by Andre Coelho | Mar 6, 2015 | News
Picture from NABIG Conference (from live stream video)
There is a community of Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) supporters in the United States. To prove it, a small crowd of enthusiast and concerned citizens have got together in New York, the past weekend, to discuss BIG on the Fourteenth Annual North America Basic Income Guarantee Congress.
The event started on Thursday, the 26th of February, with a preconference public discussion at the Long Island City Art Center, followed by almost three days of a fulltime schedule conference, featuring 43 speakers and an audience of a similar size. These speakers formed a wide international panel of academics, city officials, government servants, union representatives, social movement activists, authors and even bank officials, not only from the USA, but also from Ireland, Brazil, Canada, Australia and Germany.
The live audience plus all those following the sessions online, through live streaming, listened to and actively participated in the discussion of a variety of subjects directly or indirectly related to BIG. The latter ranged from robotics and its influence on human society, to dealing with poverty, welfare programs, income distribution, BIG economical and social implications, labor transformations and also tax politics, human rights, social emancipation and involvement. Other important issues were addressed, like the failure of social assistance programs in the USA, corruption at charities, job
precariousness, and clues were highlighted as to how to introduce BIG into mainstream discourse and political discussions.
All along participants were encouraged to express their motivations, ideas and suggestions, in a thinking together kind of general environment, which culminated at an activist meeting at The Commons Brooklyn, moderated by Karl Widerquist and Steven Shafarman. At this meeting, held on the evening of March 1st, other activists like Scott Santens, Mark Witham, Jason Burke Murphy, Michael Bohmeyer and Mary Bricker-Jenkins were present, among other 24 who signed up for this encounter, which had the intent of starting a political movement for Basic Income in the United States. Although not named yet, this political movement is already working in BIG economy and social policy, establishing local BIG chapters, content creation (news and research media) and legally formalizing itself into two groups (a U.S. non-profit and a social welfare organization).
Picture from The Commons Brooklyn NABIG meeting (from live stream video)
More information at:
Karl Widerquist, “Brooklyn, NY: Report from the meeting to create a political movement for basic income“, Basic Income News, March 4 2015
“NABIG sessions“, Basic Income Project, March 2 2015
“BIGS Commons“, Basic Income Project, March 2 2015
by Karl Widerquist | Mar 4, 2015 | News, The Indepentarian
The Commons Brooklyn -The Experimental Gourmand
Thirty-one people signed the attendance sheet at the first meeting of group of people attempting to start a political movement for basic income in the United States. Several more people attended without signing, and others followed and contributed to the meeting online. The meeting took place from 6:30 to 9:30pm at the Commons Brooklyn on February 26, 2015, at the close of the Fourteenth North American Basic Income Guarantee (NABIG) Congress. The meeting began with all participants discussing their background and the history that brought them to the basic income movement. The group then split into several small groups, each discussing a different issue. Participants reassembled to bring their discussion to the whole group and to make some decisions.
The group chose not to name a leader or a leadership committee. It did not even pick a name for the new organization at this point. Instead, it created several committees and asked them to perform certain tasks. The group created the following committees:
- One committee will be in charge of legally chartering two groups. The U.S. Basic Income Guarantee (USBIG) Network, which has existed since 1999 without an official legal charter, will become a U.S. nonprofit organization—a so-called 501(c)(3). This means that it will be able to accept tax-deductible donations, but it will not be able to do overtly political work. The second organization (yet to be named) will be chartered as a social welfare organization or a lobbying group with a 501(c)(4) tax designation. This means that it will be able to do overtly political work, but donations to it will not be tax-deductible. The following members have so far joined the committee to charter the two organizations:
Steven Shafarman
CONTACT PERSON: Steven Shafarman <sshafarman@gmail.com>
Ian Ash Schlakman <ian@civsys.it>
Jason Burke Murphy <murphyjason@elms.edu>
Mark Witham <mwitham@basicincomeproject.org>
Eri Noguchi <en16@columbia.edu>
Dan O’Sullivan <danosully@gmail.com>
- A committee was created to organize the next meeting of the unnamed political group. The USBIG Network meets once a year at the NABIG Congress (which alternates each year between the U.S. and Canada), but the political group will meet more often. The committee hopes to organize the next meeting within 3 to 6 months. The committees within the unnamed political group will probably meet earlier via the internet. The following members volunteered to organize the next meeting of the unnamed group:
Mark Witham
CONTACT PERSON: Mark Witham <mwitham@basicincomeproject.org>
Jude Thomas <composerjude@gmail.com>
Diane Pagen <dianepagen@yahoo.com>
Ann Withorn <withorn.ann@gmail.com>
Dorothy Howard <dorohoward@gmail.com>
- The content creation committee is in charge of research, news reporting, social media presence, and media relations.
