Confronting White Supremacy Virtual Symposium

Beneath the veneer of our trophied status as a "progressive" region, organized white supremacy has always found a welcome home in New England since colonization.

Those of us who count ourselves among the various communities who have been threatened, harmed, and excluded historically by this fact have always known this, but even for those of us who may have been drawn towards denial or complacency by our mythical "progressive" image in the past, it should be clear today that we are currently experiencing a strong resurgence of white supremacist organizing & activity in New England.

Come learn about the white supremacist and Far Right movements organizing in New England, how what we're seeing in our region fits into the broader national context, and how YOU can take action in empowered, local community.

We are committed to accessibility AND we are committed to safety. Thus, if you cannot afford the three tiered ticket pricing of $100, $175, and $350, due to security reasons, please email us at jake@communitychangeinc.org. We want everyone to attend who wants to attend without financial barrier AND we are a very small grassroots organization on a shoestring budget. We invite you, (especially middle + upper middle class identifying white folks) to invest in this work through your dollar. Any extra little bit helps tremendously. Thank you. This is sure to be a remarkable few hours that you don't want to miss.

[visit the CCI website for more details]

Part One: Plenary Session -

attendees will hear a discussion between a panel of organizers, activists, educators, and journalists bringing a variety of expertise, experiences and vantage points relating to the problem.

topics include:

• How various regional groups and movements are situated in a wider national political context – so we can better understand what is happening in our local communities

• how state/non-state actors intersect

• Current trends to be aware of (including attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and spaces)

Part Two: Training + further education Workshops -

attendees will choose two of the four workshops to attend that would work best to enable and empower them to take action in their own local community after the symposium.

Local Far-Right Organizing Landscape + What is "Antifa"?

Facilitated by: "presenters" [identity protected]

Building on the morning's panel discussion, we’ll explore the current landscape of white supremacist activity in New England. We’ll look closely at several groups and their ideology and activity and will share tools participants can use to learn more about these groups after the event. We’ll also discuss other types of less well-known activities local white supremacists engage in that are not reported in mainstream media. In the second part of the workshop, we will discuss the history of antifascism and who or what is Antifa. We will consider the spectrum of resistance, a tool for discussion developed by the Jewish Partisan Foundation. Throughout, we will take questions regarding the current landscape and antifascist responses.

Community Defence without the Police

Facilitated by: "presenters" [identity protected]

As we work to build a world worth living in and dismantle white supremacy, we understand that the police actively organize to support white supremacists and fascists. Simultaneously, they maintain a violent, daily occupation of BIPOC communities across the US. This workshop features ongoing projects by targeted communities to organize police-free community defence, and invites participants to begin thinking about how that could look in their own communities.

Antifascist Community Organizing to Stop Fascist Recruitment of Youth

Facilitated by: Mimi Arbeit, Ph.D.

Several fascist and far-right groups seek to recruit white male youth into their ranks, and all youth are susceptible to fascist mythologies of various forms. How can parents, teachers, mentors, youth themselves, and other community members help young people steer clear of fascist recruitment and move instead into movements for social justice? We will offer antifascist strategies for stopping fascist recruitment of youth, and we will invite folks to consider what kinds of organizing efforts could help counter fascist recruitment in your local communities.

Countering Anti-Critical Race Theory Campaigns

Facilitated by Misha Viets Van Dyk, SURJ National & TBA

Public schools are a battleground of white supremacist organizing. The authoritarian movement is attacking schools and young people by banning honest curricula and books, and crushing teacher’s unions. They are restricting (and criminalizing) bodily autonomy with bans on abortion and gender-affirming medical care, and by attacking queer and trans communities. This is a national, and international, fight – and we see it here in New England. Showing Up for Racial Justice is rolling out a multi-pronged strategy to move a broad and vast network of folks taking action across the country and beyond. In this presentation, we will outline our strategies to build the power we need to counter the right’s advances, defend and grow our democracy, and advance our fights for racial and economic justice.

Recent news regarding white supremacist activity in New England:

"It is happening here: Massachusetts has a growing Neo-Nazi movement" - Philip Martin / GBH News / May 19, 2022

"Death Weapons: Inside a teenage terrorist network" - Alexander Nabert,and Christina Brause (Welt am Sonntag), Bryan Bender (POLITICO) and Nick Robins-Early (Insider) / POLITICO / July 27, 2022

"Neo Nazi 'Building White Ethnostate In Maine' Now Working With Local Extremist Group" – Ben Makuch / Vice / October 27, 2022

"White supremacy propaganda activity surged in New England in 2022" - Danny McDonald and Stephen Porter / Boston Globe / March 9, 2023

"Neo-nazi group parades through Portland" - Jack Molmud and Elle Ousfar / News Center Maine / April 1, 2023