Misplaced Pages

#502497

94-484: Four volunteer-based organizations had been largely response for volunteer efforts on Belle Isle. Friends of Belle Isle, a non-profit grassroots environmental organization, was founded in 1972 and was dedicated to the upkeep and preservation of Belle Isle through cleaning and the ridding of invasive species on the island. In 1988, the Belle Isle Botanical Society began raising money for projects to improve

188-701: A Baptist minister, West's primary philosophy focuses on the roles of race , gender , and class struggle in American society. A socialist , West draws intellectual contributions from multiple traditions, including Christianity , the black church , democratic socialism , left-wing populism , neopragmatism , and transcendentalism . Among his most influential books are Race Matters (1993) and Democracy Matters (2004). During his career, he has held professorships and fellowships at Harvard University , Yale University , Union Theological Seminary , Princeton University , Dartmouth College , Pepperdine University , and

282-520: A "non- Marxist socialist" (partly because he does not view Marxism and Christianity as reconcilable) and previously served as honorary chairman of the Democratic Socialists of America , which he has described as "the first multiracial, socialist organization close enough to my politics that I could join." In the Matrix -themed documentary entitled, The Burly Man Chronicles , he described himself as

376-586: A "radical democrat, suspicious of all forms of authority". West has argued "the overthrow of Saddam Hussein 's ugly totalitarian regime was desirable," but that the war in Iraq was the result of "dishonest manipulation" on the part of the Bush administration. He asserts that Bush administration hawks "are not simply conservative elites and right-wing ideologues," but rather are "evangelical nihilists – drunk with power and driven by grand delusions of American domination of

470-491: A 1907 newspaper article about Ed Perry, vice-chairman of the Oklahoma state committee, the phrase was used as follows: "In regard to his political views Mr. Perry has issued the following terse platform: 'I am for a square deal, grass root representation, for keeping close to the people, against ring rule and for fair treatment. ' " A 1904 news article on a campaign for possible Theodore Roosevelt running mate Eli Torrance quotes

564-466: A CD, the critically panned Sketches of My Culture , and to his political campaigning, including spending an alleged three weeks to promote Bill Bradley 's 2000 presidential campaign . West contended he had missed only one class during his time at Harvard "in order to give a keynote address at a Harvard-sponsored conference on AIDS". Summers also allegedly suggested that since West held the rank of Harvard University Professor and thus reported directly to

658-534: A Kansas political organizer as saying: "Roosevelt and Torrance clubs will be organized in every locality. We will begin at the grass roots". Since the early 1900s, grassroots movements have been widespread both in the United States and in other countries. Major examples include parts of the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Brazil's land equity movement of the 1970s and beyond,

752-515: A broader range of ideas and that he was influenced by his professors as well as the Black Panther Party (BPP). West says his Christianity prevented him from joining the BPP, instead choosing to work in local breakfast, prison, and church programs. After completing his undergraduate work at Harvard, West enrolled at Princeton University , where he received master's and PhD degrees in 1980, completing

846-536: A clear hierarchy are far less effective and are more likely to die off. Astroturfing refers to political action that is meant to appear to be grassroots, that is spontaneous and local, but in fact comes from an outside organization, such as a corporation or think tank. It is named after AstroTurf , a brand of artificial grass . An example of astroturfing was the ExxonMobil Corporation's push to disseminate false information about climate change. ExxonMobil

940-711: A clerical labor union and divestment from apartheid South Africa. One of the protests resulted in his being arrested and jailed. As punishment, the university administration canceled his leave for the spring term in 1987, leading him to commute from Yale in New Haven , Connecticut , where he was teaching two classes, across the Atlantic Ocean to the University of Paris in Saint-Denis . He then returned to Union Theological Seminary for one year before going to Princeton to become

1034-426: A dissertation under the supervision of Raymond Geuss and Sheldon Wolin . He became the first African American to graduate from Princeton with a PhD degree in philosophy. At Princeton, West was heavily influenced by the neopragmatism of Richard Rorty . Rorty remained a close friend and colleague of West's for many years following West's graduation. The title of West's dissertation was Ethics, Historicism, and

