The Anti-Oppression Resource Organization (AORTA), whose membership includes Philadelphia-based community organizer Esteban Kelly whom we interviewed in the second episode of the High Alert podcast is about to go on their Fall 2013 tour. The tour will see them holding workshops in Portland (OR), Bellingham (WA), Vancourver (BC) and Seatle (WA) on topics including Anti-racism for community organizers and Deconstructing ableism. If you're in those cities, do yourself a favour and check them out. Alternatively, their site holds some informative primers on what they're about and how you can think about anti-oppression in your work.
I first came across AORTA at the North American Students for Cooperation (NASCO) annual conference in Ann Arbor (MI) a few years ago where I took part in a phenomenal session they held (amongst many others) on community-based conflict resolution and the Philly Stands Up approach as an alternative to the prison industrial complex. I remember it as an exceptionally well-facilitated workshop skillfully bringing together different themes into a concise piece of reflection.
Incidentally, registration is now open for this year's NASCO conference to be held Nov 1-3.
