Rishi Awatramani

Rishi Awatramani

Rishi Awatramani is a Washington DC activist. Works at Johns Hopkins University, and was previously Organizing Director at New Virginia Majority.

Previously he worked at, Causa Justa/Just Cause Oakland, Youth Media Council. Rishi served on the US Social Forum National Planning Committee representing Leftist Lounge, has previously worked as a union and community organizer, and is a long-time activist with several organizations.

Education

Vassar College

Liberation Road forum

Liberation Road hosted a watch party. July 22 2020·

Happening now: Adam Gold and Rishi Awatramani talk with Morathi Adams, Daroneshia Duncan-Boyd, and Judith LeBlanc to understand how groups are organizing to defeat Trump and Trumpism, end the long history of oppression and racist violence against their communities, and win a new world.

Panel on 2020 democratic primaries

Organizing Upgrade February 21 2020.

Join Organizing Upgrade for a live panel discussion on the 2020 democratic primaries, hosted by Rishi Awatramani and Adam Gold, featuring left organizers Laurel Wales, Cliff Albright, Jaisal Noor, Shawn Sebastian, Tracey Corder and more!

"Social Justice in the Bay Area" open letter

An Open Letter to Men Committed to Social Justice in the Bay Area - Calling on Men in the Bay Area to Stand Up for Reproductive Justice.

Written by Rishi Awatramani and Chris Crass Friday Jan 14th, 2005.

On January 22nd, the right-wing anti-choice movement will be coming to San Francisco to shout their anti-human rights, anti-woman message in the streets. At this time when women's rights to abortion are being challenged by the Bush administration and questioned in the Democratic party, it is crucial that we as men join the sisters organizing in opposition to this right-wing march and say: REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE FOR ALL!

Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program

Rishi Awatramani is an alumni of the Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program.

US Social Forum National Planning Committee

Contact Sheet for the National Planning Committee of the U.S. Social Forum, Detroit 2010. Original April 09, 2009, Updated February 23, 2010.

• Leftist Lounge (Chicago, IL) - Rishi Awatramani .

URTHChoir

In 2012, the URTHAChoir consisted of Lenina Nadal, Mark Swier, Rishi Awatramani, Lilo Carr Rivera.

Smartmeme advanced training

Doyle Canning April 16, 2012:

2012 smartmeme advanced training underway! — with Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Sujin Lee, Marjorie Childress, Trina Jackson, Lenina Nadal, Danielle Coates-Connor, Randy Jackson, Cindy Wiesner, Rishi Awatramani, Gopal Dayaneni and Kiara Nagel.

Candidate Campaign Management

Rishi Awatramani managed Vicky Menjivar and Sammie Moshenberg for Alexandria City Council 2012, Alexandria, VA.

"A stronger global movement"

Sunday 18 November 2012, in Washington DC The Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Institute for Education and Justice convened "How can we build a stronger global movement, and what will it take to win? Hear perspectives on movement building from the US and the Philippines!"

With Bill Fletcher, Jr. Author, They’re Bankrupting Us! And 20 Other Myths about Unions Co-Author, Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice, Barbara Ehrenreich Author, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America and Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream, and Elmer Labog (via video) National Chairperson, Kilusang Mayo Uno, May First Workers Center in the Philippines.

Those signalling there intention to attend via the Wherevent website included Jon Liss, Cameron Barron, Graziela Santos, Samantha Miller, Sapna Pandya, Jane English, Naomi Demsas, Mishy Leiblum, Mackenzie Baris, Virginia Leavell, Betty Garman Robinson, Walda Katz-Fishman, Lillian Diallo, Liana Dalton, Rosa Lozano, Isaiah Toney, Rishi Awatramani, Shane Stewart, Chuck Hendricks - most of whom were associated with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Backing Tim Kaine

Faiza Abdulle was a New Virginia Majority volunteer door-knocking for Tim Kaine in 2012

With the Senate election in Virginia coming down to a photo finish, Mr. Kaine, a former governor, figured that a Democratic army of Faiza Abdulles would make the difference. Republicans, with their own army of door knockers, are hoping that their ground game can eke out a victory by one or two percentage points for George Allen, a former governor and senator. It is a street-level fight of neighborhood canvassing and phone banks conducted largely out of sight and distinct from the ad wars carpet-bombing televisions in Virginia.

On the periphery are separate get-out-the-vote, rally-the-faithful efforts motivated by Mr. Obama but carrying along Mr. Kaine’s message. Canvassing has been going on for months, financed by at least three unions, Planned Parenthood and New Virginia Majority, the group Ms. Abdulle was working for, which is aimed at an expanding immigrant community that has helped turn Virginia from reliably Republican to a battleground.

They may be reliably Democratic, but the women, immigrants and minorities targeted by New Virginia Majority are unreliable voters.

