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Z SPECIAL HISTORY SERIES

New from Z Friend, Kathy Kelly:

The Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal will hold accountable, through testimony of witnesses,  US weapons manufacturers for Crimes Against Humanity and violations U.S. Federal criminal laws. Get involved!

History of Merchants of Death
Cornel West interview

New from Z Friend, Kali Akuno:

Join Kali, Robin D.G. Kelley, Sonali Kolhatkar, Devorah Major, Kim Stanley Robinson, Eric Drooker and many more for the Howard Zinn Book Fair, an annual celebration of The People’s History.
Dec 3rd, 10am-6pm at the Mission Campus of City College of San Francisco.

We organize this event in an era of attacks on memory. We organize against historical amnesia.

New from Z Friend, Michael Albert:

The Podcast RevolutionZ highlights vision & strategy. What do we want & how do we get it.

Palestine & Israel w/ Mazin Qumsiyeh
Solidarity Economy w/ Emily Kawano
Media & Resistance w/ Cayden Mak
All Episodes

SOLIDARITY SPOTLIGHT

Real Utopia: Foundation for a Participatory Society exists to establish an international network of activist-organizers who are inspired and motivated by Participatory theory, vision, and strategy.

RU Introduction
RU Newsletter

The Greek Internationalist Art & Research Centre for Post Capitalist Studies, called mέta, works to break with a dystopian present to imagine the world anew.

ParticipatoryEconomy.org provides information and resources on how a modern economy can be organised around solidarity & sustainability instead of competition and greed.

New from Z Friend, Kathy Kelly:

The Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal will hold accountable, through testimony of witnesses,  US weapons manufacturers for Crimes Against Humanity and violations U.S. Federal criminal laws. Get involved!

History of Merchants of Death
Cornel West interview

New from Z Friend, Kali Akuno:

Join Kali, Robin D.G. Kelley, Sonali Kolhatkar, Devorah Major, Kim Stanley Robinson, Eric Drooker and many more for the Howard Zinn Book Fair, an annual celebration of The People’s History.
Dec 3rd, 10am-6pm at the Mission Campus of City College of San Francisco.

We organize this event in an era of attacks on memory. We organize against historical amnesia.

New from Z Friend, Michael Albert:

The podcast Revolution Z highlights vision & strategy. What do we want & how do we get it.


Palestine & Israel w/ Mazin Qumsiyeh
Solidarity Economy w/ Emily Kawano
Media & Resistance w/ Cayden Mak
All Episodes

SOLIDARITY SPOTLIGHT

Real Utopia: Foundation for a Participatory Society exists to establish an international network of activist-organizers who are inspired and motivated by Participatory theory, vision, and strategy.

RU Introduction
RU Newsletter

The Greek Internationalist Art & Research Centre for Post Capitalist Studies, called mέta, works to break with a dystopian present to imagine the world anew.

ParticipatoryEconomy.org provides information and resources on how a modern economy can be organised around solidarity & sustainability instead of competition and greed.

In the dying days of South Africa’s apartheid era, the band, Bright Blue, released “Weeping,” an iconic song that was widely embraced as an anti-apartheid anthem. Its…

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Institute for Social and Cultural Communications, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit.

Our EIN# is #22-2959506. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

We do not accept funding from advertising or corporate sponsors.  We rely on donors like you to do our work.

ZNetwork: Left News, Analysis, Vision & Strategy

Z needs your help!

Support Z as we bring 45 years of independent media to the next generation of activists and movements.

Dear Z Community, It’s that time again when we need to ask for your financial support. This is our final fundraising drive of 2023, and we thought we’d keep it simple by sharing a bit about what we’ve been doing, and what we plan to do with your contributions.
Z’s focus on holistic vision and strategy for social change is unique and essential. A big part of this vision is building a more participatory society that fosters self-determination, solidarity, diversity, and equity, in balance with healthy ecology.
 
Such utopian vision might be a tall order, but it can begin to be expressed in any workplace, community, or group – starting right now. A media platform like Z is no exception. We aim to practice the values we claim to seek for a better world. 
 
Not only are we donor funded, accepting no paid advertising or corporate sponsorship, but we are also engaged in building mechanisms to allow for greater community participation in Z itself. This is our vision of what independent media should be, and we need your help to sustain it and improve it.
 
Please consider helping by becoming a regular sustainer – every extra dollar helps. 
 

Z remains an intentionally lean operation and we continue to work hard to put your contributions to good use. The below is by no means an exhaustive list, rather a few highlights across the spectrum of what we do with your money and your various other contributions.

