About This Site

#ShutdownWTO20 Organizers' History Project

We are a small group of co-founders and core organizers of the Direct Action Network, the organization that called for the shutdown of the WTO conference twenty years ago. At the time, we were organizers based in Olympia, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and the San Francisco Bay Area. We worked with hundreds of activists and organizers for over nine months and organized a coordinated action that prevented the Ministerial from meeting on November 30, 1999. We continued to organize actions throughout the week until the collapse of the conference.

We put this site together to share our reflections from a critical moment in movement history. We compiled historical narratives from people who organized locally and regionally. We gathered articles and resources developed over the last 20 years. And we generated new analysis to support our collective efforts to look forward to the next 20 years and plan for our futures.

We offer this archival site as a humble contribution to remember the work of thousands and thousands of people who made it happen.

Chris Borte, Chris Dixon, Stephanie Guilloud, Nancy Haque, and David Solnit

Other Anniversary Events & Projects

WTO+20 Events in Seattle

  • TUES NOV 19, 6:30 pm: Crosscut Talks Live – WTO: Did Everyone Lose the Battle of Seattle? $25 More info
  • WED NOV 20, 6:30 – 8 pm: MOHAI History Café: Remembering the WTO 20 Years Later – FREE More info
  • SAT NOV 30, 9am – 5pm: CAGJ, UFCW 21 & Town Hall Seattle present Another World is Possible! WTO+20: How a People’s Uprising Shut-Down the World Trade Organization in ‘99 & Why it Matters for Today’s Movements for Justice – FREE Register, Share on Facebook, More info
  • SAT NOV 30 - DEC 1, 10am - 4pm: Seattle Anarchist Bookfair - FREE Share on Facebook, More info
  • SAT DEC 7: WA Fair Trade Coalition presents 10AM Rally, 3:30PM Workshops, 7PM Keynote: Joseph Stieglitz – Sliding scale More info

After Seattle - Amory Starr

  • Were you part of the N30 protests against the WTO in Seattle?
  • After Seattle is to be a collection of biographical notes about how that experience shaped us.
  • If you were there, you are invited to contribute a text from 20 to 2000 words.

#MySeattleWTOStory social media project - Citizens’ Trade Campaign

  • Record a short video or write a short post with your reflection from the Seattle WTO protests and why they’re still relevant today.
  • Post your reflection on social media with the hashtag #MySeattleWTOStory any time between November 20th thru November 30th.
  • Share the link to your creation with us at MySeattleWTOStory@citizenstrade.org.

Accessibility Statement

We are striving for accessibility in this project, if you experience any issues with the content or functionality of our website, please contact us at shutdownwto20@gmail.com - Thank you!

Photo Credits

Thank you to the photographers and publications that shared their photos with this site:

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