SECTION 10

#1732859196503

1128-451: A frequent conversation partner with his friend Robert P. George , a prominent conservative intellectual, with the two often speaking together at colleges and universities on the meaning of liberal arts education , free speech , and civil dialogue . In September 2020, he was listed by Prospect magazine as the fourth-greatest thinker for the COVID-19 era. As of 2020, West is also

1222-478: A larger and more effective non-profit dedicated to improvement projects. The first stakeholder meetings were held in 2009 to see what advocates wanted for the park. A volunteer driven park user survey was conducted in 2010 – with 2200 respondents. By 2010, planning began for a merger based on feedback from users and advocates, and a desire for stronger leadership. The four organizations voted in January 2011 to proceed with

1316-641: A merger. By the end of 2011, with assistance from the Cultural Alliance for Southeastern Michigan and the Michigan Nonprofit Association, the four organizations had officially merged into the single Belle Isle Conservancy. The Conservancy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, governed by a 19-member board of directors, with five members representing the City of Detroit : a seat appointed by the Mayor, one by

1410-505: A non-profit organization dedicated to creating and supporting grassroots movements in America says that grassroots movements aim to raise money, build organizations, raise awareness, build name recognition, to win campaigns and to deepen political participation. Grassroots movements work toward these and other goals via strategies focusing on local participation in either local or national politics. Grassroots organizations derive their power from

1504-448: A plan that would lease Belle Isle to the state for 30 years and transition Belle Isle to a state park, which occurred in 2014. The organization made its endorsement after meeting with city and state officials. Grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from

1598-536: A professor of religion and director of the program in African American Studies from 1988 to 1994. After Princeton, he accepted an appointment as professor of African American studies at Harvard University, with a joint appointment at the Harvard Divinity School . West taught one of the university's most popular courses, an introductory class on African American studies. In 1998, he was appointed

1692-612: A prolific African-American thinker and has been cited as "[p]erhaps the most influential contemporary recover of Du Bois". By establishing West within Du Bois's tradition of racial thought, Carby emphasized the similarities in their intellectual positions and their aesthetic presences, such as clothing. West has been widely cited in the popular press. His scholarship has been criticized as well as praised; The New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier called West's writing "sectarian, humorless, pedantic, and self-endeared". In 1997, West

1786-652: A prominent and active supporter of Green Party candidate Ralph Nader , speaking at several Nader rallies. Some Greens sought to draft West to run as a presidential candidate in 2004. West declined, citing his active participation in the Al Sharpton campaign. West, along with other prominent Nader 2000 supporters, signed the "Vote to Stop Bush" statement urging progressive voters in swing states to vote for John Kerry , despite strong disagreements with many of Kerry's policies. In April 2002, West and Rabbi Michael Lerner engaged in an act of civil disobedience by sitting in

1880-713: A revolution: A transfer of power from oligarchs to everyday people of all colors. And that is a step by step process. On October 16, 2011, West was in Washington, D.C., participating in the Occupy D.C. protests on the steps of the Supreme Court over the court's decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case the previous year. Five days later, he was arrested during an Occupy Wall Street protest in Harlem against

1974-504: A variety of strategies from fundraising and registering voters, to simply encouraging political conversation. Goals of specific movements vary and change, but the movements are consistent in their focus on increasing mass participation in politics. These political movements may begin as small and at the local level, but grassroots politics as Cornel West contends are necessary in shaping progressive politics as they bring public attention to regional political concerns. The idea of grassroots

SECTION 20

#1732859196503

2068-582: Is also a controversial example of astroturfing. Critics, notably including Former President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , dismissed the Tea Party as Astroturf. They say that the movement purports to represent large swaths of America when in reality it comes from a select few billionaires seeking policies favorable to themselves. The Tea Party has defended itself, arguing that it comes out of broad popular support and widespread anger at

2162-418: Is an organization dedicated to upholding and advancing the principles of the American dream through highly sophisticated grassroots field operations. With a clear mission to recruit, train, lead, and retain a workforce of passionate and committed patriots, the group is focused on creating a highly skilled army of conservative, cause-driven individuals capable of executing the most effective grassroots campaigns on

2256-423: Is often conflated with participatory democracy . The Port Huron Statement , a manifesto seeking a more democratic society, says that to create a more equitable society, "the grass roots of American Society" need to be the basis of civil rights and economic reform movements. The terms can be distinguished in that grassroots often refers to a specific movement or organization, whereas participatory democracy refers to

