Allied Media Conference 2011
Medios Caminantes: immigrant voices¶

The Allied Media Conference

The Allied Media Conference cultivates strategies for a more just and creative world. We come together to share tools and tactics for transforming our communities through media-based organizing.

The Allied Media Conference advances our visions for a just and creative world. It is a laboratory for media-based solutions to the matrix of life-threatening problems we face. Since our founding in 1999, we have evolved our definition of media, and the role it can play in our lives – from zines to video-blogging to breakdancing, to communicating solidarity and creating justice. Each conference builds off the previous one and plants the seeds for the next. Ideas and relationships evolve year-round, incorporating new networks of media-makers, technologists and social justice organizers. We draw strength from our converging movements to face the challenges and opportunities of our current moment. We are ready to create, connect and transform.

Medios Caminantes: immigrant voices

Focused on building a Spanish-language community media network, Medios Caminantes track promotes the exchange of resources and organizing models amongst Spanish-speaking media-organizers and creators. We are also working to create a network of solidarity between immigrants in the US and social movements in Latin America.
Through the development of a Medios Caminantes website we will create, exchange, and distribute Spanish-language media for radio, TV and print publications in the US and Latin America.
After the passage of SB1070 in Arizona, we have seen a strong movement to denounce racist policies and practices all over the US. Help us to uproot racism and build our strength together as communities! Broadcast your voice to share your story, express your culture, denounce abuses, and create safer and healthier communities! Come to share, learn and exchange strategies to stand up for your rights as an immigrant through art, media, poetry and music!

How Medios Caminantes came together

The AMC 2009 held a reunion in which they discussed the creation of a space in Spanish in 2010. In 2010 Medios Caminantes was the first Spanish speaking track in the history of the AMC, coordinated by Word Radio and Peoples Production House. CASA collective organized a CAUCUS proposing a collaboration with communities in Latin America.
Medios Caminantes is seeking to support the promotion of independent media and expressions based in the organizing of Latino and Caribbean immigrants communities living in the United States. Focused on building a network of Hispanic community media, this track promotes the exchange of skills, resources and models of organization among the same participants (organizers and creators). Medios Caminantes 2010 was focused on the exchange of radio skills in workshops and in the promoting of radio as an organizing tool. Medios Caminantes had an open forum for sharing different models to create media to empower the immigrant Spanish-speaking community and generate ideas for the continuity of this track.
As a result of the work in 2010, the Red de Medios Caminantes was created. The first joint collaboration of the network was a radio broadcast through the internet that lasted 12 hours. 15 groups around the United States participated in this transmission, on July 29, which was the first day that SB1070 came into effect.
We have a group in Crabgrass and an email list where you can reach us:
we.riseup.net/amc-latina medioscaminantes@lists.aktivix.org

Our vision for Medios Caminantes 2011

During the 2011 Medios Caminantes wants to create a space to exhibit the work of several groups of Spanish-speaking collectives, and individuals who have created independent media and projects around their communities, as well as connect and foster collaboration. This coming year, unlike 2010, which focused only on the Radio aspect, we want to expand the track to the creation of different forms of media expression.

-Web site Medios Caminantes to exchange, share and feed Spanish productions.
-Support in the process for the Low Power FM license applications
-Radio production, streaming, podcasting
-Immigrant: Know your rights!
-Cross-solidarity with social movements in Latin America
-Working together as a network of media creators
-Direct actions in response to the harrasment in our communities

We need funds help us!
Medios Caminantes wants to invite organizations, collectives and individuals that work addressing issues related to immigration to attend the AMC. The conference will happen in June 23-26 in Detroit, MI. Our resources are limited, but we will print graphics with the theme Migrant:Know your rights. To make possible for everybody to attend, we will distribute the printings between those that need economical support. Through donations, auctions, and raffles we expect to raise resources, and if we have success we will be able to make more printings and to donated to more projects that need support for their own causes.

The caravan from Mexico and our veggie-grease media bus

We have a plan to bring a school bus that runs with veggie oil to travel from central Mexico with various media activists from collectives in different states- with work ranging from radio, print, graphic art, music and video. We do have a wide breadth of work in social/community media- but we are also known for our work in appropriate technologies/eco-techniques.

The caravan will incorporate our sustainable living skills and work, and present to the AMC attendees, and folks along the way traveling up to Detroit (and after) what we also do with/in the bus.

We need help to support the caravan

• We do need to organize a veggie-grease collection drive along the way. Folks that will be willing to start picking up some grease for us and have it ready to be filtered when we stop-by their town or city.
• We need contacts willing to host our caravan in the route. We’ll be driving up from Mexico City to Laredo TX, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Little Rock AK, Memphis TN, passing by St. Louis (not through, unless necessary), Indianapolis IN, Toledo OH, Detroit- then back down to Arizona. We are also open to differents routes if it makes sense and if you want to host us!
• We need money to help us to pay for some combustible in Mexico since grease collection is imposible (companies sale the grease to feed farm animals) and filters.

How can you plug in with the work creating Medios Caminantes

Please check the call-out to submit a proposal in the AMC2011, remember there is 19 tracks and your session can fit in any of them. The deadline is 21 March.
Here in English: alliedmedia.org/amc2011/propose-session...

Here in Spanish: alliedmedia.org/amc2011/propuesta-de-se...

Graphical campaign a call to artists to submit their art with the theme “Immigrant: Know your Rights Through Art!”. The prints will support organizations that work addressing immigrant issues. We will be waiting for submissions and will print the art in Mexico. The formats 27″ × 16″ , up to 5 colors maximum, digital format. Please contact cipota@riseup.net for more information. We want to cover the following themes (but we are open to new ideas and proposals):
-Know your rights
Communicate what are our rights as immigrants. No more abuses, Let’s spread information through art!
-Fighting Racism
Uprooting racism through art!
-In the difference you will find your common ground
We recognize our difference, yet we find our common grounds, and we stand together!

Contact us if you know of anybody that will be interested in attend the *AMC in Detroit in June 23-26 *or if you know of any group interested in host our caravan. And pass around this information. Thanks!