Marianne Hill
Economist, Author, Activist
Building a Solidarity Society
begins now!
Students and faculty get a discount on my book - just use your email with .edu or contact me at marianne.hill@maine.edu
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TAX FAIRNESS RALLY April 15 in Augusta. See facebook event page here. Mainers for Tax Fairness are gathering Tuesday 4/15 at 11:30am between the State House and the Cross Building. Speakers start at noon (with fun visuals), followed by an optional 1/3 mile walk to King and Collins' office. Also coming up: workshop on the citizens oversight bill LD1262. As the new administration slashes programs, LD1262 offers a means of protection. Citizens can petition for environmental and other protections they think that relevant agencies are not providing. A fund to support citizen efforts will be set up and administered in the Attorney General's office. Funds will come from fees levied on polluters and others harming citizens.
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April 2025. Networking and coalition-building are our number one tasks today. We cannot stand alone. I see courage, energy and resolve in abundance, but not the coalitions we need to overcome the challenges we face. I've pulled together insights on coalition-building in my article on next page. Coalitions are built on a shared goal. How about this one: a society which enables both people and planet to thrive? This imagined society would function as a deep democracy, responsive to each person's needs for health care, housing, education, a living wage, and a flourishing planet for future generations. Climate change, an existential crisis for humanity, would be tackled.
Only such a daring goal can inspire the courage and commitment needed to take on today's assaults. This long-term goal will require the creation of a new kind of political party. In the short-term, though, the goal requires us to build strong coalitions - coalitions that take on and successfully challenge some current inequities and environmental threats. Successful coalitions will recognize and overcome inter-group differences through respectful, accountable and inclusive practices.
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The U.S. plutocracy is self-serving and the priorities that guide top decision-makers are tearing us apart. I sketch out institutional and other changes that would move us toward deeper democracy and an economy that serves us all in my article on plutocracy (next page). I go into more depth about the visions that are inspiring activists around the globe in my book. Many are working to bring the vision of a solidarity society closer to becoming a reality!
Highlighting Coalition-Building
My article on coalition-building builds on the work of activists and thinkers from around the globe (see next page). Besides sharing values and goals, coalitions must share analyses of the causes of the problems they are tackling. Our current prevailing belief in an economy that works for a few, not the many, is a debilitating one. In fact, only greater economic democracy can enable us to pursue such goals as net zero greenhouse gas emissions, a living wage for all, universal health care coverage and more. A continued reliance on greed and self-interest to steer the economy will only continue to deform our economy - not transform it. Social transformation is imperative, urgent and feasible.
Photo at April 5 rally on Casco Bay Bridge - of of many.
Is it the impossible dream: a caring, sustainable society that fosters the flourishing of people and planet? Or, is it our only realistic choice? Today the priorities of our leaders are upside-down. Although the economy is meant to serve us, too often our leaders place business and profit before people. In a deeply democratic society - a solidarity society - things would be different. We the people would have a say in all decisions made that profoundly affect us, including decisions made in the business world. To establish this deeper democracy, we must first gain clarity about how our laws protect the powerful few; then we must find the courage to challenge those laws and claim our rightful voice. The result will be a transformation of our relationships that brings healing and hope.
Why I Wrote Building A Solidarity Society
This book is, in many ways, a culmination of my activist and academic experience over the years. Among those years, 1974-75 stands out. In the fall of 1974, I arrived in Bangladesh in the midst of a famine that claimed over a million lives. I returned to the US a year later to a very different, affluent reality. I was struck hard by the fact that people around the world are living very different realities. Within communities and families, this is also true. Our understanding of these very diverse realities, so basic to how we live together, is lacking – tragically so at times. We must do better. This thought, over time, led me to write this book.
Building a Solidarity Society begins with a look at how the priorities of our leaders have led to terrible failures in the response to crises including the financial crisis and the COVID pandemic. I then examine the power and preferences of the wealthy, our broken democracy, and the widespread misconceptions that perpetuate and exacerbate social and political inequalities. I look at movements around the world that offer inspiring examples of what can be accomplished, and ideas that can fire our imagination and efforts. I conclude by addressing the critical problem of building unified support for a solidarity society.