Susan S sent me this as a great perpective for our discussion.
It's from "a gilas girl's diary" at daily kos
"Solidarity is more than compromise, and shouldn't be mistaken as such. At its core is respect: respect for people and their experiences, respect for possibility, respect for the not-yet-known. It doesn't require assimilation (which must always contain some degree of erasure) and it belies two-dimensional (black and white) thinking.
Its a concept that's not foreign to US political history, but is certainly not familiar to contemporary politics. Its also the foundation of progressive politics.
This is the kind of work that needs to be done now. Its a small place to start, but begin here, with the difference between a politics of unity and a politics of solidarity and see the different directions they each yield. Then make that part of the move to rebuild maintain and rebuild a progressive and democratic America.
Let's start by explaining why we don't want "One America", and point out that as a society and we are far more than the "Two Americas" that the populist-inclined Democrats bemoan. The power of American democracy isn't "unity" of outlook and positions, it is both the balance AND the struggle between different outlooks and positions. It is the recognition that both the majority and minority are part of the government. That democracies can only work when they have the government AND an opposition. That politics only works when there are multiple interests being struggled over and discussed."
It's not long and she makes a few more good points at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/3/14456/5254
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