2350-556: Is on the advisory board of the International Bridges to Justice . In 2008, he received special recognition from the World Cultural Council . West is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and its World Policy Council , a think tank whose purpose is to expand involvement of Alpha Phi Alpha in politics and social policy to encompass international concerns. Hazel Carby compared West to W. E. B. Du Bois as

2444-431: Is their blend of military-style leadership and AI-driven "overwatch" technology, which prevents fraud and enhances field performance, making their operations both efficient and reliable. The organization’s unique combination of advanced technology and disciplined management techniques places it at the forefront of grassroots political action, enabling them to play a key role in shaping the future of conservative movements in

2538-466: Is typically designed by outsiders who can only perceive a community’s need and so community needs are often only marginally addressed or not addressed at all. By contrast, bottom-up processing is defined as "observing or monitoring efforts defined and undertaken at the local scale and brought forward to higher-level bodies, often with a focus on supporting outcomes desired by a local community." Bottom-up processing has "local residents and [POC] co-facilitate

2632-631: Is used to organize is through the use of hashtags to group together postings from across the network under a unifying message. Some hashtags that stirred up larger media coverage include the #MeToo movement , started in 2017 in response to sexual assault allegations against prominent figures in the American entertainment industry. Grassroots movements also use hashtags to organize on a large scale on social media. Some examples include: The junior senator from Arizona and standard-bearer of conservative Republicans, Barry Goldwater announced his candidacy on January 3, 1964. Goldwater focused on goals such as reducing

2726-503: The 2024 United States presidential election . West was born on June 2, 1953, in Tulsa , Oklahoma , and grew up in Sacramento , California, where he graduated from John F. Kennedy High School . His mother, Irene Rayshell (Bias), was a teacher and principal. His father, Clifton Louis West Jr., was a general contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense . His grandfather Clifton L. West, Sr.

2820-619: The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory . In 2004, the Belle Isle Women's Committee was created and its first project was to upgrade Sunset Point. The non-profit Friends of the Belle Isle Aquarium was formed in 2005 with the goal of restoring Belle Isles historic 100-year-old aquarium . In 2009, the four organizations put a plan in action to form a single organization that could pool all their efforts and ideas into

2914-866: The University of Arizona to divest from companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories . West also serves as co-chair of the Network of Spiritual Progressives (formerly the Tikkun Community ). He co-chaired the National Parenting Organization's Task Force on Parent Empowerment and participated in President Bill Clinton 's National Conversation on Race. He has publicly endorsed In These Times magazine by calling it: "The most creative and challenging news magazine of

Belle Isle Conservancy - Misplaced Pages Continue

3008-469: The University of Paris in Saint-Denis . He has been featured in several documentaries, and made appearances in Hollywood films such as The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions , as well as providing commentary for both films. West has also made several spoken word and hip hop albums. West is an outspoken voice in left-wing politics in the United States . West was an independent candidate in

3102-432: The integral theorist Ken Wilber . West has made several appearances in documentary films, such as 2008's Examined Life , a documentary featuring several academics discussing philosophy in real-world contexts. West, "driving through Manhattan, ... compares philosophy to jazz and blues , reminding us how intense and invigorating a life of the mind can be". He also appears in conversation with Bill Withers in

3196-500: The 1960s. Such discontent gained traction, particularly after Brazil became a democracy in 1985. The movement focused especially on occupying land that was considered unproductive, thus showing that it was seeking overall social benefit. In the 1990s the influence of the MST grew tremendously following two mass killings of protestors. Successful protests were those in which the families of those occupying properties receiving plots of land. Although

3290-527: The 1980s, the movement became far bigger. In 1981, 800 organizations pushed the government to reduce the military size. The push culminated in a protest by 300,000 people in the German capital Bonn. The movement was successful in producing a grassroots organization, the Coordination Committee, which directed the efforts of the peace movements in the following years. The committee ultimately failed to decrease

3384-445: The 2009 documentary Still Bill . West has made frequent appearances on the political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher . A character based on West and events in his career appeared in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode " Anti-Thesis ", significant for introducing the recurring villain character Nicole Wallace . In May 2012, West guest-starred in the sixth season of