“We are focused almost exclusively on the voters who wouldn’t come out to vote without the attention,” said Rishi Awatramani, the communications director for New Virginia Majority. “If we hit that 2 percent vote share, then we’ve done a good job.”

VNM Organizing Academy April '13

Members of the Virginia New Majority Organizing Academy April '13 closed Facebook group, accessed November 17, 2017 included Rishi Awatramani .

Left Strategies Collective

The Left Strategies Collective was founded to create conversation within the Left around strategy development. Between 2013-2014, the Left Strategies Collective conducted a number of national calls bringing people together to talk about issues such as Worker Organizing in the 21st century, and Lessons from the Moral Mondays movement.

Left Strategies Collective members: Rishi Awatramani, Jake Carlson, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Jon Liss, Garry Owens, Biju Mathew, Merle Ratner, Claire Tran, Helena Wong.

Ear to the Ground Project

Ear to the Ground Project;

We would like to express our deep respect and appreciation for everyone who took the time to talk with us, and the organizations that generously hosted us during our travels. Interviews were confidential, but the following people have agreed to have their names listed for this publication:

Most of those listed were connected to Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Rishi Awatramani was among those on the list.

Left Forum 2013

Grassroots Visions of Socialism: The Growing Vision of Alternatives to Capitalism Emerging from Contemporary Social Movements

• Rishi Awatramani, Chair Beyond Capitalism Project
• Maria Poblet
• Mazibuko Jara Amandla!
• John Cronan, Jr.
• Vivek Chibber

Left Forum 2015

Labor and the Left in the U.S.: Socialist Register 2015 Transforming Classes

Socialist Register

• Leo Panitch, Chair Political Science, York University
• Charles Post Sociology, CUNY
• Mark Dudzic Labor organizer
• Rishi Awatramani New Virginia Majority/Student Power Network
• Jane McAlevey CUNY Graduate Centre

Revolutionary Strategies to Beat the Rising Right Wing

Revolutionary Strategies to Beat the Rising Right Wing, was a nationwide conference call organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Sunday October 30, 2016.

What's the nature of this right-wing threat? What has this election cycle changed about the political terrain we're fighting on? How do we need to prepare for whats coming after the election? Hear about these crucial questions from our panel of top political strategists, including Nelini Stamp, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Linda Burnham, and Sendolo Diaminah.

Those invited, on Facebook included Rishi Awatramani.

Now What? Defying Trump and the Left's Way Forward

Now What? Defying Trump and the Left's Way Forward was a phone in webinar organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization in the wake of the 2016 election.

Now what? We’re all asking ourselves that question in the wake of Trump’s victory. We’ve got urgent strategizing and work to do, together. Join Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson of the Movement for Black Lives and Freedom Road, Calvin Cheung-Miaw, Jodeen Olguin-Taylor of Mijente and WFP, Joe Schwartz of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Sendolo Diaminah of Freedom Road for a discussion of what happened, and what we should be doing to build mass defiance. And above all, how do we build the Left in this, which we know is the only solution to the crises we face?

This event will take place Tuesday November 15, 2016 at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central/6pm Pacific.

Those expressing interest in attending, on Facebook included Rishi Awatramani.

The Left We Want to Build: Breaking Out of the Margins

In October 2017, Rishi Awatramani LeftRoots signed the letter The Left We Want to Build: Breaking Out of the Margins.

Left Inside/Outside Project phone conference

On May 23, 2018 the Left Inside/Outside Project hosted a call that brought together representatives of the Communist Party USA, Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, Democratic Socialists of America, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and LeftRoots. The call focused on approaches to electoral politics of these organizations. It also provided an opportunity to explore potential for political alignment among the part of the left that broadly agrees with the strategy of building power inside and outside of electoral politics, and inside and outside of the Democratic Party.

Although there are significant differences among (and within) these organizations, generally they see electoral politics as a crucial one for the left to engage in. While engaging in electoral politics has its limitations, it presents huge opportunities, which the experiences of these organizations demonstrate, including a path to governing. In the U.S. today, where the fight against the far right must utilize all possible methods, it is also a necessity.

The call was moderated by Rishi Awatramani from LeftRoots. Speakers included Sendolo Diaminah from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Rossana Cambron from the Communist Party USA, Christian Bowe from DSA, Maria (Maria Poblet?)from LeftRoots and Janet Tucker from the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism.

Inside/Outside Project

From an article on Organizing Upgrade October 5, 2018 on the :Left Inside/Outside Project.

