Rainbow Reflects Local Diversity

Rainbow Reflects Local Diversity

"Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow - red, yellow, brown, black, and white. America is not like a blanket, one piece of unbroken cloth - the same color, the same texture, the same size. It is more like a quilt - many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread. The White, the Hispanic, the Black, the Arab, the Jew, the Native American, the small farmer, the businessperson, the environmentalist, the peace activist, the young, the old, the lesbian, the gay, and the disabled make up the American quilt. Even in our fractured state, all of us count and fit in somewhere. We have proven that we can survive without each other. But we have not proven that we can win or make progress without each other. We must come together." - Jesse Jackson

History was made on March 26, 1988 when Jesse Jackson won the Democratic Party Presidential Caucus in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and the state of Michigan with a campaign based on a vision of common people dreaming and struggling together for peace, freedom, and justice. While the importance of a Rainbow organization has long been recognized by progressives, the institutionalization of a National Rainbow Coalition is now possible because of the hope and energy generated by the Jackson candidacy.

The Rainbow Coalition of Ann Arbor resolves to seek genuine improvements in the quality of life for all citizens of the Ann Arbor area. We seek to promote those ideals that come from the heart: peace, social justice, ethnic and cultural diversity, environmental protection, and true economic and political democracy. We strive to be a true grassroots organization, whereby every person is encouraged to take on a leadership role. We recognize the many barriers that have divided us in the past - race, class, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age, etc. - and we consciously strive to overcome these obstacles and to build a true Rainbow of common people. We understand both how important this is and how difficult it will be.

The program of the Rainbow Coalition of Ann Arbor involves four components. We must organize around those local issues that best embody Rainbow ideals. In Ann Arbor, this could mean work on issues as diverse as affordable housing, hunger, education, voting rights, and the environment. We recognize that other local groups may already address such issues. We seek not to supplant their work but to support and complement it by broadening community involvement.

We must establish a framework so that those of us who choose to do so can support and influence specific progressive electoral campaigns. We believe electoral efforts consistent with the Rainbow platform can be effective organizing tools.

We must facilitate member recruitment and the development of new leadership from among us. This is critical if we are to grow and become more effective. More importantly, the Rainbow concept demands that both our membership and our leadership reflect the diversity of the peoples and movements that we seek to represent.

Finally, we must recognize the need to bridge our own racial, economic, and cultural barriers. Because our diversity represents both our greatest strength and our greatest risk, we must constantly strive to better understand ourselves and each other. The Rainbow Coalition of Ann Arbor seeks your participaron. Please contact us at the address below to learn about future meetings or to get onto our mailing list.

Rainbow Coalition of Ann Arbor, P.O. Box 8062, Ann Arbor, Ml 48107.