U.S. Social Forum Kicks Off in Atlanta

On the schedule for the U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta, organizers called preparations for yesterday's opening march - building a living river.

From the middle of the march, the river ran for what seemed at least a half mile in both directions, a ribbon of color snaking through downtown to the rhythms of hip-hop and a brass band. You saw bright red, blue and green T-shirts. Brilliantly painted giant puppets. A few gray heads sprinkled among the youth, faces of every hue from all over the U.S. and every kind of grassroots movement.

Unions, workers, centers and immigrants-rights groups flew their banners. So did indigenous rights, environmental justice and peace groups, student activists, community organizations, LGBT rights groups and lots of people who want to impeach Bush.

The U.S. Social Forum is like no other gathering. For five days, from June 27-July 1, the 7,500-plus activists here can participate in a dizzying array of workshops, plenaries, cultural events, street actions and spontaneous gatherings. It's not a demonstration or a conference, but a space dedicated to movement building from the bottom up. Its organizers set out with just one goal: to create the opportunity for people to listen, learn, make connections and make all our efforts stronger.