Fighting Trump and Building the Left, from the Left Inside/Outside Project

But it’s also an exciting time to be part of the U.S. left. We have momentum on all the levels we have to work on, and more energy for these efforts than we have seen in decades. We take the inspiration from the examples listed above, and recognize that our main challenge is bringing our work to scales that will be able to shift the balance of forces in the U.S. The Left Inside/Outside Project formed out of a common feeling that U.S. politics after Trump required both serious engagement with electoral politics and a left that could work collaboratively to build on our existing strengths. Twenty months later, we still believe this: our commitment is to work ever more closely together with this vision, to learn from one another, build on our most advanced experiences, and build a more unified and effective socialist movement that is in this fight for the long haul.

Signatories included Rishi Awatramani , LeftRoots.

OU Editoral Collective

Organizing Upgrade Editoral Collective, 2018;

• Rishi Awatramani
• Calvin Cheung-Miaw
• Kim Diehl
• Max Elbaum
• Harmony Goldberg
• Maria Poblet
• Bob Wing

Re-visiting the Rainbow Coalition

Join a discussion with organizers from the 1984 and 1988 Rainbow Coalition

Thank you all for joining our Left Unity call in May, about electoral strategies. We will be sending out a report on the call soon.

In the meantime, we wanted to extend an invitation to you to join an online discussion on Thursday, June 28, at 5:30 pm Pacific / 8:30 pm Eastern, with left organizers from the Rainbow Coalition. The Rainbow was a multiracial progressive formation that propelled Rev. Jesse Jackson's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.

The discussion is hosted by our friends at Organizing Upgrade...

The current list of panelists includes Bill Gallegos, Jamala Rogers, Ellen David Friedman, Ted Glick, and Cathi Tactaquin, with Bill Fletcher and Rishi Awatramani moderating.

The panel will attempt to draw out lessons from the Rainbow years for left movement activists today that are once again attempting to build independent political power through electoral strategies and also contest for power within the Democratic Party.

Beyond Bernie

Beyond Bernie: Electoral Strategy for an Independent Left

April 2019 Organizing Upgrade pulled together leaders and activists from many of the most important movements of the left electoral upsurge to discuss both short- and long-term electoral strategy. The recent resurgence of electoral engagement amongst the social movement and party left in the US is inspiring and full of potential, but still lacks a shared strategy across the groups leading the charge. Moving past the mainstream media focus on the presidential horserace, we talk to organizers on the front lines about the current state of this movement sector, and critical interventions that independent left organizers can make to move this work forward.

The strategy session included*:

• Maurice Moe Mitchell, Working Families Party
• David Duhalde, Our Revolution
• Kayla Reed, M4BL
• Andrea Mercado, New Florida Majority
• Luke Elliott-Negri, DSA
• Ash-Lee Henderson, Highlander Center, M4BL, and Southern Movement Assembly
• Jon Liss, New Virginia Majority
• Beth Huang, Boston DSA

The discussion was moderated by Rishi Awatramani and Linda Burnham.

Attacking Biden

Organizing Upgrade "Sanders and Warren: The need for a progressive front" September 25, 2019 by The Organizing Upgrade Editorial Collective.

We urge all left-progressive forces to take seriously what will be required to create a united progressive front capable of defeating Biden and going on to expand its influence even as we unite in an even broader coalition to defeat Trump. And to remember that we not only need cooperation on the electoral battlefront, but cooperation at scale in building mass direct action, revitalizing the trade union movement, and organizing large numbers on a host of urgent issues. After all, even if Sanders or Warren wins the presidency and the GOP loses control of both houses of Congress, it will take massive pressure from below to win a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, end mass incarceration, close the border concentration camps, change US foreign policy and begin the new cycle of progressive advance that is an existential imperative for the world’s most vulnerable and the entire human race.

We have to quickly establish sufficient political unity to uphold a progressive front, so that we may develop the technical capacities and infrastructure to allow this progressive front to work together (regardless of whether they have endorsed Sanders or Warren). Though preserving space for constructive debate over left electoral strategy and tactics will be critical, we urge doing so in a way that does not detract from the important task of reaching outward, engaging the unconvinced and unorganized social forces we will need to win.

To that end, Organizing Upgrade will be publishing a number of pieces in the coming week from left organizers of varied perspectives that discuss the WFP endorsement, the DSA’s “Bernie or Bust” resolution, and other developments related to the 2020 elections. Our goal is to continue engaging left organizers in strategic dialogue during a pivotal moment in history and we welcome you to join the conversation. The stakes could not be higher.

The Organizing Upgrade Editorial Collective.

Rishi Awatramani, Calvin Cheung-Miaw, Julie Chinitz, Kim Diehl, Max Elbaum, Harmony Goldberg, Maria Poblet, Eric Robertson, Stina Rose Marie, Jacob Swenson-Lengyel, Claire Tran, and Bob Wing.

External links

• Center for Third World Organizing website
• Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program website

References

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