A few things we’ve accomplished recently:

  • More than doubled Z’s readership since 2022
  • Retained a higher than average level of time spent per user (people actually read/watch/listen to the content on Z, as opposed to merely scrolling headlines)
  • Placed Z Original content in front of mainstream eyes via news aggregators
  • Increased international content, original content, and diversity of contributors
  • Recruited a new ZFriend, Kali Akuno, who brings a wealth of experience to the Z Community
  • Joined the Global Tapestry of Alternatives (more to come from this partnership!)
  • Endorsed and participated in: March to End Fossil Fuels (NYC), Peoples Climate Week (NYC), National March for Free Palestine (DC), What RU Talking About interactive discussion on Palestine and Israel (online)
  • Became the new host platform for the podcast, Revolution Z with Michael Albert
  • Participated in and organized online events for 4Liberation.org
  • Taken over the School for Social & Cultural Communications – self-guided online courses and interactive seminars are in the works!

There is a lot more we could list, but we’ll end on this one: sustainers and donors will now begin to receive periodic reports of our work. We aim to be fully transparent to our community, and remain deeply appreciative of your support.

A few things that are in the works:

  • Z is a partner in the ongoing Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal
  • Autonomous, community led reading and discussion groups are now enabled in our Z Community Forum. Join, introduce yourself, and participate!
  • A new series called Activist Diaries
  • A new series of Explorations & Debates
  • A new feature that will translate our entire website into nearly any language at the click of a button, with improvements from a team of Z Community Translators
  • Relaunch the iconic Z Magazine
  • Guerrilla Outreach – we will continue to creatively break down barriers getting radical content in front of new eyes
  • Continue to build partnerships across independent media and movements for greater solidarity and collective power

We have many more goals, from the nitty gritty of continuing to improve the website and mailings, to reaching wider audiences, to longer term projects like the Z Film Festival. Together with the Z Community, we’ll find more and more ways that Z can facilitate and support organized collective action. 

As always, we’re listening to you and depending on you to help make it happen.

❤️,

The Z Staff

Z needs your help!

Join Noam Chomsky in supporting Z, as we bring 45 years of independent media to the next generation of activists and movements.

A special message from Noam Chomsky

Dear Z Network reader:

I have written for, related to, and been close friends with the outstanding Z project for much of my political life. I came on board when South End Press was born, stayed when Z Magazine first launched, and became still more connected with ZNet itself via my yet earlier New Left era connections to Michael Albert and Lydia Sargent. I know Z from writing books for South End Press, articles for Z Magazine, and all manner of things for the web system now called znetwork.org. I have also written countless letters, over the years, to aid Z’s efforts to raise funds. This is another of those letters, but it is also a chance to make a more general case that needs making.

The new Z, I guess about a year old now, arose from Michael getting on in years and deciding it was time to make way for younger leadership. There are seven on the new staff. I know some and have now seen the work of others. They rebuilt the site and now seek to broaden and grow its impact. They have done this as volunteers with no income at all. Compare znetwork.org to other operations with budgets not only for salaries, but for solicitation, and more. Despite that they have had none of that you wouldn’t know it by looking. So, it is reasonable to wonder, aside from helping them exist, what might they bring us all if we provide funds for them to work longer hours, and to implement more innovations?

These people are not content with survival, and rightly so. Their goal is to aid activists win real change. They cover everything that needs attention but far more so than many other projects, they focus on strategy and vision. I am a ZFriend—a group they have assembled to consult, publish, and get advice from. They don’t want a nominal board that does nothing. They want a community of involved Friends to relate to and I know they want to address their entire audience in much the same fashion. I believe that with funding support, each of the seven staff will not only free themselves to devote more time, more energy, and more creative focus for the long haul, but they will also have means to pay writers, generate topical explorations, sponsor debates and roundtables, generate video and a videocast to go with podcasts and more, plus generate something they call ZedTalks…imagine that!

For over fifty years I have watched groups try to fundraise. It is an alienating, thankless, pursuit. After all, it is a kind of begging. But what choice do such groups have? Well, I would like to propose to you that you let this long-running, highly accomplished, left project, and all those you really like, have your support without further begging by the likes of me—or themselves.

So please visit ZNetwork.org  and support the new ZNetwork staff in their efforts. They don’t claim they will shut the doors if you don’t. They are far too committed for that and far too honest, as well. They seek your support not for personal survival but for increased organizational achievement. What they do claim, and what I believe is true, is that they will do steadily greater things if you provide support. Help them help us all. Help them, and here I quote them, “grow, diversify, and contribute to a movement of movements that wins steadily escalating gains on the path to a new world.”

I support Z. I hope you will do so too.

Noam Chomsky

Welcome to ZNetwork
… the spirit of resistance lives!

Z in 2024: a new website, new features, ambitious new plans, and even some new blood…

Join us in this new chapter, and in celebrating 45 years of community dedicated to advancing vision & strategy, resisting injustice, fostering liberty, and winning a better world for all!

Renovating this massive site took considerable time, a ton of effort, and even a little luck. But all is well and we are still innovating new components.

We encourage your participation in helping continue to improve – please share your feedback and suggestions via email: [email protected], or in our new community forum.

Without further ado – check it out!

In solidarity,

  • The Z Staff: Alexandria, Arash, Bridget, Cooper, Fintan, Greg, & Matic

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