3478-545: The American left." He is also a contributing editor for Sojourners magazine. West supports People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in its Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign, aimed at eliminating what PETA describes as the inhumane treatment of chickens by KFC . West is quoted on PETA flyers: "Although most people don't know chickens as well as they know cats and dogs, chickens are interesting individuals with personalities and interests every bit as developed as

3572-810: The American television comedy series 30 Rock , " What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year? ". West recorded a recitation of John Mellencamp 's song "Jim Crow" for inclusion on the singer's box set On the Rural Route 7609 in 2009. In 2010, he completed recording with the Cornel West Theory, a hip hop band endorsed by West. He also has released several hip-hop-soul-spoken word albums. In 2001, West released his first album, Sketches of My Culture . Street Knowledge followed in 2004. In 2007, West released his third album, entitled Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations , which included collaborations with

3666-525: The Chinese rural democracy movement of the 1980s and the German peace movement of the 1980s. A particular instantiation of grassroots politics in the American Civil Rights Movement was the 1951 case of William Van Til working on the integration of the Nashville Public Schools. Van Til worked to create a grassroots movement focused on discussing race relations at the local level. To that end, he founded

3760-548: The City Council, representatives from the Recreation Department and General Services Department, and the manager of Belle Isle in the Recreation Department. The organization operated in 2013 on a $ 1.2 million budget, including restricted funds, with $ 700,000 spent annually for park operations, and has 1 full-time and 2 part-time employees. The organization's first president, Michele Hodges, began in January 2013. Initially

3854-771: The Class of 1943 University Professor in the Center for African American Studies. West returned to Harvard in November 2016, leaving Union Theological Seminary for a nontenured position as Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy. He was appointed jointly at the Harvard Divinity School and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Department of African and African American Studies. In February 2021, reports circulated that West

Belle Isle Conservancy - Misplaced Pages Continue

3948-914: The Conservancy continued the work that was already funded and started by the four founding organizations. In 2012, that represented an investment of nearly $ 800,000. Those efforts included restoration of the Horse Stables/Maintenance building roof, the Aquarium roof, improvements to the Lake Muskoday habitat, restoration of the Scott Fountain's Pewabic tiles, and improvements to the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. The Conservancy assesses major structures and amenities to identify critical and immediate issues to be addressed. Currently

4042-559: The Conservancy focuses on five main areas. Through membership and an active volunteer program, the Conservancy coordinates the efforts of thousands of individuals to help maintain and improve Belle Isle. The organization plans to launch a capital campaign to fund specific capital improvement projects. The Conservancy is working to become a source of information about Belle Isle, such as its history, current events and attractions, picnic shelter rentals and other amenities, and volunteer opportunities. The Conservancy will continue and expand

4136-508: The Democratic Party and disenchantment with the GOP. Defenders of the Tea Party cite polls that find substantial support, indicating that the movement has some basis in grassroots politics. Critics point to the corporate influence on the Tea Party, which they believe indicates that the movement is more top-down than the grassroots rhetoric would suggest. The Tea Party can be considered grassroots to

4230-628: The Marxist Tradition , which was later revised and published under the title The Ethical Dimensions of Marxist Thought . In his late 20s, he returned to Harvard as a W. E. B. Du Bois Fellow before becoming an assistant professor at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York . In 1984, he went to Yale Divinity School in what eventually became a joint appointment in American studies . While at Yale, he participated in campus protests for

4324-663: The NPR program The Tavis Smiley Show . In response to these remarks, five Princeton faculty members, led by professor of molecular biology Jacques Robert Fresco , said they looked with "strong disfavor upon his characterization" of Summers and that "such an analogy carries innuendoes and implications ... that many on the Princeton faculty find highly inappropriate, indeed repugnant and intolerable". Harvard 's undergraduate student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson , suggested in October 2002 that

4418-566: The Nashville Community Relations Conference, which brought together leaders from various communities in Nashville to discuss the possibility of integration. In response to his attempts to network with leadership in the black community, residents of Nashville responded with violence and scare tactics. However, Van Til was still able to bring blacks and whites together to discuss the potential for changing race relations, and he

