by Lis Geschiere, July 12, 2010

Last Saturday, July 10, 2010, four members of the MN Break the Bonds Campaign, Sriram Ananth, Flo Razowsky, Lis Geschiere, and Maryama Green, ventured to Red Wing, Minnesota to do campaign outreach in honor of the 5-year anniversary of the 2005 Unified Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel (bdsmovement.net). The day trip down south, which certainly took these four city-dwellers on the road less traveled, was also the beginning of what the Campaign is calling the “MN BBC State Tour 2010”. It’s goal? To reach out to Greater Minnesota.

Since the first meeting of the MN Break the Bonds Campaign in the summer of 2008, although it did not yet bear that name, membership has increased by 98 percent. However, of the 120 members actively involved in the campaign, approximately two-thirds live in the Twin Cities metro. Between now and October of this year, the Core Team hopes to shift that demographic reality by taking to the streets of rural Minnesotan towns and cities to tell anyone who will listen about MN Break the Bonds. In addition to spreading the word via conversation and handing out informational brochures, the intent is to triple the number of signed postcards that the campaign has collected, which express support for Minnesota cutting economic ties with Israel.

Sri, Flo, Lis, and Maryama, an audacious newcomer to the campaign(!), decided that Red Wing, with its quaint and walkable downtown area, would be a great place to visit first. They arrived around 12:30 and split into pairs to try to cover more ground in less time. When the group reconvened after only one hour, they had collectively gotten 20 postcards signed, and forty minutes later the day’s total was 27, bringing the amount of signed postcards representing Red Wing up from a total of 3 to 30.

All four members who participated in the outreach felt like it was a great success, and well worth their time. Sure, there was the occasional mean-spirited fundamentalist you had to deal with, and “that one guy” who’s happy his money helps pay for ethnic cleansing, but by far the majority of folks either took a brochure and kept on their way or listened intently and then added their signature to a postcard. And if you asked one of the MN BBC’ers what she or he enjoyed the most about Red Wing, don’t be surprised if he or she tells you, the ice cream. After all, what good would a road trip be if you didn’t get a chance to try the local cuisine?

Lis Geschiere is a member of MN Break the Bonds, and a resident of South Minneapolis.