Principles of Unity
1. We believe that poor and working class families, people of color, oppressed nationalities including immigrants regardless of documentation status, women, LGBTQ community members and youth must be at the forefront in leading the way to our liberation.
2. We believe that there are related systems of oppression and exploitation that are responsible for the conditions our communities face here and around the world, and that our work must challenge these forms of oppression. Specifically, we fight against:
- Racism and white supremacy (oppression based on race and nationality)
- Sexism, patriarchy, and heterosexism (oppression based on gender and sexual orientation)
- Capitalism (oppression of the poor and working class by the rich and ruling class)
- Imperialism (oppression of entire nations and peoples by other nations and peoples).
3. We believe that these systems of oppression aim to maintain power by continuing to divide and conquer our communities; however our solidarity and strength is at its best when we understand and appreciate our various cultures, backgrounds, and histories.
4. We believe that our local struggles are connected to a larger movement of national and global struggles of oppressed people and that together, we need to move toward our goals of social, economic, and political justice.
5. We believe in creating long-term solutions that address the root causes of problems and in building real security in our communities and beyond, by addressing the origins of conflict and violence and by fostering greater commitment and accountability to one another.