A new group will represent progressive Kentuckians from every corner of the state | Opinion
“We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes” –Sweet Honey In The Rock
During this year’s legislative session, Kentucky saw national coverage of what was deemed one of the “strictest anti-trans bills’‘ in the country. Across progressive organizations, Kentuckians mobilized to stop its passage. Young folks from across the state rallied and protested; youth and adult voices alike shared how damaging this bill would be for LGBTQ+ youth in the state.
Kentuckians from across the state and across movements pushed back against dangerous legislation like SB 150 (which creates an unsafe school environment for our LGBTQ students) in the first half of 2023. But this isn’t new. Kentucky’s republican-dominated legislature presents challenges to progressive Kentuckians year after year.
We are Kentuckians who believe that everyone in our Commonwealth should be treated with dignity and respect. We reject oppressive policies like Senate Bill 150.
Progressive Kentuckians have long been on defense, especially as harmful bills like SB 150 moved through the legislature. That’s why building a unified progressive movement, across causes and across the state, is so important to the Bluegrass State. It is time for us to move from defense to offense, to build an agenda and streamline our goals. For this to happen, however, we need to build our collective power and synthesize our stories, dreams, and skills.
To do this, the Kentucky Movement Assembly (KMA) was born. Supporters from across organizations in our Commonwealth have joined together to bring the Kentucky Movement Assembly to northern Kentucky from Sept. 15-17.
The Assembly will be supported by nine statewide organizations: Forward Justice Action Network, Homes For All South, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Kentucky Civic Engagement Table, Kentucky Poor People’s Campaign, Kentucky Tenants Union, Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice, Louisville Tenants Union, and VOCAL-KY.
The KMA will be a gathering of Kentuckians from across the state, and across demographics, to gather and unite. It follows the model of the People’s Movement Assembly, a political methodology born out of the Social Movement Assembly and the United States Social Forum. We know that these gatherings have proven to build collective power among people deeply rooted in their communities. In Kentucky, our own Social Forum led to stronger connections among and between organizations, as well as clearer shared statewide advocacy.
As we prepare for the KMA, we have made an effort to listen to folks from all over the state. In our conversations with Kentuckians in Morehead, Paducah, Covington, Louisville, and Berea, we have heard people lift up shared threads of what’s on their hearts and minds. We heard from people who are left out of the political power structure that they care about health and healthy communities, civil rights and liberation, housing and land justice, youth advocacy and organizing, and climate change and environmental justice.
We have three questions we aim to answer by the end of the Kentucky Movement Assembly: 1) what are the problems we face in Kentucky, 2) what are some solutions to those problems, and 3) what are we going to do with those solutions. This will guide us as we explore the progressive landscape of Kentucky through workshops ranging from youth organizing to climate survival.
At the end of the KMA, we will have synthesized information from conversations and workshops to outline specific goals for our organizational partners and other civically engaged Kentuckians to push for legislation that matters to us – whether that be housing justice or economic justice or anything in between.
We are joining together – from the frontlines of resistance across Kentucky – as the defenders of the land, the water, our bodies, and our homes. We are joining together to build our power to fight against what is holding us back.
We invite folks to join us in northern Kentucky September 15-17. You can find more information and register here.
Attica Scott is the Director of Special Projects at Forward Justice Action Network and former Kentucky State Representative. Norah Laughter is Media Outreach Intern at Forward Justice Action Network and student at Yale University.