4512-626: The New York Police Department's stop and frisk policy. In 2014, West co-initiated the Stop Mass Incarceration Network, a project of the Revolutionary Communist Party USA . Later that year, he and RCP chairman Bob Avakian took part in a filmed discussion on "Religion and Revolution". In August 2017, West was one of a group of interfaith, multiracial clergy who took part in a counter-protest at

4606-500: The Palestinian cause. West wrote: Is Harvard a place for a free Black man like myself whose Christian faith and witness put equal value on Palestinian and Jewish babies – like all babies – and reject all occupations as immoral? On July 1, 2021, West rejoined the faculty of Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan, holding the prestigious Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair. Affiliated with Columbia University since 1928, Union Theological Seminary in

4700-499: The Republican nomination. He sparked a grassroots movement among young conservatives by presenting himself as honest, committed and a genuine politician. The majority of his campaign donations were made by individual supporters; and only one-third of donations were greater than $ 500. The junior United States senator and former Representative from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, formally announced his 2016 presidential campaign on May 26, 2015, on

4794-422: The U.S. There is an ongoing debate as to whether a bottom-up or top-down approach is better suited to address the problems facing communities. Top-down processing involves large-scale programs or high-level frameworks, often driven by governmental or international action. Top-down processing is great for tracking large scale causal relationships in environmental systems and it has better funding. Top-down processing

SECTION 50

#1732859196503

4888-514: The U.S. a "racist patriarchal" nation where white supremacy continues to define everyday life. "White America", he writes, "has been historically weak-willed in ensuring racial justice and has continued to resist fully accepting the humanity of Blacks." He goes on to say this has created many "degraded and oppressed people hungry for identity, meaning, and self-worth." West attributes most of the Black community's problems to "existential angst derive[d] from

4982-468: The campaign to challenge the Democratic front-runner, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , before ultimately losing. Sanders used his grassroots campaign to receive more than 7 million individual contributions averaging $ 27, effectively breaking Barack Obama's previous individual contribution record in 2008. In 2015 the refugee crisis became front-page news across the world. Affected by images of

5076-542: The city of New York has served as the Columbia University constituent faculty of theology. The recipient of more than 20 honorary degrees and an American Book Award , West has written or contributed to more than twenty published books. West is a long-time member of the Democratic Socialists of America , for which he has served as honorary chair. He is also a co-founder of the Network of Spiritual Progressives . West

5170-450: The co-host, along with Tricia Rose , of the podcast The Tight Rope . West has drawn criticism for his spending habits, having been in debt often and owing the IRS $ 483,000 as of 2023. Some of the spending has gone towards extramarital affairs, with some girlfriends and ex-wives claiming that he impregnates and abandons women. He has been described as controversial. West has called

5264-458: The cost of the common good." West has been involved with such projects as the Million Man March and Russell Simmons 's Hip-Hop Summit, and he has worked with such public figures as Al Sharpton , whose 2004 presidential campaign West advised. In 2000, West worked as a senior advisor to Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley. When Bradley lost in the primaries , West became

5358-459: The defiant rage of the Black Panther Party , and the livid Black theology of James Cone ". In 1970, after graduation from high school, he enrolled at Harvard College and took classes taught by the philosophers Robert Nozick and Stanley Cavell . In 1973, West was graduated from Harvard magna cum laude in Near Eastern languages and civilization. He credits Harvard with exposing him to

5452-511: The dogs and cats with whom many of us share our lives." In 2008, West contributed his insights on the global issue of modernized slavery and human trafficking in the documentary Call+Response . West is a member of the Campaign for Peace and Democracy . In 2011, West expressed his frustration with some critics of Occupy Wall Street , who said the movement lacked a clear and unified message. West replied by saying: It's impossible to translate

5546-471: The electorate at large. Critics of Obama have argued that some of these methods are in fact astroturfing because they believe that Obama faked the grassroots support. For example, the Reason Foundation has accused Obama of planting astroturf supporters in town hall meetings. Many movements and organizations must be placed on a continuum between grassroots and astroturf instead of labeled entirely as one or

5640-551: The express purpose of bringing democracy to the local level of government. Reforms took the form of self-governing village committees that were elected in a competitive, democratic process. Xu Wang from Princeton University called the Congress mutually empowering for the state and the peasantry in that the state was given a renewed level of legitimacy by the democratic reforms and the peasantry was given far more political power. This manifested itself in increased voting rate, particularly for

