HACKNEY UNITES
Hackney Unites is a local non-party political,
broad coalition of organisations and individuals with a commitment to social
justice and equality.
The coalition believes that
all the residents and tenants of Hackney deserve and are entitled to be able to
play a full and equal role in the development of their borough; and to receive
equal benefit from and access to any and all resources available. Local
communities are encouraged and supported to get organised so that they can play
a role in determining the development of their neighbourhood and address their issues of concern in a way that they think most
empowers them.
Component members may be
interest focussed (e.g. the elderly, the arts, youth, asylum or refugee etc.);
or concerned with a specific geographical locality; but are connected by a
desire to move forwards toward a more equitable society where all our
communities can prosper. Hackney Unites believes we are all stake-holders in
our shared future, but we can only affect positive change or play a significant
role in determining our own destiny by working together in a democratic and
inclusive way with input from a wide range of communities.
FORMATION OF THE ORGANIZATION
The idea for the coalition came about when a
group of Hackney citizens active in their respective communities came together
in early 2009 to discuss the then frightening rise in popularity and electoral
success of a far right racist party. We were concerned that in elections run on
proportional representation a low voter turnout in Hackney could contribute to
electoral success for the far right.
This led to discussions with the national campaign: HOPE not hate, and a
local voter registration and engagement campaign. The response was remarkable,
with the emergence of a coalition that included faith, peace, community, trade
union and tenants groups.
Following the successful campaign, a number of
the participants once again came together, this time to review the project. It
was felt that the powerful coalition we had put together was too important to
simply dismantle, and it was agreed to organize a loose but permanent structure
that would make it easier to address community concerns in a practical way, a
body that could enable the community to express its wishes to the Local
Authority and other public, private sectors or interest groups.
At the heart of this initiative was a sense that
if our communities got organised and worked together we could actually create
positive change (as opposed to merely protesting against a variety of ills).
FOUNDING MEMBERS
Bema (formerly BEMA - the Black & Ethnic
Minority Arts Network)
Day Mer
Hackney and Islington CND
Hackney Planning Watch
Hackney TUC
London (trade union) Organisers Network
North East London Anti-Racist Alliance
