WHAT IS 5604 MANOR?
Several progressive groups in Austin have come together to purchase and renovate a community center that can provide a building and grounds for this work. 5604 Manor began as a collaborative venture of the Workers Defense Project, Third Coast Activist Resource Center, and Third Coast Workers for Cooperation.
Visit thirdcoastactivist.org for a calendar that includes Location: 5604 Manor Road, Austin, Texas 78723 DONATE ONLINE TO THE Questions: email pat@thirdcoastactivist.org or cristina@workersdefense.org |
Endorsements for 5604 Manor Noam Chomsky, author of Hopes and Prospects:
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In a wired world, we too easily mistake electronic connections for community. Building the deep connections that come with real community takes more than email and web pages. The connections that can sustain us in our personal and political lives are nurtured in face-to-face conversation and collective efforts to build a better world. Places and spaces for this work are crucial.
Committed to expanding real democracy and economic justice in a sustainable world, these groups hoped to find a building centrally located that could provide office space for non-profit groups, a large room for cultural and educational events, and a spacious outdoor area for gardening and socializing. We found all of those at 5604 Manor Road in East Austin.
One central goal of the project is to create a truly multi-racial/ethnic/cultural center where we can transcend the divisions that so commonly undermine creative collaborations. While we continue to read, study, and analyze the problems created by unjust systems, it's essential to progressive politics that we come together in collective effort toward mutual goals. Community is an experience, not just an idea. We make community by coming together in solidarity, not to ignore our differences but to deepen our understanding of each other.
Most of these people will never make the headlines, as they work patiently, with commitment and passion, focused on the collective good rather than narrow self-interest. This tradition is not new, but it constantly finds new expressions, and the new community center in Austin is one. Given the energy of progressive organizers and activists I saw when I was in Austin a few years ago, I am sure 5604 Manor will be a success.
Their energy and commitment are a reminder that in every community in the United States there are principled people working for real change, people who understand the value of solidarity and struggle. I wish you the best of luck in building the center.