How to build a sustainable grassroots resistance movement Jill Reese, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Jill Reese, The Alliance for a Jus1ce Society The Alliance for a Just Society’s mission is to execute local, state and na1onal campaigns and build strong affiliate organiza1ons and partnerships that address economic, racial, and social inequi1es. The Alliance is a na1onal network of 14 racial and economic jus1ce organiza1ons.

How to build a sustainable grassroots resistance movement

Strategies for Making Progressive Change

• Direct action
• c3 and c4 civic engagement and electoral strategies
• Consistent dues paying membership outreach
• Deep investment in leadership development
• Power mapping for strategy development
• Coalition building
• State legislative work
• On line organizing / engagement
• Framing and strategic message development
• Engagement with labor

Grassroots Organizing: Building and Challenging Power

• Power rela1onships are unequal
• In order to challenge power, you have to present a

credible threat

• We cannot compete in the realm of money
• We must invest in organizing - building and

developing a base of people who are consistently engaged in work

• We must confront power directly

CoaliCons and CollaboraCons

• Building coali1ons and collabora1ons are about building

power

• Coali1ons are built around a common goal
• Collabora1ons are built around a specific issue
• Permanent, temporary, single or mul1-issue, geographically

defined, limited to certain cons1tuencies

Some QuesCons to Consider

Who is behind the coaliCon? What’s your organizaCon’s self-interest? How can your members parCcipate? What is the decision making structure? How will parCcipaCon build your organizaCon?

Benefits of Structured Alignment

• Win what couldn’t be won alone
• Build an ongoing power base
• Increase the impact of individual organiza1ons’ efforts
• Develop new leaders
• Increase resources
• Broaden scope

Common Challenges

• Distracts from other work
• Weak members can’t deliver
• Too many compromises
• Inequality of power
• Individual organiza1ons may not get credit
• Dull tac1cs
• Messaging by consensus

Principles for Success

✓ Clear staffing roles, whether hired or contributed ✓ Choose unifying issues ✓ Develop a realis1c coali1on budget ✓ Understand and respect ins1tu1onal self-interest ✓ Agree to disagree ✓ Be strategic with tac1cs ✓ Recognize that contribu1ons vary ✓ Structure decision-making carefully ✓ Help organiza1ons to achieve their self-interest ✓ Achieve significant victories ✓ Urge stable, senior board representa1ves ✓ Clarify decision-making procedures ✓ Distribute credit fairly

Power Analysis

Our assump1ons include:

• 1. POWER rela1onships are unequal right now and this is key to

why we have the problem / issue that we are working on.

• 2. POWER is being exercised and there is an agenda at work.
• 3. A more systema1c way of understanding POWER and how it is

exercised is necessary to making long term social change.

Power Analysis

We use this tool to map out current power relationships and to then think through:

• how to shift those relationships to increase our

power

• how to move groups with power to our agenda
• ultimately, how to shift the power relationships to

pressure decision-makers to concede

11

Power Analysis

Strategic Power Analysis: Analysis of the political landscape of a defined region including key problems, conditions, strategic decision-making centers, major battles, primary opposition forces, organized progressive forces (actual/potential), and important unorganized social groups.

Environmental & Economic Justice Project Power Analysis Training - Chart 7

4 4 Ta Taken n int nto Ac Account unt Can n Ge Get At Attent ntion n 3 3

6 6

Po Power to ha have ve Major Inf nflue uenc nce decision-m n-making ng

8 8

Ac Active ve Pa Participant nt in n Decision-m n-making ng

10 10

Decisive ve Decision n making ng Po Power or Inf nflue uenc nce 2 2 Not on n Ra Radar Die Die H Hard Die Die H Hard Inc ncline ned To Towards Ac Active ve Sup upport Ac Active ve Sup upport Inc ncline ned To Towards

STEP 1: 1: Define the major economic, political, and/or social Cond nditions ns which are negatively impacting primary constituencies

Could be economic conditions such as poverty, unemployment - social conditions such as discrimination, persecution - political conditions such as disenfranchisement - or a combination of all the above.

STEP 2: 2: Sketch the Competing ng Ag Agend

• ndas. The

agenda of the forces who are causing or perpetuating the problems, and your agenda (i.e. the conditions you want to bring about)

STEP 3: 3: Sketch the major centers of Decision-m n-making ng Po Power over the problem conditions

Bo Board of Sup upervi visors State Legislatur ure City Counc uncil

STEP 4: 4: Sketch Major Issue ue/ Po Policy Ba Battles related to problem conditions which are going on

STEP 8: 8: Analyze picture (strengths/weaknesses,

• rganizing opportunities, etc.)

STEP 5: 5: Sketch major

• rganized

Opposition n STEP 6: 6: Sketch Organized Pr Progressive ve Gr Group ups STEP 7: 7: Sketch key uno unorgani nized social groups STEPS TO O DEVELOP LOP A STRATEGI GIC POLI OLITICAL L LA LAND NDSCAPE POWE OWER ANA NALY LYSIS

CONGRE GRESS Ma Mayo yor St State Legislatur ure Bo Board of Sup upervi visors City City Counc uncil

Environmental & Economic Justice Project Power Analysis Training

4 4 Ta Taken n int nto Ac Account unt Can n Ge Get At Attent ntion n 3 3

6 6

Po Power to ha have ve Major Inf nflue uenc nce

• n

n decision- n- making ng

8 8

Ac Active ve Pa Participant nt in n Decision-m n-making ng

10 10

Decisive ve Decision n making ng Po Power or Inf nflue uenc nce 2 2 Not on n Ra Radar

Die Hard Die Hard Inclined Towards Active Support Active Support Inclined Towards “Mid “Middle le Cla Class” ss”

17% 17%

Up Upper Middle Class Class

25% 25% 17% 17%

People on Public Assistance

Poor & Working Families

47% 47%

R i R i g g h t h t w w i i n g n g B a B a l l l l

• t

t I I n i n i t t i i a a t t i i v e v e s s Welfare Re Reform

Pr Priva vatization n

DEVELOPERS

BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS MAJOR CORPORATIONS BANKS Rightwing Think Tanks

Small Businesses

CHURCHES COMMUNITY GROUPS SOCIAL SERVICES UNIONS

Large Non-Pr n-Profits

Pr Progressive ve Chur hurche hes CFJ CFJ Pr Progressive ve Ac Academics LAAN AANE

Metro Al Allianc nce Gr Grassroots Gr Group ups

AGE AGENDA A SEIU U 1877, 434B, B, 660, 660, 347 347

METR METROPO POLITAN LITAN ALLIANCE ALLIANCE

Communi unity Coalition n Othe her Uni Unions ns

COR ORPOR ORATE/CONS ONSERVATIVE AGE GEND NDA

+ Creation of low-wage, unregulated environment + Cutbacks in social spending + Use of Public Capital to subsidize agenda

SOC OCIAL/ L/ECONOM ONOMIC JUS JUSTICE AGE GEND NDA

+ Decent Quality of Life for All + Fairness, Equality, Opportunity + Authentic Democracy

LOS AN ANGE GELES LAN ANDSCAPE APE AN ANAL ALYS YSIS

Resources and Fundraising

Looking beyond founda1ons

• Membership dues
• Small donor / large donor
• Grassroots fundraising
• Mapping in-state money