5734-517: The extent that it comes from the people, but it is considered astroturfing to the extent that it is shaped by corporations and particularly wealthy individuals. The term "grassroots" is used by a number of sporting organizational bodies to reference the lowest, most elementary form of the game that anyone can play. Focusing on the grassroots of a sporting code can lead to greater participation numbers, greater support of professional teams/athletes and ultimately provide performance and financial benefits to

SECTION 60

#1732859196503

5828-879: The first Alphonse Fletcher University Professor . West used this new position to teach in not only African American studies, but also courses in divinity, religion, and philosophy. West was also inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa in 1998 at SUNY Plattsburgh . In 2000, economist and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers became president of Harvard. Soon after, Summers held a private meeting with West, in which he reportedly rebuked West for missing too many classes, contributing to grade inflation , neglecting serious scholarship, and spending too much time on his financially profitable projects. Summers reportedly suggested that West produce an academic book befitting his professorial position, as his recent output had consisted primarily of co-written and edited volumes. According to some reports, Summers also objected to West's production of

5922-573: The focus from moving problematic waste to changing the system that produced such waste. The movement is considered grassroots because it utilized strategies that derived their power from the affected communities. For example, in North Carolina, African American communities lay down in front of dump trucks to protest their environmental impact. The success of these movements largely remains to be seen. Grassroots movements use tactics that build power from local and community movements. Grassroots Campaigns,

6016-445: The foundation of reversing "obscene levels" of income and wealth inequality. Sanders stated that he would run an issue-oriented and positive campaign, focusing his efforts on getting corporate money out of politics, raising taxes on the wealthy, guaranteeing tuition-free higher education, incorporating a single-payer healthcare system, fighting against climate change and other key issues. Those inspired by Sanders were able to elevate

6110-442: The global stage. Founded on a deep sense of patriotism, Patriot Grassroots leverages cutting-edge technology to drive its operations. They specialize in a variety of campaign activities, including canvassing, signature gathering, calling and texting, and managing field teams. Additionally, they take on specialized relationship marketing projects for their clients, ensuring maximum outreach and impact. What sets Patriot Grassroots apart

6204-679: The grassroots efforts of the MST were successful in Brazil when they were tried by the South African Landless People's Movement (LPM) in 2001 they were not nearly as successful. Land occupations in South Africa were politically contentious and did not achieve the positive results seen by the MST. The National People's Congress was a grassroots democratic reform movement that came out of the existing Chinese government in 1987. It encouraged grassroots elections in villages all around China with

6298-512: The inhabitants there. Other volunteers journeyed to support refugees across the Balkans, Macedonia and the Greek islands. Grassroots aid filled voids and saved lives by plugging gaps in the system between governments and existing charities. The Axis of Justice (AofJ) is a not-for-profit group co-founded by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian. Its intended purpose is to promote social justice by connecting musicians and music enthusiasts to progressive grassroots ideals. The group appears at music festivals;

6392-437: The issue of the greed of Wall Street into one demand, or two demands. We're talking about a democratic awakening...you're talking about raising political consciousness so it spills over all parts of the country, so people can begin to see what's going on through a set of different lens, and then you begin to highlight what the more detailed demands would be. Because in the end we're really talking about what Martin King would call

6486-421: The larger system of governance. The earliest origins of "grass roots" as a political metaphor are obscure. In the United States, an early use of the phrase "grassroots and boots" was thought to have been coined by Senator Albert Jeremiah Beveridge of Indiana , who said of the Progressive Party in 1912, "This party has come from the grass roots. It has grown from the soil of people's hard necessities". In

6580-400: The likes of Prince , Talib Kweli , Jill Scott , Andre 3000 , KRS-One , Killer Mike , and the late Gerald Levert . West appeared on Immortal Technique 's song "Sign of the Times", which appeared on the 2011 album The Martyr . In 2012, he was featured on Brother Ali 's song "Letter to My Countrymen", which appeared on the album Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color . West is

