A look back at the 2020 People’s State of the Union
in Partnership with the Poor People’s Campaign
March 20-April 20, 2020
NOTE: Due to COVID-19, all Story Circle events were held online in 2020
Click here to sign up to host an online Story Circle.
the USDAC is partnering with the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival for our 6th annual People’s State of The Union.
Each year the President delivers a State of the Union Address, in which they tout their achievements and vision for the future. But we the people know that true democracy is a conversation, not a monologue.
We know that in order to journey toward “a more perfect union,” we have to root out and rectify the same enmeshed evils that have kept people down for centuries: racism, anti-immigrant policies, environmental destruction, militarism, and a profit-driven economy that that are woven into this country’s fabric.
That is why, this year, the USDAC is partnering with the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival for the 2020 People’s State of the Union—an invitation to come together, to share our stories and visions for a more just future, and to confront the the evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, and militarism.
Between March 20th - April 20th, 2020, join hundreds of people across the nation in hosting a Story Circle in your community.*
Get started by downloading the toolkit!
About the People’s State of the Union:
Since 2015, the USDAC has hosted the People’s State of the Union as an annual civic ritual to build bonds of empathy and connection by coming together in our own homes, schools, houses of worship, and community organizations and sharing our own take on the state of our union. Thousands of people in more than 500 communities have taken part. Scroll down for archives of videos, stories, and much more.
The People’s State of the Union has two main parts: Story Circles across the country, and a collaboratively composed Poetic Address to the Nation. The USDAC offers toolkits and online trainings to support anyone hosting a Story Circle, bringing people together to share stories from their own experience. Stories are uploaded to an online story portal where they can be shared and browsed and used to inspire an array of creative responses.
This year, the stories that come out of Story Circles will be interpreted by an array of artists, poets, and musicians, and make their way directly into the Poor People Campaign’s Mass Assembly and March in Washington, D.C. on June 20, 2020. The Toolkit offers comprehensive instructions for how to do all of this!
#PSOTU2020 Story circle prompts:
Photo by Charon Hribar
For #PSOTU2020, Story Circle participants will share their take on the state of our union by reflecting on the following prompts—or engaging with the Poor People’s Moral Agenda to create their own:
Share a story about a time you or someone you care about was impacted by the contradiction of poverty in a world that has great abundance.
Share a story about a time when you came together with people in your community to stand up for justice.
Share a story about your community is being impacted by interlocking injustices of systemic racism, ecological devastation, poverty, and the war economy.
Share a story about how you and your community have been affected by militarism or the war economy.
Here’s How to Take Part!:
STEP ONE: Download the #PSOTU2020 Toolkit and plan your event. NOTE: Due to COVID-19, all Story Circle events will be held online this year.
Click here to sign up to host an online Story Circle.
Whether you're hosting a few folks in your own home, a dozen simultaneous circles in a community center, or inviting members of your organization or network to host their own circles, the Toolkit explains everything you need to know to organize, promote, and pull off your event.
STEP TWO: Once you’ve picked a time and date, put your Story Circle event on the map.
STEP THREE: Host your Story Circle event and add stories to the #PSOTU2020 Story Portal.
STEP FOUR: Continue the momentum.
The Toolkit offers numerous suggestions for next steps, including attending the Poor People Campaign’s Mass Assembly and March in Washington, D.C. on June 20, 2020.
It’s our moral imperative to come together to pick up the mantle of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s unfinished work though the Poor People’s Campaign. We are calling on artists, creative organizers, concerned citizens, and all community members to join the USDAC and the Poor People’s Campaign to share your take on the state of our union—and to join leaders, communities and organizations across the country in this historic effort to debunk the lies of scarcity and inevitable, unchangeable poverty and to demand truth, love, and justice.
Learn more about the The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival—uniting tens of thousands of people across the country to challenge the evils of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and the nation’s distorted morality.
*Story Circles are often understood as deriving from indigenous traditions. There are many variations. We give special thanks and credit to John O’Neal of Junebug Productions (and formerly Free Southern Theater) and to Roadside Theater who have been central in developing the practice for use in creating original performance and in community telling and listening projects.
STORY CIRCLE TRAINING
The USDAC offers free training sessions for Story Circle facilitators and scribes. Each training session combines presentations with interactive conversation. You’ll learn how to welcome people, manage time and space within the event. By the end of your training, you will be prepared to facilitate a Story Circle!
Sign up here for the Story Circle Training on Tuesday, March 10th at 3pm PT / 6pm ET.
You can also learn by watching a recording from a 2019 training session here: https://vimeo.com/304946773
Enter this password: StoryCircles2019!
PAST PSOTU ARCHIVES & VIDEOS
#PSOTU2016
In 2016, Story Circles took place nationwide from January 23-31. The Poetic Address to the Nation was performed and broadcast from The Painted Bride in Philadelphia. Watch the video for excerpts from Story Circles and the Poetic Address. The full broadcast is available here.
#PSOTU2015
The Inaugural People's State of the Union took place from January 23-30, 2015. The Poetic Address to the Nation was performed and broadcast from the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City. Watch the video for excerpts from Story Circles and the Poetic Address.
#PSOTU2017
In 2017, Story Circles took place nationwide from January 27-February 5. The Poetic Address took place at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and was livestreamed on the USDAC Facebook page.
#PSOTU2018
In 2018, Story Circles took place nationwide from January 25 - February 3. We celebrated The 2018 Poetic Address to the Nation in partnership with the the Public Theater in New York City.
#PSOTU2019
The 2019 People’s State of the Union took place from Jan. 25-Feb. 3. This year, rather than create a centrally curated Poetic Address, we invited and supported participants to create their own local Poetic Addresses.
DOWNLOADABLE ART & POSTERS
What do We The People want, need, or demand? As part of #PSOTU2019, we partnered with artists to create downloadable signs that you can print, customize, and post in your Story Circle or anywhere in your community. Try printing out copies of the posters, asking people to fill in the blanks, and taking photos holding them to post on social media. You can access high-resolution copies of these images here.
The People’s State of the Union is just one of many USDAC National Actions intended to spark community dialogue and creativity in the service of justice and democracy. To learn about future actions, please enlist as a Citizen Artist.