morrissey, SSJ; Fred Rose, Pioneer Valley Project, Springfield; Morris Norwood; Folks for the Simple Way, Philadelphia. As the policies of today are cutting closer and closer to the moral bone, the work of faith-based groups in organizing and getting the message out about what is wrong has become critical. This workshop will discuss the work of several faith based organizations and explore the issues and the potential for pushing harder.

SATURDAY 3:15-4:30 ECONOMIC RIGHTS ACTION IN NORTHAMPTON

SATURDAY 5:00-6:30 Discussion of the war in the former Yugoslavia: This program went to press just as the U.S./NATO bombing started. Descriptions of presenters and content were not yet available.

SATURDAY NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT AT Davis Center: Come dance to the tunes of STASH

SUNDAY MORNING, June 27: 9:00-12:00 Closing Gathering Discussion of where a movement of social welfare progressive types goes with Ann Withorn and Pam McMichael.