6674-460: The lived experience of ontological wounds and emotional scars inflicted by white supremacist beliefs and images permeating U.S. society and culture." In West's view, the September 11 attacks "gave white Americans a glimpse of what it means to be a Black person in the United States", feeling "unsafe, unprotected, subject to random violence, and hatred for who they are". "The ugly terrorist attacks on innocent civilians on 9/11", he said, "plunged

6768-462: The local level to implement change at the local, regional, national, or international levels. Grassroots movements are associated with bottom-up, rather than top-down decision-making, and are sometimes considered more natural or spontaneous than more traditional power structures. Grassroots movements, using self-organization , encourage community members to contribute by taking responsibility and action for their community. Grassroots movements utilize

6862-550: The most prominent being Lollapalooza in 2003. The Axis of Justice most regularly appears whenever the bands System of a Down or Audioslave are performing. The group also has a podcast on XM Satellite radio and KPFK (90.7 FM), a Pacifica Radio station in Los Angeles, California. The AofJ's mission is to connect local music fans to organizations, local and global, aimed at effectively working on issues like peace, human rights and economic justice within communities. Patriot Grassroots

6956-481: The organization to invest into the growth and development of the sport. Some examples of this are FIFA 's Grassroots Programme and the Football Federation Australia 's "Goals for Grassroots" initiative. Cornel West Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, theologian, political activist, politician, social critic, and public intellectual . The grandson of

7050-453: The other. For example, Australia's Convoy of No Confidence, a movement seeking to force an early election in 2011, incorporated elements of grassroots infrastructure in its reliance on the anger and discontentment of the participants. It also had elements of astroturf, namely the large extent to which it relied on support from political elites in the opposition party. The Tea Party , a conservative force in American politics that began in 2009,

7144-458: The people. This focus manifested itself in the democratic institutions that focused on engaging the poor and in reform efforts that sought to make the government more responsive to the will of the people. Another instance of a historical grassroots movement was the 1980s German peace movement. The movement traces its roots to the 1950s movement opposing nuclear armament or the "Ban the Bomb" Movement. In

7238-512: The people; thus their strategies seek to engage ordinary people in political discourse to the greatest extent possible. Below is a list of strategies considered to be grassroots because of their focus on engaging the populace: Social media's prominence in political and social activism has skyrocketed in the last decade. Influencers on apps like Instagram and Twitter have all become hot spots for growing grassroots movements as platforms to inform, excite and organize. Another influential way media

7332-576: The plight of refugees arriving and travelling across Europe, the grassroots aid movement (otherwise known as the people-to-people or people solidarity movement), consisting of thousands of private individuals with no prior NGO experience, began in earnest to self-organise and form groups taking aid to areas of displaced persons. The first wave of early responders reached camps in Calais and Dunkirk in August 2015 and joined forces with existing local charities supporting

7426-419: The poor, and increased levels of political awareness according to Wang's research. One example of the increased accountability from the new institutions was a province in which villagers gave 99,000 suggestions to the local government. Ultimately, 78,000 of these were adopted indicating a high rate of governmental responsiveness. This movement is considered grassroots because it focuses on systematically empowering

7520-441: The premise of the Law and Order: Criminal Intent episode " Anti-Thesis " was based on West's conflicts with Summers. In 2002, West returned to Princeton, where he helped found the Center for African American studies in 2006. In 2012, West left Princeton and returned to the institution where he began his teaching career, Union Theological Seminary. He continued to teach occasional courses at Princeton in an emeritus capacity as

7614-735: The president, he should meet with Summers regularly to discuss the progress of his academic production. Summers refused to comment on the details of his conversation with West, except to state that he hoped that West would remain at Harvard. Soon after, West was hospitalized for prostate cancer . West noted that Summers failed to send him get-well wishes until weeks after his surgery, whereas newly installed Princeton president Shirley Tilghman had contacted him frequently before and after his treatment. In 2002, West left Harvard University to return to Princeton. West criticized Summers in public interviews, calling him "the Ariel Sharon of higher education" on

7708-934: The size of the German military, but it laid the groundwork for protests of the Iraq war in the 2000s. Further, the movement started public dialogue about policy directed at peace and security. Like the Civil Rights Movement, the German Peace movement is considered grassroots because it focused on political change starting at the local level. Another example of grassroots in the 1980s was the Citizens Clearinghouse for Natural Waste, an organization that united communities and various grassroots groups in America in support of more environmentally friendly methods of dealing with natural waste. The movement focused especially on African American communities and other minorities. It sought to bring awareness to those communities and alter

