by Claudia Ellquist

The Green Party of the United States decided several months ago that it would conduct its 2006 Annual National Meeting in Tucson, Arizona in a non-corporate setting. The venue selected was the Historic YWCA building, which is located half a mile from campus, half a mile from downtown, and right off of the retro and lively 4th Ave. Merchant's District. The Historic Y is home to a number of environmental and social justice organizations, as well as to the Paolo Freiere Freedom School and Zuzi Theatre.

Meeting in such a setting required healthy community backing in the form of a volunteer corps, to replace typical corporate services, and also required intentional thought about how to make conventioneers feel welcome and comfortable. Coffeemakers and fair trade coffees, water pitchers and borrowed cups, vegan/omni caterers, media sound equipment, rides and parking all had to be provided, as did folders, tables, accessibility services, housing (dorms and hotels), and bus route maps.

One theme that brought folks specifically to Tucson was Border Issues. Green conventioneers informed themselves in a comprehensive workshop, but Green planners preceded the workshop by making Border Issues the theme of the local fundraiser, on Friday night. The Mexican food and music were seasoned by discussion of the issues of deaths in the desert, and of divided native peoples. This event ended with the reading of representative names of the thousands of persons who have died crossing the Tucson sector alone, in the decade since the building of the Wall. Y, sin nombre, con la palabra "Desoconocido," for those who died unidentified, and are buried in Tucson's potter's field.

Another theme ironically related to this, because of the ugly presence, in each instance, of border militarization and a Wall. Violence in the Middle East was the topic of several convention workshops, and it was also the focus of the one action to which conventioneers were invited by local Greens on Friday night-- the weekly local Women In Black vigil. From 5-6pm, over 80 Greens stood in the scorching heat to protest the ineffectiveness of war as a solution to differences between neighbors. Sadly, this theme turned out to be more timely than anticipated, because of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which was ongoing during the convention.

The Peace Candidates

As is typical of every Green Party convention, a candidate Campaign School was offered, in several workshops, and Green Party candidates from all over the US were featured in press events. Most Green business is conducted in local communities, but the common theme of pragmatic and sensible solutions to the issues of governance is the ongoing theme of all Green campaigns. Because we are not over-represented on ballots, we pursue grassroots activities in our campaigns, taking the issues right to the people. Meeting face to face, in these conventions, allows us to compare and share information on successful work.

Meanwhile, delegates to the National Committee of Green Party of the United States met and conducted party business, receiving committee reports, electing internal leadership, and discussing finances and plans for party effectiveness and growth. These are functions that the National Committee can, and does, conduct, year round, electronically. But once a year, we see the face, hear the voice, make new connections, overcome reservations, form opinions, learn perspectives, brainstorm ideas, have a bit of fun, and experience hope and renewed determination, coming together, rebuilding the lever upon which we stand to move the world.

Claudia Ellquist is active with the Arizona Greens and was the onsite coordinator for the GP-US Annual Meeting.