Jason Burke Murphy
CONTACT PERSON: Jason Burke Murphy <jason.burke.murphy@gmail.com>
Contact for people interested in the NewsFlash and BI News: Karl Widerquist <Karl@Widerquist.com>
Contact for people interested in improving the Basic Income articles on Wikipedia: Dorothy Howard <dorohoward@gmail.com>
Scott Santens <scott@scottsantens.com>
- The regional network committee will work on establishing local chapters of the group in cities and towns across the United States. The contact person for this committee is:
Kristine Osbakken <krissosbakken@gmail.com>
- Liane Gaile <liane.gale@gmail.com> and Ann Withorn <withorn.ann@gmail.com> agreed to be the contact people for the for working groups on women & Basic Income, basic income & the new economy, and basic income as an anti-poverty policy.
The organizers of this new group without a name put out a nationwide call to anyone who wants to get involved. If people would like to join one of the existing committees or propose a new committee, please email the relevant committee contacts and volunteer. If you don’t know which committee to contact, the two groups have two general contact people:
Contacts:
The unnamed political group: Jason Burke Murphy <jason.burke.murphy@gmail.com>
The USBIG Network coordinator: Michael Howard <michael_howard@umit.maine.edu>
The Following people signed the attendance sheet at the meeting:
Ann Withorn (right) and Diane Dujon (left)
Ann Withorn
Buffy Cain
Dan O’Sullivan
Diane Pagen
Dorothy Howard
Felix Coeln
Ian Ash Schlakman
Jason Burke Murphy
Jesse Alexander Myerson
Joel Cabrera
Johannes Ponader
Jude Thomas
Karl Widerquist
Kristine Osbakken
Leah Grace
Liane Gale
Mark Witham
Mary Bricker-Jenkins
Mary Bricker-Jenkins
Michael Bohmeyer
Michael Lewis
Mike Sandler
Mitchel Cohen
Peter Barnes
Ron Rubin
Scott Santens
Scott Simpson
Steven Shafarman
Eduardo Suplicy
Tristan Roberts
Tristan Mantel-Hoffmann
Victor Chudnovsky
The Fourteenth NABIG Congress
by Guest Contributor | Feb 16, 2015 | News
Queensboro Bridge
The Fourteenth Annual North American Basic Income Guarantee Congress will kick off on Thursday, February 26 with a free and open public discussion on “New Possibilities for the Basic Income Movement.” Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
The event program is:
Welcome: Steven Shafarman, the USBIG Network
Frances Fox Piven, the City University of New York
Marshall Brain, entrepreneur and author ofHow Stuff Works
Alanna Hartzok, the Earth Rights institute, 2014 Democratic Nominee for Congress
Mary Bricker Jenkins, Willie Baptist,Sylvia Orduno, & Marian Kramer, representing the National Welfare Rights Union
Moderator: Mimi Abramowitz, Hunter College
Time: 6:30pm-9pm
Location: Long Island City Art Center/LICAM
44-02 23rd St., Studio 205
Long Island City, NY 11101
Directions: Take M, E, or 7 to Court Square (Queens, one stop from Midtown Manhattan) and walk along 23rd Street (under the elevated train overhead) until you reach the LIC Art Center, 44-02 23rd St., between 44th Ave and 44th Rd. Look for Caffeina Cafe at base of building. Then go to Studio 105.
According to the directions on Google Maps, the entire trip from Midtown, including the train ride and the walk, takes 8 minutes.
NABIG 2014
