This is the application for LeftRoots’ 2018 General Baker BootCamp. The BootCamp is the first step to becoming a LeftRoots cadre—a formal member of this project to connect our frontline struggles to national strategy for liberation.

The 2018 BootCamp will be a seven-week series of online political training and discussion sessions designed to help participants learn more about LeftRoots and help the organization learn about the participants. Each session will have assigned readings that have been carefully selected to facilitate these discussions while looking at some of the important questions facing our movements today.

Completing the BootCamp is necessary to become a LeftRoots cadre, but signing up is not a commitment for either the participant or LeftRoots. Instead, it gives both a chance to learn whether the two are a good fit. If, after a participant successfully completes the BootCamp, she and the organization both agree that they are a good fit, it is then that she will join. To successfully complete the BootCamp, participants must attend at least five (5) of the seven (7) sessions.

Here are some key dates in this year’s BootCamp process:

1. 31 Mar: Deadline to apply to the 2018 General Baker BootCamp.
2. 6 Apr: Applicants learn whether they are invited to participate in this year’s BootCamp.
3. 13 Apr: Deadline to confirm participation.
4. 6 May: BootCamp begins, with sessions tentatively scheduled for 10am-2pm Pacific / 1pm-5pm Eastern. The BootCamp will run on seven consecutive Sundays, except for Mother’s Day weekend, when it will run on Saturday. The dates are 6 May, 12 May (Saturday), 20 May, 27 May, 3 Jun, 10 Jun, and 17 Jun.
5. 23 Jun: BootCampers learn whether they’ve been invited to join LeftRoots.
6. 7 Jul: Deadline for prospective cadres to accept invitation to join the organization.
7. August: New cadres attend their first branch meetings.

To apply, fill out the fields in each of the sections below.

2018 General Baker BootCamp Application

Basic information

Given name *

Surname *

E-mail *

Phone

Age *

Location * Bay AreaBostonLos ÁngelesNew York CityPhiladelphiaEastern timezoneCentral timezoneMountain timezonePacific timezoneOther

Demographic information

Race (part one) *

White

A person of color

Race (part two) *

Check all that apply.

African

African-American

Black

Asian

Asian-American

Asian/Pacific Islander

East Asian

Pacific Islander

South Asian

Southeast Asian

West Asian

Arab

Chinese

Chinese-American

Hmong

Japanese

Japanese-American

Korean

Pinay/Philippino

Vietnamese

Indigenous

Latinx

Chicanx

Mexican

Mexicanx/Chicanx

Dominican

Puerto Rican

Hapa

Mixed heritage

White

European

Irish/Irish-American

Italian/Italian-American

Jewish

Other white ethnic

Other/Not listed

Gender (part one) *

Check all that apply.

Feminine/female-identified/woman

Masculine/male-identified/man

Non-conforming/non-binary/genderqueer

OtherOther

Gender (part two) *

Cisgender

Transgender/genderqueer/gender non-conforming

Third-person pronouns *

Check all that apply.

She (Ella)

He (Él)

They (Ellxs)

Siya

OtherOther

Do you identify as LGBTQ+?

Yes

No

Sexual orientation

Straight/heterosexual

Gay/homosexual

Bisexual

Queer

Fluid

Pansexual

Asexual

Are you an immigrant to the United States? *

Yes

No

Are you bilingual in Spanish and English? *

Yes

No

Work / movement

Where do you live (city and state)? *

Where do you work (city and state)? *

Organizational affiliation *

Organizations, issues, movements, sectors *

Please list the organization(s), issue(s), movement(s) and sector(s) with which you are mostly involved— either paid or unpaid.

Role in movement work

If you are involved in a community or labor membership organization, select the option that best describes your role.

Paid staff

A volunteer "member-leader" or "rank and file member"

Other

Class

The question of class is complicated. LeftRoots is currently working to define “class” (and especially “working class”) more clearly for strategic purposes and to shape our goals for the class character of LeftRoots' membership. For the purposes of this application, we are using a common definition of working class: “working class people are those who must work for a living in order to meet their basic needs.” This definition is admittedly broad, but is used by many socialists and communists around the world. Even within this broad definition, it is important to note layers of privilege and oppression. LeftRoots seeks to strengthen its membership from activists in non-privileged layers of the US working class.

Class (part one) *

Ruling class

Working class - in a privileged layer (e.g., perhaps with a college education); sometimes called "middle class"

Working class

Class (part two) *

Please describe your class position, in your own words. You might want to note your family background, current privilege, and other factors that shape your understanding of your class.

BootCamp and LeftRoots

Can you attend at least 5 of the 7 BootCamp sessions? *

See above for the BootCamp schedule.

Yes

No

I completed a previous BootCamp and may be eligible to attend a reduced number of sessions.

Yes

No

Whom in LeftRoots, if anyone, have you talked to about joining?

Why are you interested in joining LeftRoots? *

What do you hope to gain by becoming a member of LeftRoots?

Supporting your participation

Expectations of leftroots cadres are high. LeftRoots cadres are required to:

1. support LeftRoots’ Points of Unity, Approach and Program;
2. Pay dues between 1-5% of their annual income; and
3. Be active and productive participants in monthly branch meetings, committee meetings and other work.

Being a cadre also involves commitment to embodying the LeftRoots Characteristics of Cadres, which can involve personal discipline, community-building, political study & training, abiding by organizational security protocols and collective accountability.

In order to support this high level of participation, LeftRoots has systems for cadre support, within our capacity. What kinds of political or practical support do you think you would need to participate at this high level?

References

Reference 1: Name *

Reference 1: E-mail *

Reference 1: Phone *

Reference 2: Name *

Reference 2: E-mail *

Reference 2: Phone *

Reference 3: Name *

Reference 3: E-mail *

Reference 3: Phone *

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