7802-474: The size of the federal government, lowering taxes, promoting free enterprise and a strong commitment to U.S. global leadership and fighting communism, which appealed strongly to conservatives in the Republican Party. Despite vehement opposition from the leaders of his party's dominant moderate-liberal wing, such as New York governor Nelson Rockefeller and Michigan governor George Romney ; Goldwater secured

7896-466: The street in front of the U.S. State Department "in solidarity with suffering Palestinian and Israeli brothers and sisters". West said, "[w]e must keep in touch with the humanity of both sides". In May 2007, West joined a demonstration against "injustices faced by the Palestinian people resulting from the Israeli occupation" and "to bring attention to this 40-year travesty of justice". In 2011, West called on

7990-423: The trainings and workshops" -- this "empowers participants." Bottom-up approaches are often not impactful beyond local settings. Grassroots organizations take on a bottom-up approach as they often allow for direct community participation. Grassroots movements are usually criticized because the recent rise in social media has resulted in leaderless and horizontal movements. Some argue that social movements without

8084-611: The whole country into the blues." West was arrested on October 13, 2014, while protesting against the shooting of Michael Brown and participating in Ferguson October , and again on August 10, 2015, while demonstrating outside a courthouse in St. Louis on the one-year anniversary of Brown's death. The 2015 documentary film #Bars4Justice includes footage of West demonstrating and being arrested in Ferguson. West has described himself as

8178-535: The work started by the four founding organizations. This includes improvement to the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, renovation of Sunset Point, the use of the Aquarium for public events, annual events, and habitat restoration. The organization will assess the condition of park buildings, facilities, the forest, canals and waterways, attractions and amenities, public sculpture and fountains, and other park features to determine options and priorities for improvements, maintenance and operations. The Conservancy endorsed

8272-471: The world." He adds, "[we now] are experiencing the sad gangsterization of America, an unbridled grasp at power, wealth, and status." Viewing capitalism as the root cause of these alleged American lusts, West warns, " Free-market fundamentalism trivializes the concern for public interest. It puts fear and insecurity in the hearts of anxiety-ridden workers. It also makes money-driven, poll-obsessed elected officials deferential to corporate goals of profit – often at

8366-467: Was denied consideration for tenure at Harvard and that he had threatened to leave the university again. On March 8, 2021, West announced that he would leave Harvard and move to the Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan. He submitted a resignation letter to Harvard on June 30, 2021. West implied that the decision to deny him tenure was retaliation for his critical stance on Israel and

8460-705: Was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society , and in 1999, to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . West appears as Councillor West in both The Matrix Reloaded (2001) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and also provides the voice for this character in the video game Enter the Matrix . In addition, West provides philosophical commentary on all three Matrix films in The Ultimate Matrix Collection , along with

8554-515: Was founded in the 1970s and has grown into an international organization. The MST focused on organizing young farmers and their children in fighting for a variety of rights, most notably the right to access land. The movement sought organic leaders and used strategies of direct action such as land occupations. It largely maintained autonomy from the Brazilian government. The MST traces its roots to discontent arising from large land inequalities in Brazil in

8648-402: Was largely successful both in disseminating the information through think tanks and in disguising the true nature of the think tanks. More controversial examples of astroturfing often exhibit some characteristics of a real grassroots organization, but also characteristics of astroturf. Many of President Obama's efforts, for example, have been deemed grassroots because of their focus on involving

8742-534: Was pastor of the Tulsa Metropolitan Baptist Church. Irene B. West Elementary School in Elk Grove , California, is named after his mother. As a teen, West marched in civil rights demonstrations and organized protests demanding Black studies courses at his high school, where he was the student body president. He later wrote that, in his youth, he admired "the sincere Black militancy of Malcolm X ,

8836-531: Was ultimately instrumental in integrating the Peabody College of Education in Nashville. Furthermore, the desegregation plan proposed by Van Til's Conference was implemented by Nashville schools in 1957. This movement is characterized as grassroots because it focused on changing a norm at the local level using local power. Van Til worked with local organizations to foster political dialogue and was ultimately successful. The Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST)

#502497