Solidarity Center tries to keep from closing down

By David Ugarte

Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Solidarity Revolutionary Center and Radical Library is on the verge of closing. The library, which stays open through donations, is having trouble coming up with money to pay the rent and bills for its space at 13 E. 8th St.

The Solidarity Center is a library containing thousands of books on topics such as anarchism, environmentalism and different social movements. It is also a free community space available for hosting meetings or events, and discussing beliefs on social issues. A group of volunteers for Solidarity are trying to find other methods to solicit donations.

Shona Clarkson, volunteer coordinator, said that Solidarity used to function off of a generous donor base, but that donations had dropped off.

“We’re not a space that makes profit, so every month is a scramble,” Clarkson, St. Louis junior, said.

Clarkson said she felt a sense of community at Solidarity that she did not have anywhere else. She said Solidarity was an interesting space to her, because it was attempting to exist outside of the capitalist culture.

Sarah Madden, Solidarity’s treasurer, hosted a workshop June 27 to help volunteers practice discussing Solidarity’s services with people in the community who are unaware of Solidarity’s services. Ophra Leyser-Whalen and Robert Vodicka, KU almuni, led an open dialogue about how to approach people about Solidarity, or anything else participants in the workshop might want to discuss with people in their community.

The workshop also discussed how groups could have effective conversations about organizing in general. Madden said Solidarity was part of an alliance of organizations that pooled resources and helped one another solicit donations.

“The purpose is to facilitate a dialogue infrastructure to help actions take place,” Madden said.

Participants were invited to make donations at the workshop, but no one was turned away for lack of funds, Madden said.

“It’s been really productive,” Madden said. “Going through all the worrying and stress of learning how to organize together is a lot easier than trying to do it alone. It’s great to learn from each other.”

Robert Vodicka, American Studies doctoral student, helped lead the workshop by talking about his experiences organizing graduating college students who were trying to find work. He said he worked in campuses around the U.S. and at the University.

“I really support what they’re doing,” Vodicka said. “I’m impressed with people’s knowledge and their willingness to speak and the ease with which they’re doing it. It’s working quickly.”

Vodicka said he supported Solidarity because of its library, which he said was a great resource for alternative education. Vodicka said the Solidarity Center was also a good alternative venue for music, because it was not a bar and was comfortable for people of all ages.

Tim Hjersted, project director of Films For Action, a locally based organization that shows political films, said the workshop helped to build everyone’s “foundation of knowledge” of networking.

Jason Hering, Hutchinson senior, is a part-time volunteer at Solidarity. Hering said he thought people who disliked or disapproved of Solidarity were people who did not know what the volunteers at the library were trying to accomplish.

“Many people have never visited the library,” Hering said. “Also a lot of people don’t understand what anarchists think.”

Hjersted said a lot of people had misconceptions about anarchists as “punk-rockers” who were all about destruction. He said the local media had shown him that Solidarity made contributions to the community, such as the community garden, 1230 New York St. Solidarity also hosts Robin Hood Food Distribution, where free food is made available to the community about once a week.

“I really believe in the mission of Solidarity,” Hjersted said. “It’s about building up the community instead of tearing it down.”

Hering said he thought Solidarity was important to students because it was a place people could learn something they would not learn about in a formal university setting. He said the library provided resources students would not be able to find elsewhere.

Madden said Solidarity helped facilitate personal growth by challenging social norms. She said that students at the University were able to learn about exploitation, hierarchies, and other social issues, but that they had no outlet to do anything about it. Solidarity provides a space to talk about action with other people who also want to do something, Madden said.

“What happens when that space isn’t there anymore? Do we just sit there and take it?” Madden said. “I’m not okay with that.”

— — Edited by Derek Zarda

Comments

handy (anonymous) says...

I used to volunteer there for a brief while, and I can safely say that Solidarity is one of the BEST kept secrets of Lawrence. I love that place, those people, and their mission. If anyone has some spare change or a spare dollar, please donate.

June 29, 2009 at 11:51 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

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