Principles Practices of Movement Building Grassroots Network Organizing
Principles & Practices of Movement Building Grassroots Network Organizing Department 2019
Purpose: Develop a shared understanding of Sierra Club's role in organizing transformational campaigns based on movement building, equity and justice. Outcomes: Participants will explore: 1) Definition of movement building 2) Key Elements of Movement Building - Sierra Club’s 5 contributions of movement building 3) How to incorporate equity, inclusion and justice into our organizing and campaigns - Jemez Principles
My Story
What movement has personally impacted you?
What is Movement Building?
To shift the balance on these issues is to shift the moral compass of entire populations. For a campaign, victory is about incremental progress. For a movement, victory is a transformation: a time when everything changes and no one can imagine going back. Social movements are deeply connected to the well-being and equity afforded to groups of people who are typically marginalized in a society. Movements are necessarily led by the people most harmed by the status quo. - Sarah Hodgdon, Byron Gudiel, Natalie Foster
Social Movements happen when a fundamental injustice is felt deeply and widely enough that communities mobilize to challenge power holders, institutions, and society’s norms. Successful movements fundamentally shift social values and culture toward a new vision. When social movements are successful they transform the way we think, the way our society and our communities are structured, the way we live, and even who we are.
Movements are something special; they go beyond an organization to become sustained groupings with shared values, a common narrative, a broad and deep base, and a long-term commitment to change. One key element of a social movement is its commitment to organizing – the on-the ground, one-on-one work that is part science, part art, and all important to organizational sustainability. Social movements make sure to directly involve those with “skin in the game” and make sure that the frames and values are derived from them and not from focus groups conducted by distant intermediaries. Making Change: How Social Movements Work - and How to Support Them Manuel Pastor Rhonda Ortiz Program for Environmental and Regional Equity University of Southern California Funded by The California Endowment
WHY MOVEMENT BUILDING?
SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT CLIMATE JUSTICE MOVEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT SIERRA CLUB BASE BUILDING EFFORT Leaders, Members, Supporters
Mobilizing + Organizing + Movement Building Goal Scale What it looks like Lone wolf Specific technical or policy decision 1 person Writing comments to EIS Mobilizing Specific campaign outcome Tens to hundreds of people Recruiting people to hearing Organizing Building more long term power in a community and/or organization Hundreds to thousands building greater capacity through developing leaders who will help push the agenda forward Movement Building Transformative change in culture, society and politics Millions of people Building power that shifts society building transformational partnerships with other social justice organizations (3. 5%: 11 million)
Sierra Club’s Contribution to Movement Building
Vision and Values Movement Moments MOVEMENT BUILDING Local Victories Leadership Partnerships
Power Building Model: Base Building Transformational partnerships Leadership development Local Victories Movement Moments
Equity, Inclusion and Justice
Moving Toward Transformational Relationships Transactional Transformational Urgent, driven by desire to “get to yes”; see person or constituency as “useful” or “strategic” to reaching goals; Need an action taken Respect, open, humble, curious, patient; Gathering and sharing information, opinions; Listen and seek guidance 1 -way flow (we “educate”); Issue specific 2 -way; Both gathering and sharing information Short-term, based on policy or issue cycle Long-term, based on building trust, respect, and mutual understanding Action Relationship Takes action in support of partner activities Grants money to partner organizations Jointly plans, implements campaign plans Grants money to partner organizations Raises revenue together
Winning at the Four Levels of Power Everyday Politics: Advocating for individual redress Winning Policies: Protecting whole classes of beneficiaries Structural Power: Changing the playing field Ethical and Epistemic Power: Changing values, beliefs & narratives Movement Building Coordination Meeting, March 2019
How are you doing movement building work in your community?
The Jemez Principles ● On December 6 -8, 1996, forty people of color and European. American representatives met in Jemez, New Mexico, for the “Working Group Meeting on Globalization and Trade. ” ● The Jemez meeting was hosted by the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice with the intention of hammering out common understandings between participants from different cultures, politics and organizations. The following “Jemez Principles” for democratic organizing were adopted by the participants.
The Jemez Principles 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Be Inclusive Emphasis on Bottom-Up Organizing Let the People Speak for Themselves Work Together in Solidarity and Mutuality Build Relationship Among Ourselves Commitment to Self-Transformation
Questions? Bob Bingaman – National Organizing Director bob. bingaman@sierraclub. org Gwyn Jones –Grassroots Network Program Director gwyn. jones@sierraclub. org
- Slides: 21